I started high school with a loss of confidence. My twin brother had gotten into a presitigious boarding school and I thought that I would have a harder time getting into a good college. When I met IvyZen mentors, they chuckled and told me that that was nonsense. They explained to me what colleges are looking for and it didn’t matter what school I was going to. After talking generally about the kinds of activities I could do that would help me, I felt a cloud lifting and a warmth inside. IvyZen made a very detailed, very thorough plan (Customized Application Plan – CAP). It was a lot and I felt a little anxious about all the work that I would have to do, but they assured me that they would help me a lot with it. More importantly, the plan was so comprehensive that I felt a strong sense of hope and confidence; I knew exactly what I needed to do and all the stuff that I didn’t need to do. It answered all my questions and resolved all my doubts. Meeting with multiple mentors every week, it was very tough at first working on original research, preparing for academic competitions and rushing in an application for a summer creative writing program. After weeks of hard work, I got one of my poetry pieces published in a literary magazine (after 15 rejections!) and I was elated! Then I won the National History Day competition with a website and presentation on the Bill of Rights and its application to institutional racism. IvyZen also helped me make my own literary magazine, one that focused on women’s rights. Even through the sometimes gruelling work, the IvyZen mentors was offered encouragement and many solutions. They always told me not to worry by myself, that if I ever found myself anxious or stuck to reach out and as I did that, they always had good advice and guidance that got me through it. After three years of hard work, I was accepted early to Yale! I’ll always be grateful for IvyZen’s mentorship!

Growing up surrounded by smart STEM kids I was always a bit down on myself. IvyZen was the first academy I went to that made me feel like I was smart enough. I admit I’m very stubborn too, but I always appreciated their patience with me and how they explained why all the extracurriculars I had to do was so important.

Working w/ Kevin Ham on my AMC was so hard, but when I finally got USAMO qualification I finally felt a bit of validation in my abilities. But Mark told me that it was because of my hard work and conscientiousness rather than talent. That gave me a lot of motivation and I needed that to get all the other activities, such as research, clubs and the college essays. I’ve never written so many pages about myself in my life! It was an interesting experience. When I thought we were done with an essay, Dave would tell me to take a break and then we would write another essay on a slightly different topic. After 4 months of brainstorming and writing about all the stuff I had done with IvyZen, we had some really nice drafts and I started to feel some confidence about college acceptances.

When I got rejected at my first choice, MIT, early app, I was really shaken. Mark reassured me and told me not to worry. And he was right, I was accepted to Stanford and Princeton and chose to go to Stanford. Thank you IvyZen!