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Student Profile
Name: Catherine
High School: Arcadia High School (California, USA)
Admitted College: University of Pennsylvania
Offers Received: University of Pennsylvania, Cornell University, Amherst College, Washington University in St. Louis, University of Southern California (full scholarship), UC Santa Barbara, Northeastern University
Working with Ivy Talent
Catherine began her high school journey at a private school in California before transferring to Arcadia High School, a competitive public school known for its rigorous academics and wide range of extracurricular opportunities. The transition from a private to a public school was challenging—especially at a school like Arcadia. To maintain balance, students need to have strong time management skills and a clear sense of their goals.
Catherine and her family reached out to Ivy Talent during the second semester of her sophomore year. They were looking for professional guidance to help her highlight her unique strengths, better manage her activities, and improve her time management.
From her very first meeting with our consultant, Catherine stood out for her vibrant energy and positive outlook. We worked closely with her to build a personalized plan that would allow her to grow academically, refine her extracurricular involvement, and craft a cohesive and impactful college application.
How Ivy Talent Helped
1/ Academic Planning and GPA Support
We helped Catherine carefully select four AP courses in 11th grade that were both challenging and manageable. This allowed her to maintain high grades while still preparing for college-level coursework. By senior year, she had consistently earned A-level grades.
We also guided her in writing a supplemental essay that explained the context behind her earlier academic performance, which had been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, helping admissions officers better understand her growth and resilience.
2/ Extracurricular Focus and Research Opportunities
With many activities on her plate, Catherine needed help identifying which experiences best aligned with her academic and personal interests. Together, we streamlined her extracurriculars, focusing on leadership and advocacy work, especially around social justice and women’s rights. She let go of less impactful roles and committed to meaningful projects that reflected her passions.
We also supported her in pursuing outside opportunities, including conducting research with a professor from New York University. Her project, a paper on the safety of menstrual health products, was later submitted as supplemental material in her college applications. The summer before her senior year, she participated in a U.S. State Department-funded Hindi language program in Delhi, gaining valuable cultural insights.
3/ Essay Development and Strategy
Catherine’s essay process centered on a deeply personal topic—gender dynamics within her family and her passion for women’s education.
With our guidance, Catherine used a structured “essay map” system to help her outline, refine, and strengthen her narrative. This method kept her on track and empowered her to express her voice with confidence. For her supplemental essays, we guided her through school-specific research, which helped her identify the right-fit schools and programs.
4/ Major Selection
Initially planning to pursue law-related majors, Catherine shifted her focus to gender studies after in-depth discussions about her experiences and long-term goals. We guided her to identify and apply to relevant programs, awards, and summer courses, including education equity seminars at Columbia University and women’s education summits.
Catherine was highly engaged in extracurricular activities. She served as vice president of the Mock Trial team, editor-in-chief of the school newspaper, and founder and president of the Model UN club. She also held a position as a youth city council member, among other roles.
Unlike many students who struggle to fill out the activities section, Catherine had more activities than she could fit on the college application. We helped her prioritize and highlight ten major activities and five key awards to present a clear, cohesive, and compelling application narrative.
Catherine’s Reflection and Advice
Looking back, Catherine shared that she wished she had begun exploring her academic interests earlier, especially in 9th grade. She believes that participating in structured academic competitions and volunteer work earlier on, along with better time management, could have helped smooth her high school experience.
Looking ahead, Catherine plans to explore business in college while continuing to build on the time management and goal-setting strategies she learned during high school.
Her advice for future applicants? Stay consistent. Align your activities, essays, and recommendations around a clear theme or passion. Be thoughtful and strategic when selecting a major, sometimes a less common major that genuinely interests you can make your application stand out. Most importantly, she recommends working with experienced consultants who can provide structured support, especially during stressful moments.
Catherine’s journey with Ivy Talent started with a simple goal: to prioritize what mattered most. Through self-awareness, personalized planning, and a lot of dedication, she transformed that goal into admission offers from some of the most competitive schools in the country.
Date: June 11th, 2025