Think it's impossible to get accepted into an Ivy League school? Not so, say some admissions experts. Read on, then take action!

You Can Go the Ivy Route!
by Lynda Kessler
December 2001

The CollegeBound Network NewsClick -- Who knows more about college admissions than an admissions counselor? Come next year, the answer will be you -- since you'll be a college student! Just to give you a heads up on what to expect until you gain expert status, Dave Berry, co-author of America's Elite Colleges: The Smart Buyer's Guide to the Ivy League and Other Top Schools(Random House-Princeton Review, 2001), has admissions tips for you to consider.

Concentrate on marketing yourself to your dream school, says Berry, not just your stats and scores. "I hesitate to use the word 'market,' but that's what the process really is -- projecting your best qualities in such a manner that you reveal as many personal aspects as possible," he explains. And he cautions, "Believe it or not, many applicants who are valedictorians with a 1600 SAT score, near 800 SAT IIs, and long lists of AP courses, are routinely deferred."

Berry adds that applications are very generic and not very explanatory, stating that "application forms themselves are inherently limiting because of their one-size-fits-all nature." He notes that most of the students filling out "Ivy [League] applications have spent many years developing their various interests, activities, and skills, but the application forms only allow for a very small space to reference those accomplishments."

The solution? Sending an attachment of achievements and awards along with your application, Berry recommends. "My approach is to get you to search your relatively young lives and recall the developmental threads of your various passions, then document them." As for the essay portion, which Berry feels shows more personality than the interview, he suggests showing interest in the school without kissing up. "There are many possible ways to express sensible enthusiasm," he says. "When you can rationally express your reasons for wanting to attend a certain school, rather than gushing about its fall foliage and world-class lectures, you'll command much more serious attention."

Even more than selling yourself, Berry points out, be sure that you want to go the Ivy route in the first place. Be a discriminating college consumer and define how the school meets your needs, he explains. "Search the true value and meaning in your college choices. Don't choose your colleges simply because of a perception of quality... when it's all said and done, it's the fit that counts."