<p>It's pretty straight forward. How do you know which Ivy best fits you?</p>
<p>Wouldn’t a better question be “How do you know what school in general and/or life path is right for you?” It could easily be no ivy at all (it is for most). Otherwise, I’d think you’d do research, visit to explore the environment, and talk to past/present students about their experience.</p>
<p>It’s also pretty straight forward. How do Ivies know which applicant best fits them?</p>
<p>To narrow your search to 8 schools is superficial and ingenuous. Dartmouth probably has more in common with Williams and Middlebury than it does with Penn. Princeton is a bit more like Duke than Columbia, etc. If your goal is to be able to say that you attend an “Ivy”, then you’ve limited your scope to a group of schools that run the gamut in terms of focus, students and, frankly, academic distinction.</p>
<p>It’s easy. A college doesn’t fit you at all if you aren’t admitted there.</p>
<p>For the most part, I think the Ivies are all looking for the same sorts of students (which isn’t just one sort of student), but they make different decisions, and then the cross-admitted students sort themselves out somewhat based on small differences among the schools.</p>
<p>I endorse what Dad2 says, except for the last phrase. It would be wrong to describe the Ivies as “running the gamut” of focus, students, and academic distinction. They run a tiny, tiny segment of the gamut on those things.</p>
<p>All top universities and LAC’s (probably roughly 20 in all) represent a rarified and tiny segment of higher education: within this subset, however, there will be some differences in the flavor of the student body, undergraduate emphasis/focus of the institutions and, yes, academic distinction (without naming names, would a cross-section of collegiate leadership put Brown on a par with Harvard?)…</p>
<p>Visit – not only Ivies or big time LACs-- often you will get a “feel” for a place that cannot be gathered from data, the Insider’s Guide or even videos. My S would visit a school that he “thought” he should like but return the car and said–“nope.” He did that for example at Princeton and therefore didn’t apply. Before he visited he seriously thought that Princeton would be “the place.” When pressed, he resisted particularization, wanting to stay with “it just isn’t right for me…”</p>
<p>It is sorta like finding your mate…you can have all sorts of stats and ideas of what you want in an “idea” life partner-- but you might meet the person who “fits the bill” and realize–“no” and then meet someone who you know in your gut is the person for you…trust that gut… it rarely lies. </p>
<p>And once you decide, cross fingers that that schools admissions committee feels it is reciprocal. Good luck and enjoy the ride.</p>