Are you stressed about what is coming when you fill out the Common Application?
Do you worry that you might have gaps in your story that need to be filled, but don't know how to find them ahead of time?

I will be hosting a masterclass on May 8th in order to help you answer these questions, and give you clarity about what is important vs activities that are not important.

At the end of the masterclass, you'll have a good idea of how your application will be read, and which area of your application you will need to supplement in order to have the strongest application possible.

To register (for free), go to TILC.to/college-app

See you there!


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To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our website
To follow on Instagram:  @TheIvyLeagueChallenge
To join us on our Facebook group for parents
Or schedule a meeting with Steve here

What gaps might exist in your future application? How can you find those gaps so you can fill them before it is too late?

We go through each element of the Common Application to identify how to prepare for every section.


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To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our website
To follow on Instagram:  @TheIvyLeagueChallenge
To join us on our Facebook group for parents
Or schedule a meeting with Steve here

Should you sign up for NHS? Is it worth the effort?
What about volunteering in general? How much should I volunteer? How many hours is enough? Which type of volunteering is best for my application?

Listen in to learn the answers to these questions and more.


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To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our website
To follow on Instagram:  @TheIvyLeagueChallenge
To join us on our Facebook group for parents
Or schedule a meeting with Steve here

April for high school seniors can be a stressful time-- instead of worrying about which schools might admit their application, many seniors now have multiple acceptances, and are anxious to make sure that they make the right decision.

Listen in to learn my advice about how to best make that decision, and to make sure that you end up loving your choice.


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To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our website
To follow on Instagram:  @TheIvyLeagueChallenge
To join us on our Facebook group for parents
Or schedule a meeting with Steve here

If you are willing to spend a few minutes listening to this podcast now, you'll be equipped to save most of the stress coming your way when it comes time to write your essays.
You'll need a notebook and a few minutes of time.
Watch for these meaningful moments as they occur, and just keep track of them.

By the time you need to write your essays, instead of stressing over what to write and how to write it-- and struggling to think of examples from your life that represent your values-- you can just open you notebook and pick the ones that work best.

Future you will thank today you.

The link I referenced in the episode is TILC.to/essay


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To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our website
To follow on Instagram:  @TheIvyLeagueChallenge
To join us on our Facebook group for parents
Or schedule a meeting with Steve here

Join us to hear how to avoid the major mistakes most teens make in their college prep so you can gain an advantage in future college admissions.
Registration is now open and will close before class begins on Saturday night.

Register at TILC.to/register

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To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our website
To follow on Instagram:  @TheIvyLeagueChallenge
To join us on our Facebook group for parents
Or schedule a meeting with Steve here

Do you ever feel like you don't have enough time?

It is common for stressed teens and adults to say "I wish I had more time!"

But actually, you don't need more time.
You actually need more energy and better clarity.

Listen in to discover why clarity and energy are more important that time.


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To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our website
To follow on Instagram:  @TheIvyLeagueChallenge
To join us on our Facebook group for parents
Or schedule a meeting with Steve here

Because college is difficult to prepare for, many families want to begin early.
But when they ask how to prepare, too often they are told that there is no reason to start so soon.
Many people believe that college prep shouldn't begin until high school.

But as long as we don't get stuck in the impressiveness trap, college prep can be healthy and wonderful.

Listen in to hear about the four things to be sure to do in middle school in order to begin preparing well for college.


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To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our website
To follow on Instagram:  @TheIvyLeagueChallenge
To join us on our Facebook group for parents
Or schedule a meeting with Steve here

Most ambitious teens (and their parents, if we're honest) ask the question "what's most ambitious to an admissions officer" early on in the process.

They figure that they can sacrifice the things they are curious about for a few short years, then later when they get into their dream college they can start doing those things they love so much.

Of course, being as impressive as possible means taking the most rigorous coursework available to them, and then working hard to get great grades in all of those 'impressive' classes.

On top of that, they hear that they should demonstrate leadership. So it's not enough to just join 8 clubs, they need to lead 3 or more of them.

It's not enough to just be on the sports team-- you need to be the captain.
You can't just compete in MUN, you need to be a leader...

Later on they may hear that the most impressive students have published books or won national awards or worked alongside professors and doctoral candidates to conduct biology research.

These families will push and push and push to fit in more and more novel ways to become impressive.

But...
Even if you are successful. Even if you are the ONE in your school who is valedictorian and captain of the team and president of the most clubs-- you are THE MOST impressive student in your school-- the reality is that there are 30,000 high schools in N. America. And each of them has a valedictorian.

So there are tens of thousands of people who spent all four years of high school stuck in what I call The Impressiveness Trap.

And all of those tens of thousands of teens submit applications that look nearly identical.

they look nearly identical because they were all over-scheduled in order to become as impressive as possible.

Ironically, the things that they sacrificed in order to be more impressive-- those things they would have spent time exploring because they were interesting to them-- THOSE are the things that are interesting to an admissions officer.

So that is why it is good advice for your teen to approach activities without considering future admissions officers.

The key is (over time) to explore those curiosities to a deep and meaningful level, and connect that interest and exploration to some positive impact in the community.

This is where parents or mentors can make a big difference.

Listen up to learn more!


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To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our website
To follow on Instagram:  @TheIvyLeagueChallenge
To join us on our Facebook group for parents
Or schedule a meeting with Steve here

Want to increase your chances of getting into Harvard?

My suggestion for you is to cultivate a sincere love of learning.

Figure out a way to inject genuine curiosity and excitement into your learning.

But how?

I've recently read Adam Grant's book Hidden Potential, and I love how a couple of his stories help explain how and why this is such a powerful solution.


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To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our website
To follow on Instagram:  @TheIvyLeagueChallenge
To join us on our Facebook group for parents
Or schedule a meeting with Steve here