Ivy Decision Day 2025

Hundreds of thousands of applicant portals around the world will be logged into today at 7:00 pm EDT. Sweating palms and fluttering hearts will struggle to make the right key strokes (yeah, I know, it's probably cached) to quickly get to the decision they've been waiting for since they bought the sweatshirt at age ten. They hold their breath in anticipation for the answer they've been pining away for: Will I be accepted into the Ivies?

For many, many, many, many applicants, the virtual confetti won't fall: welcome to one of the largest clubs on the planet - the Ivy League Rejection Club. I know it hurts. I know it's not what you dreamed for the start of your collegiate future that's only 5 months away. It's okay to have a pity party for yourself for 24 hours. Cry, sob, rant, scream - do what you need to do. By 7:00 pm EDT tomorrow, make sure it's OVER. Make sure you commit to moving on - not because you want to but because you need to.

I've said it before, I'll say it again: college admissions is not fair, it is not formulaic, and it is not predictable. I know you are exceptional in your own way and in many ways, and I know you have put yourself out there. Congratulations on doing all that writing for those Ivy supplemental essays. That alone was no small feat! But, you are going to take your exceptionalness, and you are going to bestow it onto a campus that is over-the-moon excited for you to join them in the fall. Embrace that. Let that sink in. They want you. You are the puzzle piece that completes the class those admissions people wanted to create. Now, the decision of where to go lies with you. Do you feel that power?

There is so much to be excited about. I hope you see it for yourself. The truth is, the college was NEVER going to define your future. It was NEVER going to set you up for success. ONLY YOU CAN DO THAT! You've come so far on your journey, but it's not over. Keep going! Start deciding where your next move is going to be. That's where to put your energy! Now, start that 24-hour clock. Let the pity party commence, and let it be over in a day. Good for you if it's over in a few minutes!

Congratulations to all those applicants admitted into the Ivies. Know that your work is also ahead of you. Don't rest on this victory.