Thousands of students from all over the world dream of being admitted to an Ivy League institution or, in any case, to an elite, or the best in education. Making this dream come true, however, has become increasingly difficult due to the increase in requests; however, with a little commitment, you will increase your chances of being accepted. Here you will find a guide with the steps to follow to have more opportunities to access the Ivy League or, if this is not possible, to another excellent university.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Succeed in High School
Step 1. Challenge yourself
Accept the toughest and most rigorous opportunities your school offers. Often times, it is preferable to do well by following a more complicated program than expected than to be exceptional by studying an average program. If your institution offers advanced courses, especially those that will allow you to get extra credit, do some: Ivy League universities expect aspiring students to have some.
- Universities cannot know if a teacher is demanding or not: they can only take your assessments into account. Opt for those courses that are recognized as complicated but prefer those that do not exceed a certain threshold of difficulty too much.
- It is very useful to attend difficult classes and work hard on subjects that you plan to study in college. It will make it easier for you to get good grades there too.
Step 2. Start immediately with the aim of triumphing
If you drag yourself listlessly all the way through high school and, only at the end, apply yourself to get good blanks, you will probably not be admitted. Your education must be excellent throughout your school career.
Do not take this as absolute: there are exceptions as there are schools that appreciate students who improve. If you have had problems caused by circumstances that were well beyond your control, you could attach a letter to the application form explaining what your difficulties were and how you solved them
Step 3. Get Excellent Average
Remember that you are planning to enter universities where other enrolled students have given their farewell speeches in their schools.
Step 4. Get excellent scores even on the standard entrance tests
This is a critical part of your application because, in this area, you are on the same level as everyone else. If your aim is to enroll in an Ivy League institution, try to score at least 700 (out of a maximum of 800) points in each SAT test or an ACT sum of 30 to have a reasonable chance of being admitted. Exceeding 750 points in each SAT section or 33 in the sum of the ACT will give you a solid score that must not be improved.
- Do not repeat the tests more than three times. According to Chuck Hughes, a former admissions officer at Harvard, the admissions board will notice this, and your repeated attempts to get a high score may give the impression that you have been focusing more than necessary on the points. Get good before taking the tests. Get good before you take it.
- Take a lesson on test preparation or buy some books and practice. The speed and accuracy demonstrated in the tests represent a skill that must be learned. Start preparing early and work diligently until you are able to solve problems without thinking too much.
Step 5. Get involved in extracurricular activities
The Ivy League universities want to see aspiring students who have an all-round background and who have not locked themselves up for the duration of high school focusing only on good grades. Play sports (you don't necessarily have to join a team that competes with others outside the school walls), join a club or go to the theater.
Step 6. Volunteer, both nationally and internationally:
don't limit yourself to the opportunities in your city. A summer spent raising funds to build a school in Peru is worth much more than a collection for the local church.
Step 7. Be a leader in the areas where you excel
Don't miss out on opportunities to gain extra recognition and the responsibility of being a leader, from being the president of the class assembly to the captain of the cheerleader or an administrator of the club you are a member of. Take the work seriously because the lessons you will learn by taking on this role will be experiences that will make you stand out in the crowd when you write your essay or find yourself taking the interview.
Part 2 of 3: Knowing the Admission Process
Step 1. Search for universities:
not all of them offer the same experience. Find out if the research opportunities, the place, the social life, the students, the professors, the accommodation and the canteen services might be right for you.
Step 2. Visit the campus or the university
Talk to teachers and students. Imagine what life will be like there. If you can, spend a weekend there - some institutions offer this option.
Step 3. Find out about scholarships
Ivy League universities are notoriously expensive. To receive support, you should complete the Free Application Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Step 4. Ask your teachers for recommendations
Get in touch with teachers who know you well and who have a good opinion of you to ask them to write a great letter of recommendation. Make the task easy for them by discussing it first or providing notes or points to follow about what they think about you.
Step 5. Refine the application for admission
What many students do not realize is that high grades and test scores alone will not guarantee acceptance by universities, on the contrary, they represent only the first stage of screening. After passing them, the institution will examine you through one or more essays, recommendations written by teachers and consultants, an interview and, sometimes, following the advice of a peer.
