What are your chances at an Ivy League University? Below is a list of the common characteristics of students admitted to Ivy League schools. How many of these qualities do you have?
Famous parents or your own celebrity Ivy League colleges benefit from the reflected glory and connections that celebrity and power confer.
Superb athletic skills in one of the school's sportsLast year, 7% of Cornell's admits were recruited athletes, according to the Cornell Review. According to another report in The Daily Beast, "male athletes are four times more likely to be admitted to any Ivy League school than a non-athletic male. For female athletes, the advantages are even greater.
An uncommon academic interest or skill Show true interest, accomplishment and aptitude in a subject area that is usually less popular with your gender, e.g. engineering for girls or women's studies for guys. By the same reasoning, it is to your advantage to be from an unusual or obscure spot on the globe and to be of unusual ethnicity for that college. Admissions officers like applicants who are different and who add to obvious marks of diversity.
The first in your family to attend college Colleges are impressed by students who have done well in school without as much help or guidance from your family or background.
Excellent grades and/or test scores Take the hardest courses offered at your high school, preferably lots of APs, and do well. While high test scores and grades alone won't be enough to get you into the most popular Ivies, they are generally the starting point for most applicants.
Karen B. is an Aristotle Circle tutor and Brown University grad with over 20 years' experience as an academic and test prep tutor, teaching students in-person in New York.