Hello there,
i have been reading many useful advice and answers to questions from german students,thats why I decided to ask for your advice on this platform.
I am a german student at a gymnasium in Bavaria and the city I live in is currently in lockdown. I am ninth grade now and have been starting to think more seriously about my future.For some of you that my sound a little early but recently I have been figuring out what my real strengths are and what kind of person i strive to become.I have been taking school more seriously since seventh grade and am now a mostly A student,if you can call it that because the german school system is unfortunately different than other school systems.My question is ,as the title says,how can I build a good foundation for getting into an ivy league when I am older.As my research tells me Ivy leagues are looking at your academic achievements from ninth grade til graduation.I also know that out school activities matter thats why I will some of them: I have started dancing since i was a child but a took break from it for other activities such as playing the piano,acting,athletic and basketball.At the moment I am dancing at a studio where Im looking forward to becoming a part of a crew,where I will be able to take part in competitions. I also raised money for a charity twice,which is called terre de homes where i collected money for homeless children in third world countriesBefore our second lockdown I took part in black lives matter protest,because as a black woman myself(im biracial) i feel a duty to fight against injustice for my folks,my mother and the entire black community.I also started a podcast with a friend of mine where we talk about how it is to be a part of generation Z.
As i mentioned before ,fighting against injustice against any minority is a big part of my life which made me come to the conclusion that I wanna study law at some point in my life so that i can become a lawyer and later on a judge.I study four languages : Spanish,Latin,English,Swahili and Im looking forward to becoming more fluent in each of them every day .I teach myself swahili,which is the language of my mother african mother,through taking online courses,When it comes to colleges i would really enjoy law school and already universities i will keep an eye on.Do you have any advice for improving my out school activities? im already thinking about helping out at the pet shelter but as you will know right now there are not many options because of covid. This year i will also start an internship at a law office when everything turns out well 
fingers crossed
Im looking forward hearing from guys maybe there are some of you that studied abroad already
(as far as my grades are concerned i will keep trying to improve so that I will be an A grade student in most of my subjects)
IF you pursue college in the US, there are many fine schools. It’s ok to start with a look at the most competitive, to try to understand what they offer, what makes them unique, what they look for, in applicants. But it’s not necessary to attend one of them to accomplish your goals. So, as you learn more, look for other colleges that offer the same.
Right now, you’re just starting. You have yet to understand how your own interests will form and then what matters to various colleges. Now is the right time to be self-examining. But you’re looking at this as your interests or career ideas. The colleges will be looking at more: how you “fit” their interests and opportunities. And with the volume of applicants, it’s a crazy fierce situation.
Helping at a pet shelter isn’t a high impact extracurricular. Do it if you enjoy it. But look for ways to help people with needs, in your community. What about work involving immigrants or somehow connected to your heritage?
And I don’t know how familiar you are, with our system. But law school, eg, comes after the undergraduate degree. And the costs for undergrad are outrageous.
It really isn’t a good idea to try to fit yourself to a certain set of schools (and Ivy League schools are all quite different). Instead, find schools that fit you. I would add that paradoxically, being yourself is probably the “best foundation” for admission to selective schools.
High school is a great time to explore and develop your interests. If you love animals and want to volunteer working with them, please do so.
You are looking very far ahead into the future, and I know that can be motivating. But try to stay flexible. Sometimes premature planning interferes with opportunities. And enjoy high school!
I mean to be helpful, but please put paragraph breaks so that your posts going forward are easier to read. That’s a big block of text.
You sound like an interesting person. Right now, the best way you can help yourself is to keep your grades high and pursue the things that really interest you. So doing a couple of charity fundraisers for kids in 3rd world countries doesn’t seem like a real interest of yours.
You have to understand that the Ivy League colleges and other super selective schools are not just looking for kids who tick off a lot of boxes: Worked at animal shelter, raised money for children, dancer.
