The Uniqueness of Ivy League Colleges and what do they look for?-新东方前途出国

Student and school application is actually a two-way relationship. To optimize your application results, you need to position yourself correctly （do not overestimate your competitiveness） and understand the uniqueness of each Ivy League University. Blindly apply to all Ivies or only aiming for Harvard will only lead to disappointment. This article hopefully will explain the common traits that most Ivy League University and top ranked schools are looking for as well as the unique trait that is valued by each Ivy League College.

I.different temperament and admission preferences of Ivy League universities

Princeton University -- Princeton University has a strong academic atmosphere, and the University has reinforced its commitment to helping students and alumni use their educations to not only benefit themselves but also society more broadly. “Princeton University has a longstanding commitment to service, reflected in Princeton’s informal motto-Princeton in the nation’s service and the service of humanity-and exemplified by the extraordinary contributions that Princetonians make to society.”

Dartmouth College -- with a particular focus on service these day, Dartmouth has a unique extracurricular program and enrolls students who take advantage of these opportunities.

Cornell University -- Cornell University does not have a clear identity because there are many colleges, but in general the school likes very hard-working students. We have taken to heart the revolutionary spirit that founded our university and encourage each other to pursue unpredicted lines of thinking in order to effect change on local and international scales.

Brown University -- open curriculum, looking for highly motivated learners, interdisciplinary thinkers, and scholars who connect things in unusual ways, who are socially progressive. “The spirit of the undergraduate Open Curriculum infuses every aspect of the University. Brown is a place where rigorous scholarship, complex problem-solving and service to the public good are defined by intense collaboration, intellectual discovery and working in ways that transcend traditional boundaries.”

Harvard University -- this highly anticipated University seeks to recruit a group of unique students, because apart from this, there is no other common ground between students. Their school honor code states: “We-the academic community of Harvard College, including the faculty and students-view integrity as the basis for intellectual discovery, artistic creation, independent scholarship and meaningful collaboration. We hold honesty-in the representation of our work and in our interactions with teachers, advisers, peers, and students-as the foundation of our community”.

University of Pennsylvania -- looking for a service-oriented, pragmatic student who combines business principles with everything else. Intelligence is not the most important, but ability to do is. “Penn has a proud tradition of translating knowledge into social-minded action that dates back to our founder, Benjamin Franklin.This tradition of active pragmatism, articulated in Franklin’s maxim “well-done is better than well-said,” lives today through the inclusive policies, innovative work, and impactful engagement of our faculty, students, and staff.”

Yale University -- like Princeton University, but less pretentious and more focused on imparting practical knowledge that can be used by the world. It focuses on students using what they have learned to serve and give back to the society. “Yale educates aspiring leaders worldwide who serve all sectors of society.We carry out this mission through the free exchange of ideas in an ethical,interdependent, and diverse community of faculty, staff, students, and alumni”. Dean of admissions at Yale: traditionally, admissions are not considered a business activity and tend to be for students from lower income families.

Columbia University -- difficult course with a required core, as opposed to brown University; The University recognizes the importance of its location in New York City and seeks to link its research and teaching to the vast resources of a great metropolis. It seeks to attract adiverse and international faculty and student body, to support research and teaching on global issues, and to create academic relationships with many countries and regions. It expects all areas of the University to advance knowledge and learning at the highest level and to convey the products of its efforts to the world.

II. Commonalities in the Ivy League admissions process

First, the hard and narrow criteria for admission to an Ivy League school – outstanding academic background.

The admissions officer will look at students’GPA/ grade, awards, course selection, standardized test scores, and, if anything, grade rankings. They will measure your academic enthusiasm at school based on your grades. 50% students who were admitted by Ivy League colleges have an average SAT score and GPA that is in the top 10 percent of the school. However, about 70 percent of the students who apply to an Ivy League school achieve this score every year! That is to say good academic is necessary in a sense it proves that students are hard-working and they have the ability to handle Ivy League level academic pressure as well as being able to comprehend and engagemin intellectual conversations with their future peers and professors. However, there is more to the assessment.

Admissions officers will also take a look at students’ transcripts and want to see that students have been taking challenging courses continuously for four years. For any specific majors, the AOs would want students to complete additional courses, to meet the admission requirements for those majors. Then AOs will read about students’ personal background, as well as the occupation and education of their parents. Ivy League Universities value racial diversity (they have racial quotas forminority students) and they care if applicants are the first generation to attend college in their family. In addition to liking top performers, Ivy League schools generally like to recruit top athletes. Many school teams actively seek out high school sports stars and actively try to recruit them(Harvard Rowing Club Alert! ).

It is important for students to have a unique side that makes them stand out and convince the school that they are the right person. Students can demonstrate their uniqueness through supplemental essay and extracurricular activities. These sections are designed to give the admissions officer a better idea of who they are. If a student’s report card gives a mediocre impression, but he or she has a lot of strong extracurricular activities, or his or her essay is very good, then it will be a plus for the student’s application. Same with School forms and recommendation letters filled out by head teachers and teachers, the admissions officer can have a better understanding of what the applicant is like as a student or as an individual inside and outside the classroom through the content of the teacher's recommendation letter.

All the above application materials serveas different but efficient ways for admissions officers to determine students’s uitability and for students to showcase their abilities and strengths. However,since all material are presented in text form, sometimes the applicant's personal image can still be one dimensional. That is why schools offer admissions and on/off campus interviews. These interviews allow the interviewer to see a "living" applicant, to get a stereoscopic impression and the complete profile of the student.

That is all for today, I hope this is helpful and good luck to everyone with this year’s application season!