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Osereme
Student
Yonkers, New York
1
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What are the qualifications that I need in my junior year of high school to be qualified for good Ivy League schools.
#high-school Im 15 and I am going to my junior year of high-school.
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4 answers
Cora C
Product Management
4
Answers
San Francisco, California
Updated
Cora’s Answer
Hi Osereme,
To be qualified for an Ivy League school, you will need excellent grades, high ACT or SAT scores, and show that you're taking classes that are some of the most advanced coursework that your school offers. It helps to have a few extracurricular activities (clubs, sports, hobbies like dance/singing/playing an instrument) as well that you are very passionate about and ideally work up to having a leadership position in at least one of those groups (e.g. president of a club). You will also need a few letters of recommendation from teachers who think highly of you, and there will also be an interview with either an admissions officer or an alum who has graduated from that university. One of the most important aspects of your application is your main essay (usually as part of the Common App) as well as the supplementary essays that the specific university requires - these essays give you a chance to showcase who you are, how you think, and what you value.
Also, remember that even though Ivy League universities are excellent, so are many other universities. You can get a stellar education at many colleges and universities around the country. From my interaction with friends and colleagues who have graduated from college, their intelligence, drive, and success in their careers doesn't necessarily correlate too much with the caliber or brand reputation of university they went to. Many of the smartest and most successful people I have met went to state schools or less well-known colleges and excelled because they studied what they were passionate about, really applied themselves, worked hard at their studies, and found a career that was a great fit for them.
I'd advise you to keep an open mind when looking for colleges to apply to, and apply to several schools if you can. Since Ivy League applications are so competitive (only 5-10% of applicants are accepted), many people who end up going to an Ivy League school also applied to a few schools that were not Ivies so they had back-up options or "safety schools".
Good luck on your college search and admissions process!
To be qualified for an Ivy League school, you will need excellent grades, high ACT or SAT scores, and show that you're taking classes that are some of the most advanced coursework that your school offers. It helps to have a few extracurricular activities (clubs, sports, hobbies like dance/singing/playing an instrument) as well that you are very passionate about and ideally work up to having a leadership position in at least one of those groups (e.g. president of a club). You will also need a few letters of recommendation from teachers who think highly of you, and there will also be an interview with either an admissions officer or an alum who has graduated from that university. One of the most important aspects of your application is your main essay (usually as part of the Common App) as well as the supplementary essays that the specific university requires - these essays give you a chance to showcase who you are, how you think, and what you value.
Also, remember that even though Ivy League universities are excellent, so are many other universities. You can get a stellar education at many colleges and universities around the country. From my interaction with friends and colleagues who have graduated from college, their intelligence, drive, and success in their careers doesn't necessarily correlate too much with the caliber or brand reputation of university they went to. Many of the smartest and most successful people I have met went to state schools or less well-known colleges and excelled because they studied what they were passionate about, really applied themselves, worked hard at their studies, and found a career that was a great fit for them.
I'd advise you to keep an open mind when looking for colleges to apply to, and apply to several schools if you can. Since Ivy League applications are so competitive (only 5-10% of applicants are accepted), many people who end up going to an Ivy League school also applied to a few schools that were not Ivies so they had back-up options or "safety schools".
Good luck on your college search and admissions process!
Jennie Henry
Product Manager
2
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Jennie’s Answer
Hi Osereme,
To build off Brayden's response, I would also add that I think that college admissions (ivy league and beyond) also want to see students who are passionate. It's great to have a diverse set of courses and extracurriculars, but don't be afraid to double down on anything you're really interested in. If you love art, pick up a few extra art classes. If you're interested in sports, find additional ways you can volunteer or become involved in your athletic department or community sports leagues. The more you're able to define your identity and passions through your activities, the easier it'll be for a college to get to know you, even before you've had an in-person interview.
Best of luck!
To build off Brayden's response, I would also add that I think that college admissions (ivy league and beyond) also want to see students who are passionate. It's great to have a diverse set of courses and extracurriculars, but don't be afraid to double down on anything you're really interested in. If you love art, pick up a few extra art classes. If you're interested in sports, find additional ways you can volunteer or become involved in your athletic department or community sports leagues. The more you're able to define your identity and passions through your activities, the easier it'll be for a college to get to know you, even before you've had an in-person interview.
Best of luck!
Brayden Reiland
119
Answers
Corvallis, Oregon
Updated
Brayden’s Answer
Hello!
I work say that being able to show that you are hard working, care, have a willingness to learn and can listen are some great qualities to have for any situation. Obviously for college admission things like good grades and having good ACT/SAT scores will help but for ivy league school admissions you will most likely have some type of interview that will allow the powers at be to see what kind of person you are. When you talk about ivy league school they want students who want to make change in the world and the students who when they are gone will go onto making positive changes to whatever industry they go into.
Hopefully this helps !
I work say that being able to show that you are hard working, care, have a willingness to learn and can listen are some great qualities to have for any situation. Obviously for college admission things like good grades and having good ACT/SAT scores will help but for ivy league school admissions you will most likely have some type of interview that will allow the powers at be to see what kind of person you are. When you talk about ivy league school they want students who want to make change in the world and the students who when they are gone will go onto making positive changes to whatever industry they go into.
Hopefully this helps !
Emmett Chen-Ran
Product Management
7
Answers
San Francisco, California
Updated
Emmett’s Answer
I think Cora already outlined the basics of what you'll need for the application: stellar SAT/ACT scores (although I heard a lot of schools are relaxing that requirement), grades, letters of rec, etc. But beyond that, I'll echo what many others have said on this matter--it's much more important that you have a compelling narrative that can be showcased through your essays and a passion for something that affects the world beyond yourself. When I was at Yale, every single person I met was a character in some way or another--they were an ostentatious public debater, or an inflammatory news editor, or a skilled instrumentalist, or a critical academic, etc. To be accepted, you need to stand out in some way that goes beyond just having good grades and standardized tests, because Ivy Leagues turn away tens of thousands of applicants who just have those credentials. You need to be well-rounded, but also have an edge--namely, the thing that you're passionate about. And you need to be able to communicate that in a clear and compelling way during your interview and application.