The Ivy Coach In The News

Graduate Schools’ Political Leanings Concern Some Students

Taylor's clients care about academic reputation and rarely weigh schools' political leanings. "And there's little reason for them to do so," she says. "Whether one is conservative or liberal, most U.S. universities lean left and some of the most prestigious universities—the Ivy League universities—lean especially left."

Video Gaming on the Pro Tour, for Glory but Little Gold

“Colleges want to see kids who are passionate in one area,” said Bev Taylor, founder of the Ivy Coach, a college admissions consultancy.

Manage College Application Anxiety

"Not every question requires an answer," says Bev Taylor, founder of The Ivy Coach.

For instance, she says, some colleges ask applicants to list all the other schools to which they've applied -- which Ms. Taylor believes can hurt an applicant if the college concludes the student is treating it as a safety school. She suggests skipping the question.

Unacceptable Changes to the Common Application for College Applicants

Beginning this fall, the Common Application is imposing a strict 500-word limit on the personal statement. While our students have always complied with college essay word limits, many applicants ignore directions and upload longer essays. We at The Ivy Coach have no issue with word limits, but we do have an issue with what the Common Application is proposing to do to enforce it.

Will USC be next to join the Common Application?

Says Bev Taylor of The Ivy Coach, "Students are not happy when they are applying to Georgetown or MIT and they have to go through another application."

The International Edge

"Highly selective colleges have a certain number of international students that they accept in a given year, so students from China compete against other students from China,” says Bev Taylor, president of The Ivy Coach.

The Biggest Difference Between Applying To College In The US Vs. The UK

To differentiate themselves from the tens of thousands of other candidates applying to the same college, they have to have a real hook — a singular, unique talent or expertise. They have to be able to ‘tell their story’ and articulate who they are in powerful college essays.

Giving Admissions Essays the Old College Try

Bev Taylor, founder of The Ivy Coach, a New York-based college admissions consulting firm, says applicants should never repeat in their essay what is already on their application.

Connections to University can affect admissions decision

According to Bev Taylor, president and founder of the college consulting business The Ivy Coach, both legacies and development cases benefit from the fact that admissions offices will look for reasons to accept them.

What is the Interest Quotient?

Bev Taylor of The Ivy Coach strongly believes that the Interest Quotient in some cases can be the tipping point to a student getting admitted to a college.

Seeking College Admissions Help with Pricey Counselors

Says Bev Taylor of The Ivy Coach, "I just feel that college admissions counselors will look down upon the fact that they have the advantage over another student who is doing this on their own. Face it, they have help. Another student doesn't."

Private School Rejects

Bev Taylor, the founder of The Ivy Coach, confirms that lowballing is common at prep schools, whose worst nightmare is having graduating seniors who haven't been admitted to any college at all.

Princeton early admission applications jump 10 percent

Unlike Princeton, other colleges only extended the deadline for students affected by Sandy. Taylor said that this may have given students who were not affected by the hurricane some additional time to complete their Princeton applications.

The Do’s and Don’ts of College Applications

“[Not having enough extracurriculars] is rarely the problem,” says Bev Taylor, founder of college counseling service the Ivy Coach. “The mistake is not shining in a specific extracurricular. Too many applicants are all over the place and unfocused.”

Undergrads Face Major Decisions

"While a few teens are absolutely certain about their career goals, the average kid is not, says Bev Taylor, an independent college counselor. "How certain can they be at 17?" she asks.

Applications decline by three percent from last year

Dartmouth has not been able to convince accepted minority applicants to matriculate to the College, according to Taylor. As a result, future minority students are unlikely to consider Dartmouth as a serious option.

Regular Admits May See 3% Acceptance Rate

Bev Taylor, founder of college consulting practice The Ivy Coach, said the students she advises typically attend Harvard if they are admitted early. “When they apply early action to Harvard, yes, they go to Harvard,” she said.

Former admissions officer mocked applicant essays

"If we're telling students to be careful about what they're posting on Facebook, I think admissions officers need to go above that and be even more scrupulous about what they're discussing online," said Bev Taylor, founder of college consulting firm The Ivy Coach. "I don't know if you're going to stop people from having a casual conversation about an essay they read, but something as open as going onto social media with that information is absolutely wrong."

The Ivy Coach on FOX News

Bev Taylor, Founder of The Ivy Coach, talks about a devious student who tried to game the college admissions system on Fox News.

Getting Into A Good School

"The first priority of an Indian family is always education," says Bev Taylor, president of The Ivy Coach, an independent college counseling service in Manhattan and Roslyn Heights, New York.

Playing the college application game

Bev Taylor, founder of New York-based college consulting firm The Ivy Coach, compared hiring a college consulting firm to hiring an attorney or an accountant; it helps students “get that extra attention” that comes from working in a more individualized, one-on-one situation.

Getting Into College

"You have to let a college know you really care," advised Bev Taylor, director of The Ivy Coach. "While you are on the wait list, be proactive; put some work into telling them why you think you will be a good addition to the school."

Is Getting Into College at 15 the Next Big Thing?

The Ivy Coach has helped hundreds of high-schoolers get accepted into top-tier universities as a private educational consultant.

School Daze

"The tour guides will give you the script, but the students are going to tell it like it is," says Bev Taylor, director of The Ivy Coach. "Visit the buildings, including the dorms."

Buying internships: Trend on the rise

In the last 15 years, 100 percent of students counseled by The Ivy Coach were accepted to one of their top three choices, and 93 percent were accepted to their first choice.

Five Common Interview Questions

"There's always going to be a question ‘Why do you want to come to our school?' so you really have to know the school," says Bev Taylor, an independent college counselor and director of The Ivy Coach.

Thousands submit early college admissions applications

Bev Taylor, director and founder of The Ivy Coach, said that she discourages students from submitting their applications unnecessarily early, for fear of a change of heart.