What actions should an 8th grade student take now to get into an Ivy League college?

Applying to College
1

<p>Hi,
I'm currently in the 8th grade, and lately, i've been thinking about college/college applications. Being able to attend an Ivy league college has certainly been a dream for me, though I do understand that getting into an Ivy does not necessarily mean I'm fixed for life. After all, there are plenty of other great schools out there. But, while it's somewhat early, I'm eager to know, would I have a chance? </p>

<p>Here's a couple of things I've accomplished this 8th grade year (sorry if you must read it all, I'm trying to be specific):</p>

<p>I've got grades from 95-100 in all classes (hopefully I can get them to straight hundreds soon!), I'm taking all honors/GT classes
-I'm involved in Spanish club (coordinator)
-Choir; made all-region this year
-Won the school spelling bee this year
-Won school science fair
-Took part in a Benjamin Franklin project this year and was ambassador to our school
-I take piano, made it to state in gold cup competition
-National Junior Honor Society member
-Won regional essay contest this year</p>

<p>& that's about all for this year...</p>

<p>-I've done volunteer work previously over the summer and hope to continue. </p>

<p>-I'm planning on trying for leadership positions in clubs, etc. in high school</p>

<p>I'm planning on taking indian dance OR doing a sport (prob. volleyball, track, or something) my freshman year. Because of my family's financial state when I was young, I was unable to take dance or sports, so I'm afraid I'll be behind the others. I only started piano last year when we could afford it. Still, I know having extra curriculars is important. However, do Ivys look at what <i>kind</i> of extra activities you do? Also, I'm a bit confused on the whole thing about "standing out". I've read some things about kids who've done a lot of amazing things, but other people have told them that it doesn't stand out. Does stand out mean you do extremely well, like national level or something? Just wondering...</p>

<p>It'd be great whatever advice anyone has on what I should think about doing for the future. And if you've gotten this far on reading this post, thank you so much! I know it was quite a bit =] </p>

<p>Please let me know you're opinions and ideas, and please do tell the truth. That's what I'm here to know. Thanks!</p>

<p>-R.C.</p>

2

<p>Find something that you love to do, a passion--it can be a sport, one of the arts, an activity
Do your best in school
And don't worry about the Ivy League yet--gee whiz,you are only 13 or 14--there will be a college for you when you are 18--it may or may not be Ivy
Have fun, make lots of friends and relax :)</p>

3

<p>You know the whole process is crazy when you start prepping for the Ivy in 8th grade...</p>

4

<p>Mom's on taget - identfy a passion at which you can excel and throw yourself into it because you love it, not because it will be a good resume entry. If you do it because it's a passion, the result will ultimately be a good resume entry. And surround yourself with peers are are as interested in excellence as you are. In HS, some of your friends will keep heading onward and upward, and some will stray off course. Remain friends with them, but don't stray with them. Also, plan to take as challenging a HS curriculum as possible. It might mean needing to do some advance planning. Both our daughters had to take Spanish I as an independent study to have enough blocks in their schedule to handle the math and foreign languages they wanted.</p>

5

<p>First, start to look at other schools in your area and try to be more open minded. A solid education isn't about where you go so much as what you do once you are there. You can get an excellent education without it being an Ivy school. And Ivy league is more about who they think you are ($$$$$$$$$$$, connections, legacy, blah, blah, blah) than who you really are and the potential you have. It's not impossible of course, but it's not the be all end all either - the sooner you realize that, the better for you.</p>

<p>Keep grades up, take most challenging classes offered by your high school, prep for the SAT and ACT with small bites (like by doing the SAT question of the day offered on the SAT website, etc...) read, read, read - write, write, write, and keep up with your math. </p>

<p>To "stand out" you will need to develop a "passion" which sounds strange for an 8th grader, but that is what they will look for. Join the clubs that interest you, but at some point these clubs, leadership postions, awards, etc... should show a clear focus and passion for you to stand out among the masses. In other words, it's looks better to be the editor of the newspaper, contributor of the literary journal, have a summer job at the local newspaper, won essay contests, maybe even be published (as in paid positions) in magazines, etc.... - get it? they are all related ecs. This application would stand out as "this kid has a passion for writing". But your passion could be in other areas like science, math, political science, etc....</p>

