<p>Hello, </p>
<p>I am a sophomore in high school. It has been a dream of mine to go to an Ivy League since I was a very young child. As of now, I have never had a B in my high school career. I have a 5.0 GPA, and 4.0 unweighted. I am about to take my AP euro exam next week, but I should get a 4 or maybe 5 on that. I have a job that I work at three times a week, and I volunteer every weekend for about 3 hours. I should have about 300 volunteer hours by the time I graduate. I am a part of student council at my school, and I am going to be secretary next year. I will also, most likely, be my class president. </p>
<p>What are the chances that I could be accepted to any of the Ivy's? Also, if there is any advice you could give me on how to boost my resume, that would be much appreciated!</p>
<p>You have a shot at all of the ivies (And by shot, I mean ‘reasonable reach’) except HYP, which are basically a crapshoot for anyone without huge amounts of national awards and recognition. Keep up your GPA, try to delve further into community service, and start studying for your SAT’s early so you can ace them. If there’s a subject you’re particularly interested in, participate in regional contests. </p>
<p>How could a “very young child” possibly know enough to want to go an an Ivy? All the Ivy League schools are quite different from one another, and it shows you haven’t done any research about the schools when you say you have a dream to attend an Ivy, but instead are just dazzled by names and prestige. Believe me, someone who would be happy at Dartmouth is unlikely to be happy at Columbia. So it’s time to stop worrying about boosting your resume and start learning about various colleges and what they have to offer you–Ivies and the many, many other great schools that could be perfect for your needs and wants. </p>
<p>Regardless of which Ivy ultimately appeals to you, all anyone can say at this point is that your posted information would not preclude you getting into an Ivy. Admission at any highly selective school is a gamble regardless of how well your resume appears from the outside. MommaJ is right. You really need to look a great deal further if you want to be an engineer, Yale and Harvard are not your best options. Frankly, the Ivies may not be your best option depending on your life goals. The college itself is a means to an end, not an end of its own. Good luck.</p>
<p>Look into the Ivies one by one. Read about each, as well as the “Little Ivies”, in the Fiske Guide, Insider’s Guide to the colleges AND The Princeton Review’s best colleges. These universities are all very different and would appeal to different types of students. Outside of first gen/immigrant/low income kids who aren’t expected to know better, students would NOT apply to all but only to those that really “fits” them.
A Columbia rep once said that the fastest way to get cut is to write that you want to attend Columbia because it’s Ivy League and in NYC. You need to know the schools in-depth and figure out which ones fit you.
As for how to boost your resume: figure out what you’re really good at and figure out a path to get a national prize in it. Essentially, one of your EC needs to be at the national or international level for all top 20 schools. Good grades are just the first step.
In addition start preparing for the SAT now, so that you can score well on the PSAT. 2100 is the basic threshold for all top 20 universities and LACs.
Finally, your most important schools are your safeties. You should choose them based on fit and cost. They should be schools you like and can afford. One of them is likely to be your state’s flagship and its honors program. Finding good safeties (at least 2) is crucial, especially for students applying mostly to colleges with admission rates below 30%.</p>
<p>Don’t just say that “you want to go to an Ivy.” Find a school where there could be a program you’re very passionate about, or maybe a specific campus club. Learn about the professors in the major you may want to go in and read about the curriculum.</p>