IvyIt’s that time of year – high school seniors open their e-mail to find out where they’ll be spending the next four years of their lives. Many of you, we’re talking hundreds of thousands, will eventually apply to the Ivy League in anticipation of having the ultimate academic college experience. Few of you will be selected to attend. Who are you, you lucky kids? How will you do it? The following are ten factors that admissions directors will weigh heavily in their decisions when they’re looking at your application. Keep these pointers in the back of your heads when you start developing your strategy for college applications. They will want to see that:

  1. You’re Number One!  

You will be what I think of as a prototypically successful applicant to the Ivy League. You will have achieved academic success for, well, forever.  Being Number 1 in your class or earning a perfect SAT score will be really helpful in winning a place in the Ivies. Great grades in high school are a good predictor of your success at these academically competitive schools, and your stellar SAT score helps to keep the schools’ average test scores high for those glossy brochures. Of course, numbers aren’t everything as we’ll talk about below, but they’re a solid foundation for that mysterious Academic Index that the Ivy Leagues use in determining the quality of its candidates each year. There is, after all, a reason that a 2014 study by the National Association for College Admission Counseling found that admissions offices placed greatest value on a student’s grades and the academic rigor of his or her course load.

  1. And You’re Number One!

You will be the number 20-ranked tennis player in the country. You will develop an app that Apple wants to buy. You start a local shelter for homeless pets. These are extraordinary accomplishments (particularly for someone who hasn’t graduated from high school yet), and you will, in so many ways, be recognized for these accomplishments. And the Ivy League will be impressed. They aren’t looking for a student who can do everything. They want a class of kids who are great at what they do. See http://www.hopelesstoharvard.com/ivy-league-schools/ivy-league-admissions-secrets/. Consequently, when you choose activities, focus on ones you love, that you will devote a ton of time to, and at which you can excel.

Of course, though, all Number 1s are not treated with equal respect, and the Ivy League is not easily fooled. As noted in The Ivy Coach’s blog, “there are lots and lots of lame awards that high school students like to share on their college applications. Not sure which awards we might be referring to? How about being named to the “Who’s Who Among American High School Students” list? That is so lame and should never, ever be on a student’s college application! If you’re ever at a doctor’s office and that award is framed in the waiting area, you might consider running.”

If you can avoid the hogwash, so to speak, and have real accomplishments that will shine on any application, Ivy League admissions officers will take note!

  1. People Like You

This sounds ridiculous, I know. Ivy League admission is not a popularity contest. But yet, it is in a way. It is truly an amazing accomplishment to graduate first in your class or earn a perfect SAT score, and you know the Ivy League loves it. But if no one has anything good to say about you? I mean, not one or two teachers or a coach who can say you are a super person? Unfortunately, those academic achievements won’t get you as far as you’d like in an applicant pool teeming with over achievers. In 2007 alone, Harvard rejected 1,100 candidates who obtained perfect math scores on the SATs.

What you will also need are some good recommendations. No, some great recommendations. After reading thousands of candidate files, it goes a long way for an admissions officer to actually like a candidate. When asked what she looks for in a candidate, an alumnus interviewer for Harvard stated:

The candidates that most impress me are those who are natural leaders: passionate, driven, curious, excited and excitable. I want to know why they do the things that they do: what motivates them? I want to know if they want to change the world and how. I ask myself: could I see this person sitting in one of the classrooms or participating in one of the clubs on campus?

It will be worthwhile, then, to take time off from your studies and get your charm on! What will that mean to you? Do something special that fascinates the people around you. Get to know your teachers. Impress your coaches. Added bonus – It will make your middle and high school experience a more rewarding one!

  1. You Like You

Your personal essay will mean something. It will be a great place to showcase your personality, and if you can do so in an interesting way that doesn’t seem like a gimmick, the Ivy League will see you can represent yourself in a positive and meaningful way.  A good essay can tell a wonderful story about you.  As noted in Quartz,

“In a good essay the student embarks on a voyage to learn more about an idea, a place, or about herself, and she returns able to examine and understand what has been familiar with new eyes and a deeper perspective.”

