Getting Into the Public Ivies

Webinar Transcription

2026-06-22-Getting Into the Public Ivies

Lonnie: [00:00:00] Hello everyone, and welcome to CollegeAdvisor’s webinar, “Getting into the Public Ivies.” I am Lonnie Burrell, and I will serve as your moderator for this webinar. To orient everyone with the webinar timing, we are first gonna begin with our live presentation, and then we’ll have the opportunity to answer your questions through our live Q&A.

Lonnie: So if there’s a question that comes up while you’re learning about the subject, feel free to go ahead and visit the Q&A tab, and we’ll go ahead and get that question in the queue. Also, we have some great material that we’re gonna be sharing with you, and oftentimes you may not qui- catch it. So there’s some thoughts that you may not catch.

Lonnie: So you are able to download the handouts by visiting the handout tab. At any time if you have any questions, uh, regarding logistics, please go ahead and send me a private message. With that said, we are now going to meet our [00:01:00] presenter

Chi: Well, welcome everybody. Thanks for coming out tonight. Uh, so as Lonnie gratefully introduced me, my name’s Chi.

Chi: I am going to be sharing about all about Public Ivies. A little bit about me, I am a senior advisor with CollegeAdvisor. I’ve been with them for a little over five years, so I personally advise one-on-one a number of different students each year, many of them who do end up deciding to attend a Public Ivy school.

Chi: And so excited to share more about the ins and outs of what it takes, what makes for a competitive application, and, you know, really get to answer some of your questions as well.

Lonnie: Nice. Thank you, Chi. And Chi is definitely well-known amongst our CollegeAdvisor crew, so again, I’m very confident you all are gonna learn some great information tonight.

Lonnie: Before we get started, you may have seen a bubble pop up. That is our first… That is our actual, our poll question for this evening. We wanna know what grade you are in. So let us know. [00:02:00] It just gives us the opportunity to ensure that we’re speaking to all audiences. Um, and so we just wanna get a sense of who is in the room with us, and you all are already answering those responses.

Lonnie: Um, so while the responses are coming in, Chi would love to know what’s one thing you love to do in the summertime now that we’re here?

Chi: Yeah. I, I’ll tell you what, right, Lonnie, like, summertime is the perfect opportunity just for me to be able to explore all of the public parks in my area. So I’m based in Philly, and like, you know, we don’t have a Central Park, but we got plenty of outdoor spaces.

Chi: And trust me, after work, nothing beats a good little walk or, right, like, you know, just being able to be outside. And so, yeah, just avoid the heat. But hey, you know, enjoying that time with friends outdoors.

Lonnie: Love that. Love that. I feel inspired, um, being on the West Coast to maybe take a walk after our webinar this evening.

Lonnie: Well, thank you so much, Chi. I’m gonna share with you now the responses to our [00:03:00] polls, and thank you everyone for participating in our poll. We have 37% of our live audience are in the 11th grade. Followed by that, we have 35% that are in the 12th grade, 16% 10th grade, and a little under 11% are ninth grade and other.

Lonnie: So with that said, I will turn it over to you, Chi, to share what are Public Ivies and why do students choose them?

Chi: Awesome. Thank you, Lonnie. So super excited to chat with you all, right? Just again, the ins and outs of what Public Ivies are. This topic’s actually something that is near and dear to my heart.

Chi: So as you probably saw in my intro slide, I did attend an, a public Ivy for my undergrad, the University of Virginia. Um, and so getting to learn a little bit about this myself as well as sharing it with you tonight. Um, so just a little bit of history, right, about what the Public Ivies themselves are. So the [00:04:00] term was first coined by Richard Moll, right?

Chi: And so he wrote a novel in the 1980s called The Public Ivies and used a number of distinguishing factors, uh, namely, right, like, you know, academic excellence, research status, the value, meaning the affordability that comes with all of these different institutions. So in that book way back when, you know, m-much of the admissions landscape has changed over times to today, but he named eight different institutions, kinda similar to what the, you know, Ivy League itself is, what we understand to be, right?

Chi: Like, you know, Columbia, Dartmouth, Penn, Yale, for example. And so here you can kinda see, right, like, you know, what those are. It’s a pretty diverse list of public colleges, right? The UCs as well represent essentially most of what we know as the UC system minus UC Merced. And so for tonight’s presentation, we’re gonna kind of group them all together, but just know that, you know, there is an evolution, right, in terms of how [00:05:00] we’ve historically looked at what defines a public Ivy.

Chi: As we’re gonna talk about the applications to these types of schools themselves, I’m gonna be looping in a couple other public universities that weren’t technically under this initial definition, right? But do know that, you know, as we think about those really strong public schools, we’re going to be, you know, following the same logic, so to speak, and I’ll talk more about that later.

Chi: So like I mentioned, you know, why is it popular, right, among a lot of applicants past and present? There’s really those three core values. Like, you know, these academic institutions, we think about UT Austin, UNC, right, UMich, among many of them, really just a strong investment in terms of not only their faculty, but also what’s known as experiential learning.

Chi: So think of it as co-ops. Think of it as building pipelines for internships, opportunities where these schools really thrive in getting their students to graduate and be into their next steps, be it grad school, be it joining the labor market. So [00:06:00] all around, right, a strong focus in that Research is also a big component at varying levels.

Chi: So all eight of these schools historically and now, they’re classified as what’s known as Research 1 or Research 2 schools. Basically, what you have to know by that is just they get a lot of money, right, to conduct research, and they also graduate a lot of people who do doctoral degrees. And so that could mean PhDs, that could mean medical degrees, that could mean law degrees, right?

Chi: So think of it as any type of, you know, really professional type of degree that’s out there. And like I mentioned earlier, value. So among many of these schools, if you are lucky enough, right, those juniors in the crowd, to be living in one of these states where these schools are located, it’s among the best in terms of the value that you’re getting for the tuition that you’re paying.

Chi: And they also, right, have a lot of opportunity as well for both need and merit-based aid. And so we’re not gonna go too much into the [00:07:00] technicalities of, right, you know, what makes it affordable. But one thing to, to kind of keep in mind, right, is just to know that there is certainly a lot of financial affordability that tends to be among, right, like, you know, these different institutions So heading into the next slide, talking a little bit about now the competitiveness, right, of many of these public Ivy schools.