<p>Learn to give speaches, debate, and network - you need to be good at meeting people, interviewing, etc....
And be nice to your teachers; they will be writing the recommendations come senior year (in other words, work hard, be pleasant, no cheating or other crappy behavior.)
and volunteer somewhere (local library for that kid with a passion in writing).</p>

<p>There will be people here that tell you go back to playing video games and enjoy being a kid - and that's true, but really you ask a good question. One that should be asked now, and not when you are in the 12th grade. </p>

<p>By the way, this is good advice for any decent school or any school you want scholarship money from - Ivy League or not.</p>

6

<p>definately keep up piano
place really well in national competitions and get great grades in highschool</p>

<p>dont do drugs
also
dont ever think you are "in"
cause,
buy the time u are applying to harvard and Yale, their acceptance rates could drop as low as 5 percent</p>

<p>competition is getting crazy nowadays.</p>

<p>my little brother wants to go to Yale for music (he's only 10 though, and he doesnt even know a thing about yale, xcept that his piano teacher is goingthere for grad school for music)
but yeah
by the time my brother applies, it will be nearly impossible to get in</p>

<p>plus, he'll probably change his mind, since he really hasnt a clue about anything having to do with college, or even anything for that matter (he's only 10)</p>

<p>but yeah</p>

<p>by the time my brother applies, you will probably have to be best in nation at somethin or somethin crazy like that,
and like best in state at somethin else.</p>

7

<p>MomofaKnight is right; you need to stick with what you love and pursue it. Colleges don't care what you accomplished in middle school (grades, ECs, etc), but you should still carry over the work ethic and interests that you've developed.</p>

<p>I really don't recommend doing something just for the chance of getting into an Ivy later on. First of all, it'll likely make you miserable if you do everything for college. Second, if you get fixated so early and don't get into an Ivy, you're going to feel absolutely terrible. Lastly, you don't want to get locked into one mindset at the expense of other options.</p>

<p>It's perfectly okay not to have some sport or instrument that you've been playing since five. Even if you did have something like that, it wouldn't necessarily help you.</p>

8

<p>Alright, I have to tell you that as an 8th grader visting this site, your already a step ahead of most of your class. I must say though that getting into an ivy league really is not EVERYTHING at all, even for the rest your life. There are plenty of people who go to ivies and top colleges and end up transferring; not because they're not smart enough, but for other reasons (better programs at lesser-known colleges, athmosphere, etc.). There are so many schools out there and you should deff look into them. Find college characteristics you like (the ivies are all VERY different) and run with it. It's all about the expierence. </p>

<p>Now, I know (or hope) that you only said "getting into ivies" because they are top-tier schools, very prestigeous, and accept most only the best applicants. You want to become as competitive as you possibly can.</p>

<p>You're grades are great; right on par with the BEST of the BEST. Keep them up, and you've won half the battle.</p>

<p>Now, on to ECs. The term for something that makes you stand out is a "hook." An EC hook usually has to be something supremely stellar. On another board on this site (I think it might be College Admissions or What are my Chances) theres question someone asked "What's a good EC?" It's a thread you can find right at the top of the page. One of the first replies to that thread had an excellent response; it will surely help you out.<br>
OK but DO make sure you don't get a laundry list. Do things that you like. I see you made all-region choir. If you like choir, keep it and try to be the best you possibly can be. If science is more your thing, make sure you take advanced science courses and join science clubs/ECs/internships/etc.</p>

<p>Last piece of advise...stay true to yourself. Do things that interest you, not that "interest colleges." Believe it or not, but theres like a 99% chance they'll see right through it. They want people who will make themselves known at the university and known in the world; they do not want people just going after their own individual goals. Be open and have fun. You're still very young!</p>

9

<p>If your not into a sport now and you have acceptable athleticism, a good thing would be to start either: running, rowing, or wrestling. And train hard. Become good. Then you would be pretty much set with decent grades :D</p>

10

<p>Is this thread a joke? An 8th grader?
When I was in 8th grade I didn't even know how to spell "Harvard"</p>

