What kind of grades/courses do Ivy league schools require?

[Spac3d]

Originally posted by: coldcut
I don't think junior year matters that much. Your entire 4 years of high school is weighted evenly.


Have your own television show on FOX or go on a reality show. That is worth extracurricular.

That isn't true. Junior year you should be having 4-6 AP classes ... that year will be heavily weighted over other years. They will also be able to rank you against other people with your AP scores.

 

[Mill]

Originally posted by: joshsquall
I had a 4.0, valedictorian, all possible AP/honors classes, 3-4 clubs each year, community service, and BJs to the dean, and I still got wait-listed for Princeton.

Got into CMU though.. but damn that sh!t is too expensive for a poor white boy.

You didn't want to go to UVA?

 

[TuffGirl]

Originally posted by: AgaBooga

Originally posted by: placebo139
any particular Ivy that you're interested in? each has very different standards. I applied to three of the eight, rejected from one, waitlisted for another, and accepted with full scholarship for the last... as you can see, each college is very different.

Honestly, I'm interested in MIT, don't flame me or anything for this, please. But I'm seeing that it is going to be very hard. Actually, I have no clue what is really required or needed to get in. If you have a ny idea, please help me out.

I noticed you're interested in MIT and Stanford. I just want to clarify the common misconception that MIT and Stanford are Ivy League schools when they are not, never were or will be. It's because the Ivy League started out as and still is an intercollegiate sports league, just like the Big East etc. It just so happens that the schools in that league are old (like from colonial times) so they have the academic prestige from that.

As far as getting into MIT, I was accepted there early admission years ago. If you wanna know, I didn't have the standard credentials most ppl think you need to get admitted there. For instance, I was only 18th in my class at a public school, got a 1470 on my SATs, not too many activities, mainly just band/music stuff. I attended some science programs (at Harvard summer school and Columbia) that perhaps helped. I also got good recommendations and did well in my interview despite being so shy and nervous. I'm also the first in my family to attend college in the US, much less have relations at MIT. You just have to be really smart.😛

 

[Zebo]

Did your dad or mom graduate from one and you have a 3.0? Are you a underrepresented minoirty with a 5.0 and did tones of cummunity service? Are you white and have a 5.0 and all-american football player? This would help.

Very selective.

 

[ClueLis]

It's really hard. I'm hoping to get into Cornell and I have very similar stats to elanarchist. I also go to a tough school and have slightly higher GPA but slightly lower SAT (1440). I'm going into Engineering and am very strong in Math+Science, so I may have a slightly easier time, but I am also looking at some slightly easier to get into schools after Cornell. Michigan and Swarthmore are my second choices, don't know which is higher. Swarthmore is actually easier for students in my school to get into than Cornell because we are a small school that closely resembles them.

 

[BeauJangles]

DOn't worry about going to Ivy's, especially Harvard, Yale, Princton. They aren't really worth it. The education you get will be better at Cornell, Dartmouth, Brown, and any number of non-Ivy schools.

 

[anxman69]

Touching on what elanarchist said, I ended up getting a decent amount of scholarship from my University now, and I pay about $25k a year including room and board ... definitely a lot less than $40k that I would have paid at an Ivy.

I'll also save a few thousand bucks by taking only like 6-10 credits my second semester senior year as I will have nearly a full extra year of credits from overloading so often and from APs.

If I can make one point, if you work hard, you can "make it", no matter where you go.

I know Ivy League kids who are total losers and washups, and I know plenty of the same at my university, but the kids that "shine" can come from anywhere and will persevere anywhere.

-Ankur

 

[GregGreen]

i wanna know what the hell community service has to do with ANYTHING? does helping people make you a better college student? no, its just going to take up time you might otherwise use studying... that doesnt make any sense to me... community service does not equal someone who will be successful at school

 

[LongCoolMother]

i dont know any direct answer. but i can give you some experience in case it might help.

my cousin who had a 1390 SAT, 4.0 cumulative gpa, with all english honors+math honors+science honors didnt get into any ivy league schools but did get into UCB.


my OTHER cousin who had a 1450 SAT, 4.2 GPA all honors once again and came from a prestigious private school in this area got accepted to Columbia, Upenn, Cornell, Rice, Brown, etc. NOT stanford or MIT though (what he was hoping for). he ended up choosing Cornell and is moving in there by the end of this month. i dunno why he chose cornell over upenn or columbia, since they are ranked higher, but they are all great schools.

jsut trying to give some examples in case. btw, this is all this year. both of them havent moved in yet. soon though.