Chi: Like I mentioned earlier, the landscape has significantly changed even within the past decade to many of these universities. So as you can see here, I wouldn’t interpret these admissions percentages as gospel, right? Like, you know, a lot of this is still… You know, if you love these schools, if you wanna know what it takes to get into these schools, don’t let these numbers intimidate you.

Chi: This is just data, right? Something to take a look at. But it does show why they’re popular. Large number of applicants year by year, right, want to attend these different universities and apply to them overall as well. Mentioned earlier, the [00:08:00] UCs for the purpose of our conversation tonight, I’m gonna group them together as a whole.

Chi: But do know that admissions rates vary. You know, UC Santa Cruz, UC, right, like, you know, Berkeley, very, very different in terms of their selectivity status. But do know that again, like, you know, there are also very accessible public Ivy universities as well, Miami, Vermont, as you can see here. William and Mary, kind of along that, right, like, you know, more selective but not super selective as you can see.

Chi: Um, and then the big piece that, again, kind of tying in with these public Ivy schools as well as other ones that are similar. So I’ll give a couple examples, right? Georgia Tech, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, Purdue even, right? What sets these apart from private universities is that typically your major or your program, basically what you’re looking to study in college, it can make a difference when it comes to building your application profile.

Chi: So again, we’re gonna dissect the different parts of how to approach [00:09:00] this. But do know that typically, right, like, you know, unlike a lot of private universities, Duke, Stanford, Yale, et cetera, right, among them, while those types of universities don’t admit by a particular major, here, right, or rather it has less of an impact based off of the major that you’re applying to.

Chi: Here, it can make a larger difference. So I, I mentioned UIUC or the University of Illinois, for example. They publicly post their admissions rates each year, and their business and engineering programs, right, typically are about half as, like, you know, uh, the percentage of students admitted, right? It’s, it’s typically about half compared to what their arts and sciences majors or what their arts and sciences students would be.

Chi: So something to kinda keep in mind, right? Again, not as a sense of dissuading you from applying to these, but- A factor to consider when it comes to building out your college list. And another piece that I want to mention too is in addition to major/program, residency is a big factor. So I mentioned earlier, right, you’re lucky if you live in [00:10:00] one of these states because not only is it an affordable option for you, but also they do take into consideration out-of-state versus in-state, which is a big difference compared to private, right?

Chi: Not just the Ivies, but private universities as well. And so giving you an example here, right? Like, you know, for my alma mater, UVA, out-of-state this year was only ten percent acceptance rate, whereas in s- in-state, right, was about twenty-two percent. Not every university posts this data publicly, but where I sourced this info from was from the Common Data Set.

Chi: And so just know that, right? Like, you know, these numbers, what you see on screen are typically more averages, but it will vary depending on program, depending on residency, um, and some of this data is publicly accessible, um, for those wondering So what is the type of profile that makes a student competitive?

Chi: So what I always like to call it is that, you know, you have to be strong on paper. So meaning, you know, what is, right, the schedule that you’re taking, what are the courses that make up your, right, like, you know, [00:11:00] year by year, how are you performing on your exams, right? Which comprise of a part but not all of your application, and then stronger even on your personal experiences.

Chi: So speaking on the paper aspect, right? So quote-unquote, what, you know, the stats that an admissions officer sees about you. You’ll notice that I didn’t make an explicit connection to GPA or SAT, ACT score, right? Because the truth about it is, is that what admissions officers are looking for, whether you’re an in-state or an out-of-state applicant to these places, is that, one, are you taking the most rigorous curriculum available?

Chi: So that means if your schools offer, right, like, you know, two AP classes, are you taking both of them? If they offer 17 AP classes, right, are you making an effort to try to take as many as possible? Not all schools are created equal, right? Not all environments are gonna be the same. So demonstrating that you’re taking and showing proactivity, right, and being able to kind of enroll throughout your, you know, high school years in as many difficult classes as [00:12:00] possible and excelling in them, of course.

Chi: Standardized test exams, as I’m sure you know, right, uh, standardized exam results, right, as I’m sure you know, that also is a factor. Now, some of these different schools are going back to a model where they’re requiring test scores, right? Um, you know, what I would say is going to be really essential is also thinking about it within the context of your own school.

Chi: So regardless of public or private institution, right, admissions officers are typically going to be evaluating applications within the context of your own peers. And so what that could mean is that, you know, compared to other applicants from your school district, compared to other applicants from your county, what is it, right, that is going to be helping you distinguish yourself among your own peers who are also applying?

Chi: What’s strong on paper, again, is not the sole factor, right? Because what’s also gonna be really valuable in making you competitive is thinking about the time that you’re spending outside of class. And so this [00:13:00] can take a look at your extracurricular activities, which is a part of the college application process.

Chi: This could be potential research opportunities, right? So if you’re going into a field or even, right, like, you know, if research isn’t a requirement, how are you demonstrating, right, like, you know, that you’re pursuing, uh, an opportunity to kinda just like, you know, look more, answer questions, experiment, right, like, you know- Using your time wisely, whether it’s throughout the year or throughout the summer.

Chi: So speaking of summer programs, right? So a lot of different universities offer types of like, you know, on-campus, like one or two-week types of, you know, camps or courses that you can take to learn more about a particular subject. And I think, right, definitely ones that might align to your major would be very helpful to, you know, consider as well.

Chi: And then lastly, passion project, right? If there is any type of independent work where you can kind of explore a particular question or subject area, somewhat similar to research, but doesn’t necessarily have to mean experimenting, right? It could just be, [00:14:00] you know, building a product or, right, like, you know, creating, uh, an actual, right, like, you know, maybe even digital report or a website, for example.

Chi: It– none of these, right, are required. None of them are check boxes that admissions officers look for, for you to be able to get accepted to these universities, trust me. But think of these as, again, opportunities where you’re showing, right? It’s more than just what’s on paper. These are ways that you’re demonstrating that pattern of being involved and, you know, exploring what you want to study in college.

Chi: So kind of what I mentioned earlier, right? How are you going to be evaluated beyond just your grades or exam scores? So these things like I’m discussed earlier, right? It’s all going to be about building your applicant profile. And so what that means is that, like, you know, here you can sort of see parts of what comprise of, right, your college application itself.

