What Students Are Ivy League Schools Looking For?

2024-06-19

On average, Ivy League schools receive over 50,000 applications annually, with undergraduate acceptance rates ranging between 3% and 7%. This means that over 93% of applicants are rejected by Ivy League schools. Being academically talented is not enough to gain your admission to Ivy League schools; it is more like a prerequisite for all applicants. When almost all applicants are academically strong, Ivy League schools take other factors into consideration in identifying desired candidates.

So, what kind of students are Ivy League schools looking for? What sets apart those who receive offer letters? Here are six criteria that Ivy League schools are looking for in seeking highly qualified student candidates. Talent Boost Education summarizes it as I.M.P.A.C.T.—Intellectual curiosity, Motivation, Persistence, Action, Creativity, and Traits.

Intellectual curiosity is the innate desire of a student to explore new ideas, seek knowledge, and pursue lifelong learning. The thirst for knowledge and motivation for learning should come innately from the student. Intellectual curiosity can be demonstrated through academic involvement within and outside students’ high schools. Successful Ivy League candidates often engage in a combination of academic pursuits.

Practical tips: Show an upward trajectory in your transcripts and excel in the courses that are related to your major. Take rigorous courses like AP and IB HL. Choose a well-balanced course selection and aim for the highest scores possible. Participate in national or international competitions, conduct research, and take standardized tests are also great ways to demonstrate intellectual curiosity.

Passion is probably the most referred word when it comes to college applications. Ivy League schools care more about why you did something rather than what you did. Passion is what motivates you to participate in a club, do community service, or intern at a big company. You engage in extracurricular activities not because you have to, or because you happened to have an opportunity, but due to a deep-rooted desire and genuine interest that drives you to gain a deeper understanding of a field or find solutions to existing problems. When you are passionate about something, you are naturally motivated to learn, explore new ideas, and be open to different perspectives. That’s what Ivy League schools want to see from your extracurricular activities. Demonstration of motivation is not as straightforward as a test score. It may not be easily identifiable through one particular document, but as admission officers read through your application materials as a whole, it becomes quite evident.

Practical tips: For national or international competitions, emphasize that it was your genuine interest in the field that supported you through the tremendous preparation. For capstone projects, mention the process of how your interest in a specific issue led you to this capstone project. Include these information in your essay, personal statement, or recommendation letters.

Persistence and determination come in two forms. Persistence is when you consistently engage in something, while determination is when your long-term goal is not going as smoothly as planned, and your commitment to continuing with it regardless of challenges. Ivy League schools are looking for both. You want to demonstrate that you are dedicated to a certain academic field through specific course selections and extracurricular activities for an extended period of time.

Practical tips: Make connections of your academic and extracurricular engagements as if there is a chain reaction. For example, if you want to apply for a premed major, then throughout your high school years, you take biology, chemistry, and math classes, gain practical experience by shadowing at a hospital, initiate a fundraising event to help a patient with a rare disease, and dive into cutting-edge research on this disease.

Ivy League schools want to see their prospective students engage in purposeful actions in a dedicated area. Purposeful actions mean you have a meaningful goal in mind when doing the activities. Remember, the goal is not about your own growth; it is about benefiting others. So your goal shouldn’t be to learn more about something or gain experience in a particular area. Your goal should be to solve people’s problems, provide help to those in need, or create a community of like-minded people. That’s the impact of your actions. Consider how your actions affect others and strive to contribute positively to your community and the broader world. Your impact should be tangible and measurable. Actions without measurable impacts lose their convincing power and are less likely to stand out among other applicants.

Practical tips: On your Common App activity list, emphasize your accomplishments with measurable impacts. For example, if you develop an app, use the user data to support your impact. If you conduct a charitable campaign, mention the funds you raised or the number of volunteers who participated.

The ability to think outside the box and come up with innovative ideas is a highly sought-after skill for Ivy League schools. As their missions include nurturing future leaders, they want to see entrepreneurship in their prospective students, and creativity is essential for entrepreneurship. You want to demonstrate you have the creative thinking skills that enable you to generate original ideas and develop innovative solutions. It is important to emphasize the creative process than the outcome of the academic or extracurricular activities you participate in. Your creativity can also be demonstrated through recommendation letters. It would be very convincing evidence if your teacher provides examples of how you make novel connections between concepts or think outside of conventional boundaries.

Practical tips: In your essay or personal statement, emphasize the creative processes in your activities. For example, if you conducted research with a college professor, instead of talking about how experienced or well-known your professor is, focus on the discussion of your original ideas and how your research is an innovation from previous researches.

We have covered quite a few personal traits above, such as intellectual curiosity, persistence, and creativity. These are the overarching qualities that Ivy League schools ideally want all their prospective students to have. Here we are talking about the personal traits that are unique to you. What makes you who you are now? How does that potentially contribute to your future academic success in college? Ivy League schools want to know you as a person, a real human with feelings and emotions. You don’t have to go through tremendous difficulty to showcase your vulnerability. Too many times we have seen students exaggerate an obstacle they faced to demonstrate resilience and courage. It would be a great story to tell if that’s actually the case, but that’s not the only way to show your character traits. It actually speaks more to the admission officers if you narrate a personal story that we all can echo with.

Practical tips: In your essay, tell a personal story that showcases one or two personal qualities that are unique to you. Do not repeat your extracurricular activities or your accomplishments. Use the essay as a place to show aspects of yourself not covered elsewhere in your application.

In summary, students who are successfully accepted by Ivy League schools are people who are not only academically talented but also possess outstanding qualities and skills. While all Ivy League schools share similar values, each has unique aspects that define its individual culture and priorities. When choosing your dream schools, it is crucial to understand each institution’s unique culture and values so that you know it is the right fit for both you and them.