Does playing a sport actually help you get into a top college?

The answer is more nuanced than most families realize.

In this episode, we break down when athletics is a powerful advantage, when it doesn’t matter at all, and how to think through one of the most difficult decisions student-athletes face.

The 3 Categories
Recruited → athletics can carry your application
Want to quit → you can walk away without hurting your chances
Messy middle → you must choose between time in your sport and building a more competitive profile

Sports only help if you use them the right way.

The real question is not whether you play, it’s what you’re able to demonstrate because of it.

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To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our website
To follow on Instagram: @TheIvyLeagueChallenge
To join us on our Facebook group for parents

If your child spends hours practicing music each day, you may wonder: "is this actually helping with college admissions?"

From a strategic perspective, music can feel like a poor return on investment, especially if your child isn't planning to pursue it professionally.

And yet, every year I see a disproportionate number of musicians beat the odds and get admitted to the top schools like Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, and others.

In this episode, we explore why. I hope this helps you decide how much effort to put into music training at different periods of your child's development.

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To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our website
To follow on Instagram: @TheIvyLeagueChallenge
To join us on our Facebook group for parents

Today is Ivy Day, and the results are in.

This year:

• 5 out of 6 of my 1:1 students who applied to Yale were admitted
• Others were accepted to Cornell, Dartmouth, Princeton, and UPenn
• One student was admitted early to both Yale and Caltech

These outcomes are not random.

In this episode, I’m sharing a full training I recently delivered to families, breaking down the strategy behind why some students consistently stand out, while others (who are just as capable) don’t.

Inside this training, you’ll learn:

• Why strong students still get rejected from top schools
• The mistake most families make when planning internships and summer activities
• What admissions officers are actually looking for
• How to use this upcoming summer to build a compelling, differentiated application

If your teen is in 8th–11th grade, this is a critical window, and what they do next matters more than most families realize.

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To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our website
To follow on Instagram: @TheIvyLeagueChallenge
To join us on our Facebook group for parents