How hard is it to REALLY to get into Ivy League?

[3am scholar]

Having family who are alumni or sending a generous donation will get you in no questions.

 

[Pedro Navaja]

people still go to college?

 

[Nike Jordan]

Ivy League schools are elitist schools with a bunch of WASPs.

Why bother trying to get in?

 

[4one5]

The only person I know personally who attended an Ivy League school is also probably the smartest person I know. The guy was in the National Spelling Bee, SF Boys Choir, and got into the Yale Whiffenpoofs. He also had insane work ethic.

 

[imreallydirknowitzki]

I honestly don't know if being a legacy even plays that much of a role. A girl I dated in hs had a great gpa and a good, not incredible SAT score, her dad was an harvard alumni with $$$ and he donated every now and then and she still didn't get in.

 

[elcatfisho]

If you want to go to any high ranked university you obviously should have stellar scores, near perfect GPA, and a handful of very good extracurriculars to go along. I was in a really good community orchestra in my city and a lot of the kids who went on to those top colleges were also involved in something else as well. One guy was president of the national student government or something like that and he went on to Harvard.
My personal advice is that you should consider more than just the top colleges but also your local/state university if you have a very good academic record and SAT/ACT scores. They are more likely to accept you and give you a nice scholarship as well. Ivy leagues are a crap shoot because so many people are applying with the same resume; it is a challenge to really stand out. In state tuition will also cut down on the cost of attentance and I think we all know college debt is the worst in America.

On a side thought: Perhaps an NT high school student could include how many reps on Niketalk he has in supplement to a 2280 SAT.

 

[Extrait de Minimalisme]

The people that I know in the Ivy's are literally geniuses.. Harvard and Yale that is, even Oxford.. Dudes got a 36 on the ACT and English isn't even their first language..

Like stated extracurriculars mean everything, too many 4.0 valedictorians thinking they are ivy league so they get weeded out.

 

[dos]

obviously. It's not just the Ivies. I would argue it's hard to get into the top 30 universities on the US rankings list and the top 10 liberal arts colleges. With there being like 50 amazing schools and a ton of amazing students, some have to take an L.

 

[killthehype]

Idk but my gf goes to Yale!

She got a full ride.

& early acceptance.



She had a great GPA, and she was involved around in some clubs but nothing big.

It was mainly the grades.

 

[heatpinoyboy]

One of my closest friends got into Brown and his test scores weren't THAT amazing, like under 1900 or something. What got him into Brown, UPenn, and Duke were probably his outstanding extracurricular activities, achievements, and the impact he had on the community (dog won humanitarian of the year for the district that bastard lol). On the flip-side dude didn't get into CAL Poly or CAL go figure

My advice-just go all out to the best of your abilities.
EDIT: Oh yea, and don't EXPECT to get into anywhere just ride the wave and stay competitive with your circle. I really didn't expect to go to a specific school and it was great not really worrying and enjoying my senior year unlike some of my pals ******* their pants

 

[AZwildcats]

My sister goes to UPenn, her grades in HS were significantly better then mine

 

[heatpinoyboy]

DOUBLE

 

[nicelikechrist]

Girl in my school got into Columbia. She wasnt very smart though. There were more intelligent people.

Few others got into Cornell. Really it just looked like you needed a good GPA and even a decent SAT score could at least get you to Cornell.

Girl that made Columbia had maybe 93 GPA and a 1700 SAT.

 

[dipsetgeneral]

Damn, i'm losin'

 

[nazdrowie]

i remember my graduating class' valedictorian got rejected from Yale but the salutatorian got into Carnegie Mellon on a full scholarship.

as stated already, there are some backdoor ways into Ivy league schools without dealing with straight up admissions. legacies, large donations, and transfers are the ones i know of.  

 

[dt43]

Coming from someone who goes to an Ivy League, don't buy the hype. There isn't some strange 'mystique' about it.. smart people gonna smart, wherever they are. The people who do well in Ivy League schools are the type of people who would do well anywhere.

If you consider yourself intelligent enough for the Ivy League and you don't get in, don't worry about it because you are still in a position to be successful regardless.