 

[jaybert]

I had a 1540 SATs, top 6% of my class, didnt get in as a freshman... (college of engineering, computer science btw)

that said, I applied for transfer sophmore year and will be attending cornell this fall.

so even if you dont get in the first time, you always have at least 2 more opportunities to transfer in (sophmore/junior).

 

[dangereuxjeux]

You gotta have really good GPA, SAT, APs and all the like. You are also helped by having somethign that sets you apart aside from the typical ("I helped Old People in my free time after leading six clubs and studying sixteen hours a day.") Write a funny admissions essay, perhaps the hardest thing to do but if you can write something that actually sticks in the admissions officer's head instead of some lame "how I overcame diversity" or "how I learned more about myself than I previously realized while helping others" stock stuff, you're golden. You shouldn't have your heart set on an Ivy, what you should look for is the best school that also matches you. I go to Yale, and it's been phenomenal. That said, my experience wouldn't have been as enjoyable at the others, I don't think. Oh yeah, and think about the weather, cuz I freeze my balls off during the winter, and we're not even the furthest North.

 

[A5]

Man...my school only has 8 AP classes to start with, but at least I'm taking 5 of them.

Not even gonna bother with the Ivys, hoping to get a fat scholarship to Georgia Tech or Virginia Tech...

 

[csf]

Originally posted by: BlinderBomber
DOn't worry about going to Ivy's, especially Harvard, Yale, Princton. They aren't really worth it. The education you get will be better at Cornell, Dartmouth, Brown, and any number of non-Ivy schools.

Uh I'd say the exact opposite. If you don't get into one of the big three, you probably should look at other options as opposed to trying the lower tier Ivies, since you will be paying the same inflated price for a lower quality education. Not to say they are bad schools, but there is a significant gap between H/Y/P and the other Ivies, and you should probably look at other schools like Duke, Berkeley, Stanford, Chicago, etc.

 

[Glitchny]

I dunno bout the comunity service thing, my sister got into harvard (didnt go) and she had a 4.0 and took some honors courses but didnt do any substantial amount of work with clubs or the community. Your personality is also a factor.If u have the personality of a bedpost they might not accept you

 

[Dowfen]

Originally posted by: dangereuxjeux
You gotta have really good GPA, SAT, APs and all the like. You are also helped by having somethign that sets you apart aside from the typical ("I helped Old People in my free time after leading six clubs and studying sixteen hours a day.") Write a funny admissions essay, perhaps the hardest thing to do but if you can write something that actually sticks in the admissions officer's head instead of some lame "how I overcame diversity" or "how I learned more about myself than I previously realized while helping others" stock stuff, you're golden. You shouldn't have your heart set on an Ivy, what you should look for is the best school that also matches you. I go to Yale, and it's been phenomenal. That said, my experience wouldn't have been as enjoyable at the others, I don't think. Oh yeah, and think about the weather, cuz I freeze my balls off during the winter, and we're not even the furthest North.

Exactly.... Don't count yourself out just yet. Anything is possible. I knew several people that went a school that inflated grades heavily, however they did have high SATs, sports, GPAs, APs, etc., but they still went to Princeton and Harvard. Also, if you do well enough to get your application looked at, write a killer essay. I can image these admission deans get pretty freaking tired of reading over perfect SAT and GPA scorces, community service that, etc. where something as creative and brilliant as an essay will make all the difference.

Eric

 

[TuffGirl]

Originally posted by: dangereuxjeux
You gotta have really good GPA, SAT, APs and all the like. You are also helped by having somethign that sets you apart aside from the typical ("I helped Old People in my free time after leading six clubs and studying sixteen hours a day.") Write a funny admissions essay, perhaps the hardest thing to do but if you can write something that actually sticks in the admissions officer's head instead of some lame "how I overcame diversity" or "how I learned more about myself than I previously realized while helping others" stock stuff, you're golden. You shouldn't have your heart set on an Ivy, what you should look for is the best school that also matches you. I go to Yale, and it's been phenomenal. That said, my experience wouldn't have been as enjoyable at the others, I don't think. Oh yeah, and think about the weather, cuz I freeze my balls off during the winter, and we're not even the furthest North.