Chi: You’ll have your transcript, you’ll have your exam scores, but what’s also gonna be key [00:15:00] is your activities and honors section. So you’ll have the chance to list up to ten different activities and up to five different awards or slash honors, right? And think of them as, as you’re sharing these, what have you been doing, right, to showcase your curiosity towards what you wanna study or towards what you’re really passionate about learning.

Chi: And so these don’t always have to exactly align, right? Like, you know, you can definitely be part of Spanish National Honors Society, right, while you’re wanting to study math in, in college. So just basically, again, showing ways that you’ve been engaged outside of class. Essays are going to be a huge part of your application as well, right?

Chi: I always like to think of it as your academics get your foot in the door, but, you know, what’s going to be your platform to share more about who you are, right, and the story that you want to reflect. So some essays will give you the chance to, right, like, you know, mention why you wanna study the major that you selected, right?

Chi: Or what are you interested in exploring in college, or [00:16:00] how does this school, right, like, you know, fit what you’re looking for. So basically, why do you wanna attend this school? These are really, really common essay prompts that you’ll see among the Public Ivies as well as other, again, selective public universities that are out there.

Chi: So really the holistic review of this, right? So not only activities and essays, but recommendations. These are going to be really, really vital. And so you’ve probably heard about, you know, a holistic review before, right? Like, you know, kind of what does that mean? Is it a buzzword? And part of it is, right, like, you know, there’s, there’s validity to it, right?

Chi: Like, you know, there’s a lot of students with seemingly perfect GPAs and test scores still getting rejected, right? Or if you come from a really competitive high school, a lot of your peers are applying, what is it that’s distinguishing it? It’s going to be about, right, like, you know, your leadership experience, any type of, right, like, you know, again, like side activities that you’ve done on your own Environmental fit.

Chi: Um, so basically what that means is, you know, each [00:17:00] of these colleges are very different from one another, right? In terms of what they offer, in terms of the student life that’s there. Your application is not going to be universal, right? When it comes to writing your supplemental essays, talking about even just the major that you wanna do from one school to the next, well, that might look different, right?

Chi: In terms of the examples that you bring up or in terms of what you describe about how you’ll approach studying what you wanna do. And so all of these are very valuable, right? Like, you know, sort of subtleties to kinda keep in mind as you’re looking and doing your research into your college list.

Chi: Particularly with these Public Ivies, one, one thing I will say is that, you know, most of them have supplemental essays, so you’ll get that chance to kind of detail more about yourself and more of your story. So take time, right? To really distinguish, okay, what is it that this school offers that another one might have a different lens towards?

Chi: And one thing I’ll, I’ll mention is before kinda talking about extracurriculars as well, right, is that, you know, commonly what I’ve even heard my own students say is, you know, “Oh, [00:18:00] these two schools, they just seem so similar, right? I don’t really think anything is different.” I promise you, if you look hard enough, they will be drastically different, right?

Chi: Even if the Public Ivies such as UNC versus UVA, for example, that’s a very common one historically that I’ve heard about. I promise you, do some research, it will be there, right? Just in terms of what you’re looking for. Both schools were actually final options on my list and, you know, I ended up choosing one based off of different factors that I kept looking more into So kind of talking a little bit about extracurricular activities that help you stand out the most, right?

Chi: What’s really gonna be key here is that there’s, there’s a lot of myths in the admissions world where you have to get into a selective program, right? Or you have to get into a prestigious summer, like, you know, opportunity, internship, e-et cetera. Really the piece of that is that it doesn’t matter as much as you think.

Chi: What really matters is the quality of how you’re staying engaged or what you’re spending your time doing, right? I’ve kind of shared that [00:19:00] term over and over. Being able to identify your niche is going to help stand out over kind of just, again, this abundance of different activities or, right, like, you know, a long list of extracurriculars.

Chi: And so what I mean by that is, you know, as you can see here, clear patterns of engagement are really what these universities are looking for. Again, you know, they are going to be partially admitting students based off of the school that you’re applying to, right? Or the major that you’re applying to. So you wanna make sure that your activities and the, you know, time that you’re spending, right, exploring outside of class, that they reflect essentially the type of program that you wanna apply into.

Chi: And so here’s just a couple examples, right? Like, you know, business, FBLA, DECA, if your school offers it, potentially job shadowing, right? Maybe like a local bank or investment firm if possible, being a part of different competitions. Great ways to kind of learn and apply a lot of the knowledge that you might get outside of your AP classes or, you know, just your standard business [00:20:00] classes as a whole.

Chi: I’ll talk about another popular one, like, you know, a lot of people, right, like, you know, wanna go into healthcare. And so when I say pre-health, that really could mean veterinary medicine, dental, right? Traditional sort of like, you know, medical school. Clinical volunteering is always gonna be helpful when we think about like, you know, STEM outreach or STEM community service as well.

Chi: So maybe, right, like, you know, it’s, it’s HOSA. So being able to take advantage of not only, right, like, you know, what your school offers in classes, but also activities, that is showing that sense of clear pattern of engagement. And so again, being able to, right, like, you know, focus on your niche and thinking about what are activities that really build out your interests, that’s gonna matter a lot more than just, you know, again, leadership positions that represent like, you know, a long laundry list and not being able to show a sense of depth or impact at the end of the day And one thing that I’ll also touch on briefly as well, right, is so when it comes to these [00:21:00] types of extracurricular activities and, you know, how it relates to maybe, let’s say, awards and honors, your activities and how you spend your time is going to matter more on your application than necessarily, you know, any academic competition awards or honors that you receive.

Chi: And so think of those as kind of icing on the cake. But do know that, right, like, you know, this is establishing the foundation of, again, right, beyond your grades and beyond what’s on your transcript, who are you? What is the story you wanna share? And how are you showing, right, that you’re interested in what you wanna study?

Chi: So talking a little bit now about essays and the role that they play within public Ivy admissions. Again, looping in the umbrella of other selective public universities like Georgia Tech as well, it’s all gonna be coming down to fit, right? So what you see here are three examples of, again, common essay prompts that you will likely encounter if you’re applying to a number of these universities.

Chi: The first one’s gonna ask about [00:22:00] why you’re interested in the major that you selected, right? And so one way that I always, always encourage my students to think about this is that you’re not writing an essay solely about what the college has. So if you’re applying to UT Austin, right, you don’t want to frame your essay around, “Oh, here’s like, all of the things that UT Austin offers, and here’s,” right, like, you know, “me showing my research by kinda just rehashing,” right, like, you know, what they have.

