Be strategic about the SAT. Unfortunately, USA universities do not value the IB as much as we hoped / are led to believe and because of this - the SAT is an important part of your application. I recommend taking the SAT in IB1 or the summer before IB2. It is best to get it out of the way soon...

Predicted grades > Final grades When you apply in November (Early) or January (Regular) you are applying with the predicted grades your school provides and this is what the universities base your admissions decision off of. I have learned that the predicted grades matter more in this process than what you get on the finals. In the UK students are given conditional acceptance offers meaning if their final grade is below their predicted / requirement for the university then the students lose their acceptance. US universities give unconditional offers to students based on their predicted grades - meaning you are 100% accepted as...

I worked with a private admissions counselor who was specialized in applications to the USA. I went to the German European School Singapore so 98% of graduating students moved on to universities in Europe which is a very different application process. This meant my school counselor was unfamiliar with USA applications so I decided to reach out for a private counselor and this made the world of a difference. I highly recommend if you have the ability, to work with a...