How to Fulfill you Ivy Dream?
What is Ivy League?
Ivy League is a group of 8 universities which are considered most reputed in USA as well as in the world. Elite, prestigious, selective… are some of the adjectives associated with these eight of the top universities in the US. These universities are consistently ranked in top 10 universities in USA.
Each year many students around the world dream about joining an Ivy League, but due to high academic requirement and high rejection rate, only few lucky one’s can make into it.
Their excellence in athletics, rich legacy, high intellectual excellence are some of the reasons that every student wants to be a part of it. Following are the list of 8 Ivy League Universities.
What does it take to get into the Ivy League schools?
Taking into account the rich histories and legacies of these colleges, coupled with their repute for cutting-edge excellence in research and academics, it’s not difficult to see why so many higher studies aspirants would want to apply to these schools. A high number of applications, typically from outstanding students, means that the acceptance rates of these schools are usually quite low. Though the acceptance rates are invariably anywhere between 5-10%, it can be still lower for highly sought-after programs such as computer science. So, what can you, as an Ivy League aspirant, do to maximize your chances at an offer letter from Columbia or Penn? In other words, what are the admission requirements of these schools? Let’s take a look, shall we?
1. GPA:
Ivy’s aren’t looking for a perfect GPA only! Yes, you heard me right! Or let me put it into other way, I perfect GPA cannot guarantee you and admission. Yes, your GPA is paramount to your admission and you should keep it as high as possible. Generally, you are required to be in the top 10-15% of your class.
2. GRE and TOEFL scores:
Although Ivy League schools don’t necessarily have a GRE score cutoff, having a high score in these GRE can seriously help in improving your chances at an offer letter since it speaks of your technical and linguistic acumen. In addition, you are applying for Engineering or science courses, make sure you score very high in quant section. On the other hand if you are applying for some of other courses where the maths is not that important, make sure you score very good score in verbal section. TOEFL is more like a requirement. You have to score more than the minimum requirement asked by the university.
3. Extracurricular activities:
Remember, Ivy schools are looking for all-rounders. Sports, music, fine art or dance, a strong extracurricular profile sets you apart as a force to be reckoned with. It especially helps if your extracurricular activity exhibits a synergy of your academic and non-academic passions: for instance, if you’re applying for an MS in CS, it helps if you were, say, the captain of the programming team in college. Additionally you can read this article that I wrote on Extracurricular activities that will help you understand it more.
4. Community service:
Remember, Ivy schools are not aiming to produce mere graduate student, they aim to produce leader. What good is a leader if he doesn’t give back to his community? Ivy League colleges are known for their thrust on community service and volunteering work, so any experiences working with the local pet shelter, volunteer work with Red Cross society or teaching at the underprivileged girls’ school on weekends are likely to help bolster the quality of your application.
5. Perfect essays (or SoP) :
Statement of purpose if one of the most important document in admission especially in case of Ivy Leagues. Admission committee pay a lot of attention to SoP. Make sure your it articulates your interests and future plans very well. Often students make mistakes in writing SoP and they fail to secure admission in spite of having perfect GPA. If you are not confident about your SoP, it is advised that you take help form expert. Edflight offers services to aspiring students in securing admission which you can avail by clicking here. In addition you can read the article “how to impress your admission committee with your SoP” to know more about writing SoP.
6. Prior research experience:
Most fresh undergraduates have little to no research experience by the time they get out of college, so any and all such experience you may have had—be it a research internship or working as a research assistant with a faculty member—will set you apart from your similarly qualified peers.
7. Co-curricular activities:
Sure, a high GPA is great, but that’s not the only thing it takes. Paper publications, participation in academic conferences and workshops, and internships will add invaluable weight to your application and portray you as a serious, committed candidate: something that is crucial to your Ivy League dreams.
8. Letter of Recommendation:
A common mistake students often make is they do not talk to their recommenders what to write in the LoRs. So as a results, even a very strong candidate ends up in getting a poorly written LoR which in turn makes their chances of admission bleak.
9. Don’t Be All Rounder
In the end there is very important advice for all you. Don’t try to be all-rounder, don’t be a jack of all the trades, instead choose an interest and excel in that area. You very well know that why do we all say “Jack of all the trades and master of none” after all.
Remember, Ivys are looking for students who can make an impact on society. So being master of none, doesn’t qualify you for that. As simple as that.
10. Start Early
When you are competing with the best of best, make sure you prepare yourself very well. Students often start planning for Ivy’s 2-3 years in advance. With that in mind, and 2-3 years in hand you can make your resume strong and credentials impressive enough to convince admission committee. So when you apply for Ivy school, your credentials and activities, services will speak strong of you and put you ahead of other candidates.
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