When you create your essay, you can show those admission pros that you are capable of growing and can even do so before their very eyes. Reading essay upon essay from hopeful candidates can make anyone blurry with boredom. Standing out as a real person with great capacity for growth can make your application a sight for sore eyes.

  1. Your Last Name Sounds Really Familiar

It’s true. Everyone knows this. It helps if your mom or dad or even your sibling has attended the Ivy League School to which you will be applying.

According to Business Insider, Harvard accepted approximately 30 percent of its graduates’ children in 2013. For Princeton’s Class of 2015, 33 percent of legacies received a congratulations letter, as compared to 8.5% of the general population.  That’s a big difference, a difference that sounds fantastically reassuring if your mom or dad happens to have a degree from one of the Ivies, but is certainly unsettling if they don’t.

Secondary tier legacies – you will be applicants with a grandparent or a sibling or even an aunt or uncle with ties to your Ivy League school of choice – you will have some magic rubbed off on you as well. You’re about twice as likely to be admitted, according to a study a few years back by Michael Hurwitz at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. This is a pretty nice leg up even before you start the application process, so start combing your family tree for Ivy grads!

  1. They Know And Love Your School – A Lot

Many Ivy League schools have “special” relationships with certain high schools, which provide a high percentage of Ivy League admits every year. If you will attend one of these schools, you may reap the benefits of that close-knit connection. For example, Harvard founded preparatory schools Noble and Greenough, Andover and Exeter, all of which send numerous students to Harvard every year.  Some high schools are so reputedly favored by the Ivies that the Wall Street Journal even ranked the success rate of these feeder schools in its now famous 2007 article.

Of course, that may mean that the competition at these top-notch schools is even tighter, but given their relatively high acceptance rates into the Ivies, there may also be a little more wiggle room for you in terms of GPA and class rank.

  1. Your School Doesn’t Sound Familiar At All

Yet the Ivies aren’t just looking for those familiar faces. If you are from a family, school or community where most people don’t attend college, let alone some of the best colleges in the world, you may be in luck. In the past several years, many of the Ivies have added special resources for students who are the first in their families to attend college. See, for example, application advice for first generation applicants to Yale, and campus support for such students at Brown.

Even if you won’t be a first-gen applicant, the city and school where you live can be helpful in making you a geographically diverse candidate. A Yale graduate learned that her underprivileged high school, which served a largely poor, indigenous population in Minneapolis helped her candidacy, despite the fact that she was the white, middle-class daughter of Princeton alum.

Consequently, if you will be an applicant from a low socioeconomic status or even an economically depressed area, the Ivies are interested. Your achievements will be contextualized into your background, and you could add a lot of socio-economic diversity to their campuses. You will have worked hard, even harder than most applicants, to get where you are, and the Ivies are getting that!

  1. You Are Very Wealthy

As if being incredibly wealthy isn’t cool enough – if you’re a decent candidate coming from a family that donates buildings or endows chairs at an Ivy League school, your entire application process may feel different than the rest of ours. The following is an anecdote from the grandson of a notable Ivy League university trustee going through the application process as told to the Ivy Gate Blog.

[sic] my grandad flew to meet my dad & i [at the university], and i just figured that it was going to be a regular day of tours & walking around. however, when we got there we were met by a super friendly admissions guy. he took us on the regular tour, but then we ditched it because he said “it’s completely useless” (ironic, considering how much energy & money the university pumps into those tours) he took me around campus, and then brought me to meet a representative from the most popular department at the school, which i claimed to be interested in it. (later, i realized that he was one of the senior professors and chair of the undergraduate program) then they shuttled me over to the president’s office. i didn’t really GET that it was the president until they told me after we met. the meeting was brief, but looking back, it was quite an unbelievable opportunity. after lunch, we wandered around campus with another admissions rep, who told me all about undergraduate life.

