You already know that getting a place in an ivy league college is going to give you career advantages that last a lifetime. But admissions are notoriously tricky to navigate, and only a few students are accepted. Will you be one of them? Here are some tips to help you increase your chances of a successful application.
1. Get Inside Information From Independent Consultants
This is a red-hot tip. Getting into an ivy league college is so difficult that there are independent consulting businesses that work to help you to stand a better chance of succeeding. Going Ivy College Admissions, for example, works with students to help them fine-tune their college applications.
Let’s get this straight, though. It’s not a hack. It’s just a tip. If you already have what it takes, you can improve your chances. If you don’t, they’ll tell you so, and they’ll tell you what you need to do to stand a chance. It’s a helping hand, not a shortcut!
2. Excel, Excel, Excel!
Ivy league colleges are looking for the very best students. They have a reputation to uphold and a vast pool of applicants to choose from. If you want to stand out from the crowd, you have to show that you can deliver the goods.
Outstanding academic achievements are the first and most important steps in winning your place at one of America’s top colleges. You need to be much more than just a “good” student. If you didn’t have the drive to succeed in your final school year, sign up at a community college and show what you’re capable of! Many of us only find our motivation once we’ve graduated from high school.
3. Write A Brilliant Application Essay
Insiders say that a truly remarkable application essay can make selection panels “fall in love” with a prospective student. What does that take? Originality and exceptional verbal skills are just the raw material. Perfect every statement you make. Rework the way you structure information. Your first draft is never good enough.
Shakespeare’s first draft of “to be or not to be” might well have been along the lines of “Ummmmm – what now?” Work, and rework. It’s probably the most important essay you’ll ever write, so throw everything you have into it.
4. Look For The Hook
Walk a mile in the selection board’s moccasins. There are so many applications to sort through. They’re looking for exceptional people. What makes you stand out from the crowd? Do you have an unusual skill? Have you won any awards?
It could be anything, from your high school science project to voluntary initiatives you undertook, or better yet started, in your community. Whatever it is, it should make you look different from everyone else and make your application noteworthy.
5. Complete Optional Steps Too
Your application process may include optional steps. Opt to do them! With so much competition, the more information you can provide to sway opinions in your favor, the better! Simply completing optional steps as well as you can shows that you’re keen and willing to go the extra mile to get what you want. That’s a desirable quality in a student, so it improves your chances of approval.
Allow Yourself To Be Amazing
Bragging is never a positive thing, but showcasing your accomplishments is perfectly OK. And when it comes to your ivy league college application, you should “showcase” with all your might. With most people being turned down, you need to show the selection board that you aren’t “most people.” Not yet able to do so? If you really want this, you can get to work on doing it! Good luck!