Chi: But rather think of this as a two-way street, right? It’s not just, you know, you expressing your interest in UT Austin or UNC or, right, like, you know, William and Mary, but rather what is it that you want How is that university going to help support you in what you’re looking for? And so going back to the UT Austin example, right?

Chi: This might mean saying, “Hey, you know, I’m someone who wants to have really strong research opportunities in my college experience. Is UT Austin gonna be the right place [00:23:00] to do that? Or is UMich gonna be the right place to do that, right? Or Miami University even.” And so frame your essay so that you’re talking about, hey, here’s an example or two, right, that you can mention from the university, but it’s all gonna be about you, right?

Chi: That’s how it should be. It’s your application. You know, you don’t have to worry about rehashing to the admissions officers what they already know that’s great about, right, like, you know, the program or the college itself. Another common prompt is the community prompt. And so what that means is, you know, it could be a question that shares what are you going to contribute from your own experiences, right, that might help benefit the community or that might, right, like, you know, help shape the incoming class.

Chi: So going back to what I meant about researching into the type of environment or the type of culture, right, at each of these universities, think about like, you know, what is that like, you know, environment? What are the qualities that you’re looking for? Even within these eight different Public Ivies, like the size of them are very different, right?

Chi: The [00:24:00] geography of them is very different. The maybe, let’s say, right, like, you know, the balance between academic intensity and, and social life is very different. So really think about what have experiences that you have had in your own lives, right, that you feel is going to either really mesh well or even like, you know, add value to the type of people that you see yourself being around.

Chi: And so, like I mentioned, application essays being a two-way street, really making sure that it’s not solely you mentioning about the university, but about, right, like, you know, that mutual relationship. What are they going to get out of having you, right? A student, a leader, a really strong person. Um, so kinda similarly with activities as well, being able to demonstrate, right, that sense of leadership as well.

Chi: So in the interest of time, um, I will exceed, right, like, or rather I will accelerate, um, a little bit some of these remaining slides, but do know that you can always download the slide deck at any time. [00:25:00] Um, how can out-of-state students maximize their chances? So with a lot of these public IVs as well as public universities, the vast majority of their enrollment is gonna be in-state students, right?

Chi: So– and being able to maximize what you can do, like I talked about, build your niche early. So even for our juniors in the room tonight, right, think about the opportunities that you’ve had, your extracurriculars, maybe even internships, research, if applicable, right? What are ways that you’ve been able to show that, hey, you know, this is where I’ve been able to really explore my major.

Chi: These are, right, like, you know, places where I’ve been able to build out my leadership skills or, right, that type of profile that you want to share about yourself to your colleges. Going back to the academics part, gotta be consistent, right? Like, you know, take the hardest classes that you can at your school and perform well in them, right?

Chi: So GPA, that is that, you know, again, getting your foot in the door type of factor. It’s not the only factor that they’re looking at, but, [00:26:00] like, you know, I will say for the places like your UMich, for your UVA, your UNC, it is going to be extremely competitive, right? So you do wanna make sure that you’re staying on top of your own class performances, your exams, your AP exams as well, SAT, ACT.

Chi: And I think the most important piece that I will say overall is you really have to think about what you want in your college experience. So that reflects in your essays, as I talked about earlier, right? Know what you’re looking for in your ideal college qualities. So are you looking for a place that really, like, you know, has a strong relationship with the community beyond the college campus?

Chi: Are you looking for a particular location, right? Wanting to stay close to home, perhaps wanting to stay in-state yourself. Are you looking for research opportunities? So think about those types of details and where you want to explore as you think about your college list. And always, always, if possible, I know there’s restrictions, right, when it comes to cost as well as distance.

Chi: If possible, take some campus visits. It’s really [00:27:00] going to be your key factor in being able to get a feel, right? Is this place what I like to call home? Is it going to have that it factor, right, that I’m looking for? So talking briefly again about building that balanced college list. So going back to those initial values that I talked about, academics and affordability, those are really what’s going to be key, right, as you’re thinking about your college list.

Chi: So again, for our juniors really building upon that as well. Um, number one rule that I think sometimes even my own students forget about, right, is you really have to make sure that the major that you want is offered at your school. So I’ll give you an example, right? UNC doesn’t have a dedicated engineering school, and so if you’re wanting to go into engineering, typically that might look like NC State, right?

Chi: Like if you’re staying in state. Um, another, right, like, you know, sort of example is, right, thinking about if you’re looking into a more sort of niche program like public health, for example, right? That might be [00:28:00] called something a little bit different at another university. So make sure that you’re doing your research in terms of a- as well, right, the specific program that you want to get into, and not just the overall university.

Chi: For those looking at UIUC business or engineering, right, make sure that you’re classifying it properly, that it’s not as, right, like, you know, easy to get into, but rather it’s more of a reach school, right? Just because of the selectivity. And of course, financial, right, like, you know, logistics. Is it going to be affordable, right?

Chi: Do you know if you’re going to be able to like, you know, have to pay loans or is it going to be something that you see as, right, like, you know, a strong value? So when you think about like, you know, the ratio between your reach, your target, and your likely schools, sometimes people call them safety schools, make sure that you’re looking at the qualities that you want and that, right, like, you know, you’re looking at the program itself so that you can, you know, be prepared for the types of schools that you’re building on your college list.[00:29:00]

Chi: Last piece here in thinking about, right, like, you know, which Public Ivy is the best for you. Again, think about the academic, uh, piece, the program that you’re looking at. Think about the flexibility even, right? When you’re choosing your courses and your majors, and then also the environment. And so, you know, again, the size difference, uh, right, the climate difference.

Chi: Think about even if you wanna stay in the region after graduation. So, you know, going to UVA, a lot of my own classmates stayed in the greater DC, Maryland, Virginia area just because, right, that’s the, you know, urban region that’s closest to UVA. And so does that look like, right, that option for you if you decide to attend UT Austin, staying in Texas, in North Carolina, Michigan, et cetera.

Chi: And so something to kind of keep in mind there as well, the relative strength of not only your major that you’re gonna be a part of, but also, right, the environment and what happens after you graduate. And so final advice here for you all tonight, um, again, [00:30:00] as I’ve talked about before, maybe sounding like a broken record even, that fit is going to be so key in building your cohesive profile, especially when you’re out of state.

