Difficulty of Ivy League Admissions

jaug1
Fri, 24 Jun 2005 21:47:57 +0000

While it may seem like a lottery, I think that acceptances to Ivies are done extremely well.

Each school has a certain personality. The admissions committee wants to continue that personality. So when someone gets into Harvard, but gets rejected from Columbia or Yale, it is because their personality may not have matched those schools.

Also, a more heartfelt and truthful application to a school one truly loves may also be grounds for admissions. If you spend a lot of time on one application, but do not spend nearly the same amount on another, one is more likely to get into the school they had spent time on. Admissions officers can see these things and know those students who truly want to attend their schools.

In reference to Confidential’s post about Harvard admissions, that is an absolute farse. You don’t have to be amazing to get into Harvard. While you do have to be a stellar student and have good scores, they (along with all other top schools) want to see a dedicated passion. A few EC’s that have been shown a lot of commitment are the best applications because the student has shown they are mature in knowing what they enjoy and do not enjoy. A friend from my school was acceptted EA to Harvard and while he is an extremely bright kid, there is nothing “special” about him. While he is not going to attend Harvard (he is going to Deep Springs College instead) his case shows how normal kids who are intelligent get in.

I applied ED to an Ivy and was accepted. A lot of kids apply to these schools because of the names. While most of those kids do not get in, the admissions committees can see who truly wants to go and who doesn’t.

That’s just my take.