Just wondering…
One word: cornell
Also, Dartmouth. Penn’s acceptance rate is lower than the acceptance rates of both Cornell and Dartmouth. However, ALL of the Ivies are extremely selective.
Why do you care?
It really depends on what you mean by selectivity.
Some people might look at acceptance rates, some might look at SAT scores, GPAs, or cross-admit rates. I don’t think Penn is the least selective Ivy by any of those measures.
What did you mean by selectivity?
I have been told by others accepted there (one family member included) it also depends on what program you are applying to. For instance applying to the BSN Nursing program at Penn is much different than applying to Wharton. I think you will need to be more specific to get a better answer.
@parentofpeople lol!
Bill is has 800 scores across every test he has ever taken. He has straight A+'s in the most difficult classes at his very competitive high school which means he is valedictorian. He has done Model UN and has national awards from history competitions. Last summer while at debating camp he learned to cook. Loves it. He also loves traveling so he applies to Cornell’s School of Hotel Administration. Brian has scores hovering around 650. He has mostly As and some Bs. He has no academic awards. He started working in his family’s fast food restaurant when he was about 12. During the summers he worked in a local resort. He found he had a talent for promoting the resort and for making people at the resort feel pampered. By the end of his 2nd summer working there, the manager started calling him Mr. Hospitality. By the end of his 3rd summer working there he had learned book keeping and house keeping management. He applied to Cornell’s School of Hotel Administration. Brian was accepted to the school and Bill was rejected. Is Cornell easier to get into than other IVYs? Bill would probably have been accepted to other Ivys but not to this school in Cornell.
@lostaccount – that is so discouraging. Now high school students are expected to decide what career they want to pursue and get experience in that field in order to get into a top college? This process is becoming so ridiculous – and unfair to top students. Chances are that both students will change their mind and switch majors anyway. According to the National Center for Education Statistics about 80% of students in the US change their major at least once, with the average being 3 times.
@lslmom, it may be discouraging, but it is completely true regarding Cornell admissions.
The same is true of penn. I don’t feel like typing the whole scenario, but a kid who has all business related ECs that interns at a finance company every school break gets a boost in their admissions profile over someone with better scores, but has never done anything business related (for Wharton, of course)
Look at it this way: last year, Cornell and Harvard both rejected about the same number of applicants. Cornell actually rejected a few more than Harvard did. Cornell is roughly twice Harvard’s size, and has a much more diverse portfolio of specific, career-oriented undergraduate programs, at some of which New York State residents get reduced tuition. So it draws considerably more applications than Harvard does, and it accepts considerably more people, too, including both people with Harvard-type credentials and people like “Brian” who don’t fit the Harvard profile at all but are extraordinary in some other way. But it still rejects the vast majority of applicants.
@jamesjunkers I don’t believe your statement is true, at least for Wharton. An interest in business is surely advantageous because it is primarily a business school but Wharton seeks to educate and build leaders. Leadership skills is so heavily stressed in the admission process. Contrary to popular belief, a title of President of X club or Captain of Y club doesn’t cut it neither does having a host of insignificant finance related internships. Demonstrated leadership skills can be displayed within any club or activity. And Wharton places in a myriad of other fields besides the common finance route. Wharton Admissions FAQ said it best, “The undergraduate admissions committee looks for individuals who will be future leaders.”
i think that the level of selectivity is a mostly a function of the notion that so many more kids apply than get accepted and not on the required traits or SAT score or GPA. All of these things and more care factors that are used to select but the selectivity is due to the size of the pool of applicants vs available slots in each class.
Every Ivy rejects amazingly talented kids with the potential to excel at the institution because more kids like that apply than can they can accept.
Columbia University General Studies is the easiest Ivy
Cornell is the easiest ivy to gain admissions, followed by Penn. Their class sizes are triple the other ivies. Columbia School of general studies is extremely difficult to gain admissions and is the number one ranked extension school in the country. It is a school for adult returning students over 21 and not a college that high school students can even apply to. Harvard and Brown also have similar schools, but no where near the caliber or admissions standards.
Columbia GS is not an Ivy. It’s adult education taking place in an Ivy school and using Columbia curriculum. But yes, its GS students are free to present themselves as Columbia students and alumni. And they do lol
lslmom, It shouldn’t be discouraging and it does not mean that students can’t change majors. But, why would anyone apply to Cornell’s School of Hotel Administration without strong experience. And why would Cornell accept a student with no indication that the student has experience when there are too many applicants with strong experience to accept? There are plenty of schools ideal for students who have not a clue about what they want to major in. Why not apply to one of those? Wouldn’t you expect the most competitive schools in the world to be able to select students who not only know what they want but have experience and achievements in those areas?
One word: Harvard
“why would anyone apply to Cornell’s School of Hotel Administration without strong experience. And why would Cornell accept a student with no indication that the student has experience when there are too many applicants with strong experience to accept?”
@lostaccount These are 17 and 18 year olds. They should not have to have job experience to get into college. The are attending college so they can get a job, not the other way around. Statistically most will change majors, including the kids that think they have it all figured out and know exactly what they want to do. We are talking about an undergraduate education, not graduate school where some (like Wharton) do require actual work experience.
@Fiorucci76
Actually, Columbia GS is an Ivy League college. GS is also a member of the Ivy Council (only the student councils of Ivy League colleges can join).
GS is an official undergraduate college of Columbia University that offers the same classes, same faculty, and same degree as Columbia College. GS students make up 25% of the undergraduate population at Columbia. GS students also have the highest GPAs among Columbia undergrads. GS is highly selective, but has a higher acceptance rate due to its small, self-selected applicant pool.
It’s not just for adults, as there are many dual-degree candidates who applied straight out of high school.
All of this is right here, on WikiCU: http://www.wikicu.com/School_of_General_Studies