Blogs & Latest News

Students in an English class
Career Counseling

Should You Do an English Degree?

I will confess, I have not gone through the stats, but I’m fairly confident when I say that most of the young people I work with have their eyes set on studying either a STEM or an applied subject at university. This choice is often influenced by their ideas about their future career path, however, there are always some students who want to do a degree or major in a particular subject area because it is something that they love.

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Computer Science
Majors

Should I Study Computer Science?

The field of computer science has seen a surge in applications from students wanting to study the subject for their higher education degree. In the UK, applications to study computer science have seen a year on year increase of 4%, a massive increase over such a short period, while in the United States the numbers of people graduating with a degree in the field has increased from 39,000 in 2010 to well over 88,000 in 2019.

This increase in interest is perhaps no surprise given the prevalence of tech in our everyday lives and the vast amounts of money that some technology companies have made since the start of the new millennium. So if you are thinking that computer science might be for you, or are just interested to know what all the fuss is about, read on.

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Writing Common App essay
Admissions

Common Application Essay Prompts 2025-26 & How to Answer them?

The Common Application has a set of 7 prompts from which you select any one to tell a compelling story to the Admissions Team. Most students feel that this is where you list all of your achievements. False: Colleges are not looking for duplication of your resume in your essay. On the contrary, the CAE is a personal, creative, and reflective essay meant to focus on your unique values and skills as an individual

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Futuristic prediction of jobs
Career Counseling

What are the jobs of the future for 2030

Each year the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) publishes a list of jobs that they expect to see the greatest growth over the next ten years. They have recently published their data for 2020 so it seems like a good time to think not just about the jobs but also about the majors that are likely to be popular.

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Liberal Arts word cloud
College Counseling

What is a Liberal Arts Education?

Not so long ago I had a long conversation with a parent who was concerned that their child was interested in applying to some liberal arts colleges. Through the conversation, we discussed just what a liberal arts education is and how appropriate it is for the modern employment market. In this blog, I’m going to share some of the points that came out of our conversation.

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Internship
Extra-Curricular

Will an Internship Help You to get into College?

A common question that we hear at Ivy Central when helping students prepare to apply to college is ‘Should I do an internship?’ As you might expect, the answer is a little more nuanced than a straight Yes or No, so in this article, I will explore some of the considerations that anybody thinking of doing an internship to support their college application should reflect on.

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Comprehensive Guide to Womens’ Colleges in the US | Ivy Central
College Counseling

Womens’ Colleges in the US: To apply or not to apply?

You may have occasionally heard the term “Seven Sisters” with regard to Womens’ Colleges in the US. The term refers to seven historically all-women’s colleges namely: Barnard College, Bryn Mawr College, Mount Holyoke College, Radcliffe College, Smith College, Vassar College and Wellesley College.

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Setting goals
Study Skills

How To Set Your Academic Goals

As a student, I am sure you are constantly juggling tons of workload. Academics combined with extracurriculars can be hectic. A lot of students, especially those taking on more challenging curriculums such as the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IB), find themselves pressed for time.

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What to Do if You Are Waitlisted for A College? Guide for Students
College Counseling

Waitlisted! So what do you next to win the place?

If you have applied to colleges and universities in the United States you should now know which have accepted you and which have not offered you a place. For some, there will be a third category where the college has put the student on a waitlist. If the college is your top choice college, then being on a waitlist can feel like being in purgatory, somewhere between heaven and hell. Read on to find out how you can judge your odds of being admitted off the waitlist and what you can do to improve your chances.

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8 Key Tips on How to Get Into an Ivy League College? Ivy Central
Admissions

Eight Tips on Getting Accepted by an Ivy League College

For many students and families aspiring to a higher education experience in the United States of America, the Ivy League remains the pinnacle of educational achievement. Irrespective of whether they are right in that belief, the reality is that if pushed to name a US college many families of international students would name an Ivy League institution. Every year more and more students apply to one of the eight colleges that make up the Ivy League, drawn by their mix of high academic achievement, social prestige, wonderful facilities and extensive networking opportunities. If you are one of those who dream of walking the campuses of these colleges, here is what you need to know and eight tips on what it takes to win a coveted acceptance letter.

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5 Steps on How to Find the Right College? College Selection Guide
Build Your Profile

Five Steps to Help You Find Your Perfect College Match

If you have decided that going to college or university is what you want to do after high school, then this article is for you. Making the choice about which college or university to attend is a difficult one, there are so many options to choose from! This article will show you the five steps to help you narrow down your choices to a manageable number that you can apply to. It does not matter if you are applying to institutions in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia or any other part of the world, these steps will help you.

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In-Depth Guide on What is a Research University? Ivy Central
College Counseling

What’s a Research University?

In a previous article, I wrote about the many types of colleges and universities to be found across the United States. In this article, I am going to provide a more in depth look at one of those types, the research university. I will explain just what distinguishes a research university from other types and suggest what type of student best fits that environment.

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Admissions

What is a College Consortium?

College Consortiums are formed when two or more colleges/universities come together to share resources. These resources could be in the form of labs, libraries, cultural centers, faculty, etc. Colleges from a consortium are located within 10 to 20 miles of each other, to ensure the smooth functioning and use of these facilities by students from these colleges.

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