Ivy League or Bust!

In the past few years, I have seen many students and parents become frustrated and disappointed because of a rejection from an Ivy League School. From their standpoint, the student's academic, athletic, and extracurricular abilities should have put them in the running for acceptance. For awhile, I too was aggravated with these premiere universities. I couldn't see why they didn't accept many of these top-notch students.

Then I had the opportunity to attend a counselors' weekend at a highly selective university. I was able to sit in on a mock admissions committee, and I saw first-hand the difficult decisions these college counselors were faced with on a daily basis. We were asked to examine three applicants (whose identifying information had been covered up) and pick one of them for admission. We could decide to wait-list or deny the other two. I had no idea this would be so difficult. Each applicant was absolutely amazing. They had straight A's in exceptionally challenging course work. All three of them were not only involved in activities on paper,they put their hearts and souls into everything they did. They all were talented athletes. One had started his own business. Another volunteered in other countries during the summer. The third one wrote and performed his own music. Their essays were all creative and intriguing, and their letters of recommendation really made them come alive on paper. It was obvious that all three of them loved learning, enjoyed immersing themselves in reading and writing, and had excellent communication skills. In my "committee" we had trouble agreeing on which student should be picked. Our reasons varied, and it was extremely frustrating. Eventually we chose one, and wait-listed the other two. It turned out that our decision matched the university's. Another committee might have just as easily picked one of the other applicants.

If your child's dream is to attend an Ivy League University, ask yourself these questions?

Does my child do well on his own, or do I constantly have to push him/her?

Does he/she go above and beyond the call of duty on a regular basis?

Is he/she willing to spend a significant amount of his time on educational activities?

Does my child stand out head and shoulders above the crowd in some way?

Does he/she demonstrate leadership and a desire to help others?

Will his/her written communication skills compare well to other equally gifted applicants?

Is my son/daughter truly interested in learning?

How does my son/daughter handle challenges?