APPLIED SCIENCES
HOW TO GET INTO AN IVY LEAGUE SCHOOL
By JOIE JAGER-HYMAN
March 16, 2008 -- Waiting for a response to your college application can sometimes be more painful than getting rejected, especially for the current crop of high school seniors, who have been repeatedly warned that this will be the most selective round in college admissions history. With just a few weeks to go before the Ivy decisions come out, it's no wonder that many students are expecting the worst. Approximately 27,300 students applied to Harvard in January, a significant jump from last year's record of 22,955. Applications to Dartmouth are up 10 percent once again, and about 20,000 students are competing for around 1,230 seats in the Princeton class of 2012.
These astonishing statistics have ambitious students and anxious parents across the country looking for anything to help them in their quest for a coveted fat envelope from a top college. Inevitably, when it comes to Ivy League admissions, bad information about what works and what doesn't is being swallowed like snake oil and applied like bogus wrinkle cream. As a former Ivy League admissions officer, I'm taken aback by the abundance of conspiracy theories and urban legends permeating high school hallways and PTA meetings across the country. No, Brown doesn't hate your high school. Colleges don't hold grudges like that because they always want the best students and, if for nothing else, there's a high turnover in admissions offices. And, no, your
Getting into an Ivy isn't like Buddhism or Alcoholics Anonymous - there's no set plan of steps you can take to enlightenment. With so many amazing students knocking at the doors to these colleges, it's hard to get in. Period. However, knowing what doesn't work might save you time, money, and sleep. I'd like to present you with several important don'ts-things you should never do if you want to get into an Ivy League college.
Don't take easy classes because you think that the grades you get are the most important thing on your transcript. A straight-A student in non-honors classes is like a talented minor leaguer with oodles of potential that never materializes. Ivies want to see that you can perform under pressure. Admissions officers will scan your transcript looking for a long list of AP and honors courses. They also read your high school profile, which explains your school's curriculum, and ask your guidance counselor whether or not you are taking the most challenging courses available. If the answer is no, great grades won't save you, so take as many difficult courses as you think you can handle without letting your grades suffer.
Don't listen to the rhetoric about how SAT scores don't matter. While it's true that SAT (or ACT) scores have absolutely nothing to do with success later on in life, they do count in college admissions. Admissions officers may tell you that they don't matter, but it's hard to justify taking a terrific student with low scores over a terrific student with high scores. With so many outstanding applicants, the SAT makes a convenient tie breaker.
Don't pass up your chance to apply Early Decision, if possible. Sally Rubenstone, Senior Counselor at collegeconfidential.com reminds her students that "even though Ivy admission odds are daunting for all applicants, applying Early Decision does provide a statistical boost." Several Ivy League colleges offer students this option whereby they may submit one application to their first choice school by early November (as opposed to the January 1st deadline for Regular Decision) and agree to enroll if admitted. Studies have confirmed that colleges prefer to admit students who will definitely matriculate.
Don't fool yourself into thinking that a killer essay will make up for lackluster academics. No one - I mean no one - gets into an Ivy League school because of their college essay. Kids that don't have the academic credentials to back up their awe-inspiring prose will get comments like "strong essay but weak scores" or "seems like a great guy but the goods are not there" written on their files next to the infamous R for rejection.
And, speaking of essays, don't rely on gimmicks. You know that story about the kid who got into Harvard because he had the guts to send in a blank piece of paper instead of answering a "what's the biggest risk you've ever taken?" essay question? Never happened. It's okay to have a sense of humor or take a unique approach to your college essay, but now is not the time to play games. Follow directions and be sincere in your writing. If you don't take yourself seriously how can you expect colleges to take you seriously?
Don't blow off your teachers and/or guidance counselor. Most Ivies ask for two teacher and one counselor recommendation, and contrary to popular opinion, not all recommendations look the same. Aside from asking for a letter, colleges provide teachers and counselors with a lengthy checklist of credentials and require every evaluator to rank the student they he or she is recommending according to categories like "academic promise" and "leadership abilities." So be nice to these people. What they say about you matters at least as much as what you say about yourself.
Don't stress about college so much. The truth is that whether or not you get into an Ivy League college is really not up to you. Plenty of great kids don't make it and go on to accomplish amazing things. Life is short. Save yourself an ulcer. Besides, there's always graduate school.
Joie Jager-Hyman is a former admissions officer at
NEW YORK POST is a registered trademark of NYP Holdings, Inc. NYPOST.COM, NYPOSTONLINE.COM, and NEWYORKPOST.COM are trademarks of NYP Holdings, Inc.
Copyright 2008 NYP Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved
No comments:
Post a Comment