They are looking for kids like this (examples are imaginary): Performed in X number of productions, lead dancer, taught young kids dance for three years. Raised money for charity for three years, coordinated city-wide relief effort for refugee children and their families, interviewed by news, recognized by national Council for Refugees and Asylum. Coordinated BLM marches in city and liaised with city officials, promoted event via podcast with 100,000 listeners, have recorded X number of podcasts, planning more marches for Summer 2021… Can you see the difference?
I should add that kids who are not able to do those types of things also get admitted to top colleges. Maybe a student still managed to take the hardest classes and get good grades but had to work to help support the family and also had to look after an ailing grandparent. There is no formula to who they accept, but, especially as an international applicant, your competition will be fierce so make sure you are giving it your very best effort if you are truly serious about it.
The very most selective schools, in general, are looking for students who are going to be involved and who want to make some kind of difference. Take the hardest classes, get high grades, pursue what genuinely interests you and make the most of whatever opportunities you have. And most importantly, make sure you have a balanced list of colleges to apply to, including one that you can definitely attend and would be happy to do so.
Do you have the ability to pay 100% of the cost of Ivy League colleges?
We have many wonderful colleges in the US. It may be better to research those colleges who admit more students from your country or give scholarships if cost is an issue.
Get good grades and do things that interest you.
Do only the things that interest you? Then, rationally accept that these things may or may not interest the elite colleges. In other words, lol. Even if some charity event, eg, does “interest you,” it’s not a magic “it.” Try to learn what does matter, from the colleges, themselves. What you can learn from the top colleges will inform your thinking, as you look at others. It will inform your choices, as you pick up new activities. You’ll be making a variety of decisions over the next years.
It’s less about a hotfire resume, more about a pattern of awareness, taking on challenges of various sorts, trying new things, not just staying in your own comfort zone, etc. And reflecting openness, good will, resilience, and more. Look into what “holistic” means.
I agree 100%, it’s too soon to obsess. Miles to go. Much to learn. I’d say, the first step is your own exploration into what the colleges say and show about the sorts of kids they like.
Is there any way for you to get into a foreign exchange program for high school students? My friend’s daughter from Schleswig-Holstein went for a year overseas and it was a life-changing experience. If you could spend a year in a US high school, you’d have a better idea about the country, the system, the people, etc. Not to mention honing your already impressive English skills.
To be blunt, if you have to ask, then you probably need to focus on applying to less competitive schools. Why ? Because the most successful applicants demonstrate passion in one or more areas that is born out of that individual’s natural curiosity and drive.
That’s unnecessarily harsh and limiting, I’d say. Looking into many things in your mid-teens before choosing your life passion seems quite natural.
Maybe harsh and limiting, but true.
Is there such a thing as “choosing your life passion” ?
Passion is an emotion, not a choice.
Passion is overrated. No one gets admitted to a tippy top college for proclaiming some emotion. Curiosity is shown in many ways.
We’re getting off track, in a very CC way.
I am assuming that the debate on passion is over. Focus on the OP.
When I started reading your description of yourself, what REALLY stood out was your interest in social justice, in particular for minorities. You need to continue to do very well in school. You need to develop your written English to a very high level. And you need to focus on that interest in using the law to achieve social justice, especially for minorities. It’s not that you should stop all the other things you do, if they are very important to you and you derive great pleasure from them. It’s that you need to focus on that social justice for minorities, achieved through the law, so that your credentials in that area are extraordinarily impressive.
You see, schools that offer full financial need scholarships for international students get many thousands of applications. If you’re applying as a mixed race German, who dances some, raises a bit of money for charity, and does a little bit of social activism, and walks dogs at the shelter, and along with other high schoolers, did an internship at a law office, you won’t get in.
But you might get in if you can do this: excellent grades, especially in written English expression, a very high ACT or SAT score to prove your ability in English (and I think that the ACT is easier than the SAT for non-native speakers of English), and outstanding achievement in social justice lobbying in Germany, and possibly through an international NGO type organization, too. You want to shoot for being the Greta Thunberg of social justice for minorities or immigrants, at least on the national level in Germany.
