For Celeste, graduate school had always seemed like the ultimate goal that she would ‘one day’ pursue. But after a life-altering London internship in the British Parliament, she's fast-tracking her way to a masters. The British-Lebanese senior, who grew up in Dubai, will get her undergraduate degree in May and has already been accepted to her top-choice universities. IO: Hi Celeste. Thank you for taking time to talk with us. I know it’s a busy time for you with graduation in

Five short years ago, taking the SAT and ACT appeared to be an immutable component of the college application process: most colleges and universities mandated them. However, following pandemic quarantines and test access issues, nearly all schools embraced the test-optional trend. Now, once again, changes are underway. With the SAT fully transitioning to online in the US this month, the standardized testing policies of universities and colleges are in a state of flux, with so

Attending a French high school in Dubai and ethically Tunisian, Rayane wasn't planning on applying to universities in the US until his father intervened. Although he got a late start on the college application process and had to scramble a bit during the fall of 12th grade, he is now a sophomore at UCLA studying chemical engineering. IO: Hi Rayane. How are you enjoying UCLA and life in Los Angeles? Rayane: College life in LA is surreal and limitless! The university and city h

The greatest shawarma in Dubai. Lasting lessons learned on a “cursed” bus. A bold vision for the future of biotechnology. The joy of pairing different types of literature with particular drinks. What do these strange and interesting topics have in common? Ivy Options students wrote about them in their Common Application Personal Statements (CAPS) and used these stories to get into some of their top choice schools. The personal essay required by more than 1,000 US universities

Starting at Northeastern University in the fall of 2022, Cecilia was convinced that she wanted to study neuroscience. However, by attending a school that encourages academic exploration and offers a built-in internship program (the co-op), she discovered her true interest: international business. She's committing to the major this semester, but she's relished her "undecided" status, varied classes, and sorority life. She's already done a study abroad in Greece; next up, South

After declining during the pandemic, international student enrollments at US universities are at their highest year-on-year growth in 40 years according to The Institute of International Education’s latest Open Doors report. The annual research results, which highlight trends and forecasts in higher education, reveal that for the 2022-23 school year, just over 1,057,000 international students from 210 places of origin enrolled in 3,800 institutions. This 12% increase creates

Reema is bound for Columbia University this fall! The Omani student recently received Early Decision acceptance to the New York school. She credits her application success to effectively conveying her unique story: a traditional Middle Eastern upbringing and her passion for AI/data science – her intended major. IO: Congratulations on your ED acceptance to Columbia University! First of all, how are you feeling? Reema: I am absolutely thrilled and grateful to attend Columbia! I

It's December and the perfect time for 9th-11th graders to start thinking about the meaningful ways that they can spend their upcoming summer break: a program at a university, doing research, taking online courses, working at an internship, and/or visiting colleges. Already, applications for many programs are open and some deadlines are just a month or two away. Use the list below as a reference, and work with your Ivy Options counselor to find and facilitate your plans. Yale