This is certainly a college tour most of us have NOT taken, and we don’t need much imagination to anticipate the outcome of this student’s application.

  1. You are an ethnic minority.

The consideration of racial background in college admissions decisions has always stirred controversy. Whether or not you agree with them, the Ivies will look to your race, if you choose to disclose it, and your minority status will benefit your candidacy to their school. Look no further than the schools’ websites to see that they clearly appreciate that your minority status makes you different in a good way.  From the University of Pennsylvania:

The Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Programs is charged with ensuring that the University meets its obligations as an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer and educational institution.

It’s still not a cakewalk to get in, but your minority status will be important to the Ivy League, and, it can help determine whether or not you’re successful in the admissions process.

  1. But not this minority:

Some consider these Affirmative Action programs instituted by Ivy League schools a double-edged sword. While these programs further the cause of certain minorities in their path to admissions, others have not been happy with how racial recognition has impacted the Ivy League’s decision-making process.  To that end, less than a year ago a group called the Students for Fair Admissions filed suit against Harvard, alleging that through its admissions process’ use of racial considerations the school violates Civil Rights Act Title VI by discriminating against Asian Americans.

If such reverse affirmative action does exist for Asians, perhaps one way for Asian candidates to improve their chances of receiving positive news from an Ivy would be to seek out activities and experiences that set them apart, such as a passion for the Humanities or a record setting lacrosse season for their high school.

If you’re a girl, you may also be getting the shorter stick in the Ivy Admissions process. As girls increasingly outpace their male counterparts academically, the competition grows fiercer among the girls, making it even harder for girls to find a home in the Ivy League.

If you find yourself in a group that doesn’t receive special attention from the admissions officers, you’ll be looking for another way to stand out from the crowd. After all, you may not even need our top ten signs! Perhaps you will have your own personal edge for the Ivies. Whatever that advantage may be, may all your letters start with the word, “Congratulations”!

IvyIt’s that time of year – high school seniors open their e-mail to find out where they’ll be spending the next four years of their lives. Many of you, we’re talking hundreds of thousands, will eventually apply to the Ivy League in anticipation of having the ultimate academic college experience. Few of you will be selected to attend. Who are you, you lucky kids? How will you do it? The following are ten factors that admissions directors will weigh heavily in their decisions when they’re looking at your application. Keep these pointers in the back of your heads when you start developing your strategy for college applications. They will want to see that:

  1. You’re Number One!  

You will be what I think of as a prototypically successful applicant to the Ivy League. You will have achieved academic success for, well, forever.  Being Number 1 in your class or earning a perfect SAT score will be really helpful in winning a place in the Ivies. Great grades in high school are a good predictor of your success at these academically competitive schools, and your stellar SAT score helps to keep the schools’ average test scores high for those glossy brochures. Of course, numbers aren’t everything as we’ll talk about below, but they’re a solid foundation for that mysterious Academic Index that the Ivy Leagues use in determining the quality of its candidates each year. There is, after all, a reason that a 2014 study by the National Association for College Admission Counseling found that admissions offices placed greatest value on a student’s grades and the academic rigor of his or her course load.

 

  1. And You’re Number One!

You will be the number 20-ranked tennis player in the country. You will develop an app that Apple wants to buy. You start a local shelter for homeless pets. These are extraordinary accomplishments (particularly for someone who hasn’t graduated from high school yet), and you will, in so many ways, be recognized for these accomplishments. And the Ivy League will be impressed. They aren’t looking for a student who can do everything. They want a class of kids who are great at what they do. See http://www.hopelesstoharvard.com/ivy-league-schools/ivy-league-admissions-secrets/. Consequently, when you choose activities, focus on ones you love, that you will devote a ton of time to, and at which you can excel.

