The Ivy League consists of eight elite colleges and universities with famously low acceptance rates. To get accepted into one of these schools is a tremendous honor, but to get accepted into every Ivy League school is something only a few people can say they’ve done. If you’re looking to get accepted to an Ivy League school, our team at Educational Attainment Services can provide you with the tools you need to do so.
Good grades
One of the first things a school is going to see is your grades. While they’re not going to be the only thing an Ivy League school will use when examining your application, they can certainly eliminate you from consideration early. Each school has a slight deviation in the average GPA of students who get admitted, but the overall average GPA of incoming students is 4.04. You’ll need to do well in honors and AP classes to raise your GPA above 4.0.
Standardized test scores
Your ACT/SAT test scores are also going to carry a significant amount of weight when admissions officers are considering your application. Again, each school is going to have a different score they deem acceptable for incoming students, but anything below 1400 on the SAT or 30 on the ACT isn’t likely to be pushed forward in the acceptance process.
Overall performance
While your academic performance is heavily weighted in the application process, extracurricular activities are going to present another piece to the puzzle for your application. The performance of your extracurriculars is considered in three parts:
- the integration of your activities with academics
- continuity of your activities through school and beyond
- the significance of your role in your activities
The integration of extracurriculars into your academics considered how they affected your grades. For instance, did your grades drop during basketball season? The ability to maintain strong grades through a sports season or while playing to lead in a theater production can go a long way to displaying academic ability.
Your continuity with extracurricular activities can also contribute. Spending two seasons on the swim team doesn’t hold the same weight of a four-year athlete.
Finally, the significance of your role in your activities will be on display. Someone who was the student body president will get more recognition than a student who was part of a small club that met once a school year.
Outstanding personal essay
Writing an outstanding essay is an important part of making yourself stand out from other candidates. Your essay should be a way to provide admissions officers with additional information about why you would fit in at their school. Provide them with things about you that you haven’t already shared somewhere else on your application. Stories about overcoming adversity, your ambitions and how the school can help you achieve them, and other aspects of your personality are always great to include. Remember to be genuine and personable in your essay.
Apply early
Submitting an early application is a great way to draw extra attention to your application. Additionally, the early action and decision acceptance rate for each Ivy League school is two to three times the normal acceptance rate. For example, Powerful Prep states Brown increases its rate from 5.2% to 18.2%, Cornell goes up from 8.8% to 22.6%, and Yale from 4.5% to 13.2%. Early applications are a great way to increase your chances of acceptance.
Get in touch for more
You can learn more about how to get accepted into an Ivy League school by reaching out to Educational Attainment Services. Give us a call at 800-706-4134 or send a message through our contact form to schedule an appointment with our staff.
