<p>“My impression is that most of the applicants who wind up in these very selective schools choose to spend their time productively because they are self-motivated, very engaged in the pursuit of excellence inside and outside the classroom, and find these experiences rewarding for their own sake, not just for populating the spaces in a college application.”</p>
<p>I don’t agree with the above statement to tell the truth. A place like Harvard is full of kids who know the rules of the game and play by them (as do their parents). Many are conventional in ways that are disappointing, and many are stressed. Of course, no statement covers everyone or even a majority, but if a kid is going to spend high school pursuing this goal, chances are, this description may actually fit him in the end.</p>
<p>When people post on here asking about how a younger high school student can get into Ivies and other prestigious schools, my first reaction is that the parent, first, needs to become more sophisticated about the school choices that are available.</p>
<p>Anyone can apply to selective schools, but noone should set his or her heart on getting in, period. So playing up other schools, and throwing in an Ivy in a casual manner, will protect the son from harm a lot more than pushing him to an excellence that may not get him in. Excellence for its own sake, yes, but not excellence to get in.</p>
<p>“When people post on here asking about how a younger high school student can get into Ivies and other prestigious schools, my first reaction is that the parent, first, needs to become more sophisticated about the school choices that are available.”</p>
<p>How can parents become more knowledgeable so they can guide their children appropriately? He has expressed the interest to go to a Ivy league, I never suggested it. I would like to help him and also make sure he is realistic in his expectations.</p>
<p>^^Agree with everything compmom has said. A “prestigious” school may be the outcome for certain types of kids, but it shouldn’t be the goal. How much of a conformist is your child? How competitive? How focused is he at age 15? In my experience seeing how my son and his friends have done getting into college this year, very few who are dabblers or seekers or present themselves in any way as random in their academic trajectory or ECs have gotten into the schools you are aiming for. This is not to say that they are not incredibly bright, capable young people–they are. But it takes a special kind of commitment, developed early on, for most “regular” kids to get into the so-called top schools. </p>
<p>I know it’s a lot to expect kids to know what they want to do with their lives at this age, but another consolation to some who have big dreams for themselves is that they still can have the Ivy/elite-school experience if they plan to go onto grad school. Plenty of intellectually curious kids have not found themselves after one year of high school but develop strong interests and convictions later on in high school or college. If your son might be interested in med school, law school or a PhD program, he will have another chance at the “top” schools that might not be accessible to him now.</p>
<p>I recommend the Fiske Guide to Colleges. You can probably borrow it from your public library or from your school’s guidance office. It has descriptions of schools and also lets you know what other schools are considered similar. Start by reading about those names you’ve heard of–schools in your area, schools you’ve heard mentioned, etc–and get a feel for what others are like them. There is such a range of size, geographic location and setting, educational emphasis, etc. And a bright kid can have so many options to choose from.</p>
<p>I second the suggestion made by DeskPotato. A good way to get a rough idea of chances: go to the Ivy forum on CC, then pick a particular college. Look at the Official [Name of Ivy] RD results thread for the class of 20xx. This will show what the admitted students tend to have going for them. You will also see some really exceptional students among those who did not get in. </p>
<p>As a side note: The UW GPA is the unweighted GPA, A = 4, B = 3, etc. with no added bonus for honors or AP. Also, it would be worthwhile to check out the UC admissions systems, and see what UC your son would qualify for.</p>
<p>Since you’ve indicated it’s your son’s idea to attend an Ivy League school, perhaps explore with him what it is that attracts him to that concept. After all, it’s not like they are an interchangeable set of schools in different locations. They are quite different from one another. Hanover, New Hampshire and Manhattan are not the same place; Ithaca, NY is not downtown Philadelphia.</p>
<p>If he’s just attracted to the idea of getting into a selective school because of the prestige involved, I would suggest you encourage him to think more broadly about his objectives for college. </p>
<p>If he wants to attend a selective school because he wants to be surrounded by bright and challenging classmates, help him to see that this outcome is possible at many schools outside the Ivy League. Because, as many have pointed out, even the best applicants may be rejected from schools with acceptance rates below 10%.</p>
<p>Let’s leave aside the issue of prestige and Ivies. We all want our kids to have good choices come senior year. If you want to maximize your college choices there are things that would be helpful.</p>
<p>First, get an idea of what sort of GPA/rank is necessary from your high school. At our school the top 5-10% get into excellent schools, but the most exclusive schools will only look at the top 2% or so. </p>
<p>Second, make sure you take enough of the most advanced courses - you don’t have to take every AP (or IB or local college course) offered, but you have to take about the same number as other advanced students. This number will vary from school to school - at our school those aiming at the Ivies take 8-10, but if your school only offers a few that’s fine.</p>
<p>Third, take the full college prep curriculum. Typically that’s 4 years of English, 4 years of math (preferably to Calculus), Bio, Chem, Physics and at least one AP science, four years of history, four years of a language, and one or two art electives.</p>
<p>Finally, do something besides school work. Typically the kids who get into the “elite” schools can get good grades in advanced courses with a hand tied behind their back. They have plenty of energy to devote to other things. For my younger son this was a double period of orchestra and selling origami earrings, for my older son it was developing an expertise in computer programming including Linux and being hired as a freelance programmer at market rates. Others will do sports, or be in theaters, or be both in school bands and have their own rock bands. Others do science research. There’s no one right way to get there - and most of the kids I know pursued these interests without any thought of what looked good to colleges. They just did what they loved and got very, very good at it.</p>
<p>Finally look beyond colleges with 15% or less admit rates, because even stellar students get rejected from them all the time. Nearly everyone who applies to Harvard, Yale, Princeton etc. is qualified.</p>
<p>Both the kid’s interests/motivation and the family situation can change a lot in the next two years. Just don’t be surprised if this happens. In the meantime, consider the highly selective schools a lottery and start visiting other types of schools. I wouldn’t do a lot until late next summer.</p>