Of course, though, all Number 1s are not treated with equal respect, and the Ivy League is not easily fooled. As noted in The Ivy Coach’s blog, “there are lots and lots of lame awards that high school students like to share on their college applications. Not sure which awards we might be referring to? How about being named to the “Who’s Who Among American High School Students” list? That is so lame and should never, ever be on a student’s college application! If you’re ever at a doctor’s office and that award is framed in the waiting area, you might consider running.”

If you can avoid the hogwash, so to speak, and have real accomplishments that will shine on any application, Ivy League admissions officers will take note!

  1. People Like You

This sounds ridiculous, I know. Ivy League admission is not a popularity contest. But yet, it is in a way. It is truly an amazing accomplishment to graduate first in your class or earn a perfect SAT score, and you know the Ivy League loves it. But if no one has anything good to say about you? I mean, not one or two teachers or a coach who can say you are a super person? Unfortunately, those academic achievements won’t get you as far as you’d like in an applicant pool teeming with over achievers. In 2007 alone, Harvard rejected 1,100 candidates who obtained perfect math scores on the SATs.

What you will also need are some good recommendations. No, some great recommendations. After reading thousands of candidate files, it goes a long way for an admissions officer to actually like a candidate. When asked what she looks for in a candidate, an alumnus interviewer for Harvard stated:

The candidates that most impress me are those who are natural leaders: passionate, driven, curious, excited and excitable. I want to know why they do the things that they do: what motivates them? I want to know if they want to change the world and how. I ask myself: could I see this person sitting in one of the classrooms or participating in one of the clubs on campus?

It will be worthwhile, then, to take time off from your studies and get your charm on! What will that mean to you? Do something special that fascinates the people around you. Get to know your teachers. Impress your coaches. Added bonus – It will make your middle and high school experience a more rewarding one!

  1. You Like You

Your personal essay will mean something. It will be a great place to showcase your personality, and if you can do so in an interesting way that doesn’t seem like a gimmick, the Ivy League will see you can represent yourself in a positive and meaningful way.  A good essay can tell a wonderful story about you.  As noted in Quartz,

“In a good essay the student embarks on a voyage to learn more about an idea, a place, or about herself, and she returns able to examine and understand what has been familiar with new eyes and a deeper perspective.”

When you create your essay, you can show those admission pros that you are capable of growing and can even do so before their very eyes. Reading essay upon essay from hopeful candidates can make anyone blurry with boredom. Standing out as a real person with great capacity for growth can make your application a sight for sore eyes.

 

  1. Your Last Name Sounds Really Familiar

It’s true. Everyone knows this. It helps if your mom or dad or even your sibling has attended the Ivy League School to which you will be applying.

According to Business Insider, Harvard accepted approximately 30 percent of its graduates’ children in 2013. For Princeton’s Class of 2015, 33 percent of legacies received a congratulations letter, as compared to 8.5% of the general population.  That’s a big difference, a difference that sounds fantastically reassuring if your mom or dad happens to have a degree from one of the Ivies, but is certainly unsettling if they don’t.

Secondary tier legacies – you will be applicants with a grandparent or a sibling or even an aunt or uncle with ties to your Ivy League school of choice – you will have some magic rubbed off on you as well. You’re about twice as likely to be admitted, according to a study a few years back by Michael Hurwitz at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. This is a pretty nice leg up even before you start the application process, so start combing your family tree for Ivy grads!

  1. They Know And Love Your School – A Lot

Many Ivy League schools have “special” relationships with certain high schools, which provide a high percentage of Ivy League admits every year. If you will attend one of these schools, you may reap the benefits of that close-knit connection. For example, Harvard founded preparatory schools Noble and Greenough, Andover and Exeter, all of which send numerous students to Harvard every year.  Some high schools are so reputedly favored by the Ivies that the Wall Street Journal even ranked the success rate of these feeder schools in its now famous 2007 article.

Of course, that may mean that the competition at these top-notch schools is even tighter, but given their relatively high acceptance rates into the Ivies, there may also be a little more wiggle room for you in terms of GPA and class rank.