I can't agree with you more on the statement I bolded. Think about it from the admissions officer's point of view. They're going to prefer someone who wants to attend their school because of things the individual school can specifically offer that candidate, and vice versa what you can offer to the school, how you will enrich the student body by enrolling, and not just because of the academic prestige attached to the school's name. You know the admissions office will be flooded with apps from ppl just wanting to apply because it's an Ivy. If you come across in your application as wanting to get in the school for those superficial reasons, the desperation will be transparent to them and you definitely won't stand out.

 

[cchen]

Originally posted by: joshsquall
You won't get in.

haha... harsh

anyway, they'll look at the overall package. grade and test scores do matter a lot, they look for a certain criteria and once you meet it they start looking at other stuff, unless you are way way over their criteria then you'll definitely get in.

activities, essay, and recs matter a lot, esp at columbia. they're looking for students who want to go there for the education that they can receive.

i used to work for an educational consulting company... and i go to columbia....

 

[TheeeChosenOne]

If your parents have LOTS of money and they make a "donation" to the school, you'll get in with ANY grades.

I'm completely serious when I say this. I went to one of the top Ivies (I was a Valedictorian) and I witnessed this first-hand. Sad but true--we still don't live an equal society.

Money talks. Money ALWAYS talks.

For undergrad, it doesn't matter WHERE you went to school. The grad school rep matters much more when job seeking. Yet it still doesn't matter either as EXPERIENCE & ADVANCED DEGREE is what gets you in the door anyways!

Get good marks at any college and you'll get into a VERY good grad school. I guarantee it!

Actually, unless you get huge scholarships, save your money that would be wasted at a private school and go to a good public school. The money savings will serve you well for grad school.

I know the private schoolers will prolly ding me for this, but I know what I'm talking about regarding witnessing a multitude of different individual career tracks of students.

 

[cchen]

Originally posted by: TheeeChosenOne
If your parents have LOTS of money and they make a "donation" to the school, you'll get in with ANY grades.

I'm completely serious when I say this. I went to one of the top Ivies (I was a Valedictorian) and I witnessed this first-hand. Sad but true--we still don't live an equal society.

Money talks. Money ALWAYS talks.

For undergrad, it doesn't matter WHERE you went to school. The grad school rep matters much more when job seeking. Yet it still doesn't matter either as EXPERIENCE & ADVANCED DEGREE is what gets you in the door anyways!

Get good marks at any college and you'll get into a VERY good grad school. I guarantee it!

Actually, unless you get huge scholarships, save your money that would be wasted at a private school and go to a good public school. The money savings will serve you well for grad school.

I know the private schoolers will prolly ding me for this, but I know what I'm talking about regarding witnessing a multitude of different individual career tracks of students.

I completely agree with you. The only reason I'm at Columbia is because out of all the private schools that I got accepted to (with the exception of JHU who gave me full ride) they gave me the most financial aid, and I didn't wanna stay near home.

 

[TheeeChosenOne]

To All Ivy League Wannabees:

Read my previous comments above in this thread. I just want to add and reinforce my previous comments.

You guys prolly get lots of pressure from your mid-life crises, status-seeking, bragging-rights Parents, "lost in a maze" friends, and stupid hype-selling trash mags like US News & World Reports with their pseudo-scientific polls that brain-wash the masses into thinking that you must go here or there b/c its 3 points higher in the ratings or else you'll be a loser that'll struggle thru life as a miserable 2nd-tier rat that'll always get passed over for an Ivy Leaguer.

Give me a f*cking break!!

I've been there and done that to the extreme and I wish I had someone with my knowledge giving me this advice when I was a lost 17 year old pig who was lost in the woods and coincindentally thought this way!

BE ASSURED THAT IT'S ALL MARKETING! Don't feed into the BS trough! The most successful people I know in life do not have these backgrounds in the least.

