What is the one trait that Ivy League students all share who have been admitted to one of the schools? What is the “something” they have that when coupled with their perfect GPAs, top test scores and multiple national awards makes them that much more appealing to Ivy League admissions officers. Well there is no exact formula. It is a matter of putting people in each application pool who when put together will deliver the personality the school is looking to create. The “Ivy League” Schools are made up eight SMALL schools —Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, University of Pennsylvania, and Yale. The term “Ivy League” actually refers to the athletic conference the schools belong to, just as UCLA , USC, Stanford, and Berkeley all belong to the Pac 10’ or Michigan or Ohio State belong to the Big 10.
Why are the Ivy Leagues considered the best schools in the country? Well it depends on your perception of what is “the best”. Harvard usually is seen as the #1 school in the country, but that title has been stolen away by Cal Polytechnic in Pasadena, California which is a rival of MIT a couple of times.
Perhaps the reason these schools are recognized is because they are willing to go out on a limb and be the first to create new ideas. In the 1940s, these eight schools met and ultimately agreed to standardize their athletic eligibility requirements and financial aid practices for athletes, and maybe because they are such small schools their popularity increased due to their atheletic programs making the demand higher than the room available. Even more interesting, most students who attend these schools never actually said the words, “I want to go to an Ivy League school”, unless there are legacy students
Students who quickly advertize, “I want to only go to an Ivy League school” have either
1) heard that this is where they should go
2) care more about how famous these colleges are than about the unique learning environment will be like, and/or
3) is demonstrating symptoms of name-brand glitz.
These colleges are not looking for name-brand seekers. They want ambitious, passionate, intellectually curious students who want to make valuable contributions in and out of the classrooms, and demonstrate that they are confidence.
Brown University for example is a school that puts the liberal in “liberal arts”. Students who are drawn to this school to apply and accepted there are because they want to embrace the academic freedom Brown offers to explore a wide range of intellectual interests. They appreciate the uniqueness that is Brown.
If you are considering attending a college like Brown or other Ivy League school, show them that you’re mature and confident Demonstrate that you care more about what your experience will be in college than you do about how famous a college’s name is. When you are asked “Why do you want to attend their college?” have a better answer than, “It’s a great school”, or worse, “I am name dropper”.
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