What can I do to get into Ivy League?

Question

I'm freshman I take all honors, advanced algebra will take geometry hopefully over the summer to get into Algebra 2. I take latin 2. My mom said I should do tennis. I want to do lots of clubs, I really want to run for sca but Im not sure.....please help me or give me any sort of advice of what I should do for my high school years to get into an ivy

Answer 1

Yes. Very good start! Try to take AP classes/extra classes whenever you can. Strive for the best when it comes to your school work. Take the PSAT (as a sophomore), and the SAT/ACT (junior). As for as academics go, try to get a close to perfect score on your tests. As for your GPA, same requirements.



On another scale, remember you MUST excel socially too. Play a sports team in high school, join the paper, join a few clubs, run for class president, etc. Things of that nature. Tennis is good.

In addition to that; volunteer work all four years is IMPORTANT, and it's KEY. Start as soon as possible. Volunteer at hospitals, nursing homes, homeless shelters, parks, etc. Look in the paper for volunteer opportunities. Also, if you have held a job for most of your high school years, that also looks extremely well. And not to be out of line, but if you have had ANY type of hardship in your life, USE IT to your advantage! Ivy Leagues love to hear about students who overcome hardships and obstacles, only to live up to their true potential!

Demonstrate that hardship through your essay; it's important to! It must stand out, and you must explain why you want to attend that ivy league school. It's pretty much your chance to shine and talk about yourself.

Overall... it takes a lot. But it's doable. They're looking for someone who is "well-rounded." Do these things, and try your best to stand out; lot of incoming freshman apply to ivy league schools with all of the same grades, test scores, etc. There must be something there that is to make you unique among those students : )



Best of luck hun : )

Answer 2

Top 20 school: excellent Ivy: a chance. Your grades are good, the AP scores shows weighting to math/science, which also is good. If I wanted to be critical of your application it would be in the area of extracurriculars. You aimed to be well rounded - the Ivy League & Stanford/Duke/MIT/CIT do not necessarly look for well rounded: they look for stars. What do Debbie Thomas (olympic skater), Tiger Woods and John McEnroe have in common? They all went to Stanford. I'm going out on a limb here, but I'll bet none of them had M800. M800's can be, and are, routinely rejected by highly selective schools. Give it a go and good luck. But apply to some quality, large State schools as well: e.g., Wisconsin/Michigan/Berkley/and the flagship state school where you live. Again, good luck.

Answer 3

You're still young, so you have plenty of time. I think that what you should do now is join a lot of clubs you think you're going to like. Join the ones that really interest you. This will help you find the club you truly enjoy. What Ivy Leagues are looking for is depth not breadth. The reason I'm telling to join clubs is just to get to know your interests and passions. However, once you're a sophomore, or maybe in the middle of freshman year, drop out all the clubs you don't like. Trust me, being in a million clubs does not look half as good to colleges as to having a leadership role or being deeply involved in a few clubs you like. They want to know who you are as a person. Don't make the mistake of being in many clubs. A person in 1 or 2 clubs that has a leadership position, takes time into that club, and is involved constantly WILL get chosen over someone who was a member of 10 clubs.

Running for sca will look good. However, and this is a big however, MOST ivy league applicants are national honor society presidents, student coucil presidents, class officer, blah blah blah. You need to stand out. Think of ways to stand out! Start your own club (specially in something you enjoy doing) or charity, and win awards/honors. Get involed in academic competitions. Doing something unique and useful will definitely give you a shot!

You're taking challenging courses. GOOD. they also like to see that you're challenging yourself. Always do honors, and if you can, try an AP class sophomore year. And then Junior year, because it's the most important year, take as many AP courses as possible.

Tennis is great if you like the sport, and if you're good at it. You don't have to be fantastic, but getting involed will benefit you.

YES SAT and ACT tests are very important. The sooner you begin studying the better. Find an SAT prep book; it will definitely help. Study SAT vocab too. You will need AT LEAST a 2100 on the SAT reasoning test. You're only freshman though, so don't worry too much yet. If you start studying your sophomore year, you'll be fine.

By the way, about the volunteer work... do not do the usual volunteer at an animal shelter and things like that. SO many do things like that. It doesnt make you stand out enough. One of my friends who got into Harvard volunteered at elementary school English As a Sencond Language classes. She stuck to volunteering only in that area. They want to see that you're passionate about something.

Keep your grades up, get involved, take challenging classes, and work hard. Once you're a junior/senior, find a book on how to get into ivy leagues because there is still more you have to do. Letters of recommendation, the admissions essay, and the application itself can make a HUGE difference.



Good luck!

Answer 4

Just do well on your SATs, academics, join clubs, sports help too... pretty much try to be a well-rounded student. Try taking all the hardest classes you can (i.e. AP, IB, etc?), and run for whatever sca is, why not? It'll be nice to put on a resume and you might enjoy it :)



SATs aren't really all that important. I got 2310 on my SATs, and even then, not all the Ivy's I applied for I got accepted to. It's about the WHOLE package. Your GPA, class rank, leadership, activities, all play a big role in admission decision making!

Answer 5

I give you credit for thinking about this in your freshman year. I highly recommend the book A Is For Admission. Quite enlightening and helpful re: what highly selective schools are looking for in applicants. That said, remember to enjoy yourself as well. Don't make it all about college... enjoy your classes, learning, your friends and your activities.

Answer 6

It doesn't really matter if you take honors or not. THe main things is your SAT score. Your GPA is also considered but SAT is what distinguishes people that go to Ivy League Schools.