High School Admissions
One-on-One Counseling
A transition from middle school into high school offers many exciting possibilities. Your choices include your public high school, technical high schools, independent private high schools, parochial high schools, and homeschooling.
We at IvyBound Consulting work with you to decipher the differences between these schools and which ones best complement your child’s personality, match your own ideals, and meet your goals and expectations.
Applying to various high schools is a daunting task with the requirements being different for each school. Essentially, you may be taking various standardized tests, filling out separate applications, and writing multiple essays.
To relieve your stress, IvyBound Consulting’s Admissions Advisors help create a well laid out plan so that the student does not miss any deadlines, fulfills all the necessary high school requirements, and puts their best applications forward.
Here is IvyBound's...
IvyBound Advisors will work with you to create your personalized High School Application Strategy, crafting:
What's Included
- Student In-take form for IvyBound Consulting’s Admissions Advisors to better understand your admissions needs.
 - Includes a one-hour (1 hour out of your package) initial assessment of your activities, grades, and courses.
 - Create a Test IvyBound Roadmap, determining which tests to take for specific schools, and when to take them.
 - Recommendation report on ways to improve your high school admissions strategy.
 - Personalized one-on-one counseling, dependent on your needs.
 - Finding holes in your high school admissions strategy and strengthening them.
 
Your Roadmap
After assessing the student’s academic and extracurricular interests, we will create your academic positioning which will then be your underlying statement on your high school applications. We may make recommendations to best type of high school to apply to, according to your academic information and extracurricular activities.
High school tests are one of the most important factors when applying for high schools. These tests vary considerably depending on the type of high school. We will explain the different types of tests, ex. ISEE, SSAT, Co-op, and technical school tests. Create a well thought-out plan, for when to take them, well before the deadline. Key is not to burn out the student, but to have them perform at their optimum.
Each high school has a distinct vision, philosophy, and teaching environment. We work with the student to decipher the differences between schools and which ones best complement the student’s personality, matches your own ideals and meets your goals and expectations. Finalize a balanced list of high schools that are a good match for the student, including some reach, target, and likely schools.
The application is another important component part of the admissions process. It basically portrays a holistic picture of who the student is. Any mistake on the application can deeply hinder the student’s chances of getting in. The application may be rather extensive, asking for a list of activities, an essay, supplemental essay, questions on a favorite book, teacher, summer activity, etc. We will advise the student through this entire process, and break the application process down into smaller manageable pieces. The application of each school is tackled individually to portray the applicant is a perfect fit with the school’s culture.
The high school lists a few questions to choose from and expects the child to answer a prompt, helping them to assess the writing aptitude and thinking process of the child. Brainstorm unique and effective essay ideas. Create a distinct narrative that sets the student apart from other applicants. Follow up with editing and final tweaking.
This is an essential part of the application, depicting a picture of who the student is as a person, the areas of interest, and what areas might be pursued in high school. More importantly, the activity sheet also depicts the student’s leadership qualities and if they are going to stand out in high school. Create a powerful activity sheet which displays the academic and extracurricular successes the student has had, a list that will stand out amongst the competition.
Discuss ways to best optimize the summer before 8th grade. High schools ask what the student did and how it was spent constructively. Strategize ways to spend the following summer to be ahead of the rest.
This is an excellent opportunity for the student and family to understand the school, its mission, and listen to current students of the school. We direct you on how to put your best foot forward and to stay top of mind of the school’s admissions team.
Interviews are an important way for the school to figure out the personality of the student. Not only do they look at the child, the answers and body behavior, but also that of the parents. Parents may also interviewed. Prepare for the interview by studying a list of frequently asked questions. Learn inside tips to impress the interviewer.
Identify teacher, counselor, and/or a coach who can be the students best advocates. Enable them to write stellar letter of recommendations.
A platform for the parent to write about his or her child– the strengthens, talents, and what the school should know about the child. This is a great opportunity for you to boast your child, and how your child would be a great fit for the school. We provide you guidance in crafting a parent letter that the school wants to admit the student.
The high schools require a transcript from the student’s middle school, showcasing current eighth grade grades, seventh, and may be also sixth grade grades. High schools want to accept students who get good grades, or show an upward progression of improvement. If there are weak academics that need to explained, we help create a strategy to tackle this issue.
Address ways to approach the high school when waitlisted. Help the family to express their utmost interest so the student is ultimately admitted.
Evaluate college admissions options once the student is admitted, again correlating the personality of the child and the culture of the school, to ensure a perfect match.
Why Are Our Services Vital?
...Because There are Tons of High Schools to Choose From
Technical High Schools
Public High Schools
Private Independent Schools
Home School
Parochial Schools
Our Success Rate
- Phillips Academy
 - Trinity School
 - Riverdale Country School
 - Horace Mann
 - Stuyvesant
 
- Bronx Science
 - Spence
 - Harvard Westlake
 - Lawrenceville
 - Bergen County Academies
 
- Bergen Tech
 - Brooklyn Tech
 - Staten Island Technical High School
 - Collegiate
 
- Dwight Englewood
 - Brearley
 - Laguardia High School
 - Troy High School
 - and many more!