<p>Now, of course, I realize that 3.0s aren't going to get someone into Yale... Ever... So by "average" I mean stats that are decent, but not stellar.</p>
<p>Basically, I want to hear stories of people who've gotten in Ivy League schools who aren't child prodigies or math geniuses or whatever. For example, the kid with a 3.7 GPA who wrote a killer essay and was accepted to Harvard, or a girl who got a 2100 on her SATs but raised a bunch of money for children in Africa or something and got into Princeton.</p>
<p>So do you know anyone who doesn't fit the "4.0, 2350, ECs up the ass" mold who's been accepted to an Ivy?</p>
<p>But he was a computer security specialist, and had won multiple international competitions. He was offered a hell load of jobs if I remember correctly, but he wanted to get a degree just for good measure.</p>
<p>(Oh, that was MIT and Stanford, but is there really a difference?)</p>
<p>I don’t know of anyone that was average that got into an ivy, I do know of someone who got into harvard, brown and upenn without perfect grades and perfect scores… they still were above average, but not like 2400/2400. And his EC were pretty impressive too and he has an interesting background… so what Im trying to say is that it is possible to get into an Ivy without a perfect score on everything, but that an overall solid profile is an absolute must!</p>
<p>And also a record that is very convincing in showing that the candidate is more than numbers. That he is someone with creativity, drive, and an intellectual spark. Someone who’ll contribute to the college.</p>
<p>yeah some athletes and URMs get in with average or below average stats. The thing with college admissions to top schools, is that you never know exactly what got a person into that school. So many people are accepted at one school and denied at another, so it could be ECs that pushed a borderline applicants, or LORs, essays, or hooks. I know one girl who wrote a short story and got into Harvard with okay stats</p>
<p>Three kids at my school got into Yale SCEA this year. Three others got into Cornell ED (no overlap). None of them were ranked in the top 10%, and I don’t think any of them broke 2300 on the SAT.</p>
<p>…granted, the class size is 85, and this is a really competitive high school (20% NMSF’s). It’s also worth noting that one kid was a recruited athlete and the other a URM. All these people had great EC’s though, and possibly also great essays.</p>
<p>^ Yes, I knew that. My point was that even in the more recent years, Ivy admissions were nowhere near as competitive as they are now. Sorry if my post wasn’t clear.</p>
<p>Actually my D, now a soph. and she says…“I figured out that I must have got accepted to Big Reach Ivy” because my app got stuck to someone’s who was WAY smarter than I am". Though she did have a specialized skill set for a specific major. So when adults in your life tell you you ‘bloom where you are planted’, it may also take a lot of Miracle Gro…</p>
<p>My friend got into Yale ED with a 2100-2200 and average (by CC standards) extracurriculars. Another friend last year got into Cornell ED with a 1950 and above average ECs.</p>
<p>EDIT: The one who got into Yale was white and the Cornell one was korean.</p>
<p>For the sake of this post, I think it’s helpful to avoid URM examples.</p>
<p>There’s a senior at my school who’s been very successful in admissions so far (full ride to NYU, early writes from several T10 universities and LACs) who isn’t incredibly overworked. He’s academically strong (5’s on a couple APs, 2300+ SATs) but without mindblowing ECs (a few club memberships and editor of lit mag). I think what’s helped him the most is his clear aptitude as a student combined with a focus on writing–a focus that, btw, takes up infinitely less time than the sports/music/clubs/community service so many kids take on.</p>
<p>So there is hope for those kids with few ECs. Focus on one area in addition to maintaining a strong academic profile.</p>
Sorry if my post wasn’t clear.</p>