<p>How many students each year from Colby graduating class get into an ivy league grad school?--I'm an admitted student of Colby, and I really want to go to an ivy grad school.</p>
<p>S graduated in 2011. A good friend was just accepted into a master’s program at Yale. Another close friend at Columbia this year. Another accepted at Tufts Medical (I know it’s not Ivy but it’s med school). Many classmates just getting ready to apply to grad programs in the next year or so. From what I’ve seen grad school acceptance is outstanding. Obviously depends on how you do and the grad program you are applying to, but a Colby degree will not hold you back from Ivy grad schools. The college is known and respected by grad school admissions offices–much more so than among the general public, I’m sure.</p>
<p>Thanks, do you know if colby post their statistics how many students each year got into grad school at some top notch grad schools.</p>
<p>I’m not sure if that information is online or kept somewhere, like in the career office. Maybe Admissions could help you find it.</p>
<p>I see. So it is do-able to get into an ivy league from Colby… but is it very hard?</p>
<p>It depends on so many things. My impression has been that it’s a lot easier than I thought for Colby grads to be accepted into many Ivy League graduate programs. Are you thinking education schools, sociology degrees, master’s programs, PhD programs? A PhD in Economics and a Master’s in Education are not in the same league, in terms of difficulty of acceptance. Med school, law and business school are also entirely different from other graduate school programs. What field are you interested in? What other colleges are you considering? I don’t think a Colby degree makes in harder to get into any graduate program and it’s probably a positive factor in most cases–but that doesn’t mean getting into Harvard Law or Harvard Med School will be easy. It depends on your grades and college record. It wouldn’t be easy even if you graduated from Harvard (trust me, I know this from the experience of law school friends and colleagues who graduated from Ivy’s as undergrads but couldn’t get into their own college’s law schools). </p>
<p>If you are deciding where to go to college right now, I hope you carefully consider the factors that will be most important in making your experience over the next four years the best it can possibly be. The truth is, you can get into an Ivy League grad school from a lot of undergraduate programs, and Colby will absolutely help and not hinder that process. There’s a lot more to think about than that…</p>
<p>I have decided that I’m going to Colby, that is set in stone; I really think I want a liberal art education that will prepare me for the world. I am interested in economics and finance; so I’m thinking about getting into a business school or getting a PhD for Econ. I just really want to know that WHAT I am suppose to do at Colby to make me stand out among other ivy league undergrad students who are applying. I know I sound so superficial about the name “ivy league,” but being a first gen. college student, I feel like I want to get into one of these top universities to prove myself and fulfill my parents’ hope. I heard that I should do research at college, so what else do I have to do?</p>
<p>Just get the best grades you can. Try to graduate with distinction in your major or Latin honors (cum laude etc.). Take every opportunity for research, internships etc. Good luck!</p>
<p>Thanks, I sure hope so! Do you what kind of grade do I have to get? like does it have to be a perfect 4.0?</p>
<p>You don’t know yet that you want to go to an “Ivy League grad school.” You think you do, but you really don’t.</p>
<p>First of all, you have no idea what section of business and finance you’re interested in - and every graduate school has professors who specialize in different aspects of the field. You need to go to the program which has a professor whose research interests most specifically match your own. There, you will have the best chance of admission, funding and academic success.</p>
<p>Secondly, “Ivy League” schools are not necessarily the best in any given field. Graduate school is not just “two or five more years of college” - it’s, in many ways, a different world. You will need to take time and research the given programs, talk to current graduate students in your field and work with your Colby professors to develop your interests.</p>
<p>Good grades and research experience are the primary factors in graduate school admissions, so focus on those areas. Unlike undergraduate admissions, nobody cares a whit about extracurriculars or clubs or anything like that.</p>
<p>You’ve got four years to figure these things out, maybe more - lots of people take a gap year between undergraduate and graduate studies. No rush.</p>
<p>Hi, bobbob924 - as you can see from the comments on this thread, many Colby students have successfully pursued graduate studies at a number of fine institutions following their time on Mayflower Hill. Statistically speaking, approximately three quarters of Colby students will go on to earn a graduate degree (and in 2010, the acceptance rates for medical and law school were 90% and 89%, respectively - substantially higher than national averages). A visit to the Career Center’s website on further studies provides additional information on specific programs and services offered to Colby students: [Colby</a> Career Center Further Study](<a href=“http://web.colby.edu/careercenter/students/furtherstudy/]Colby”>http://web.colby.edu/careercenter/students/furtherstudy/).</p>
<p>Very well said.</p>
<p>I’d agree with the general sentiments that a) Ivies aren’t always the best in show for grad work and b) you’ve got four more years to figure out what you want to do and where you want to do it. For example, I was admitted to Harvard and Columbia (both stellar programs with full funding) for my PhD, but Berkeley best fit my research/social-entrepreneurship interests.</p>
<p>As for my thoughts on how well Colby preps its students for the admissions process: At Colby, I was able to find my passion for linking the state of the environment with human health. Without this passion I am positive that I’d have been rejected from any grad school to which I’d applied. The small class sizes, intimate student-prof relationships, and active student body provided ample opportunities for fruitful research and extracurricular activities that looked great on a resume and (most importantly) allowed me to get a true taste for environmental health. And when app season came around, I had many professors who I knew would write me solid, well-informed letters of rec. This, I think, was hugely important in my grad app success. </p>
<p>So my long response short: I think Colby prepares its students quite well for the grad school application process. I was admitted to Yale, Harvard, and UW for my masters, and Berkeley, Harvard, UW, Johns Hopkins, and Columbia for my PhD.</p>
<p>(P.S. I had an admissions officer at Yale tell me how much they love Colby students in an interview… I wasn’t expecting that, hah, but I should have… Colby stickers are EVERYWHERE here.)</p>
<p>This is a bit late, so I’m curious how what you decided? Best of luck wherever you are!</p>
<p>werd</p>
<p>Thanks for all the comments, and I am going to Colby next year! :)</p>
@bobbob924
Where are you now (4 years later, haha!); Is there anything you can tell me about your experience as a student at Colby? I’m an incoming freshman (c/o 2020) and I’m basically sitting with the same mindset you had four years ago. What changed? What did you learn? I’m completely open to hearing what you have to say :))