It is the dream of thousands of students all over the world to be admitted to an Ivy League institution, considered by many to be the pinnacle of
collegiate education. However, accomplishing this has become even more difficult than before, as the applicant pool has been growing, and there are absolutely
no guarantees to getting in. However, the following tips will hopefully give you an idea of the route you'll need to take if going to one of these schools is your dream. Note that they apply to virtually any elite school.
- Make sure it's really what you want. Why are you aiming to go to College? Far too many applicants apply simply because of the school name's prestige, or the pressure of overzealous parents, which is bound to lead to unhappiness.
- Research the school. Find out whether the location, social life, students, professors, climate, dormitories, food services, etc. are things you would enjoy for four years. Visit campus, talk with professors and current students. Get a sense what your life there would be like. Also, try to see if you can spend a weekend there. Several colleges offer that option.
- Consider the costs of attending College (can be upwards of $50,000 per year, plus rising by 6% each year), and whether having a degree from that institution will really help advance your career dramatically more than attending another prestigious private school that may not be as expensive. And, a full scholarship at a good school might make more sense than over $100,000 of debt at a great school. The Ivy League have the deep pockets to offer generous financial aid, and of the eight Ivy League schools Yale, Harvard, Dartmouth, and Princeton have need-blind and full-need admission policies. They also define "need" more broadly then their less wealthy peers. If your family income is less than $75,000 you won't be charged any tuition at several of the Ivies. As a group these are the wealthiest colleges and compete with each other so their financial aid offers to the neediest students involve little more than working a job at school and over the summer with no parental involvement. This would be for the neediest (Pell Grant eligible) student at Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Dartmouth or Columbia.
- Think about the quality of your education, rather than the name. Some Universities center largely around research, which can leave undergraduates feeling neglected. Alton O. Roberts, a retired professor and an Ivy League grad himself, says "The undergraduate at these schools is pretty much there to keep the streets paved. The money doesn't go toward the undergraduate budget. A student will face large classes, and teaching assistants instead of professors."[1] Combine that with increased competitiveness at Ivies, and you may be wondering if an education there is really all it's cracked up to be. However, bear in mind, these are the words of a retired college professor that graduated years ago. The schools have changed considerably since then. One should consult with recent alumni to get an accurate understanding of the learning climate at an Ivy League institution.
- Start early. A slacker who decides to start making grades late in their secondary education years will not be admitted--you should have a consistent history of high scholastic achievement. (Note: there are exceptions as colleges also love to see improvement.) Cultivate extracurricular activities from as early as elementary school--but make sure you are involved in activities about which you are truly passionate. Start focusing in on your favorite interests right before entering high school.
- Challenge yourself. Seek out the most demanding and rigorous opportunities at your school, especially in the academic arena. It's preferable to do well in a challenging program than to be exceptional in an average one. If your school offers advanced courses, an Ivy League school will expect you to have taken them.
- Excel. In an applicant pool where a significant portion of students are valedictorians, and where students with perfect SAT scores are regularly rejected, you have to find a way to stand out. Think on a national or international scale; don't just limit yourself to the opportunities in your home town. Spending a summer helping raise funds to build a school in Peru will mean more than raising funds for your local church.
- Having a GPA in the top 10% of your class is essential, and being ranked among the top few students dramatically betters your chances.
- Standardized testing, an ugly reality of college admissions, must also be exemplary. Aim for attaining at least a 700 (out of a possible 800) points on each section of the SAT (and on individual SATII tests), or a composite of 30 on the ACT for a reasonable chance of being admitted. Bringing these scores up to 750+ on each SAT section, or a 33+ composite ACT, will give you solid scores that need not be improved. At the same time, however, do not repeat the test more than three times. According to Chuck Hughes, a former senior admissions officer at Harvard, the admission panel will notice, and your repeated attempts to get a high score may come off as too focused on scores.[2]
- Regarding extracurriculars, Ivies would rather see an applicant who is regionally--if not nationally--recognized in one or two areas, instead of one who is merely "very good" in myriad activities. Hughes says: "It's great to be good at a bunch of things, but colleges look for students who do one to two things exceptionally well."
- Lead. In the areas where you excel, look for opportunities to take on additional responsibility as a leader. This can range from being class president to cheerleading captain to an officer for a club you participate in. Take your job as a leader seriously, as the lessons you learn in this role can be the experiences that set you apart from the crowd when you write your essay or get interviewed.
