<p>Certainly not</p>
<p>i think that no one really knows how tro get into the ivies any everyone has a chance.....an admission counselor can see something in you that someone else might not....it isn't all about the SAT so no one needs to be pompous and say only 2100 and up can get in because that is not true and sports kids aren't the only ones......otherwise they would have a very boring and arrogant group of students</p>
<p>Superheroes, hmmm....</p>
<p>A Colby admissions rep was keeping a blog last year during admissions season to give kids an "inside look" at how admissions works. One weekend there was a big snowstorm and he wrote that he brought files home and sat by his fireplace, reading them. He was very impressed - he'd had two separate applicants who had SAVED SOMEONE FROM DROWNING. He wrote, "How does it feel to save someone's life before you're 18 years old?"</p>
<p>So the superhero thing may not be too far off base.</p>
<p>But seriously, Ivies are looking for the same thing everyone else is - a well rounded CLASS. This doesn't necessarily mean well-rounded students. One year they may need an oboe player and a defensive tackle. The next year they might need Slavic Studies majors and people to write for the newspaper. In other words, if you have strong grades and EC's, the rest of it may be out of your hands. As hard as that is to accept, it's not unfair, it's just life.</p>
<p>Movie Buff, you are right. Lynxie had a 2310 SAT I and 2390 SAT II. In addition he/she was a "state champion". Needless to say, once you see the whole app he/she had just as good a chance as anyone going into the game.</p>
<p>Basically, you need the requisite stats/ECs. Then you need excellent essays and some luck. Not a lot, nor a little. Just some.</p>
<p>Ivies are ultra-elitist institutions. Yale doesnt want anyone who is just focused on how early they can retire and how much money they can make. If they have an inkling of that, its instant rejection. They want people who demonstrate potential to become powerful and breed the next set of America's rulers. </p>
<p>The past group of presidents and presidential nominees and most senators we've had in the last 10 years have all been Yalie's or Harvardies. Why did Harvard/Yale accept them? Because they knew they had ruthless ambition, and thats what Harvard and Yale want their alumni to be.</p>
<p>While as you get down into the other parts of the Ivy League they realize all the future-super-greats will be going off to HYP, they are willing to accept people who are still going to lead amazing lives and who will get giant wikipedia pages written about them. </p>
<p>An Ivy League school will NEVER EVER Accept someone they think is just/will be just a "normal person".</p>
<p>MJB,
I sure hope YOU didn't sneak through the admissions cracks at any of the elite schools. George Bush's SAT scores were a 1200+, which translates to just over a 125-130 IQ, converts to a 1300+ on today's SAT scale and was competitive for Yale at the time he applied. As a bonus, both his SAT scores AND his Yale grades were higher than John Kerry’s was. You should do some research before you go and write rubbish like that. Say you don't like him, OK! Say you disagree with him, sure! Say he is a lousy speaker, you bet! Say he went to Yale, but wasn't competitive, you're out of the realm of opinion there and you're WRONG.</p>
<p>I saw John Kerry at Harvard-Yale this year.../hijack</p>
<p>anyways, I had fun in high school and still got into an ivy. the key is to just balance everything. i would go out with my friends everyday after school/clubs were over (we'd go to the mall or get a snack or just hang out at someone's house). and i went out every friday and saturday night and played recreational tennis with some buddies followed by a trip to the mall every sunday afternoon. i partied just as much as the other kids, but still maintained a high gpa...</p>
<p>...but i'll be completely honest, i managed to do all of this because i hardly ever slept more than 3 hours a night, which is completely unhealthy. my motto in high school was "i can sleep when i'm dead."</p>
<p>^^^well said.</p>