<p>There must be some subtle similarities/differences among the ivies schools other than their high selectivity but what are they? I’ve been browsing a few ‘chance me’ threads but I don’t really understand how for example Stanford is a reach while Columbia is a match? Shouldn’t they have the same high standard or the schools are looking for different kinds of people? If they are, then what are the respective characteristics that the schools are looking for? I have not started my systematic research for colleges yet and I hope that I can get some general impressions. The only thing I know is that MIT and cel tech heavily math/science-oriented but the unique characteristics of the other top schools are still quite blurry for me. Please share your personal opinions with me. Who are the schools looking for (please talk about things other than ‘high academic achievement’, etc etc)? What are the differences/similarities of the schools? Why do you choose to apply to specific schools (please talk about things other than ‘because my parents told me to do so’ or ‘because they are prestigious’)?</p>
<p>
The Ivies have the following things in common:
[ul][<em>]They are all private universities.
[</em>]None of them provide merit scholarships.
[<em>]All of them except Cornell were founded in the 1700s.
[</em>]They play in the same athletic league.[/ul]
Other than those characteristics, there is nothing fundamentally different about the Ivies.</p>
<p>Since you’re first starting out, I recommend you do a bit of background reading first. The following two books should help. See if your local library has them.</p>
<p>[Fiske</a> Guide to Colleges](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Fiske-Guide-Colleges-2010-26E/dp/1402209606]Fiske”>http://www.amazon.com/Fiske-Guide-Colleges-2010-26E/dp/1402209606)</p>
<p>[Insider’s</a> Guide to the Colleges](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Insiders-Guide-Colleges-2010-Students/dp/0312570295/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266618323&sr=1-1]Insider’s”>http://www.amazon.com/Insiders-Guide-Colleges-2010-Students/dp/0312570295/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266618323&sr=1-1)</p>
<p>Doesn’t using Brown as your example disprove your point? I would argue that the open curriculum makes it very different from any other school. Each Ivy and top school has something unique or that it excels at. Penn for example has one of (if not the best) undergrad business programs, whereas Cornell is more famous for its engineering.</p>