Write letters to the editor in your town, regarding social justice. Find out what law firm is doing for-free (pro bono) work for immigrants, poor minorities in your town, and go in and offer to work for free for them. Talk your way in the door to volunteer for them - perhaps your Swahili can get your foot in the door. If you are enthused by this, then kick it up a notch with letters to newspapers and websites with higher readership. Start your own social justice blog, outlining what you are doing, what others can do. Try to recruit other young people to join you in social justice volunteering.
You want the admissions committees to think, “Wow. This young person is going to make a big mark in the world, for good. We want it to be known that she went to our school.” That’s your possible route into an Ivy school, or another school that will meet your financial need.
Nah. You don’t need to be Greta. Or highly aggressive.
As you learn more about top colleges, you’ll see how they value various qualities and energies, depth and breadth. The idea one has to be aggressive or more/better than others is contrary to holistic.
I don’t feel that students should base their activities on what might interest colleges. If the goal is “Harvard or nothing” then sure, the student needs to do things Harvard wants to see. But I don’t think any student should be doing stuff just because they think Harvard wants to see it. Plenty of students do that, I’m sure. It doesn’t mean they will get into Harvard and maybe they could have spent their high school years doing something they care about, not something Harvard will care about.
If this student pursues her interest in her podcasts and racial injustice, that might show a better fit for some other college, and maybe not Harvard. I don’t feel that students should manufacture interests based on what a college wants. Maybe no super selective school will think that fits with what they want, and if it doesn’t, it’s probably not the right school for the student.
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Not disagreeing with how you worded this post. But there are lots of choices one makes that are goal oriented. And OP asked about Ivies.
Maybe the easy example is pet volunteering. It’s sweet. Fit it in, if you want. But it’s not an EC likely to sway a tippy top adcom.
You don’t need to “manufacture” interests in order to meet expectations. You can simply ensure you include college-relevant experiences, as well.
About podcasts. Lots of kids blog and brag they’ve got 1100 or 110000 or whatever followers. Great. But not something tippy top adcoms are looking for. Don’t drop it. But be aware of what sorts of balance work.
I respectfully disagree with some of the prescriptions above that suggest what might get you into an Ivy. Please do not research what they are looking for and then mold your high school experience around those factors. And you do not need to win global awards or be world famous to get in These ideas will only increase pressure.
I think the thing to do is follow the path of your interests in a natural way. For instance, you might start out walking dogs, but then end up as a volunteer coordinator, or get interested in the issue of strays inn Puerto Rico and get involved with a program that reduces the population of suffering dogs. Or you might get involved with wildlife management or develop an interest in a veterinary career and work as an assistant.
This is just an example. The wonderful thing about letting yourself explore, rather than plan, is that you never know where it might take you.
One other thing: since you are interested in Ivy league schools, character and authenticity are important. It is also less about you as an individual and more about what you bring to the mix of the class.
Are you a US citizen? If not, you need to find out what the path is to become a lawyer in your home country. A bachelor’s degree from a US college may not help you get into a law school there. And a law degree from a US law school won’t make you qualified to practice law when you return home.
“don’t mold your high school experience around those factors.”
Agree. But if you’re applying (and to a most competitive,) one can try to recognize some of the important factors, get some of them in, as feasible. Balance.
You’re applying, asking for an admit. Usually, not just dispassionately throwing your hat in the ring. And adcoms get to give thumbs up or not.
There’s a difference, imo, between collecting life experiences that interest you (important in so many ways) versus setting yourself up as a logically, reasonably compelling candidate for THAT college. As ever, I mean elites.
I definitely agree with: if you don’t want to, then pick other colleges. Sure.
With respect to extracurricular activities, it is difficult to try to manufacture one’s qualifications for admission into an elite (most selective) school. Without a genuine driving interest and ability in a particular field, it is unlikely that one can accomplish noteworthy achievements in that or any area. Additionally, the needs and wants of most selective schools with respect to building a class change from class to class.
In short, do not try to be what someone else wants you to be. Better to excel at being yourself.