Information for Late-Start College Strategy Students
Welcome to Vohra Method’s late-start college strategy program. This program has helped students create successful applications at the last minute, including to some of the most competitive schools in the world. But before you begin, there are a few things to know.
Ivy Strategy as whole takes about 3 years. The essay writing part takes about a year. If you’re trying to write essays it in a week or two, you’ll be living and breathing this process. It will be exactly like trying to learn all of AP calculus in a week, except much harder. A lot more people get 5’s on BC Calculus than get into Harvard. Ivy Strategy is the toughest material you’ve ever seen.
I won’t write your essays for you. In my program, students write essays. Parents are also welcome to write essays for that matter. I can edit and give feedback. But I won’t write your essays for you.
My process works amazingly well with engaged and motivated students. However, it does not work at all with students who have adults do their work for them. My program requires the student think a lot, write a lot, and work a lot. Students who rely on dragging their feet in the hope that someone else will write their essay do not do well in my program.
There is no guarantee that you will finish all, or even any, of your essays in time. Some students in the past have attempted a kind of brinksmanship, doing nothing until the last second in the hope that I will rescue their application. All that happens is that they miss the deadline.
I am impervious to dramatics and tears from students or parents. In my program, you can’t cry instead of work. Tears don’t replace sweat here.
My editing is actual editing, not rewriting your entire essay to make it different. Think of it like this: I will use the delete key of my keyboard. I might use the comma button if I see a missing comma. It is unlikely that I will use any other key on my keyboard. I can help you condense a 1500 word essay to a 500 word one. But I won’t help you expand 2 sentences to a 650 word essay.
College essay writing requires a lot of heavy introspection. This is psychologically demanding, much like a therapy session. If a parent or older sibling is present, it becomes nearly impossible. Very few students will be comfortable opening up about personal moments in front of someone they know well, like a friend or family member. Thus, I strongly advise against parents or older siblings being present during tutoring sessions.
However, I encourage parents to come in regularly for separate parent meetings. During those meetings, I can both keep you up to date and also recommend ways to enhance the process.
At the last minute, the only thing that can be improved on is the essays. It’s too late to build new extracurriculars or alter your classroom strategy to get better recommendations. There is no guarantee that your application, if completed, will work. Improving your essays can increase your odds, but essays cannot singlehandedly make up for weak or commonplace extracurriculars or generic teacher recommendations.
During the times leading up to application deadlines, I have zero-cancellation policy, with no refunds or rescheduling at all. Thus, before booking a large number of sessions, try one out to see if it is right for you. If you are hoping that someone else will write your essay, you will not like my program. There are no refunds at all during these times, no matter what. To view the complete cancellation policy, please go here: www.VohraMethod.com/cancel .
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What should a parent do to help?
A: There are three things. First, get a copy of the book 50 Successful Harvard Essays to get a sense of what successful Ivy essays look like. In particular, I recommend noticing how those essays talk about accomplishments and awards. Hint: they don’t. Essays aren’t resumes. They are a place for introspection, openness, and vulnerability.
Second, I recommend my Ivy Strategy Course for Parents. You won’t be able to use all the information in it now, since much of it is designed to be used several years ahead of time. However, it will be useful for understanding many parts of Ivy Strategy, including Last-minute Strategy.
Finally, I recommend parents come in regularly to check in on the process. This can be done in separate sessions, or for the first 5-10 minutes of a student’s session. I strongly advise against parents staying for the entire session. Doing that usually increases cost and increases the chances of missing the deadline.
Q: Can a parent do the program instead of the student?
A: Parents can help with some essays, and even write some from scratch. Parents are welcome to come in for separate tutoring sessions to work on those.
Q: Is it possible to do a large number of essays in 2 weeks?
A: Yes, of course. I can do 50 essays in a few hours. Students can learn the skills to do 50 essays in a few days. But that only happens if students are fired up, pumped up, and ready to do the intellectual and introspective work. A student whose goal is to drag his feet until a parent or tutor does the work for him will not be able to develop these skills.
Q: Should I go on vacation during this time?
A: You’re attempting to do a year of work in 2 weeks. Under the best of circumstances, it’s nearly impossible. Going on vacation during that time is…ill-advised, to say the least.