The one thing I will say is that the Ivy League prestige opens a lot of doors. But many of those opportunities are available at other good institutions as well, for those who work hard.

 

[00david00]

Gotta have the good grades, doesn't need to be a 4.0 with a 2300 SAT but high enough so that you are clearly an excellent scholar.

Activities, but not far and wide. Less activities with more commitment and showcasing leadership.

Also, the biggest part, your activities have to really make you stand out. Doing the same cookie cutter things, to get the same experiences of most of the other applicants is going to get you nowhere, even with perfect grades.

Need to bring all your intellect, work ethic, passion, and unique traits together in your app, the reader needs a good reason to separate your stuff from the pile after reading essays all day.

And finally, a little luck. Because there are so many more than qualified applicants, and only a limited number of seats in each class.

 

[OG44NJ]

If you're white or Asian, it's very hard.

 

[dajoka004]

Coming from someone who goes to an Ivy League, don't buy the hype. There isn't some strange 'mystique' about it.. smart people gonna smart, wherever they are. The people who do well in Ivy League schools are the type of people who would do well anywhere.
If you consider yourself intelligent enough for the Ivy League and you don't get in, don't worry about it because you are still in a position to be successful regardless.
The one thing I will say is that the Ivy League prestige opens a lot of doors. But many of those opportunities are available at other good institutions as well, for those who work hard.

Ivies are largely unimportant unless you are trying to get a job directly out of undergrad. Graduate schools care less than you think about where you received your undergraduate education. Your graduate eduction is infinitely more important.

Truthfully, you should go to a school you like, that can give you a good education, and won't put you up to your eyes in debt. It doesn't have to be an Ivy.

 

[nycknicks105]

Girl in my school got into Columbia. She wasnt very smart though. There were more intelligent people.

Few others got into Cornell. Really it just looked like you needed a good GPA and even a decent SAT score could at least get you to Cornell.

Girl that made Columbia had maybe 93 GPA and a 1700 SAT.

What was her ethnicity?

Her essay had to have been AMAZING as well. Extra curricula's matter as well.

I know a few people who got into Columbia and they had about a 94 GPA and got a 1350 (out of 1600) on their SAT's.

My ex-gf went to Barnard (sister college of Columbia) and she told me that it was her essay that got her in.

 

[goldenchild9]

Ivy leagues fiended for graduates from my HS.

People got into Harvard, Cornell and Columbia with less than 4.0 GPAs and lower SAT scores than I had.

If you go to a prestigious HS in a big city, you have a better chance.

In less competitive venues, like Orlando, you have to be the cream of the crop in your locality.

 

[ccastro02]

Don't listen to anyone here. Your marks are greet. Sat score is decent for ivy league standards. A lot of that stuff can be over looked if you provide them with great references, a great essay, and a research report to go along with your application.

 

[wawawowee]

If you're white or Asian, it's very hard.

Exactly. 

It's funny how no one has mentioned this here except the poster above.

If you're White or (especially)  Asian with those scores, you do't have a very good shot. You just have too much competition with better resumes. 

 

[dt43]

Coming from someone who goes to an Ivy League, don't buy the hype. There isn't some strange 'mystique' about it.. smart people gonna smart, wherever they are. The people who do well in Ivy League schools are the type of people who would do well anywhere.
If you consider yourself intelligent enough for the Ivy League and you don't get in, don't worry about it because you are still in a position to be successful regardless.
The one thing I will say is that the Ivy League prestige opens a lot of doors. But many of those opportunities are available at other good institutions as well, for those who work hard.

Ivies are largely unimportant unless you are trying to get a job directly out of undergrad. Graduate schools care less than you think about where you received your undergraduate education. Your graduate eduction is infinitely more important.

Truthfully, you should go to a school you like, that can give you a good education, and won't put you up to your eyes in debt. It doesn't have to be an Ivy.

Agreed. In general, kids should focus on building the experience and environment that they want instead of trying to fit a predetermined path.

 

[soleasian]

If you go to a prestigious HS in a big city, you have a better chance.

Then again, it also depends on how well you do in the school. It's better being the valedictorian at an ok school than be in the middle 50% of a magnet school.