<p>Hello all,
I was wondering, for those of you who have been accepted into Ivy Leagues, what special things you guys did during high school? I know many did hundreds of hours of community service, got straight As, high GPAs, high Class Rank, varsity sports, 2300+ SATs, different clubs like CSF NHS Key Club, Math Club, etc, plus great essays and recs, but is there anything other that you guys did to get into such great colleges? Thanks for the help!</p>
<p>I got a likely letter from Cornell, which for me also means that I hope I have a chance at Yale and Harvard. But for just about any top tier school, I think commitment to something... actually anything... really helps. I had the great test scores, volunteer hours, extra currics, but I also showed my dedication and commitment to what I love. I swam on a club swim team for twelve years and played piano for twelve as well. Joining clubs in high school is great, but make sure you join because you love it. I know it's corny, but it's way easier to expresses positive energy for an activity if you sincerely enjoy it. You don't need to be nationally acclaimed in something to be good at it or to show you love doing it. And seriously, your life will be wayyy better if you actually enjoy doing the things you do =)</p>
<p>Yeah. Just don't believe the myths about having to either cure cancer, be a world-class Olympian or have parents who surpass Bill Gates wealth just to get into Harvard, Yale, or Princeton et al.</p>
<p>Like SandyBeach said, make sure you have a true passion for something and make it shine through your application.</p>