Hello! Like many of you on here, I was unsure of how to get into an Ivy League College, but I still dreamt of attending one. Well, I dreamed of UPenn and Dartmouth, if you want to be specific! Yes, I am very aware of how highly competitive the admission process is for Ivy League Colleges like UPenn and Dartmouth, but that won’t stop me! Nor should it stop you! So, in the spirit of friendly competition, I want to share what I found out about the best way how to get into an Ivy League College throughout this post, which can be broken down as follows:

·       What are they exactly?

·       What do you need?

·       What can you do to increase your chances?

·       What are some important factors to consider?

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Unfamiliar with what exactly Ivy League colleges are? Well, let me enlighten you! Ivy League colleges, or the Ivies, consist of an elite group of eight private universities in the U.S. This elite group consists of Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, UPenn, Princeton, and Yale. Often viewed as the pinnacle of academic achievement, admission into these prestigious eight schools is naturally highly competitive. If you want a shot at securing a seat, then you need to have stellar academics, participate in fantastic extracurricular activities, pen captivating essays, and submit glowing letters of recommendation. Sounds simple, right?

The first step in securing an Ivies seat is understanding the common elements of their admission process – their application systems and admission pathways. Most Ivy League colleges use the Common or Coalition App for your primary application, which should include your personal information, academic history, activities, and honors. But surprise! After the submission of your primary application, you will have to complete separate supplemental essays specific to each college. You can also expect to decide between early decision or regular admissions, which represent two distinct pathways. Early decision (ED) is a binding agreement (if accepted, you must attend), whereas regular admission is non-binding (if accepted, you’re not required to attend). Using myself as an example, I would have to choose to commit to either UPenn or Dartmouth and submit to my chosen school by early fall. This ED deadline in the fall is earlier than regular admission, which is December or January. The benefit of the ED route is that decisions are released earlier, usually by mid-December. Only five of the prestigious eight offer ED, which are Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, and UPenn. The other colleagues have Single Choice Early Action, which isn’t as binding as ED but still restricts you from applying to other colleges. Basically, choose your path wisely!

If you aren’t deterred by the challenge that lies ahead, then your second step is to conduct some self-assessment to optimize your chances of acceptance. This means looking over your high school transcript, current GPA, SAT or ACT scores, letters of recommendation, essays, and extracurriculars. Seriously, consider all aspects of your candidacy! As I previously mentioned, Ivy League colleges value curiosity, dedication, and academic rigor, so they expect a consistently strong GPA from you throughout your education, and yes, that includes as far back as high school. Don’t complicate things for yourself further by waiting for the last minute to request your high school and university transcripts. Instead, plan for a several-week buffer and investigate the specifics for each school by reaching out to the school's guidance or college counseling office.

Speaking of grades, indeed, the Ivy League schools don’t have a fixed GPA cutoff. But don’t let this cloud your perception regarding their approach toward academics, as the average GPA for all Ivy League colleges is approximately 4.07. Many applicants take IB or AP courses, which are scored on a scale of 1 to 5 and a scale of 1 to 7, respectively. To compound this, these applicants also demonstrate outstanding performance in other areas, such as leadership, resilience, and creativity. As Ivy League schools' admission process is holistic, performance in these areas might offset a lower GPA, the truth is that most competing students have very strong stats. That said, one tip is to apply to Ivies where you meet or exceed the GPA requirement based on last year’s matriculants. Regardless of what your GPA is, submitting strong SAT or ACT scores is always advantageous, especially if it’s lower than the college’s average. Some Ivy League Colleges, such as Columbia, Princeton, and Yale, have moved to a test-optional policy, meaning that they don’t have strict SAT or ACT requirements. Yet, Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, and Penn still require SAT or ACT scores. A competitive SAT score would be a score above 1450, whereas a competitive ACT score would be 33. To corroborate your transcripts and standardized test scores, it is essential to get strong recommendation letters from teachers, school counselors, and mentors to provide further insight into your academic and personal qualities. One way to get your recommenders to write a detailed recommendation letter is to approach them in advance and equip them with vital information, such as a copy of your current CV.

A strong recommendation letter is only one component of winning over the admissions committee; the other is writing primary and supplemental essays that weave a narrative that authentically speaks to your experiences and aspirations. Really resonating with the admission committee will require that you go beyond your grades; don’t be afraid to show off your personality! However, there are a few differences between writing primary and secondary essays that you should note. Primary essays are to show your personality, and because they are sent to all schools, be careful not to mention any specific schools unless you are doing ED. Supplemental essays, on the other hand, allow you to elaborate on your experiences and aspirations and how they will enrich the college’s community. For this reason, supplemental essays are more school-specific, so you should research each school’s mission statement and values to reflect them in your provided examples. Keep in mind that requirements for supplemental essays will change from year to year. As an example of this, Dartmouth requires one longer supplemental essay with a few shorter ones, such as “why Dartmouth?” Another aspect of writing compelling essays is grounding them in examples from the extracurricular activities you’re passionate about. Stand-out students often show an evident commitment to a specific area, whether it be athletics, music, scientific research, community service, or entrepreneurship, and are willing to push boundaries.

After your self-assessment is complete, the last step is to ensure that you’re not turning a blind eye to other important factors regarding the admission process of Ivy League colleges. Just because the Ivies claim to practice a holistic admissions process doesn’t mean you should disregard any parts of the admission requirements. While I want to increase my chances, it is only fair that I remind you that the competition is going to be fierce, so each part of your application needs to be top-notch, as I outlined in length above. But still, you may need to apply to a range of colleges, including safety or match schools, and start the process early.  Another sobering factor is that Ivy League colleges have need-blind admissions, meaning that your ability to pay doesn’t impact admission decisions. Sadly, this only extends to domestic students.

At the end of the day, it’s about staying true to yourself while striving for excellence. Simply put, it is your ambition, resilience, and self-knowledge that will determine your success, not how prestigious a prospective college may be. Even though I dream of attending an Ivy League college, I want to find a higher educational environment that supports my personal and academic growth and optimizes my chances of finding such a place. Overall, I hope that my breakdown of how to get into an Ivy League College has ignited your competitive spirit! To get the ball rolling on some friendly competition, please send me your questions, and may the best candidate get the seat!

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