Imagine yourself walking in the gothic halls of Princeton, cheering for your team at the Harvard Crimson – Yale Bulldogs football game, or casually running into a Pulitzer winner at Columbia. The stuff of dreams, right?

Not surprisingly, attending an Ivy League College is the dream of tens of thousands of students around the world. Getting into one of these institutions means that you get the best of your knowledge, resources, and alumni network. But only a handful can get their hands on the coveted admissions letter.

Are you also an Ivy League Aspirant hoping to make the cut? Well then, you have come to the right place because you are about to find out the must-haves of a successful application to an Ivy League college.

1.  High GPA

Think of your school grades as an initial filter for the admissions process. Although there is no minimum GPA you need to apply to any Ivy League School, past trends show that those who were admitted have a weighted GPA above 3.4. The weights here correspond to the level of difficulty of the class you are taking, so your AP, IB, or Honors classes have a higher weight.

Why does it matter?

Someone great once said that past success is the best predictor of future success. So, if you have a less-than-impressive academic record, chances are you will not be able to survive the rigorous curriculum of Ivy League colleges.

But this should not bring you down. You can always get organized and work harder towards your goals.

What should be your goal?

You should be aiming for As in subjects that are more related to your chosen college major, especially in Grades 11 and 12.

2.  High SAT or ACT scores

For the majority of Ivy League colleges, you will be placed directly in the top 25% with an SAT score of 1555 or an ACT score of 35, as opposed to the borderline bottom 25% with an SAT score of 1455 or an ACT score of 33.

Remember that the key to a high score is reattempts. Professionals recommend that you take your SAT/ACT in the spring of your junior year, so you can have time to improve your score. But if you work hard the first time around, you will not have to worry about taking them a second time at all!

3.  Meaningful Extra-Curricular Activities

As most Ivy League admissions counselors would tell you, this is the part where you can set yourself apart from the rest of the applicants. Unfortunately, this is also the part where most students mess up. But you will not!

There was a long-running notion that Ivy League colleges preferred ” well-rounded applicants.” So, to persuade the admissions officers that their interests are varied, students would try to squeeze every relevant goal -club, sport, and activity into their schedules. While having a variety of interests shows that you have a variety of abilities, it may also leave the officer perplexed as to what you are attempting to accomplish.

4.  Engage In Complementary Pursuits

It is advised that you attempt a variety of things and then focus on the ones you find most fulfilling and that you are best at doing. These activities should complement each other so that you can demonstrate your competence and sincere enthusiasm. After all, who doesn’t want to get into an ivy league school?

5.  Stay Consistent

Show them that you have continued to participate in that activity throughout your time in school. Colleges strive to have a well-rounded student body, so they’ll aim to fill their classrooms with athletes, student leaders, writers, artists, etc.

But if you are someone who had a different activity for every year of high school, then the admissions officer has no way of knowing which activity you will take when you are at their college.

6.  Create An Impact

An activity’s significance on your college application is not only assessed by the number of awards and certificates you have in your name, but really it is about how it solves a real-world problem. So, make sure to deepen the impact of your extracurriculars.

7.  Take the Help Of A University Admissions Consulting Company

There is nothing wrong with hiring professionals to tell you how and where you can improve. Therefore, you can seek the assistance of a university admissions consulting company.

Although they can be pricey, these can make the procedure seem a little less overwhelming by helping you choose extracurriculars that are relevant to your chosen major and college. They can also point out other extracurricular options outside of your school. Hence, the investment is completely worth it.

8.  Thorough Recommendation Letters

It appears self-serving if you are someone who did well in a class and got the grade, but your first conversation with your teacher is about a recommendation letter. Even so, it’s likely that you will still receive a letter from them, only it won’t contain any new information about your character and will merely be a summary of your résumé.

9.  An Effective Recommendation Letter

Excellent recommendations will discuss how you participated in class discussions, communicated with your classmates, and went above and beyond the typical classroom setting to strengthen your concepts. Your teacher may also be able to demonstrate why you might fit in well with the community of that particular college.

We’ll let you in on a little secret: only a select group of students will receive this level of attention from the teacher. Do you want to know how you can be one of them? Then, continue reading.

Cultivate a relationship with your teacher

This is a gradual process and hence, be sure to start as soon as possible. Show up during their office hours to get feedback on your assignments. Or take their help if you are working on a project that you believe is connected to their area of expertise. Another tip is to grab all TA positions open at your college, this way you academically improve your profile as well as a recommendation letter. Additionally, connect with them on LinkedIn to keep them in the loop about your academic and other prospects so that they can remember you easily.

10.  A Stellar College Application Statement

Every senior in high school dreads this assignment the most! But it’s also the place where you can gather all of your accomplishments and weave a narrative about yourself. Although you don’t want your whole life reduced to a few words on paper; the college application statement is your best shot at expressing who you are to the admissions officer.

Selecting the right topic

Other parts of your applications merely state your achievements, but through this essay, you should convey the motivations behind those and your journey.

Before beginning to write, try and reflect to clearly understand what you hope to achieve. Check out the many successful essays that are available online and consider what makes them effective. Take inspiration from how others have addressed this issue and gain clarity on what is required of you, but do not steal anyone else’s ideas! Yikes!

The Takeaway

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to these confessions, so don’t stop reading here; make an appointment to speak with an Ivy League educational consultant instead.

Here, we’ve only attempted to list all the necessary components for a successful application. Just keep in mind that you must be genuine and sincere about wanting to pursue that particular subject at that specific college. Scores, extracurricular activities, and essay inspiration will follow if the passion and desire are genuine! Good luck!