Parents Spend Six Figures on Ivy Coach Amid Cutthroat Ivy League Quest

Parents are forking six figures for Ivy League admissions coaching as they chase spots at the Ivies, where admission rates sit in the low single digits. A Daily Mail feature on Ivy Coach has highlighted how the service aims to broaden a candidate’s profile well before senior year and how some families view the investment as essential to competing with applicants from across the country and around the world.

Brian Taylor, the Dartmouth alumnus who is the managing partner of Ivy Coach, says the work goes beyond a checklist of grades and activities. "These parents sometimes are just overconfident about their children," Taylor told Daily Mail, noting that many families believe their child is the best and that their achievements are uniquely compelling. He added that, in many cases, the odds are still stacked against applicants because admission rates at top schools are so selective. "When 95 percent of students are [being] denied admission to these schools - because at most of these schools, it’s a single-digit admission rate, a low single-digit admission rate, you know - their kid's just not all that interesting." His job, he says, is to craft a resume that speaks to an elite institution’s interests, and that process can begin as early as middle school.

Paragraph two continues with how early planning factors into the college-choices game. Taylor argues that mapping out a student’s coursework before high school can improve competitiveness, especially if families would otherwise have limited access to advanced offerings at their own schools. He says even high-achieving pupils can be disadvantaged if their course load doesn’t align with what highly selective colleges want to see. "They would send those transcripts along with their high school transcripts, so they never have to ask their high school for permission to take these courses, just take them," Taylor told Daily Mail. He notes that the target is coursework within the five core subjects—English, social studies, math, science, and foreign language—and cautions against assuming that the most rigorous class at a given school will automatically translate to Ivy-league readiness. "Often, students come to us senior year, and they are in AP Statistics, and they think that's math, or they stop their foreign language. What a mistake," he said.

Taylor also cautions families about some of the biggest mistakes in admissions essays and applications. He warns against relying on artificial intelligence to do the work, insisting that the essence of the application is a human story. "And the whole game in college admissions is to make yourself not only likable, but lovable. You're trying to inspire a human being - not AI - to root for you," the coach told Daily Mail. He also advises applicants to avoid hiding their diversity, arguing that admissions officers look for authentic narratives and are not simply profiling candidates by race; rather, a stale or stereotypical set of interests can be a turnoff. "Admissions officers aren't discriminating on the basis of race alone. They're discriminating when you present a profile that's so often associated with race, so stereotypical activities that they so often see," Taylor said.

He also stresses the importance of avoiding overused phrases and clichés in essays, noting that the college experience should be about encountering people with different viewpoints. "No, no, no, that's not the point of college," Taylor said of the notion that higher education is about surrounding oneself with like-minded peers. "The point of college is to surround yourself with people who think differently to challenge your views." In another vein, he advises applicants to manage their online presence carefully. Keeping social media pages private and being selective about what political topics to discuss can matter in the eyes of admissions committees, he said. "If a student is a physics kid, they should not be writing about Israel-Palestine. If a student is an international relations kid with a specific interest in Israel-Palestine, by all means, write about it. Write about it in a way that shows that you have respect for both sides. Write about it in a way that shows that we're all more alike than we're different."

On the testing front, Taylor acknowledges that standardized tests still carry significant weight for Ivies and other highly selective schools, particularly as some institutions have returned to test requirements. "SAT and ACT scores still rank pretty high on getting into these schools, especially as the Ivies have gone back to being test-required. Those without test scores are not created equal. They need those scores. They don't know all these high schools," he said.

The Daily Mail report thus paints a portrait of a growing market for outside guidance when pursuing elite admission. Critics argue that the system emphasizes privilege and fragility of opportunity, while proponents say families are simply navigating a complex, high-stakes process. For now, Taylor’s approach—early coursework planning, strategic enrichment through gifted programs, careful narrative construction, and caution around AI—appears to be among the most sought routes for families aspiring to join the ranks of Ivy League attendees. This account draws on reporting from the Daily Mail’s overview of Ivy Coach and its clients, and it reflects the broader culture surrounding elite college admissions in the United States.