 

  1. Your School Doesn’t Sound Familiar At All

Yet the Ivies aren’t just looking for those familiar faces. If you are from a family, school or community where most people don’t attend college, let alone some of the best colleges in the world, you may be in luck. In the past several years, many of the Ivies have added special resources for students who are the first in their families to attend college. See, for example, application advice for first generation applicants to Yale, and campus support for such students at Brown. 

Even if you won’t be a first-gen applicant, the city and school where you live can be helpful in making you a geographically diverse candidate. A Yale graduate learned that her underprivileged high school, which served a largely poor, indigenous population in Minneapolis helped her candidacy, despite the fact that she was the white, middle-class daughter of Princeton alum.

Consequently, if you will be an applicant from a low socioeconomic status or even an economically depressed area, the Ivies are interested. Your achievements will be contextualized into your background, and you could add a lot of socio-economic diversity to their campuses. You will have worked hard, even harder than most applicants, to get where you are, and the Ivies are getting that!

 

  1. You Are Very Wealthy

As if being incredibly wealthy isn’t cool enough – if you’re a decent candidate coming from a family that donates buildings or endows chairs at an Ivy League school, your entire application process may feel different than the rest of ours. The following is an anecdote from the grandson of a notable Ivy League university trustee going through the application process as told to the Ivy Gate Blog.

[sic] my grandad flew to meet my dad & i [at the university], and i just figured that it was going to be a regular day of tours & walking around. however, when we got there we were met by a super friendly admissions guy. he took us on the regular tour, but then we ditched it because he said “it’s completely useless” (ironic, considering how much energy & money the university pumps into those tours) he took me around campus, and then brought me to meet a representative from the most popular department at the school, which i claimed to be interested in it. (later, i realized that he was one of the senior professors and chair of the undergraduate program) then they shuttled me over to the president’s office. i didn’t really GET that it was the president until they told me after we met. the meeting was brief, but looking back, it was quite an unbelievable opportunity. after lunch, we wandered around campus with another admissions rep, who told me all about undergraduate life.

This is certainly a college tour most of us have NOT taken, and we don’t need much imagination to anticipate the outcome of this student’s application.

  1. You are an ethnic minority.

The consideration of racial background in college admissions decisions has always stirred controversy. Whether or not you agree with them, the Ivies will look to your race, if you choose to disclose it, and your minority status will benefit your candidacy to their school. Look no further than the schools’ websites to see that they clearly appreciate that your minority status makes you different in a good way.  From the University of Pennsylvania:

The Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Programs is charged with ensuring that the University meets its obligations as an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer and educational institution.

It’s still not a cakewalk to get in, but your minority status will be important to the Ivy League, and, it can help determine whether or not you’re successful in the admissions process.

 

  1. But not this minority:

Some consider these Affirmative Action programs instituted by Ivy League schools a double-edged sword. While these programs further the cause of certain minorities in their path to admissions, others have not been happy with how racial recognition has impacted the Ivy League’s decision-making process.  To that end, less than a year ago a group called the Students for Fair Admissions filed suit against Harvard, alleging that through its admissions process’ use of racial considerations the school violates Civil Rights Act Title VI by discriminating against Asian Americans.

If such reverse affirmative action does exist for Asians, perhaps one way for Asian candidates to improve their chances of receiving positive news from an Ivy would be to seek out activities and experiences that set them apart, such as a passion for the Humanities or a record setting lacrosse season for their high school.

If you’re a girl, you may also be getting the shorter stick in the Ivy Admissions process. As girls increasingly outpace their male counterparts academically, the competition grows fiercer among the girls, making it even harder for girls to find a home in the Ivy League.

If you find yourself in a group that doesn’t receive special attention from the admissions officers, you’ll be looking for another way to stand out from the crowd. After all, you may not even need our top ten signs! Perhaps you will have your own personal edge for the Ivies. Whatever that advantage may be, may all your letters start with the word, “Congratulations”!