Should I Even Apply to Ivy League Schools?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

A couple of months ago, a student representative from Yale spoke to my class about Yale. Until then, I had assumed that the only economically feasible option for me was to go to school at a public university in state. Of course, due to the need based financial aid that many top schools offer, I was wrong. The student from Yale’s presentation captured my attention, and with further (rather obsessive) research into the school, I fell in love with it.

Unfortunately, I am now beginning my senior year. Although I have managed to maintain good grades and get decent test scores, my extra curriculars are pitifully weak compared to many of the accepted (and rejected) applicants that I’ve come across online. I don’t really have time to fix anything.

Please rate my chances. I know no one can say for sure who will and won’t get accepted, but please let me know if my chances are too low to even try. Money is tight, and I don’t want to waste money on an application fee for a school I didn’t have any business applying for in the first place.

ACT:33
SAT:1480
SAT II: US History 750
Literature 700
AP US History: 5
AP Psychology: 5
AP Language and Composition: 5
AP Biology: 4

National Merit
4.0 unweighted GPA
Currently second in a class of 122

In my senior year I will complete: AP Macro, AP Gov, Dual Credit Algebra, DC trig, DC calc, DC comp II, DC Oral Communications, and Honors Physics

I have taken every rigorous course available at my school except for AP Computer Science and DC anatomy and physiology (due to scheduling issues) and AP art (due to a lack of skill)

Soccer team all 4 years: did it for fun. I’m not an outstanding athlete
Band all 4 years on alto sax: wasn’t really serious. I’m not an outstanding musician
Quiz Bowl all 4 years: once again, just for fun. My team wasn’t anything special and neither was I.
Model UN for the one year my school participated
And that’s about it.

In my research of Ivy league schools I learned about the “skill spike”, and I just don’t have one. I’m one of the well rounded students that is pretty good at a wide variety of things, but excellent at nothing. I’ve yet to find my passion. So basically, I’m just not Ivy league material.

The only thing that might set me apart is this: I am from a public school in Mississippi. According to the student from Yale that I spoke to, he is one of three Mississippians in his class at yale. Maybe they won’t judge my application too harshly due to the fact that they’re trying to diversify their campus. That being said, I’m a white girl, and while my family certainly isn’t rich, it isn’t dirt poor either. Plus, I go to one of the best schools in Mississippi. It’s not like I had to overcome monumental obstacles just to get a decent education.

Honestly, I’ll probably apply to Yale no matter what. These responses will likely just influence whether or not I’ll apply to other top schools I’ve been looking at (like Stanford, Brown, Duke, Princeton, Notre Dame) as well. So don’t hold back. Let me know what you think. Am I competitive enough to apply to any of these schools, or should I just save money and apply to Yale plus my top choice non competitive college?

P.S.: I am confident in my ability to write an interesting essay. I’ve considered showcasing my personality and best qualities though my experiences as an amateur beekeeper. I figured that would set me apart, but like all of my ECs, I only beekeep for fun. It’s not like I’m an expert or anything. And I don’t think I want to pursue a career in bee research. I just want to do keep bees small scale for fun. I guess I’m just worried that by not having a central theme to my application I’m coming across as an uncommitted average Joe. Any thoughts on this subject would be appreciated as well.

Thanks!

2

I am in a similar predicament! But I was talking to two Harvard and Yale students and I will try to echo their words to you as well as my own.

First off, your ECs should be fun to you! There’s no point in doing something you don’t enjoy, honestly. Here’s basically everything I did in a nutshell: religious youth leader, camp counselor, babysitter for my siblings, math tutor, hospital volunteer, lunch buddy for special ed students, school choir, and track. I didn’t think they were all that impressive, but upon speaking to actual students at those prestigious institutions, they assured me I was absolutely fine. I enjoyed what I did and I showed commitment. What else can I do? I might not get in anywhere noteworthy, but that goes for almost everyone else too.

No one has the right to say you have no chance. With the right grades and test scores, you have a chance. Now, you just need to win them over with your essays and letters of rec! For essays, I think a lot of people tend to start with a descriptive narrative and then transition into talking about how the experience defines them in the present. But just do what seems natural to you. Good luck!

3

Toolegittoquit, while your extracurriculars are good, remember that it is better to show leadership skills in at least many of them because everyone can be a camp counselor, babysitter, Math tutor, hospital volunteer, etc. However, not everyone can be, let’s say student conductor of a school choir or camp supervisor, something that has a leadership position. You don’t have to be a leader at every single one of the but you should show commitment and leadership at, at the very least, one.

4

@ReginaMills Personally, I think your stats and ECs are quite strong, definitely better than some other students that have gotten into Yale. Your decision will depend on your essays and interview, as it often does. I definitely think you should try it. While you may not have won a whole bunch of awards or started a nonprofit, you could potentially be selected over those people. Yale just needs to understand that your ECs mean a lot to you, and the only way for you to do that is through your essay. Nail that and you should be good. And I wouldn’t worry about the application fee, as Yale has a policy for people in your position. Straight from the website:

"Yale will waive the $80 application fee if it would constitute a significant financial burden for the student’s family. If you wish to request a fee waiver, follow these instructions when completing the Coalition Application or Common Application online:

  • Reply “yes” when asked “Do you intend to apply for need-based financial aid” (Coalition Application) or “Do you feel that your financial circumstances might qualify you for an application fee waiver?” (Common Application)
  • Confirm that you meet at least one of the indicators of economic need listed in the question(s) that will follow."

Hope this helped!

5

Op, what do you love about Yale?

6

Apply to the lesser ivies such as Brown, Cornell, and Dartmouth. Cornell is a ACT junkie

7

I think you should research the Ivies and find out which ones fit you best, since they are so different from one another.

There are reach schools that are not in the Ivy League that are considered Ivy Equivalents. Find out what you want out of your college – academics, environment, social vibe, etc. – and apply to schools that fit what you want.

Ivy-equivalent private universities, IMO:
Stanford
MIT
UChicago
Caltech
Duke
Northwestern
Johns Hopkins
Rice
Vanderbilt
Washington U
Notre Dame
Georgetown
Carnegie-Mellon
Emory
…and maybe BC and Tufts

Ivy-equivalent LACs:
Williams
Amherst
Swarthmore
Pomona
Middlebury
Wellesley
Bowdoin
Haverford
Carleton
Claremont McKenna
Vassar
Washington & Lee
Davidson
Hamilton
Harvey Mudd
Smith
Grinnell
Reed
Oberlin
Colby
Colgate
Bryn Mawr
Barnard
Bates…

In other words, I think that if you want to apply to multiple traditional reach schools, it might behoove you to think outside of the Ivy League and consider these schools as well.

8

There is a 100% chance you won’t get in if you don’t apply! If you love the school…apply.

9

I think you have a great shot- don’t underestimate the value of geographic diversity… Id say its the equivalent of a “spike”… I know Penn said they would like to have representation from all states and actively search for qualified applicants from under represented states… Your ACT and SAT look great, your unweighted GPA of 4.0 is huge … so write a great essay and I think you have a great shot!

10

It sounds like you’re qualified at the very least. What I’ve seen and heard is that only about 1/10 qualified students get into the Ivy Leagues if they don’t have some sort of crazy spike or family connection. If your serious about a tope tier school like Yale, you might want to think about applying Early Action or Early Decision to increase your chances of admittance.