11

<p>
[quote]
I've got grades from 95-100 in all classes (hopefully I can get them to straight hundreds soon!), I'm taking all honors/GT classes

[/quote]

middle school grades are useless... High school is so much harder to get all As</p>

12

<p>Chill. You should not be thinking about college in 8th grade. Have fun now before the whole college craziness starts in a couple of years. Middle school is about learning to succeed, not actually doing it yet. Sit back and relax.</p>

13

<p>None of my advice is really too specific, just a bunch of experiences that apply to your situation.</p>

<p>As many other people are saying, find something you're interested in, and do it. It may look good on a college application to be the leader of something you're not interested in, but not that much better... It shows true commitment if you have the passion and drive for an activity. In the interviews, which alot of schools have, you will be asked about activities, and if you can't talk with enthusiasm about an activity you do, then colleges will know the real reason you joined a certain club. </p>

<p>I joined Model Congress in 10th grade, thinking it would be a good EC, but turns out I never even put in on my application because it was overshadowed by more important things to me. For my Common Application essay about an activity, I wrote about my experience in Peer Leadership and how I enjoyed the experience. The Peer Leadership stood out more because I actually cared, and could talk about it in a good light, because I was involved and did it because I liked it.</p>

<p>More advice. The Ivy League is not all there is. There are plenty of great schools that aren't Ivy League. It is understood you want to go to the best possible college, but it's good to have backups just in case. Not to mention, there are plenty of schools that are not Ivy League, but just as good/even better. (Stanford, MIT, Duke, etc.)</p>

<p>Relax, 8th grade is a bit early to be thinking about this... especially since everything you do from 9th grade on is reflected in your application. Have fun with life and start worrying about that in 10th - 11th grade, and until then keep you're grades up. For one of my short answers for Penn (which is Ivy, I didn't know that until 10th grade), I wrote about how I like to have fun and how I like to spend time with my friends. If you try too hard to get admitted to these schools by being someone you're not, you won't get in.</p>

14

<p>The Ivy League is not the be-all and end-all of good colleges. College is what you make of it. Don't waste time on Harvard if Tufts is really the school for you.</p>

<p>8th grade is really a bit early to worry about making it into the Ivy League. Don;t worry about stats just yet; worry about finding worthwhile activities and balancing it with academics.</p>

15

<p>keep in mind that your GPA (grade point average) is very important and keeping your grades at a good level is more important that extracurricular activities. don't jeopardize your grades by overdoing the activities.</p>

<p>My best suggestion is to really work on time management and study skills. if you can learn how to really study, (not just doing what is necesary to get the A, but really learn how to master the material) that will really help -- 8th/9th grade is the time to do this and reap the benefits the rest of your school years. good study skills will help tremendously as the work gets harder.</p>

16

<p>Buy licorice. The red ones and not the black ones. Also buy starbursts, M&M's, Hershey's, and Skittles. They should give you the sugar high that will get you through the long nights of trying to complete a 15 page paper by the next day.</p>

17

<p>Why do you want to go to the Ivy League schools? Give me a reason that reflects around you, not the schools.</p>

18

<p>Those stats are indeed very impressive, but the colleges dont look at middle school stuff.</p>

19

<p>one more suggestion -- instead of telling people that you want to go to an Ivy League school, I would suggest instead that you tell people that you want to make sure that you have excellent options when it comes time to apply to college and you want to do whatever you can to maximize those options. </p>

<p>You honestly can't tell us you are commited to attending an Ivy League college at your age -- you don't really know your interests nor the qualities of the Ivy League Schools that you are looking for. You may decide that Middlebury or Oberlin or MIT or Stanford or the University of Kansas is where you want to go. </p>

<p>What you really want to do is make sure that you are competitive for any school you want to attend -- and then you can decide on those schools later in high school.</p>

20

<p>The USNWR Selectivity methodology is as follows:
50% Standardized Test Scores
40% % of Students coming from Top 10% and Top 25% of a high school class
10% Admittance Rate</p>

<p>Can someone please post the PR methodology? Thanks.</p>