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Exceptional Students

Exceptional Colleges

100% First Choice Admissions

Exceptional students

Exceptional colleges

100% Top-Choice Admissions

Call

Holly Woodson, Ph.D.

Director, Ivy Admissions Prep

Holly Woodson, Ph.D.

Director, Ivy Admissions Prep

Welcome to Ivy Admissions Prep

Hello. I'm Holly. I serve exceptional high-school students aiming for a spot at one of the top colleges in the nation or abroad.

I think tactically, move with alacrity, and can pivot at any moment of the admissions process; I am kind of like an admissions ninja!

I hold myself to the highest ethical standards and am committed to best practices with each student and their family. My clients have a 100% success rate in gaining admission to their top choice college, conservatory, or university. Helping gifted high schoolers get to the moment when they can say "YES!" to their number one choice is my "genius zone."

Would you like to know why?

Please read on...

Hello and welcome. As Director of IAP, I serve exceptional high-school students aiming for a spot at one of the top colleges in the nation or abroad.

I think tactically, move with alacrity, and can pivot at any moment of the admissions process; I am kind of like an admissions ninja!

I hold myself to the highest ethical standards and am committed to best practices with each student and their family. My students have a 100% success rate in gaining admission to their top choice college, conservatory, or university.

Helping gifted high schoolers get to the moment when they can say "YES!" to their number one choice is my "genius zone."

Would you like to know why?

Please read on...

"Dr. Woodson understands what it takes to be accepted to a world-class university and is able to bring that to every student with whom she works. My family wants the best possible education, and Dr. Woodson is aligned completely with that mission."

- Dr. Grace Lee, M.D.

"Holly's deep knowledge of education--both at the high-school and university levels--and her passion for guiding students through this stressful process certainly paid off. Our kiddo is now thriving sophomore at Barnard College in NYC! Thank you, Holly!"

- Barbara Manning

"Thank you for inspiring and supporting so many young people in your career!"

- Heidi Wills, CEO of PAWS, former City Council member, Seattle.

Work One-On-One With Teacher, Mentor, and Global Philanthropist, Todd Phillips

Todd Phillips has spoken at numerous public & corporate events with more than 200,000 participants per year.

Nobel prize winner and former president of liberia

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

PLAY VIDEO

1995 FIFA World Player of the Year and Current President of Liberia

George Weah

Dr. Woodson's extensive background in education affords her laser precision in guiding her students.

I grew up with the Webster's Unabridged Dictionary as the centerpiece on our dining-room table. We did not have a TV. My dad was a Shakespeare professor (U Penn, Ph.D. and U of M, BA and M.A.), and my mother had a degree in library science (M.A. and BA, U of M). I "helped" my father research in the university library from the time I was about ten.
I graduated from University High, Valedictorian.
I spent a year studying at the Université de Nantes and Paris IV (la Sorbonne), where I became fluent in French.
I graduated magna cum laude from Illinois Wesleyan.
I graduated magna cum laude from University of Georgia with my Masters in French Literature.
I was accepted to all ten Ph.D. programs to which I applied, including: the University of Chicago, Duke, the University of North Carolina, Vanderbilt, UCLA, and Berkeley.
I was one of two students accepted to Northwestern’s French Literature program, which ranked number two in the nation at that time.
I won multiple grants, including a Mellon Fellowship, to do research in Paris and at Middlebury. I presented my research internationally, including at the University of Glasgow, Yale, and Leeds.
I won one of ten Dissertation Year Fellowships awarded by the NU Graduate School.
I published articles and worked as an assistant editor for 18th-Century Studies, an A-list journal.
I was on the admissions outreach team for the Graduate School.
I received my Ph.D. from Northwestern University, summa cum laude.
I worked helping North Shore high-school students with college admissions and applications.
I taught for the Evanston homeschool group.

I grew up with the Webster's Unabridged Dictionary as the centerpiece on our dining-room table. We did not have a TV. My dad was a Shakespeare professor (U Penn, Ph.D. and U of M, BA and M.A.), and my mother had a degree in library science (M.A. and BA, U of M). I "helped" my father research in the university library from the time I was about ten.
I graduated from University High, Valedictorian.
I spent a year studying at the Université de Nantes and Paris IV (la Sorbonne), where I became fluent in French.
I graduated magna cum laude from Illinois Wesleyan.
I graduated magna cum laude from the University of Georgia with my Masters in French Literature.
I was accepted to all ten Ph.D. programs to which I applied, including: the University of Chicago, Duke, the University of North Carolina, Vanderbilt, UCLA, and Berkeley.
I was one of two students accepted to Northwestern’s French Literature program, which ranked number two in the nation at that time.
I won multiple grants, including a Mellon Fellowship, to do research in Paris and at Middlebury. I presented my research internationally, including at the University of Glasgow, Yale, and Leeds.
I won one of ten Dissertation Year Fellowships awarded by the Graduate School at NU.
I published articles and worked as an assistant editor for 18th-Century Studies, an A-list journal.
I was on the admissions outreach team for the Graduate School.
I received my Ph.D. from Northwestern University, summa cum laude.
I worked helping North Shore high-school students with college admissions and applications.
I taught for the Evanston homeschool group.

