How to Find Your Dream School: Pre-Application Advice from Ivy Admits

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Over the fall of 2020, AANN interviewed four Ivy League students from across the nation: Lucy Hao, a Freshman at MIT; Lilian Chen, a Junior at the University of Pennsylvania; Varun Mathur, a Brown University graduate; and Kristen Fang, a recent Havard graduate. College can be overwhelming, especially for underclassmen, so we compiled the most important takeaways into a two-part series: “Pre-application” and “When Applying.” This article pertains to the pre-application tips from the interviews, so if you are unfamiliar with the application process, this article is for you!

1. When choosing extracurriculars, pursue your passion

With the CollegeBoard scraping SAT subject tests and more colleges making the SAT and ACT optional, extracurriculars will play a larger role in applications. The possibilities are endless when choosing an activity, so how do you narrow the options down and decide on the most suitable extracurricular?

According to Kristen, the best guiding light is your passion. Based on her admissions file, Kristen suspects that a major factor in her acceptance into Harvard was her extracurriculars, especially playing the flute. In particular, she demonstrated a targeted interest in the flute by joining and touring with several orchestras, taking lessons through a private teacher and competing as a soloist. Kristen suggests to start with the ‘why’ or ‘what I’m passionate about’ when choosing extracurriculars and then proceeding with that goal to the furthest extent one can. Kristen elaborates, “if you think too much about what an admissions officer would like to see and shape your extracurriculars around that thought, either A. you would look like every other applicant, or B. you won’t seem genuine.” Hence, it’s important to discover your passion and develop it early on.

2. Target the colleges you’re passionate about

College searches are meant to be fun! They are designed to turn your interests and values into a college just right for you. Take advantage of this – don’t force interest in a college you are not interested in. Take Lilian’s word for it: “you want to get in the right college for yourself… you don’t want to be surrounded by competitive people when you are not competitive yourself.” This extends to all schools, including Ivy Leagues. Just because a school is a part of the Ivy League, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the right school for you. In fact, at the end of the day, according to Varun, “the experience you have [at an Ivy League school] is almost exactly the same as the experience you would have at any other school… there’s no “magic dust” that makes [Ivy League schools] better.” Put some thought and time into your search. Having a college that is specially catered to you will ultimately make your college experience the best it can be.

3.Stay organized with a spreadsheet

In order to consolidate your preferences for college searches, Varun recommends creating a spreadsheet: “I listed a bunch of colleges that I thought that I might be interested in and then I collected various numbers that I cared about like size of school, ranking in departments like computer science, proportion of international students and class size.” To help quantify college rankings with regards to diversity, academics, athletics, Varun suggests niche.com. This advice of organization extends beyond ranking colleges. It works for other processes of the college application process such as high school accomplishments. These are often easy to forget but are crucial for your résumé.

4. Interview alumni and experienced students from colleges where you wish to apply

Nowadays, students increasingly turn to the internet to learn about specific colleges or the general application process. However, there’s actually an alternative resource close by — past applicants! Interviewing students for college applications may be nerve-wracking, but you’ll reap valuable information you won’t otherwise find in Niche reviews or Unigo. For example, in her junior year, Lilian interviewed numerous upperclassmen about the college application process. Ultimately, her interviews with alumni helped her realize why UPenn was unique, which gave her more passion for this college and motivation during the application process.

5. Start brainstorming possible essay topics ahead of time

For most, if not all college applicants, writing essays is the toughest part of applying to college. The best way to streamline this process is to prepare before the application season and avoid procrastination. For example, during the summer before senior year, Lilian started the essay brainstorm process by figuring out life stories important to her and applicable to various essays, making essay writing a more efficient process. Lilian encourages to-be applicants to take advantage of the summer by brainstorming, having back up ideas for prompts and trying to work on the essays consistently. Ultimately, we should “start early, be ready and be flexible.”

Summary of takeaways:

1. Start with “what” your passion is, then “why” when choosing extracurriculars…”

Colleges look for students who are deeply invested in an extracurricular. Make sure that what you choose as your main extracurricular is what you are actually passionate about.

2. There’s no “magic dust” that makes Ivy League schools better

Ivy League colleges might be the most notorious colleges in the US, but don’t misconceive that their infamy correlates to superiority. No matter which college you end up going to, you’ll ultimately be learning the same things.