Ivy Options

According to the Common Application's latest report, first-year applicants are up 4% and total applications are up 9%. Every year, more students apply to more universities, and the 2025-26 cycle is no exception.

At the same time, international applications are down 9%. For international students in the UAE, that means less competition, but the strategy still needs to be sharp.

Not sure how to stand out in a smaller pool? That's what our counsellors are here for. Link in bio. 📌

The test-optional era at the Ivy League is officially over.

Columbia became the last Ivy to reinstate SAT or ACT requirements, joining Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Brown, Dartmouth, Cornell, and Penn. Rising seniors applying this fall still have one final test-optional window at Columbia, but the window closes next year.

If you are a rising junior with the Ivies on your list, this changes your timeline. Test prep starts now, not next year.

From acceptance to graduation, the University Success Toolkit helps students make the most of their university years — advising, career development, research, testing, and applications, all built around their goals.

Start with a free consultation: [email protected]

After years of guiding international students in the UAE through US applications, we notice the same mistakes come up every year, and most of them are avoidable.

The good news: none of these mistakes require perfect grades, extra tutoring, or last-minute strategy shifts to fix. They just require awareness, and starting early enough to do something about them.

Swipe through the five most common ones. Save this post for later, or share it with a family who needs to see it.

Most families imagine admissions as a careful, unhurried process. The reality is faster, and it changes how you should approach your application.

Swipe through to see what actually happens behind the scenes, and what admissions officers look for in the few minutes they spend on your file.

The summer before senior year is the most decisive month of the entire application cycle.

Most students arrive in August already behind. The most prepared ones walk into senior year with their college list locked, their personal statement drafted, their recommendation letters requested, and their supplements researched.

Save and share this with a rising senior who's wondering what they should be doing right now.

IB 2026 results release Monday, July 6.

For UAE families receiving results this week, here's what to know about the days ahead:
• When and how to access the portal
• What the score means for university offers
• What to do if the score isn't what was hoped
• What P and N on the transcript signal

Results day brings every emotion at once. Whether your child is celebrating or regrouping, both have a next step.

Not sure what your child's result means for their applications? Comment "RESULTS" and we will reach out.

Junior year is the year that matters most in a college application — and the strongest applications are built quietly in summer.

Seven things to focus on this month, none of them overwhelming:
• Commit to one test — SAT or ACT
• Go deep on one project
• Read across three genres
• Research 20 universities
• Start a story journal
• Plan your English proficiency test
• Strengthen one weak subject

None of these are extra. They're the foundation of a strong application.

Not sure where you stand? Comment "RISING JUNIOR" for a 1:1 initial consultation.