If your goal is to want to work for someone else and earn a very good salary (as this is the only reason most Ivy League wanna-beeeees [u[incorrectly[/u] assume is the *primary*reason to attend an Ivy), the best way to succeed is taking the SMARTER road:
1.) Go to a good Public school
2.) Save your money
3.) Get good grades at the Public School
4.) Do a semester or two abroad to mature and broaden you a couple of years ahead of the other "children"
5.) Go to grad school..........Your good grades will float you to a good school. The school's rep at this level matter MUCH more than when in college.
6.) DON'T GO to Grad school unless you're 120% sure this IS what you want to do with your life. Your HEART must be into it! I've seen too many smart kids with half-a$$ thinking do the WRONG THANG b/c of PEER/PARENTAL/SOCIETY pressure. Ultimately, they end up spending more money and lost years RETRAINING themselves b/c they WEREN'T TRUE to THEMSELVES (i.e. doing something that is not near & dear to your heart--contemplating earnings potential is the WORST reason to do things in life......kids ultimately realize this when they hit 40......this is why the term "mid-life" crisis exists in our lexicon folks)
7.) Get an advanced degree. The higher the degree level, the higher the earnings (if that's your game). Surely, the better schools at the grad school level DO make a difference with earnings. At this level, your school's name will get you more money at the FIRST STEP entry-level job (all other things being equal, of course).
8.) Regardless if some Ivy League grad student earns a little more than you at the outset (that all it is, ONLY a little more which is even more trivial after taxes 😉 ), it DOESN'T MATTER................At the ENTRY LEVEL JOB, all things are BACK TO EQUAL..........Work hard, persist in your job, be politically sensitive and a good "peopl person". ALL advancement is dependent on these efforts. The hungrier the kid, the more successful he/she will become. Sometimes it's an Ivy Leaguer that get the promotion (by this I mean not only Ivies, but also schools like Berkeley, Stanford, Caltech, MIT, Chicago, Duke etc), BUT most of the times it's the kid from State with the Phd. or Masters that wins out in the LITERAL "RAT RACE."
9.) FWIW, tech skills are the most conservative areas that will serve your wallet the best (again, if your game is financial success).
10.) Try to follow your heart instead of your head with your tough decisions. I guarantee you that you will be MUCH BETTER and HAPPIER in EVERY possible way you could imagine......This statement is taking into account hundreds of examples of friends who have taken different paths in their lives.
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You should, however, IGNORE my advice above IF your sole materialistic intention is to work for McKinsey Consulting, Goldman Sachs I-Banking or Skaden Arps Law (and other firms of their ilk) in NYC or LA. Such places do care about where you went to school and all your current misconstrued myths about such things do apply here ..........BTW, such firms will LITERALLY suck the life force out of you (105+ hrs/week/7 days) and spit you out (i.e. fire you) if you don't make partner or Managing Director. Most that aren't fired leave anyways b/c they find it toooo humiliating that their younger underling proteges make Partner over them. The ones passed-over take smaller jobs or go out on their own with much reduced earnings. They are mostly bitter that they let life pass them by sacrificing themselves with long hours and yet have nothing to show for it at 40 (good family life or making partner)............The people that work at these firms are the most unhappy, miserable people in the world folks. They lie to themselves constantly that they are "happy", yet they are the ones with the huge Psychiatry bills AND three ex-wives with children that hate them because they were never there for them. The gold-digging women at these firms ultimately will remain single and childless (and miserable) and their remaining looks at 40 is not enough to secure a wealthy man they seek since the wealthy men go for 20 year olds anyways. ............................................Such is the quality of life that await the nerds on this board who feed into this type of hype. I, for one, worked two years after college at such firms (banking, consulting). What I experienced/witnessed was very, very pathetic to see for me and for others. I vowed that I would never be led thru this RINGER. I'm still friends with a MULTITUDE of these guys/gals who are ALL very, very, very miserable......Yet they seem mentally stuck in this tornado of wanting to get out but are too COWARDLY face the world.......I, on the other hand, was one of those "rebels", "losers"(?), who risked going out into the real world and doing my own thing (i.e.where my heart was). Now I earn more than most put together..................But I digress, these are extreme examples and I SINCERELY hope NOBODY here follows ANYTHING in their lives that follows the path delineated in this paragraph.................Ironically, among all my friends (the minority) who have followed the path of following their heart to life's decisions........well, they are the ones that are much HAPPIER, HEALTHIER, and WEALTHEIR than the other crew. IRONIC, BUT TRUE.



