What is an IMIC? No, I don’t expect you to know this already, and it won’t be on the SAT. But it can, nevertheless, play an important part in your distinctive path to a great-fit college. Welcome to the IvyMaven Initial Consult.
IMIC is the acronym I use to refer to the double-appointment official jumpstart to your college admissions journey. I devote 3+ hours total. On my own time, I first review documents you send to me: transcripts, samples of your writing, PSAT scores and the like. I ask students to complete the IvyMaven questionnaire, which invites reflection on how you see yourself: as a student, a person, an applicant. What do you view as your main influences, strong-suits, challenges, dreams? How has high school gone for you thus far, and how do you ideally envision your next four years? What kind of people do you want to surround yourself with, as peers and mentors? And, especially, in what kind of learning environment do you thrive, and which subjects are most exciting to you? Parents are asked to complete a similar form about their teen, too.
Then we meet. Typically, this IMIC includes both student and parents. (The college admissions process brings up all kinds of thoughts and emotions for us parents, so it’s best to address those wishes and concerns right from the get-go!) We typically meet—in person or on zoom—for an hour and a half at first. And a few days later, when you’ve had time to think about our conversation, we resume for Part Two.
Our two IMIC meetings? I do a quick assessment of what you already know about the college admissions process and then fill in the gaps—about timelines and deadlines, standardized testing and the all-important transcript, and how you spend your time when not in class or doing things for class. Which skills and talents and interests do you most wish to develop? Which do you want to drop? And who are you: your developing identity against the backdrop of getting-into-college. (Heads-up: we might talk about how that last part often takes care of itself if you take care of yourself :)
We often do a card-sorting game. You sort cards with pictures and captions, each denoting an aspect of college: three or four piles, indicating what’s important to you in choosing your college. Heads-up: I use your responses as an entry-point to share a lot about college life—academic and otherwise—and the many options out there. No need to take notes: I back up my references with handouts from the continually updated IvyMaven archives, so that you can start your own college planning file.
And all this leads to the start of a college list that makes sense for YOU.
Should you proceed from a complimentary half-hour consult to this in-depth IMIC? It’s a wonderful way to start your teen on the road to making a great and supported decision about the next four years of their life. What could be a better investment than that?