- Polish your application. What many applicants do not realize is that high grades and test scores will not guarantee admission: they merely "get you through" the first round of rejections. After that, the college will examine what kind of person you are, which is expressed through one or more essays, teacher and counselor recommendations, an interview and, in a few cases, a peer recommendation. Seek out teachers who know you well, and have a favorable opinion of you (hopefully they all do!). Begin working on your essay long before the deadline, so that you will have sufficient time to revise it. Alumni interviews range from relatively nonchalant (e.g. Dartmouth) to make-or-break interrogative ordeals (e.g. Harvard)--dress respectfully, be expectant of questions your interviewer may ask, but above all, just be yourself!
- Sit back, and wait for the results! Most Ivy League decisions arrive in early April, or can be checked online the first of the month. A few schools will send out "likely letters" to their more desirable prospects 1-2 months earlier to informally notify them of their acceptance.
- If you have been accepted, congratulations! Do not, under any circumstances, allow your grades to significantly slip or break the law--students have been dropped by schools to which they were admitted for these very reasons. It's only two more months, you can do it!
- If you have been waitlisted, your chances of being accepted off the wait list are quite slim--move on to your next choice.
- If you have been rejected, you have hopefully applied to other schools (most of which will offer a perfectly good education). Remember that a rejection from an Ivy does not mean you are a lesser person by any means. Admissions at this level is a complete crapshoot, and students who may have been accepted in previous years can be rejected this year (and vice versa). Studies have shown that students accepted to Ivies that attended other schools were just as successful in life as their Ivy counterparts; the same holds true for those with the qualifications to attend an Ivy who just happened to be rejected. Continue doing your best, and your efforts will be rewarded in other ways.
- Keep trying. If at first you don't succeed, there are a couple of other ways into the Ivies other than the front door.
- If you do outstanding work at a second tier school, you can try transferring to an Ivy after a year or two. You might not receive credit toward graduation for the work done at the other school. You will probably be able to skip repeating introductory courses, but you might still have to take four years of courses, which means padding things out with more advanced courses or with courses you're interested in outside your major. Your degree is from the school where you finish, not where you begin.
- Another option is grad school. By doing outstanding work at an undergraduate program and performing very well on the appropriate admissions exam (e.g., GRE, LSAT) you may be able to be admitted to an Ivy League graduate program. In addition to providing excellent opportunities for scholarship, many of these programs offer opportunities offset tuition and other expenses via teaching or research assistantships.
- Having a "hook" is often an impetus toward acceptance. Being top of your class is ordinary at Harvard, but being top of your class despite a physical or mental disability sets you apart.
- Students from "rare" geographic locations in the US are generally more likely to gain admission. Wyoming and Mississippi are examples. On the flip side, those from overrepresented areas like southern California, New England, or the mid-Atlantic region will face stronger competition.
- Some categories of applicants are often given preference, among them legacies, recruited athletes, and under-represented minorities (URMs). Having a parent or relative who is famous, or has made a multi-million-dollar donation to your prospective school, helps too. In fact, almost half of the students at Ivy League schools fall into one of the above groups.
- Legacies, in general, are defined as applicants who have had one or both parents who are alumni of the institution in question. Some schools will extend this definition to include grandchildren as well. You can find out what any particular college considers a legacy by calling the admissions department and asking.
- Recruited athletes are often those proficient in "niche" sports like lacrosse, crew, or squash. Lacrosse is the 2nd largest team sport (roster number/team) in division I and the Ivies excel in it (Probably at least 8 NCAA championships by Princeton in the last 15 years) These students have the added pressure of a full course load and heavy involvement in a sport.
- Schools look to fill their schools with a variety of students from different walks of life. Consider getting your undergrad in something off the beaten path since most schools don't care what your undergrad degree is in but diversity is key. Also try some more obscure activities or charity work on the side.
- Even though colleges say they don't consider race, that's not true. Race can play a very important part of the the admissions decision. Virtually all colleges want to be more diverse. African Americans are accepted in virtually all colleges (including the Ivies) by simply scoring a 650 or higher on each section of the SAT. The above generally applies to Hispanics. Remember to attach a photo to your application. Note that the above does NOT apply to Asians. This was taken from a Princeton Review book.
- If you attend a school where IB (International Baccalaureate) is offered try to graduate with the IB diploma (all class) or as many IB Certificates (single classes), because having the IB Diploma greatly increases your chances of getting accepted at these selective schools.