Chi: So just because you’re in state, right, like, you know, doesn’t mean that you can cut yourself some slack. You wanna make sure that you’re still differentiating, right, among the larger pool of applicants that are also coming from your own state. But really making sure that, like, you know, you’re prioritizing your academics, you’re thinking about the culture of, you know, not just the one Public Ivy, but the many Public Ivy schools that are out there, and using your essays as that platform to describe, you know, the type of person that you are, the type of leader that you are, and as well, you know, the goals that you want to set out for yourself once you get into college.

Chi: So I’ll turn the time back over to Lonnie. Um, would love to hear, right, crowd questions and yeah, all yours.

Lonnie: Awesome. Well, thank you so much, Chi. We’re gonna now move into our live question and answers. So this is the time where we’ll be taking your [00:31:00] questions that you placed into the Q&A tab. Just a reminder to click on the Public Q&A tab so that we can make sure that your question is visible for us to answer.

Lonnie: And again, a reminder, if you would like to download the handouts, you can visit the Handouts tab and they’ll be readily available for you. Okay. So Chi, are you ready for the first question?

Chi: Let’s do it.

Lonnie: All right. So someone asked: How difficult is it for international students to get into Public Ivies?

Chi: Yeah, that’s a great question. Um, one piece that I will be more direct about, right, is like, you know, if you are someone who’s applying from outside of the United States into whether it’s a public Ivy or typically these 10 different types of universities, right, it will be fairly challenging. Um, and so think of it as, right, like, you know, these different types of schools are similar to what’s going to be a reach school, right?

Chi: Or one that’s going to be even more selective because [00:32:00] these Public Ivies, like we talked about before, the majority of students that they take are typically going to be mostly in-state, right? And so when we’re looking at it from, and again, international non-US applicant interchangeable, right, in those terms, you really wanna make sure that when you’re applying to these types of schools, one, you, you know, are you framing your profile so that it’s a good fit for, right, like, you know, the program, and two, if you get admitted, is it going to be an affordable cost?

Chi: Because in-state or rather, um, public Ivy, right, and public universities, the way that they provide financial aid is gonna be very different from, let’s say, right, private universities where they might fund fully your tuition if you do get admitted there.

Lonnie: Great. Thank you for that response. We’re now gonna move on to our next question, and it reads: Can we see admission rates for out-of-state students?

Chi: So great question there. [00:33:00] Um, typically, that will depend on the university itself, right? So the data that I pulled from, I believe it was like slide four or five, right?

Chi: What’s known for each university is the common data set. So every year, essentially each university will publicly post their admissions rates, um, or rather how many students get admitted versus how many students applied, right? So if you do a little bit of math there, um, between in-state and out-of-state, again, that’s gonna differ a little bit more.

Chi: So again, I’ll give the UVA example. UVA has an admissions blog where they will explicitly list the in-state and out-of-state. Um, the University of Georgia, UGA, also does that as well off the top of my head. But, you know, some schools, they typically just kind of give it as an average. So just know that usually, um, out-of-state is going to be, right, like, you know, more selective than in-state.

Lonnie: Okay, great. Our next question says: How important are submitting AP scores?

Chi: Yeah, great [00:34:00] question there. Um, when we’re thinking about, right, like, you know, just exam scores in general. So one thing that I will say is that if you performed well, right, so let’s say you’ve gotten mostly fours and fives on your AP exams, they can be essentially more icing on the cake, right?

Chi: So you will never have a detractor if you decide not to submit your AP exams, because truthfully, they’re very, very minor in terms of their influence or impact on your application, right? Like, you know, your GPA, um, and when I say GPA, I mean more so again, like the types of classes that you’ve taken and your grades, right?

Chi: Not just solely your GPA, you know, on its own. That as well as potentially SAT, ACT, if you do decide to submit, that’s gonna, you know, impact much more, right? So think of it as if you’ve done really well, more bonus to you, right? But if you decide not to submit, by no means will it, you know, impact negatively.

Lonnie: Great. Great. Okay, our next question: do all… [00:35:00] Uh-oh, there it goes. Do all Public Ivies include early decision and early action options, also known as ED and EA? Um, and additionally, how many Public Ivies should you apply to, either ED or EA?

Chi: Wow, that is a really great question. Yes. Um, because… A-and I’ll, I’ll mention, right, like part of it is because a lot of the public Ivy landscape has changed, uh, especially in the past five years.

Chi: So, um, i-in, in terms of, right, like, you know, just off the top of my head, like, you know, most if not all of, right, like, you know, or rather most of the public Ivy schools you can apply early action to, right? The only exception to this is the University of California, um, application. They just have one strict deadline.

Chi: Most of the other schools you can apply either EA, some of them offer early decision and, you know, topical to that is the University of Michigan, just this cycle, is starting an early decision, uh, [00:36:00] option, right? UVA just reinstated their early decision, I believe it was two or three, you know, years ago. And so much of that landscape is shifting more towards, right, like, you know, if you know that these schools are your top choice and you really want to, right…

Chi: You can afford it, you know you want to be there, they’re giving that, right, as, as an option for many applicants nowadays. Um, now, now thinking about, right, like, you know, how many you should apply, right, out of that. So early decision, just to be clear, you can only apply to one school early decision. How it works is that it’s a binding process, right?

Chi: And so what that means is when you apply to that school and you decide to choose ED, you actually have to fill out a form on the Common App where you sign it, your school counselor signs it, and, uh, one of your parents/guardians, right, they also have to sign it too because it’s basically saying, hey, you know, if you apply and you get admitted, you’re committed to attending that, right?

Chi: So that in itself, you know, if you know you have a clear number one, always helpful to think about, right, what [00:37:00] that ED option looks like. For early action, um, you know, the, again, the schools that do offer it, I always encourage my students to think about it as if you know confidently that you’ve finished your applications and they’re as strong as they possibly can be, early action is going to be a helpful leverage tool, right?

Chi: So if you’re looking at these eight Public Ivies as well as other, you know, colleges in general, right, on your list, I would always say, you know, if they offer early action, um, and there’s no other restrictions, right, try your best to maintain your progress so that you can apply to as many early action schools as possible.

