6 Big Truths You Need to Know About Ivy League Admissions

For many years, the Ivy League has been thought of as a synonym for the highest level of educational institution. Their affiliations, their decades-old immaculate campuses, coupled with global leaders winning their degrees, forms a magical attraction for students across the world.

Currently, secondary school students find themselves in a college admissions race that’s as uncertain and competitive as it has ever been. Sponsored by the Ivy League – Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Brown, Dartmouth, Cornell, and the University of Pennsylvania – schools are accepting candidates with exceptional GPAs and test scores, accompanied by a transformative story, and evidence of a lively and capable intellect.



This article is concerned with why and how students don't actually understand what’s needed to gain acceptance into Ivy League Schools, and how in reality, alignment, authenticity, and well-planned strategy are the true routes to success.

1. Don’t Just Focus on the Numbers!

Everyone fears rejection, especially if it concerns acceptance for college or university.  True, rates from Harvard and similar places hover just above 5%, but although these sound daunting, students who begin building towards the Ivy Leagues early are much more likely to get accepted.

That’s because it’s about much more than simple test scores. In most cases, applicants are vetted on the basis of looking at a person’s life, be it goals, hobbies and of course their aspirations.

While Ivy League places are valued more highly than others, work done during the application phase will present a candidate’s life appear in a more rounded – and interesting – light. Yet most people miss the opportunity to refine and develop their profile in the right way, and instead concentrate on achieving the “academic perfection“ they imagine is most important.

For students looking for a clearer picture of what they’re up against, this guide from Empowerly breaks down the difficulties of getting into an Ivy League school, and gives an insight into what these institutions look for, and how students can better align their profiles with elite admissions standards.

2. Look Beyond Grades and Test Scores

Successful candidates to Ivy League admissions are very different from the robotic overachievers that people imagine. Of course, good academic credentials are important, but there is much more to consider: in fact, good grades and test results are often seen as the baseline, beyond which further evaluation is carried out.

What is sought out instead is intellectual keenness. Schools want to admit candidates who are excellent not just as learners, but also as thinkers. This intellectual rigor includes asking questions, thinking deeply into new ideas and looking beyond the curriculum. It’s also important to pursue academic interests, and even set up supportive independent research. This also includes building creative portfolios or undertaking personal projects that have measurable impacts on the world.

Taking this approach enables students to become more convincing interviewees, more engaging essay writers, and more memorable to the admissions committee. This may sound like hard graft, but by doing this, “qualified” students become “exceptional” students.

3. It’s a Holistic Review: Building a Class, Not Picking Favorites

Each Ivy League school has more than strong students to consider. They actually need to create a freshman class that’s diverse, well-balanced, and collaborative.  So they need to select students who will complement one another, engage with campus life, and represent a range of backgrounds, skills, and viewpoints.

As you can imagine, this means that admissions decisions aren’t just made on individual skills and achievements. They’re actually made based on the institutional needs of the school. So in one year, a university may require more engineers, but the next year, they could be looking for more historians, or maybe international students. This obviously creates an element of unpredictability … but that’s how it is.  So applying to more than one university is always a good idea.

This also explains why some candidates receive “waitlist” offers (where they’re placed on a list for admission if space becomes available) while other candidates with weaker credentials are accepted. So as you can imagine, sending a well-rounded, mission-driven application aligned with the school’s goals will outperform an application that only focuses on grades and test scores.

4. The Role of Essays and Recommendations

A life essay (along with letters of recommendation) will highlight the more personal aspects of any applicant. They provide context, personality and tone that grades and activity lists will never achieve.

The personal statement essay should do more than demonstrate your writing ability. It should showcase your life, what drives you – and your reasons for seeking further education. The best essays, which summarize the main goals of the applicant, use a specific, personal, and reflective theme. They don’t read like a clumsy attempt to impress, and instead operate on a higher level.



It will also be very helpful to get a strong recommendation from someone who can not only vouch for your academic strengths, but also your character and potential for success in your chosen field.  And remember that it’s better to get recommendations from people who have relevant senior positions and a clear relationship with you, rather than maybe a famous person with whom you have little connection.

5. Stand Out Without Overstretching

Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that “more” is always “better”.  In other words, it’s not enough to have a wide but shallow list of more AP classes, more clubs, more awards … and so on.

That’s because someone who demonstrates a true commitment to a few long-term projects with tangible impact usually stands out more than someone with a careless mix of a dozen shallow activities.  Admissions officers are looking for students who are capable of setting goals, working to overcome challenges, and demonstrating growth in performing meaningful activities.  Not people who go everywhere but achieve little.

Valuable growth can occur in a student council, a community garden, a robotics lab, or even a part-time job. The label does not matter, but rather the initiative and experience that the activity provides.

6. How to Do It and When to Start

Knowing what Ivy League schools look for is one thing, but genuinely reflecting those requirements in a well-crafted application is a different matter altogether! This is where strategic awareness can be extremely useful.

Even the most competitive schools suddenly become easier to reach if you have the right strategy in place. This doesn’t mean “gaming the system” to your advantage; the focus should be your journey, and how to present it with clarity, purpose … and with confidence.



It’s also important to recognize that preparation should start early!  Last-minute rush jobs rarely work: you should start early, and not only add to it, but also constantly develop and refine what you’ve already written.  In this way, you’ll be ahead of events … and in control.  Think of beginning the work in sophomore or junior year, or even sooner.

Final Thoughts

The Ivy League colleges symbolize and represent academic achievement, but they also signify opportunity, challenge, and the continual pursuit of excellence.  But gaining admission involves much more than just having high scores. It really does require planning and strategy, coupled with getting a true understanding of what each place values, and focusing on that.

So although the rest of the world is trying to get students to "do more," the most successful applicants to Ivy League colleges tend to take a much more relaxed – though still serious – approach. They will focus on, and pursue, what they love, and present a multi-layered and honest vision of themselves.