OUR SERVICES
Ivy Options is a premier college admissions consultancy serving clients in Dubai and beyond. We partner with students and parents through the complex admissions process, using our expert knowledge to achieve outstanding results. It is never too late to improve the odds for success, but the longer we work with a student, the more we can help to strengthen his or her profile. The most successful candidates begin this process one to three years prior to the university application deadline, ideally in freshman year or Year 10 of high school.
At Ivy Options, all clients receive one-on-one, personalized counseling with highly qualified international admissions experts who have attended or worked for prestigious U.S. colleges – and guided numerous students into their first-choice universities.
CONSULTATION
The initial consultation lasts 60 minutes and consists of an in-depth interview with both the student and parents, preferably in person, but telephone consultations are also possible. During the meeting, we review the student’s transcripts, test scores, extracurricular activities, and life experiences, discussing how college admissions officers will evaluate each of these components. We suggest how a student can build on his or her strengths and interests to present their most stand-out profile in the classroom and on college applications.
Following the meeting, we prepare an Initial Consultation Report identifying the student’s strengths and goals, a strategic plan for the admissions process, and recommendations for follow-up as appropriate. Families may then choose one of our detailed programs tailored to the student’s age and ambition that identifies ideal activities both in and out of the classroom. During junior year, our well-prepared students focus on university lists, country-specific strategies, and essay writing for applications in the fall.
CUSTOMIZED SAT/ACT PREP
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For SAT and ACT preparation courses, Ivy Options uses an innovative combination of both study guide and online software. This approach enables us to quickly identify areas of weakness for each individual and improve scores in a strategic manner. We bring in experts in mathematics, grammar, science (ACT), and critical reading to maximize success on the SAT or ACT exam. We supplement our teaching with exam diagnostics every other Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Our philosophy is different from other test prep companies in Dubai. We focus on improving students’ core knowledge and test-taking strategies while giving our students unlimited access to our classes and online materials over the entire academic year. We also work with students individually to ensure that they achieve the highest score possible on the exam best suited to their respective strengths. If a student is unsure whether the ACT or SAT is the better fit, Ivy Options will help navigate the selection process. New six-week classes occur throughout the school year, starting in September. Please contact info@ivyoptions.com for more information.
HIGHLY PERSONALIZED CAMPUS TOURS
Each year, Ivy Options travels with a select group of students to tour the campuses of universities on the east or west coast of the United States. These tours give students the opportunity to experience universities in a way that far exceeds online impressions. Students determine where they fit in and whether they like the feel of specific universities; many discover exciting institutions that they would not have considered otherwise.
Perhaps of greatest value, our tours provide students with a “behind the scenes” understanding of the undergraduate admissions process, allowing them to return home with a clear strategy for maximizing their admissions success. We meet with admissions officers, athletic coaches, current university students, and alumni, giving our students insights that they could never gain from campus tours alone. During our customized tours, students also receive guidance on writing authentic essays that clearly convey why a particular university fits with their academic interests. Our tours have helped past participants to craft university lists with confidence and write compelling supplemental essays that display first-hand knowledge of their desired universities. Universities visited on past summer tours:
East Coast: Harvard, Tufts, MIT, Boston College, Northeastern, Boston University, Babson, Bentley, Brown, Yale, Wesleyan, New York University, Vassar, Fordham, Columbia, Barnard, Princeton, University of Pennsylvania, Drexel, Lehigh, Franklin and Marshall, Swarthmore, Haverford, Temple, Johns Hopkins, George Washington, American, Georgetown, and Wake Forest.
West Coast: University of California Berkeley, Stanford, University of San Francisco, Santa Clara University, California Polytechnic-San Luis Obispo, UC Santa Barbara, Pepperdine, UCLA, Occidental, Pomona, Loyola Marymount, UC Irvine, Chapman, and UC San Diego.