I taught literature, humanities, and French at the University of Washington and Seattle University.
I founded “Preparing for the Profession,” which mentored graduate students in finding a job after graduation.
I worked with private high-school clients on admissions.
I gave talks nationally and internationally, published articles, and spoke at local events. I served as Vice President of the Faculty and Staff Association for the College of Arts and Sciences and Vice President for Seattle University's chapter of the AAUP (American Association of University Professors).
I served on grant committees and read Fulbright applications. I worked on the Core Curriculum Committee to redesign the Core at SU.
I taught at an elite, private high school in Seattle. I also worked as an Advisor to seniors. I served on multiple committees, including selecting students for the National Honor Society.
I founded a college-prep center, Uplift Writing, in Seattle. I designed the curriculum and hired tutors for ACT and SAT test prep. I worked with high schoolers from around Seattle on their college applications. I also worked remotely with clients from Chicago and the East Coast.
I decided to focus exclusively on admissions, and separated my admissions consultancy from my tutoring and test-prep center, which I sold.
While my clientele had been largely word-of-mouth, I am now able to serve students from anywhere in the United States or abroad.

I taught literature, humanities, and French at the University of Washington and Seattle University.
I founded “Preparing for the Profession,” which mentored graduate students in finding a job after graduation.
I worked with private clients on admissions.
I gave talks nationally and internationally, published articles, and spoke at local events. I served as Vice President of the Faculty and Staff Association for the College of Arts and Sciences and Vice President for Seattle University's chapter of the AAUP (American Association of University Professors).
I served on grant committees and read Fulbright applications. I worked on the Core Curriculum Committee to redesign the Core at SU.
I taught at an elite, private high school in Seattle. I also worked as an Advisor to seniors. I served on multiple committees, including selecting students for the National Honor Society.
I founded a college-prep center, Uplift Writing, in Seattle. I designed the curriculum and hired tutors for ACT and SAT test prep. I worked with high schoolers from around Seattle on their college applications. I also worked remotely with clients from Chicago and the East Coast.
I decided to focus exclusively on admissions, and separated my admissions consultancy from my tutoring and test-prep center, which I sold.
While my clientele had been largely word-of-mouth, I am now able to serve students from anywhere in the United States or abroad.

My students have been accepted to the following universities:

- Princeton University

- MIT

- Harvard University

- Stanford University

- Yale University

- University of Chicago

- Johns Hopkins University

- University of Pennsylvania

- California Institute of

Technology

- Duke

- Trinity

- Cornell

- Columbia

- Berkeley

- UCLA

- Carnegie Mellon

- NYU

- University of Michigan

- University of Virginia

- Chapel Hill

- Brown

- Northwestern

- Dartmouth

- Amherst College

- Pomona College

- Swarthmore College

- Wellesley College

- Bowdoin College

- Carleton College

- Julliard

- Barnard

- Berklee

- Vanderbilt

- Cambridge

- McGill

- Princeton University

- MIT

- Harvard University

- Stanford University

- Yale University

- University of Chicago

- Johns Hopkins University

- University of Pennsylvania

- California Institute of Technology

- Duke

- Trinity

- Cornell

- Columbia

- Berkeley

- UCLA

- Carnegie Mellon

- NYU

- University of Michigan

- University of Virginia

- Chapel Hill

- Brown

- Northwestern

- Dartmouth

- Amherst College

- Pomona College

- Swarthmore College

- Wellesley College

- Bowdoin College

- Carleton College

- Julliard

- Barnard

- Berklee

- Vanderbilt

- Cambridge

- McGill

Parent Testimonial

"I truly cannot recommend Holly Woodson enough. My son is a senior, and he experienced all the horror stories you read about of kids falling through the cracks. His 'resume' checks all the boxes--never got below an ‘A,’ super involved, and initiating tons of things. Lots of leading roles, etc. But he kept getting rejected! It made no sense.

Until one day, we heard about Holly. Mind you, this was after the application deadlines!!! Who thinks there is anything to be done then?! I will tell you who: Holly Woodson! Within one week, everything turned around: his headspace, his responses from colleges. You really need to speak to her to understand. But she is truly the person who believes nothing is impossible and always does the extra mile.

What Holly knows on a visceral level is that, now, more than ever, college applications are about marketing the child. It’s annoying, but the competition is grueling. My only regret is that I didn’t find Holly sooner. Please, please call her. There is nothing more painful than seeing your child heartbroken, and nothing better than seeing them happy and excited."

Kwik Brain is a fun, fast-paced show designed to help busy people learn and achieve anything in a fraction of the time! In this easy-to-digest bite-sized podcast, you will discover my favorite shortcuts to read faster, remember more, and ‘supercharge’ your greatest wealth-building asset: your brain. Whether you’re a student, senior, entrepreneur, or educator, you will get the edge with these simple and actionable tools to sharpen your mind, enhance your focus, and fast-track your fullest potential.