Start the admission process early - that way, you'll have enough time to review everything. Ask adults who are familiar with the prestigious university system for advice on what to write about you and how. This will also help you with interviews
Step 6. Prepare for the interview
Interviews are held with someone from the university's admissions office or a former student and the questions asked range from relatively informal to more complicated ones. Dress respectfully, think about the questions they might ask and, above all, be yourself or, at least, a slightly more mature version of yourself!
Find someone to practice with in view of the interview, even if they are not people who are familiar with the process: the important thing is that you learn to relax and express yourself well. If the interview doesn't go well, don't worry - these conversations are rarely decisive about your eventual admission
Step 7. Wait for the results
Most Ivy League universities send them in early April and you can check them online on the first day of the month. Some institutions send "letters of probability" to the most popular students a couple of months in advance for an informal notification of admission.
Part 3 of 3: What to Do After Being Accepted or Rejected
Step 1. Don't relax about your school grades like some students do
An arrest during this period often causes an afterthought on admission.
Step 2. Consider other options if you have been placed on a waiting list
In this case, in fact, your chances of being accepted are rather slim. In short, have backup choices.
Step 3. Try moving to an Ivy League university
If you do an excellent job at a second-level university, you could move to an Ivy after a year or two. They may not recognize the credits of the other faculty but, probably, you will be able to skip repetition of the introductory courses. Of course, your path will slow down but remember that the title you will receive will be given to you by the university where you graduated and not the one where you started studying.
Some state universities guarantee transfer to community college students; in this way, you can save a lot of money and access a prestigious state institution. Of course, it won't be an Ivy university, which may refuse to admit you directly, but you'll get close to it
Step 4. Take a look at the courses you could take in an Ivy after graduation
By working hard and passing your entrance exams (such as, for example, the GRE or the LSAT), you could enter the university of your dreams. In addition to providing excellent opportunities for scholarships, many of these programs allow you to offset tuition and other expenses by teaching or taking on assistant positions.
A prestigious post-graduate course will give you more chances of obtaining an excellent profession than a pre-graduate course. For graduate schools that focus on grades, a slightly less prestigious program with a generous grading system could improve your chances of admission
Advice
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The Ivy League universities have the financial resources to provide excellent scholarships. Of the eight institutions, Harvard, Dartmouth, Cornell and Princeton define the word "need" more broadly than the less affluent institutions. If your family's income is less than $ 75,000, you may not be paying any taxes. Eligible Pell Grant Scholarship is possible for Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Darmouth, Cornell and Columbia. If you are not well off, opt not only for Ivy but also for state universities, where you could pay less.
Before making your final decision, consider the financial help that the university would give you. It could be a combination of grants (a tax cut or full scholarship), loans, and work, in light of your parent's finances. Learn how to secure this support from year to year
- Having a "connection" often pushes towards admission. However, don't write an essay that's too forced or boring, but don't hide your position either.
- Even though the universities say they don't take race into consideration, this is not true, since it is a fundamental aspect of admissions. Indeed, all faculties want to be culturally diverse. African Americans and Hispanics are accepted in virtually all institutions, including Ivies, with only a score of over 650 in each section of the SAT. What has just been said does not apply to Asians, who are not considered an underrepresented minority by most schools. All of this was taken from a Princeton Review book.
- Be yourself on the resume and during interviews. Thus, whoever takes care of your admission will understand what kind of person you are and will make sure that this is the right university for you.
- Students from "rare" US geographic locations are more likely to be admitted. Wyoming and Mississippi are two examples of this. Those coming from more popular destinations such as Southern California, New England or the Mid-Atlantic will face more competition.
- Some of the world's best universities, such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, generously share their programs over the internet through the Open Courseware Alliance. Try a video lesson to learn what it feels like to take Ivy League courses, to get better grades, or to learn something self-taught.
- Many students are also successful by relying on the help of an admissions consultant. These specialists, in fact, help with the brainstorm of ideas to use in the essays, take a look at the latter and assist you in the drafting of the curriculum and in other areas in which you may need.
