9 06, 2016

How to Improve Your Ivy League College Application

By |2022-10-04T06:36:49-04:00June 9th, 2016|Berkeley, Brown, College Admissions, Common App, Cornell, Dartmouth, Duke, Emory, Harvard, Ivy League, Ivy League Advice, Ivy League College, Michigan, MIT, NYU, Princeton, UCLA, UPenn, Yale|0 Comments

If you’re applying to an Ivy League college you already know that high grades, tons of AP classes, stellar SAT scores, unique extracurriculars, and fantastic teacher recs can all play a role in your application and acceptance to some of the most prestigious colleges in America. Following are the top ten tips on How to Improve Your Ivy League College Application!

The following are top ten tips though that you may not have thought of that when, combined with the standard qualifications above (i.e. stellar GPA, etc), can actually serve to help you get in!

  1. Social Media:  Schools check.  So, that said, you want to make sure that there is nothing crude or lewd on your facebook page and you’re not making extreme non-pc comments all over twitter.  It’s okay to show yourself having fun with your friends. And you certainly don’t have to show yourself as 100% scholarly and serious (it is a social outlet, after all). And you’re even allowed to have an opinion that maybe other people don’t necessarily agree with! But just keep in mind that the college admission officers are trying to get a sneak peak and quick overview of who you might be online. If you think your fb page shows you as an all around great person with dedicated intellectual and creative interests and great humanitarian projects under your belt (and on your page) then let them look.  It could help you.  More often than not though, it won’t.  Personally, I’d set my fb page to private right now to block anyone who isn’t a known friend. After all, why take the risk?
  2. Send your interviewer a thank you email: This is another tip that some might think of, and some won’t.  Sending a very BRIEF thank you, if you do in fact have your interviewer’s email address (some schools do not make this available) this is a sign of having good manners. It translates into a sign of strong upbringing and class.  The Ivy League especially is deciding whether you fit into their school culture. Not only if you have the grades to succeed.  Sending a thank you (just 2-3 sentences at most- don’t go longer) can leave a positive impression in your interviewer’s eyes. And that translates to a positive feeling when they sit down to report on their interview with you. It can help to get you in!
  3. Mention legacy:  Do you have a family member who went to the school?  If not that particular college, did they go to another college within the Ivy League.  If so, mention it.  Don’t feel like you’re bragging.  The Ivy League universities value “legacies” highly. So even though it’s usually a question on the application, mention it during your college interview, as well. The Ivy League in particular loves tradition and preserving and honoring family lines.  If your mom went to Columbia and your dad is a Harvard grad = mention it.  Believe me, it will help.
  4. Mention 1st Generation: As an alternative to the above, perhaps you’re the first one in your family to ever even go to college!  If this is you, don’t worry, MENTION IT – somewhere in your essays.  Again, this will only help you.
  5. Are you a twin? Yes, I know this one isn’t going to apply to most people, but it’s worth mentioning. The Ivy League in particular loves admitting twins who are equally ambitious and have the required credentials.  So, if you’re a twin – identically or fraternal – this should be everywhere in your college essays, and specifically at least mentioned in you Common App. The colleges like anything and everything that makes you unique. Having a twin or sibling that is going to be in the same incoming calls puts you in that “special and unique” category. Especially if you’re special and unique and can stand out in others areas, as well!

Those are just a few helpful tips that you might not find elsewhere regarding how to make your college applications. And especially your Ivy League college applications stand out even more.

Stay tuned in the coming days for even more, and check out my other Ivy League Essay articles here! https://ivycollegeessay.com/2015/05/31/how-to-prepare-your-kids-for-an-ivy-league-college-education/

[I’m a former Harvard admissions interviewer and a Harvard graduate, and currently run the Ivy League Essay college admissions firm: www.IVY COLLEGE ESSAY.com  Check out my website or send me an email: IvyLeagueEssayInfo@gmail.com, and request a free consultation today!]

 

7 05, 2016

What Each Ivy League College is Known For

By |2023-05-14T17:57:09-04:00May 7th, 2016|Brown, College Admissions, Columbia, Common App, Cornell, Dartmouth, Duke, Emory, Harvard, Ivy League, Ivy League College, UPenn, Yale|8 Comments

What Each Ivy League College Is Known For

Each Ivy League university has its own niche, it’s own “brand”:

In other words, each Ivy League university is known for certain things in terms of reputation. Understanding this in regard to college admissions, and Ivy League university admissions in general, is important.  This knowledge lets you target which school is the best fit for you, as well as which college is actually where you become the best fit for THEM.

This is only going to increase your chances of getting accepted.

The following list is a very brief compilation listing each Ivy League university, and what specific programs or majors they are best known for around the world!

Allow me to add as well, that all 8 of the Ivy League colleges mentioned here, as well as the ones I classify as “Ivy League competitive schools” like Stanford or MIT,  are all excellent universities. They truly do offer an extensive, wide-reaching, liberal arts education that will leave you extremely well-educated and intellectually respected for your college degree around the globe.

