“If you cannot explain it simply, then you do not know it well enough.”
Albert Einstein
Case Studies
We’ve helped hundreds of ambitious and talented students reach the next level in their education, while also working toward a fulfilling and successful career.
Every college applicant has a special story to tell. What’s yours? The shear competition even among exceptional students means that great grades and scores are not enough to succeed. Are you aware of the criteria great colleges look for in their applicants? Do you know why seeming great candidates don’t get into their “dream schools,” while notably less accomplished students often do? Not surprisingly, there is both an “art and a science” to getting into your “top, best fit college.” Since you’re likely not to do it alone, why not work with an Ivy Bound expert to increase your chances.
Read from the selected profiles below to see how we’ve helped real students like you reach their dream schools by assisting them present their best self to the college admissions committees.
Case Study 1: Stanley
GPA: 3.95/4.76
SAT: 1550
Country: USA
Major: Economic Sociology
Situation:
A driven and ambitious young man who competed for valedictorian in high school. He strived to be his best, not to be number one. Always cost conscious, Stanley could not understand why his friends spent their money frivolously, for example on a new iPhone when the one they had worked just fine. Concerned that not only his friends but students state-wide were reckless with their finances, he conducted a study amongst all the high schools in New Jersey. His results showed that throughout New Jersey, high school students exhibit poor financial literacy.
Strategy:
Create a Standout Essay! Together, Stanley and his Ivy Bound consultant emphasized his curious, problem-solving nature in his essay; and that he had genuine concern for the financial well-being for his friends and strangers across the state. Stanley conveyed his long-term vision for the future in his essay; and how he plans to improve the lives of citizens locally, regionally and nationally.
Results:
Columbia University
Case Study 2: Rohan
GPA: 3.94
SAT: 1450
Country: USA
Major: Math/Statistics
Situation:
Unsure of what he wanted to study in college or pursue in a career, with the help of his Ivy Bound consultant, he realized a yearning to mathematically solve a practical problem his uncle back in India had of optimizing the production of crops from year-to-year. Given his desire to serve his uncle and the neighboring farmers, Rohan plans to use mathematical modeling to improve farmer’s crops to improve their profits and feed the region.
Strategy:
Though he underperformed on the SAT, with the help of his Ivy Bound consultant, Rohan expressed his passion for helping his community back in India through his love of math in his essays and interviews.
Results:
Cornell University
Case Study 3: Kangyi
GPA: 92/100
SAT: 1320
Country: China
Major: Business
Situation:
As a five-year old, and despite a competition of thousands, Kangyi won the China/Hong Kong Disney Princess contest. So, at a very young age, she distinguished herself in a crowd. Confidence and leadership are her strongest traits, exhibited in many accomplishments, including organizing the first Beijing-wide high school fashion show, and voted best delegate to the Yang Model United Nations. Kangyi’s passion though is advertising, in the form of poster creation, video editing and social media management for school events such as sports, galas and college information sessions.
Strategy:
If there was one trait that dominated Kangyi’s persona, it was leadership with impact. This was her emphasis in her college application.
Results:
University of California, Irvine
Case Study 4: Xijin (Skyler)
GPA: N/A
SAT: 1530
Country: China
Major: Biology
Situation:
An ambitious, truly independent young lady from Guangzhou, China, Skyler attends a premier private school near Boston. Leadership on her school’s environmental and sustainability efforts and a passion for the welfare of sea turtles from around the world truly highlight Skyler’s strengths. She even designed an artificial limb for an injured sea turtle, building a 3D printer all by herself, then learning code and programming the software to make it work.
Strategy:
Skyler’s leadership potential was appreciated often by her teachers and principal. This prompted her to highlight her leadership potential in her application.
