IvyBoost Success Story: A Student’s Path to UCB & USC
K.B. was a student with a great academic foundation, attending a public high school in Pleasant Hills. She had a strong interest in the humanities, particularly philosophy, with a long-term goal of attending law school.
Starting from her 11th grade in 2024, K.B. approached IvyBoost to inquire on the support she needed to aim for elite liberal arts colleges that could match her varied interests.
With her IvyBoost counselor’s knowledgeable guidance, K.B. was able to put into context her well-rounded profile and major interests to receive acceptances from colleges as varied as UC Berkeley, Scripps, Cal Poly SLO, and USC!
What did K.B. explore with her IvyBoost counselor for her successful applications?
Meet Challenging Course Rigor:
To maintain a competitive high-achieving profile, K.B. successfully pursued several AP courses in both the humanities and STEM fields with the guidance of her IvyBoost counselor. She completed a total of 8 APs for her course rigor in junior and senior year, including courses from AP English Literature to AP Biology and AP Computer Science Principles.
Commit to Extracurricular Passions:
With her IvyBoost counselor’s advice and provided resources, K.B. secured internships in legal and financial fields to dig into potential careers. At the same time, she developed additional leadership skills with a continued commitment to her other activities of interest, from water polo and swimming to close involvement with service with her religious community.
Highlight Significance of Experiences in Essays:
With collaboration with her essay mentor and IvyBoost counselor, K.B. was able to incorporate feedback and highlight significance of her high school experiences in her essays, from how they influenced her worldview to the positive impact her varied activities sparked in the community.
In the spring of 2026, she received multiple admissions offers from colleges like UC Berkeley, Scripps, Cal Poly SLO, and USC for majors in her interest, and is looking forward to making an exciting decision on her college choice for fall!
You can read more on other IvyBoost student success stories on our blog, or see other successful admissions highlights here!
