PRIVY
YOU ASK, WE SHARE.
As students on the other end of the college process, we know how confusing and intimidating it can be.
Feel free to ask us any questions you have, and we will tell you our stories.
WHAT SET YOU UP TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THE IVY LEAGUE COLLEGE APPLICATION PROCESS?
The college application process is like an audition. Rule #1 for a successful audition is to be prepared, which means spending serious time making sure that what you give in the room (or in the application) is your best work. The second rule of thumb is to have fun being in the audition room. I feel that this is the most overlooked component of the college application process because it can be so daunting and frightening. However, it doesn’t have to be that way. Colleges want to see who you are and what you are interested in when reading your supplements and common app. This is why the process must be your own. If you are having a good time and are interested in what you are writing, then the people on the other side of the table will show more interest in reading it.Â
–– Ethan R.
HOW IMPORTANT ARE HIGH SCHOOL EXTRACURRICULARS IN IVY LEAGUE ADMISSIONS?
Extracurriculars are a critical way to paint a picture of yourself on your application. They exemplify your interests and demonstrate how invested you are in them. Ivy League schools care deeply about what a potential student would bring to their campus and the impact they’ll make, and admissions officers see extracurriculars as a precursor to what your involvement on campus would look like. Even if you don’t plan on continuing your specific extracurriculars in college, it’s key to show commitment and illustrate that you’ll make an impact in whatever you get involved in when you start as a student!
–– Keon A.
WHEN DID YOU KNOW YOU WANTED TO GO TO AN IVY LEAGUE SCHOOL?
When I was in sixth grade, my best friend and I made a pact that we would go to Harvard together. We didn’t know what exactly that would entail for the next ten years of our lives, but at the time, we were high-achieving kids who understood that admission into an Ivy League school –– whatever that meant –– was something to yearn for. Come junior year, our abstract dream had crystallized into a realizable ambition, though it became clear to me through my conversations with real-life college students that Harvard was not the right choice for me. I switched paths and ended up applying to Yale, which broke my best friend’s heart who, in fact, did end up applying and going to Harvard. Rest assured, we cheered for each others’ victories when we each got into our respective dream schools.
–– Jarett M.