How to Get Into an Ivy League School

As a young student in New England, I always wondered how to get into an Ivy League School As I got older and progressed into high school, I found some of our academic elite were also wondering the same thing. We all had good grades, participated in a number of extracurricular activities in and outside of school, and all had dreams of pursuing the best colleges possible. The students who made it into these schools jumped for joy when they received their acceptance letters, while others were totally crushed when they were denied or “wait listed”. If you’ve been wondering how to get into an ivy league school, here are some things to keep in mind.

Firstly, it’s important to know which schools are ivy league schools. After all, you can’t understand how to get into an ivy league school if you don’t know which schools they are. They include:

• Brown University
• Columbia University
• Cornell University
• Dartmouth College
• Harvard University
• Princeton University
• University of Pennsylvania
• Yale University

These schools are all private higher-education institutions, characterized by their academic excellence and selectivity in admissions.

There are many things to consider when looking into how to get into an ivy league school. One of the best pieces of advice that can be offered is starting your planning early. In most cases, students who are looking to get into an ivy league school later in their high school years without planning may not have as good of a chance as those who have started their planning earlier in their high school career.

Ivy league schools have very competitive admissions process, so the first thing you should do is decide if an ivy league school is truly right for you or your child. Ivy league schools can be expensive, and while financial aid can be generous (as many of these schools do have some very deep pockets), ivy league schools expect nothing less than 100% commitment to education from their students.

Once you decide that an ivy league school is right for you, optimizing your academic performance will be crucial. Do not be afraid to push yourself and do your best to excel in all of your courses. This includes basic academic classes as well as SATs and other academic tests. To best prepare for the SATs, consider purchasing an SAT prep book or taking an SAT prep course. Having the best grades possible will help in strengthening the college application when it is submitted to the admissions department for review.

Keeping you or your child active outside of school or after school hours will also be beneficial. If you are a parent, encourage your child to participate in outside activities at an early age. Community service, various organizations like Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts, and music or sports lessons can help nurture your child to become a more well rounded student in the end. Having a full academic and social resume can help give a student a better chance of having the knowledge of how to get into an ivy league school.