Does a person need to be super intense to get into an Ivy League?

Applying to College
1

<p>Hi!</p>

<p>First off, I'm Asian and my family has no connections. Thus I'm competing with all these other Asians for limited spots...</p>

<p>There are people who get in by being a varsity athlete, or by representing the US in some academic competition, but do I need to do all of these?</p>

<p>I'm a sophomore in high school right now, so I've got some time.</p>

<p>The impression I'm getting is that I will have to win a national competition in something meaningful, like math (USAMO, maybe), help out third world countries, have 200+ volunteer hours, be president of a couple clubs, and do sports.</p>

<p>Yes, I do have parents who want me to go to an Ivy League. </p>

<p>Right now I'm slightly ahead of everyone else in terms of school academics (APs, etc.) but I have nothing that helps me stand out.</p>

<p>So for Asian Americans who are academic based (meaning not much sports), is it really that hard to get into one of the best colleges?</p>

<p>Thanks for the help! :]</p>

2

<p>You don’t have to win a national award; that’s only one way that people can stand out. Other people stand out by being leaders in their school/community in some way. There’s no cookie cutter path to admission. </p>

<p>But very few people get into Ivy League schools on grades and scores alone, because almost everyone that applies has good grades/scores. You’re still a sophomore so you still have time to accomplish things. Just remember that only a minority of Ivy League admits have done something crazy like making breakthroughs in cancer research or whatever. I got into an Ivy and I certainly didn’t do anything like that.</p>

3

<p>…or did you? (:</p>

<p>Which house are you in? I want to ask my sister if she’s met you.</p>

4

<p>I’m a freshman so I probably haven’t met your sister.</p>