Chi: Those deadlines are typically November 1st, right? Or, like, you know, in the case of UNC and UT Austin, it’s October 15th. So think of it as mid-October to no- early November, um, being able to pace your work there.

Lonnie: Cool. Okay, we’re gonna move into next question, our next question, which says, “Do colleges care [00:38:00] about demonstrated interest anymore?” And that means, you know, visiting campuses, going on college tours, going to information sessions, et cetera.

Chi: Yeah. I mean, it’s, it’s a fantastic question there. Um, these type of universities that we’re chatting about tonight, they don’t take demonstrated interest as a part of their admissions process.

Chi: And, and so one thing I will say is typically what we think of, right, as those highly selective schools, whether it’s the, you know, normal Ivy League, right, or, or these ones, they usually don’t just because of the volume of, you know, students that apply to the schools themselves. But there are some universities, right, that still allow for demonstrated interest, or they take that into consideration.

Chi: Um, one thing I will say is that if you do like, you know, go to the admissions office for a particular school, um, or if you Google it, right, they will explicitly say, um, if they consider it. So I… Like Syracuse University, for example, right? That’s a, a, a school in upstate New York. They do take demonstrated interest into account.

Chi: Um, so as an [00:39:00] example of, right, like, you know, one school that is very large but still considers that, right, as part of their process

Lonnie: All right, moving into the next question. These are some really great questions that everyone is ans- a- asking, and thank you, Chi, for answering them phenomenally. Um, our next question is, I just had it up there and it disappeared. Okay, here it goes. Are you at a disadvantage if you are still unsure of what you want to major in when you apply?

Chi: Yeah. Really, really great question as well. Um, so no, by no means are you at a disadvantage, right? Um, so I’ll talk about this from a lens of how you prepare your application as well as what options are available to you, right? If you’re still exploring. So one thing to, to mention is that, you know, a lot of the examples I gave, right, from previous slides on the slide deck, it was kind of thinking about, okay, what are your activities demonstrating [00:40:00] when it comes to knowing, right, what you wanna study?

Chi: If you’re still exploring, the key factor here is just being able to demonstrate that you’re still curious, right? You wanting to learn about the different topics that are out there. So like with most of these Public Ivies, like I mentioned before, they will be asking you a question about like, you know, what is it that you’re excited to learn, right?

Chi: Or what is it that you want to study in college? Even if that’s undecided, you can frame your essay around the ideas that, you know, you really love learning, right? Or that you’re curious to want to explore more, even if it isn’t necessarily an explicit major, right, or program that the school offers. So that’s one piece where as you’re crafting your application, right, you just wanna make sure that, you know, the activities that you’re a part of, you’re still, you know, staying that clear, right, like, you know, trend of engagement, whether it’s being in a leadership position or demonstrating in your essays that, right, you’re curious, uh, just in general, even if it’s not committing to the major.

Chi: And the second piece to [00:41:00] that is from the university side, right? There are different types of programs and majors you could still apply to. Um, so this isn’t a school that’s necessarily on this list, but is also a very popular public school, right? So Indiana University, their business school is very well known, right?

Chi: So, like I talked about it before, program matters, uh, and not just the university as a whole. The Kelley School of Business is much more selective, right, than like, you know, the university generally speaking. But they allow you to apply as business exploratory, as an option you select when you apply to that school.

Chi: And so, you know, let’s say for example, if you’re someone that just wants to, right, like, you know, go into business, not exactly sure if it wants to be accounting, finance, real estate, et cetera, you can select them, uh, that option. And basically, you know, when you go to college, if you get admitted, your first semester, they help you, right?

Chi: They give you tools. It might be an extra class that you take, but you get that option to go to the school that you want to go to and still be able to learn at your pace what it is that you wanna [00:42:00] major in. Um, so I know many different, right, like, you know, just the details to, to that question. It’s a fantastic one.

Chi: Um, but do know that you are by at no means a disadvantage and there are many different ways that you can still express that, right, in your application.

Lonnie: Great. Great. Okay, moving on to the next question we have: What if you have a lot of volunteer experience/leadership roles, but they aren’t necessarily all connected under one passion or topic?

Lonnie: Would you like to comment on that?

Chi: Yeah. So I, one thing I will say about that, right, is like, you know, that means you’re spending a lot of time, right, exploring, hopefully, like, you know, with all of these different activities, things that you enjoy, you know, being involved with. And so not everything does have to be aligned to, right, like, you know, what you eventually study in college, but a great way of detailing that is within, you know, the activities and honors section [00:43:00] itself on the Common App, making sure that in your descriptions…

Chi: So I will say you don’t get a lot of space, right, to describe your activities themselves, but using that to your leverage and, you know, really focusing on not just what it is that you’re involved in, but what are the skills that you’re getting out of it, right? So, you know, here in thinking about a lot of service hours, right, or in thinking a lot about that sort of sense of community engagement, maybe reflect and see, right, like, you know, is there a sense of purpose that you find when it comes to helping uplift others?

Chi: Are the skills that you’re, right, like, you know, kind of working on in your community service or in your activities, is there a commonality between that and maybe what you wanna study, right? And so say for example, if you do a lot of community service, it’s because you wanna really help uplift others or it’s because, right, like, you know, you really want to make a direct impact on others.

Chi: You can connect that a lot, right, in an essay where you’re showing, again, the skills that you’re learning through an example in your activity to [00:44:00] what you hopefully want to do, um, you know, either academically in college or just how you want to contribute to the community

Lonnie: All right. Thank you. And then the next question is, so these schools are often r- rather big. Um, is an honors program a good idea to apply to?

Chi: Yeah. Um, so, so I’m, I’m going to interpret this question as honors program as in within, you know, a university’s honors program- Yes … itself. Um, so some schools, right, like, or rather really honors programs at universities typically differ in terms of whether or not, you know, you’re eligible, if you have to apply on your own, et cetera.

Chi: But I definitely think that, like, you know, if you, let’s say, have gone to a high school that’s maybe a little bit on the smaller side, right? So, you know, if it’s not like 2,000 people at your high school or more, and you kinda want that more close, tight-knit feel, I think an honors program would be really valuable, right?