Results:
University of California, San Diego
Case Study 5: Anushka
GPA: 3.73
SAT: 1520
Country: USA
Major: Biology
Situation:
With her long-term goal to attend medical school, Anushka attained success in many areas in addition to her academics. Leading the clarinet section of her State Champion Marching Band, placing as the top female in the Math Olympiad, and manager of the girls’ softball team, Anushka wore many hats and excelled in all. She also found time to serve army veterans and the homeless between classes and other obligations. Among her favorite activities was writing for the school newspaper.
Strategy:
While not a specialist, Anushka was definitely an excellent, generalist, and one with an endearing and empathetic personality.
Results:
NYU
Case Study 6: Siddhanth
GPA: 3.64
ACT: 34
Country: USA
Major: Finance/Mathematics
Situation:
A love of math and a love of service to the community dominate Siddhanth’s profile. While disinterested in his studies as a freshman, he matured into an exceptional math whiz by sophomore year. Between working on the New Jersey Governor’s election campaign, to founding a non-profit called Humans for Humanity, Siddhanth plans to champion helping others through his Finance for Good private equity fund after college.
Strategy:
Service to others to make the world a better place through a non-profit organization is the primary theme in Siddhanth’s college admissions strategy.
Results:
University of Texas, Austin
Case Study 7: June
GPA: 3.64
ACT: 33
Country: USA
Major: Economics
Situation:
A late-bloomer, June loves the game of tennis and played every day. She originated in the public-school system where she excelled academically. June’s enthusiasm for tennis led her to convince her parent’s top send her to a tennis academy in Arizona in her sophomore year. June’s life was tennis, playing in the US Open qualifying round and earned a ranking of 145 in the Junior International Tennis Federation.
Strategy:
Flaunt your talent and get recruited! Simply, this was June’s primary approach for getting multiple offers from several Ivy League institutions.
Results:
Harvard University
Case Study 8: Satoshi
GPA: 3.98
GMAT: 760
Country: USA
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Situation:
Satoshi developed a motivation to serve his country and and decided to attend West Point where he excelled academically while double majoring in Mechanical Engineering and German. After graduating from the US Military Academy near the top of his class, he evolved ultimately into an Apache Pilot Commander. Spending 7 years in the Army, he decided to return to public life, first going to business school while pursuing a career in finance.
Strategy:
Excelling in Service to his country through leadership and honor define Satoshi perfectly. Then he scored in the 99% tile on the GMAT.
Results:
Stanford Graduate School of Business
Case Study 9: Lee
GPA: 3.8
GRE: N/A
Country: USA
Major: Human Nutrition
Situation:
While always a premedical student, Lee decided that he wasn’t competitive enough to apply to the medical schools he aspired to. He decided to prove that indeed he was capable of handling the rigor of elite medical schools by earning Deans’ List honors at Cornell’s and Thesis honors at Columbia University. For Lee, attending medical school for the sake of becoming a physician was not the point, he had clearer objectives such as lowering health care disparities in America, as well as finding new treatments and cures for brain cancer.
Strategy:
While Academic excellence may be considered a strategy for entering medical school, since everyone seriously applying to medical school is smart other strategies must be incorporated in order to succeed. For Lee his strategy was to highlight his commitment to service and his devotion to impact others by decreasing pain and suffering in patients due to brain cancer.
Results:
Harvard Medical School
Case Study 10: Ulysses
GPA: 3.4
GMAT: 710
Country: USA
Major: East Asian Studies
Situation:
A byproduct of Columbia College in the City of New York, Ulysses was raised on rigor and ambition. Initially premed, his interests changed to East Asian Studies and concentrated in Economics and Japanese language. Upon graduation, he worked on Wall Street at a major corporate bank, then transferring to a branch in London, focusing on export finance. Upon deciding to change careers within business, he decided to upgrade his skills and apply to business school for an MBA.
Strategy:
Ulysses’ strategy was simply, demonstrate his excellence through leadership and performance.
Results:
Columbia Business School
Though the stories in the case studies above are true, for personal privacy, the images are stock images.