In other words, you can’t go wrong with any school in the Ivy League.

However, knowing what each Ivy university is known for, will give you an advantage.  Some of the schools are known for certain specialties more so than the others, and if you pay attention to that fact, you will have a better chance of receiving that acceptance letter and finding a better intellectual  and cultural fit.

And so, without further adieu…

WHAT EACH IVY LEAGUE COLLEGE IS KNOWN FOR:


1. Yale is known for turning out dramatists, poets, and CIA officers (government and international relations).


2. Harvard is Harvard (also strong in government, engineering, philosophy, languages)

3. Princeton is known for mathematics and physics (Einstein used to teach there).

4. Brown has its own creativity and artist types (including poets, writers and playwrights)

5. UPenn is known for its proximity to the Wharton school and hence, business and finance.

6. Cornell is known as one of the easier Ivy Leagues to get into and has a strong business/hospitality school link via its grad program.

7. Columbia is known for literature, religion, psychology, languages and its proximity to Wall Street.

8. Dartmouth is known for liberal arts majors, as well as those wanting to get into the Tuck school of business post-graduation.
Furthermore, as mentioned above, you also have what I call “Ivy-like” schools, or “Ivy Equivalent” by which I mean, the schools’ level of difficulty and competition in terms of getting in. Here, I include schools like:
  1. MIT (obviously known for science, math, computer science  and engineering),
  2. Stanford (look up it’s proximity to Silicon Valley and it’s niche for business),
  3. Duke and Johns Hopkins (both famous for their medical school and thereby pre-med programs).

So, there you have it! 

Just a sample list of the Ivy League universities that tell you which college you might want to target if you’re looking at the Ivy League for this coming admissions cycle.

Understanding what I’ve listed here, and then tailoring your applications appropriately when making your school selection list, can truly make all the difference. Especially when choosing which school to apply to for Early Decision.

Need more free admissions tips and advice?  Check out my award-winning Ivy League college admissions blog for more on how to get in to an Ivy League university — and, if you’re thinking about Early Decision (HINT: you should be!)  then you may also like my article: Early Decision: Choosing the Right Ivy League College

You can also join my Ivy League college admissions discussion on Reddit at: https://www.reddit.com/r/ivyleaguecollege/

I’m a former Harvard admissions interviewer and a Harvard graduate and currently run the Ivy League college admissions firm: www.IvyCollegeEssay.com. 

Contact me today for a free consultation, and get into the school of your dreams!

23 02, 2015

Thinking About Transferring to Another College? What You Need to Know…

By |2022-10-04T09:21:30-04:00February 23rd, 2015|Berkeley, Boston University, Brown, College Admissions, Columbia, Common App, Cornell, Dartmouth, Duke, Emory, Harvard, Ivy League, Michigan, MIT, NYU, Princeton, Standford, UCLA, UGA, UPenn, Yale|0 Comments

Deciding to transfer schools is a big decision when you’re in college.  Whether you’re in your first or second year, transferring will entail making new friends and living most likely in a new city. You will make sure that your current credits transfer to make it all worth your while.

That said, there’s a lot that can come out of transferring, especially if you truly don’t like your current school.  I fully believe that there is no reason to stay somewhere you don’t like once you have given it a good try.  Instead you should try to salvage what you can of your college career. Pick yourself up and find a better place, so you can still have great memories and great friends. And (most importantly to the admissions committee) a much better academic experience that better aligns with your goals.

And, that’s where I will start:  What You Really Need To Know For a Great College Transfer Application.

1. You need to make it about the academics

Colleges understand that perhaps you don’t have any friends, or just don’t feel “connected” at your current school.  Maybe you’re going to a community college and want to go to a 4-year program. Or maybe you just want OUT, anywhere that isn’t where you are, or perhaps anywhere not so close to home.

Whatever your reasons, what you tell the college admissions committee needs to focus on your ACADEMIC reasons for transferring, and not your social ones.  Successful applicants always have an academic reason for wanting to go elsewhere.  For example, perhaps you can’t major in Biophysics where you are, because your school just doesn’t offer that major. You have to settle for a more general degree in Biology. It will limit what you really want to be studying.

Or, perhaps there is a professor at another school who is doing research on EXACTLY the topic. And speciality you’re interested in, and that’s why you “need” to transfer in order to take advantage of the best opportunity you can.

Perhaps it makes more sense if you want to study economics to be in a big financial capital like New York. Or perhaps you’re an English major but really want to be a Journalism major. And your school “just doesn’t offer that.”

Those are the reasons that will get you in: something ACADEMIC that is logical and makes sense.  Basically, you want the admissions committee to read your essays and say, “yes, that is a very logical and appropriate reason for wanting to transfer.”  It’s that response that will get you in.

[I’m a former Harvard admissions interviewer and a Harvard grad.  I currently run the college admissions consulting firm: www.IvyLeagueEssay.com  Looking to transfer colleges?  Contact me for a free consultation today!]

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