Chi: Like, typically how they work is that you get some [00:45:00] perks, so maybe, you know, you register for classes faster than your classmates, right? But for some schools, you get that, like, again, tight-knit community feel. So it could be you live in a dorm that’s specifically with other, other honors students. You might take a, right, like, you know, additional class your freshman year where you just really get to know other honors students, like, you know, 20 to 30 others max, right?

Chi: And, you know, you learn together, you study together, so you get that, you know, closer, more intimate community feel. So I say, you know, absolutely. Um, but do know that as you’re looking again, right, into some of these schools, public IB or otherwise, the qual- like, you know, the criteria might differ, right?

Chi: Some of them are automatically considered. Other ones, right, you have to apply into it, um, you know, afterwards.

Lonnie: Okay. Well, we’re gonna continue with our Q&A in just a few minutes. We’re gonna take a short pause, um, and then Chi will be back to answer your questions. And in the meantime, I would love to share more about the [00:46:00] experience of working with our college advisors such as Chi through our collegeadvisor.com program.

Lonnie: So I’m gonna share a couple of success stories from our past clients. The first one is Sharvi, who came to CollegeAdvisor as a sophomore with a strong interest in engineering, but uncertainty about her college strategy and major direction. Working with her advisor for over two years, she built a thoughtful college list, strengthened her supplemental essays, and stayed on track throughout the application process.

Lonnie: She applied early decision to the University of Michigan and was accepted, where she is now studying biomedical engineering with plans to pursue dental school. Her takeaway is, “I’m just really glad that I decided to have an advisor. It was really great to be backed by someone who is very invested.” [00:47:00] Our second success story comes from Andrew.

Lonnie: Andrew was a high-achieving student involved in speech and debate, music, art, and other extracurricular activities. But he wasn’t aware, well, he wasn’t sure how to bring his experiences together into a compelling college application. After connecting with CollegeAdvisor before senior year, he worked closely with his advisor to build his college list, refine his essays, and navigate the admission process with confidence.

Lonnie: He was admitted to nearly every school he applied to, and ultimately chose to attend UT Austin, where he is studying, um, uh, engineering. Looking back, Andrew shared, “My advisor made everything super easy to understand. She knew exactly how to keep me from feeling anxious about those [00:48:00] things.” So with that said, let me just share just a little more glimpse of the work that we do here within CollegeAdvisor.

Lonnie: Those are just two examples of out of 10,000 clients CollegeAdvisor has guided through the application process. Our team of over 300 former admission officers and admission experts are ready to help you and your family navigate the college admission process in one-on-one advising sessions and essay editing.

Lonnie: To learn more about how you can get started with CollegeAdvisor, scan the QR code to sign up for a free 60-minute strategy session with an admission specialist on our team. During this meeting, you will receive a preliminary assessment of your academic profile, highlighting your strengths, talking about where your opportunities may lie, along with some additional recommendations on what you can do to stand out.[00:49:00]

Lonnie: At the end, you’ll also learn more about our premium packages we offer that will pair you with an expert who can support you in building your college list, editing your essays, and much more. We are here for the whole process. So with that said, I am going to leave this QR code on the screen for you to scan at any time before we exit out.

Lonnie: And with that said, we are now gonna use our last 10 minutes to continue answering your questions. These are some really great questions that have been, um, been coming up. So Chi, let me know if you’re ready.

Chi: All set. Yep.

Lonnie: All right. Mm-hmm. So with that said, the next question says, do, do, do, do, do. When colleges want to see impact, does your impact/service to the community have to be related to your [00:50:00] passion/major?

Chi: Yeah. It’s a great question there. Um, I would say not everything, right, has to be related to your academic major or what you’re curious about. And so in speaking about, right, like, you know, not just what creates a balanced college list, but also what creates a balanced activities list, right, is that you do want to show that you’re a student who’s curious about a number of different avenues.

Chi: And so that could be, right, like, you know, you’re involved in sports, you’re involved in school clubs, you’ve done something over the summer, maybe it’s family responsibilities. So going back to the question at hand, though, um, if you are, right, like, you know, wanting to demonstrate a sense of impact, not each activity has to, again, like, you know, find its way back to what you eventually wanna major in, right?

Chi: But at the end of the day, you do still want to show you’ve had some exposure or some experience, right, to whatever it is that you end up wanting to apply, uh, you know, the program into. And so think of it as like, you know, don’t [00:51:00] hesitate in wanting to join a new club, even if it’s, you know, something for fun, right, or not necessarily connected to your major.

Chi: But just make sure that at some point in your activities or, you know, at some point in your high school experience, you’re, right, curious, you’re willing to learn, um, and, you know, to find opportunity, uh, about something that relates to what you want to study.

Lonnie: Great. Our next question says: What resources do you recommend for researching schools, such as learning about the campus life, if they offer research, ex- et cetera, and their values? Um, and this is for Public Ivies or just colleges in general.

Chi: Yeah. Um, I’ll, I’ll start by mentioning the Public Ivies specifically, right?

Chi: So like, you know, there, there’s going to be shared commonalities between a lot of these types of schools. So you know, most of them, right, they’re going to have a really strong sense of school spirit. Most of them are what’s known as D1 schools, so highest level of sports competitions you’re gonna see, right?

Chi: Like, you know, [00:52:00] football, basketball games happen on campus. Um, so, so along those lines, right, what I would really recommend is, again, one, if possible, being able to take a physical campus tour, being able to ask questions to, right, like, you know, an admissions officer or a tour guide. That’s gonna get you the most direct exposure.

Chi: But if that isn’t a possible option, couple different alternatives that I also recommend to all of my students as well is, so one resource for virtual tours that’s out there, um, right, like, you know, is being able… Well, you know, being able to take a virtual tour, right? Still kinda seeing the surroundings and learning a little bit about how the campus layout is structured itself.

Chi: If you’re wanting to get to learn just more about like the university as a whole, the college board’s Big Future, as well as our own internal college advisor database as well, it gives you preliminary data, right? Just for you to get a sense of is this college in an urban or a college town environment, how large it is, right?

Chi: What are the types of majors that are offered? And [00:53:00] if you wanna dive deeper into, you know, really just kinda learning more about the fit, right, or the types of opportunities there, um, one way you could really do it is looking up the student organizations that are available, right? So most universities, they have a public database where if you Google, let’s say for example, right, like, you know, UCLA student organizations, it’s gonna be a pretty long list of clubs that are out there.