I WISH YOU ALL SUCCESS AND HOPE YOU ALL TAKE MY ADVICE TO HEART AS IT WILL SAVE YOU A LOT OF MISTAKES AND HEARTACHE IN THE FUTURE......Think independently and don't follow ANY herd mentality-- including your parents and friends (as they are well-meaning, but selfish, egocentric, foolish and CLUELESS). Be PROUD to be the OUTSIDER REBEL!

 

[DigDug]

I suggest you all to look beyond the Ivy's to other schools equally as good. Try the "little ivies" like Amherst, Swarthmore, Williams, etc. For just a notch below, try Middlebury, Vassar, Wesleyan, Haverford and those. These are all incredible schools that are as for all practical purposes, as prestigious in their own right. I went to Vassar and every interview I went to was greeted with a "very good school" remark.

 

[glugglug]

Getting accepted is not difficult. Getting accepted at a price you can afford is totally another matter. How do you think Bush got in?

 

[DigDug]

You should, however, IGNORE my advice above IF your sole materialistic intention is to work for McKinsey Consulting, Goldman Sachs I-Banking or Skaden Arps Law (and other firms of their ilk) in NYC or LA. Such places do care about where you went to school and all your current misconstrued myths about such things do apply here ..........BTW, such firms will LITERALLY suck the life force out of you (105+ hrs/week/7 days) and spit you out (i.e. fire you) if you don't make partner or Managing Director. Most that aren't fired leave anyways b/c they find it toooo humiliating that their younger underling proteges make Partner over them. The ones passed-over take smaller jobs or go out on their own with much reduced earnings. They are mostly bitter that they let life pass them by sacrificing themselves with long hours and yet have nothing to show for it at 40 (good family life or making partner)............

TheeChosenOne, I compeltely agree with 99% of what you've said above. Going public, kicking ass there and then going to a name-brand graduate or professional school is the real ticket to success. But only if you plan to go on to a graduate or professional school to begin with. You seem to admit this.

I am actually one of those people going to a "firm of their ilk", actually a top-ten law firm in Manhattan in the fall. While you are correct and do not exagerrate about the servitude they put you under, you must realize that this too can be a strategic plan. Most only work at these places for two years. Starting out at $125,000 + bonus, and then jumping to $135k + bonus after the second year, it is easy to see how much of one's school debt can be paid off and savings accumulated at the same time. After 2 or three years, one jump's ship to a smaller firm who will gladly suck up the prestige-backed attorney and place him on partnership track, all the while with a much more manageable lifestyle. Simply put, I could, after two or three years go "in-house" to a corporation as counsel and earn $150k for a 9-to-6 workday.
Prestige matters only in helping to increase the odds of success. It is by no means, however, the only way. That's the bottom line.

 

[csf]

While it's certainly good advice to look for the school that fits your needs and interests best, it's another thing to make the false assumption (and do so in a manner that's just as arrogant as many stereotypical "Ivy League-wannabes" act) that wanting to get into a prestigious school is somehow a bad thing. The fact is that their reputation, faculty, and student body will give you a significant advantage that makes them better than the majority of schools. That is not to say that Ivies are the only good schools or that the individual does not matter, but an "average" person with an Ivy League (or Stanford, MIT, etc) education will probably do better than an "average" person without one. It facilitates the process and opens doors quicker for you.

If you want to work on Wall Street and make money, that does not make you a wage slave or a sheep as you would like to assume. Just because you didn't want to do that doesn't mean it is an illegitmate or worthless profession. People who do it solely for perceptions of money are naive, but this is just the same with anyone who goes for a degree under that perception; this mentality is hardly exclusive to the Ivy Leagues. You make some good points about relaxing and looking for what's best rather than what sounds best, but do you really need to be so patronizing about it? There is a reason Ivy League schools have such prestige, and to rant about how horrible they and their students are with no real experience (have you gone to one yourself, I don't care about your friends?) is ignorant. I'm glad you're happy, but it's not like you're some unique flower and everyone else who went to an Ivy or wants to go to one is some kind of materialistic sheep, so can that.

 

[RabidMongoose]

Originally posted by: TheeeChosenOne

For undergrad, it doesn't matter WHERE you went to school. The grad school rep matters much more when job seeking.

I went to a private university and I completely agree with you about this.

Get great grades at a public university and you will get accepted into a good graduate school.