- Being the best in the class is common at Harvard but being the best despite a physical or mental disability could make you stand out.
- Remember: there are no guarantees of admission or of obtaining financial support. Much is left to chance and the cost of each application is insignificant in the scheme of things. Ask to be admitted to all those schools you would like to attend.
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Preference is often given to certain categories of applicants, including athletes and under-represented minorities. Having a parent or relative who is famous or who has made multimillion-dollar donations to the university also helps. In fact, nearly half of the Ivy League students belong to one of the groups listed above.
- The "inheritance" generally applies to those students who have at least one parent who has attended the same university they wish to access. Some faculties extend this definition to both parents and grandparents. To find out which university rule you are interested in, call the admissions department.
- Admitted athletes are often good at niche sports such as lacrosse or squash. Princeton and Cornell, for example, are two universities that stand out in lacrosse. Students of this type are very busy both for their study load and for the sport they practice.
- Universities seek to have a wide variety of students from different walks of life. Consider taking an uncommon pre-graduate course since most faculties don't care what degree you got: what matters is its originality and, of course, the grades. Also, challenge yourself with other activities and volunteering.
- If you attend a school where the IB (International Baccalaureate) is offered, try to graduate by obtaining this title by going to all the necessary lessons or by taking only a few exams to get IB Certificates. With the IB Diploma, the chances of being accepted by the most selective universities will increase.
- Clients and employers often care about what you actually do, so in addition to studying and getting good grades, do something practical and unique. Consider pursuing a dual specialization.
- If they have not accepted you, luckily you have also applied for other schools which will still give you a good education. Remember that a refusal does not mean that you are an inferior person: it is only a matter of luck and partly also of belonging to privileged groups. Students who have been accepted in previous years can be rejected this year (and vice versa). Studies have shown that you can be successful even if you have not attended one of these universities. Keep doing your best and your efforts will be rewarded in other ways.
Warnings
- Do not lie in your application for admission: this could backfire on you.
- Having your family or teachers give you opinions on your essay is fine but asking them to write it for you is not. Universities have the means to search for pre-written essays, and admissions staff can distinguish between an essay written by a teenager and an essay written by an adult, however talented the teenager in question is.
- Make sure that going to an Ivy League university is really what you want and that it wasn't forced upon you by your parents. If you sign up without wanting to, you will condemn yourself to unhappiness.
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Evaluate the costs required to attend a high-level university, which could exceed $ 50,000 annually. Don't be put off by the numbers when you apply, even if your parents don't have the necessary financial means: you could always get a scholarship or some other generous financial help. However, if you know that this money will not make a difference or will mainly be loans, you will have to decide whether you should go this route or opt for a lower-tuition faculty. A full scholarship or help from a "good" institution may be worth more than the $ 100,000 or $ 200,000 in debt you will have to pay to a "big" university. Calculate the payments and consider whether your future career will give you the opportunity to earn enough to currently be able to enroll at an expensive university.
Keep in mind that you may need another $ 100,000 or $ 200,000 for a postgraduate course while the interest on the sum of the first pre-graduate loan accrues and don't forget the costs that come with living in another city
- Read the materials on the Ivy League universities from less partial sources in order to get a clear idea of the various faculties.
- Some Ivy League universities are notorious for putting unhealthy pressure on students, even leading them to suicide in some cases.
- If it is likely that you will depend on financial help, it is not convenient for you to opt for the Early Decision. It is, in fact, a binding agreement that requires the student to attend university in the event that it is accepted; if, however, the support given to you is insufficient, you will not have much choice. Although you can change your mind if you do not have the necessary money, apply for the ED only if you are sure you have both the credentials and the financial tools to go to the faculty you want. (Note: In recent years, the Ivy League has distanced itself from binding decisions made all too early; however, be sure to inquire at the university's admissions department that interests you before applying in case finances should be a problem for you).
- Changing universities or taking breaks can be costly financially as well as time-wise, so make sure you make the right choice. If you are unhappy, try to hold out until the end of the semester, perhaps attending fewer or easier ones.