Chi: But you can certainly search for your most random interests, right, or niches that you wanna take a look at and get a feel for what’s offered. And this might sound a little bit, right, like, you know, just sort of contradictory, but sometimes it doesn’t hurt to take a look at a Reddit thread, especially of more recently accepted students, right?

Chi: Those from the most recent fall from, you know, the in- I guess incoming or upcoming sophomore year class, and kinda just getting a feel of how excited those students were, right? Like, you know, I don’t always recommend it, but y- you do get a pretty candid, uh, right, like, you know, feedback. So take it as feedback.

Chi: Don’t take it as gospel, um, on, on that end, but [00:54:00] it is certainly helpful to get a fit of, of what to expect.

Lonnie: Lovely, lovely. Thank you for sharing those resources. Um, we have a few questions that are coming in about ACT or SAT. Does it matter? And then also, how important are test scores to test optional schools?

Chi: Yeah, great questions there. Um, so, so SAT, ACT, right? Like, again, some of these schools, like UT Austin, are required. Other schools, like the UCs, don’t, you know, they don’t want them at all as a part of your application, meaning their test, like, um, their tests, right, like, you know, blind. So i- in terms of, right, like, you know, those schools that still allow you to submit, again, if you choose to submit your test score, part of it is also going to be in the context of your own environment, right?

Chi: So let’s say if you’re attending a private academy where the average SAT score or ACT score, right, of your school is within, [00:55:00] like, the 90th percentile, you know, you wanna make sure that you’re either at or above that level, right? But let’s say if you’re an applicant who’s in maybe more of, like, a rural, right, like, you know, school district and not many people, right, score above, let’s say, the 50th or the 60th percentile, but you have a score that’s, like, a 1420, even though UMich requires, I, I don’t know, let’s say, like, a 1510, right?

Chi: That doesn’t necessarily mean that you should, uh, like, you know, go test optional, right? If you are exceeding well and beyond expectations, those factors, right, come into play. And so in terms of the importance of it, right, like, you know, again, you should be submitting your test scores if you’re at or above the average.

Chi: That’s always the golden rule that I tell my students personally. Um, but if you do decide to submit test optional, so the second part of that question, right, really truly it has no negative impact on your admissions decision. I’ve had many students I have coached myself, right, like, you know, get accepted into Public Ivies as well as [00:56:00] actual Ivy schools who apply test optional.

Chi: Um, and so this is really a resource and an opportunity that they give you. So for the schools that still are, you know, letting you go test optional, if by all means that is the strategy that you decide to go, it will not negatively hinder your application at all.

Lonnie: All right. Next question. Do, um, speaking of, like, dual credit courses, um, do dual d-dual, do dual credit courses generally strengthen a college application, or do admission offices not place much weight on them?

Chi: Yeah. Um, what I would say to that is it’s, it will be a little bit more context dependent, right?

Chi: So if you decide to take a dual credit class because you’ve exhausted all of the classes that are available, right? So, you know, you’ve taken up to Calc BC, uh, AP Calculus BC, right? And you wanna do dual credit multivariable because your school doesn’t offer it, that’s a benefit. Like, you know, you’re showing that you’re still taking your classes, right?

Chi: That you’re interested in, [00:57:00] in your core classes and you’re going above and beyond. Like, that absolutely will be a benefit. Um, if it’s, right, like, you know, thinking of it as a substitute, so maybe instead of taking AP English Language, right, you decide to take a dual enrollment English class. Where that comes a bit more into play and where I suggest my students, right, in terms of that sort of decision is, is the trade-off is, like, you know, dual enrollment, um, right, the most beneficial part of it is that guaranteed credit if you know it will transfer.

Chi: So from an admissions perspective, it’s not necessarily if you decide to do AP, IB versus dual enrollment, that one is better than the other, but rather it’s a decision that should be made for you, right? If you know that you’re going to be attending a school where that credit will transfer or, you know, most likely attending a school where you know you’ll get that credit, 10 out of 10 times it’s beneficial for you, right?

Chi: Because then you don’t have to repeat the class in college. But I personally wouldn’t make that decision based off of will it strengthen, right, like, you know, your application. [00:58:00] Because usually it’s going to be fairly interchangeable, right? Make that decision based off of will you get the credit or, you know, do you see yourself taking the AP exam because it’s a little bit more universal, right, since the college board does outline, like, you know, which schools accept credit based on your score.

Lonnie: All righty. Let’s see. We have time for one more question. Um, I know this kinda comes off, comes up some time around, like, um, language other than English, taking those courses. So how important is it to have three years of a foreign language in high school?

Chi: Ooh, that’s a great question as well. Um, I will say foreign language requirements, they’ve been increasing, right?

Chi: Like, you know, uh, especially in terms of what admissions officers are looking for. The basis of what’s required, right, you will always find on an admissions website. So for example, if you’re looking to apply into any of the UC campuses, you gotta take an art class. So if you didn’t know that, make sure, [00:59:00] you know, that’s on your schedule.

Chi: Um, but to, you know, kinda think about foreign language, right, I do think that three years will be valuable. Um, and part of that is, so even if you’re going into, right, like, you know, a non-arts and sciences major where that might not be a requirement in college, a lot of admissions officers, right, they want to see that you’re able to, right, like, you know, think intellectually from different sides of your brain, we’ll even say, right?

Chi: A lot of these, like, you know, public Ivy schools, if you’re in the… Even, again, even if you’re not in the arts and sciences school, you’ll have some form of, right, like, you know, a liberal arts focused education, and so you’ll have requirements, right? That might fall within foreign languages, that might fall within the humanities.

Chi: And so at minimum, you have to take what they require you to take, right? But three years, I would almost certainly recommend, um, almost as like a new standard, right, to try and achieve, um, yeah, as you’re thinking about your colleges.

Lonnie: Great. Okay, so with [01:00:00] that said, thank you everyone for coming out tonight.

Lonnie: That was our last question of the evening, and thank you, Chief, for your expertise and guidance and information that you provided to our audience. This is now the end of our webinar. We hope you deepened your understanding of getting into public IVs and feel more informed in choosing your application pathway.

Lonnie: Also, we hope you’ll join us for a future webinar. Until next time, take care and have a great evening. Bye.

Chi: Thanks for coming out, everybody. Take care.