Ivy League?

How hard is it to get into Ivy League schools, particularly Princeton? What are the best things to have on your college app?

Ivy League?
What do you mean "to have on your college app"? The actual application is pretty straightforward. Pay particularly close attention to the details (favorite book, etc; what you did over the summer; your essay).





I would say emphasize your community involvement, your outlook on what surrounds you, and your goals (perhaps, how your time at Princeton could help you achieve those goals).





Class of 2011 stats:


http://www.princeton.edu/admission/apply...





I never actually finished applying, so take what I say with a grain of salt. (I realized that I really didn't like the school, the town, or the attitude of some of the students, so I'm biased. My dad was the same way - he got in, but didn't go for similar reasons. My cousin went, and enjoyed it, but he fit in well with the student body. I don't think I was as confident in my background and abilities to have lasted long there).





GO VISIT!!! Generally, all Ivies are very difficult to get into. They seem to admit students who get along very well with each other, and enjoy the environment a great deal. If you're looking for an Ivy in general, I would suggest looking for schools that have particularly strong departments in the areas you would consider majoring (for engineering, I would probably look at Cornell, Yale, Columbia, and Penn, before the others; for specific departments, try looking at the research of professors to see if you find anything which might spark your interest in the subject).





From my experience, having a specific major helps a great deal, especially if you have any meaningful reasons for doing so (ie - electrical engineering because you are interested in working on different ways of saving energy using solar, blah blah blah). If you have great ideas, and are sincere in what you're looking to do, you'll go far.





Good luck!
Reply:Publish a book, get a record deal, star in a movie, open a business, start a non-profit, run for office, do original research. Other than that, you'll look just like most other students applying.
Reply:It is extremely hard to get into an Ivy League school, particularly Princeton, which only accepts 10-11% of all applicants.





I don't think there's a group of "best things" to have on your college application. Rather, it's the "body" of your work -- and what you have to offer a school -- that they're looking at. At minimum, for schools like that, you need top grades in rigorous courses, very good-excellent standardized tests (SAT, SAT Subject Test, ACT, AP tests), extracurriculars in which you have leadership positions, community service, excellent letters of recommendation, a high GPA/class rank, and a passion for learning that comes through in what's submitted. It couldn't hurt to have a couple of special, unique "features" (e.g. fluent in multiple languages, first chair violinist, have been published or secured a patent, won a national science competition, regional or national sports recognition, etc.)





You should read A Is For Admission for great insight into the Ivy League admissions process; written by someone who graduated from Dartmouth and went on to work in its admissions office.





Good luck to you.
Reply:Well, more people are applying to colleges every year as a result of a increase in need for a degree and an increase in kids in general. I know a few years ago Brown's acceptance rate was around 17% and now it's about 14% - which is barely above Harvard/Yale/Princeton/Stanford's roughly 10%. Just wait a few more years :(
Reply:be super smart....super super nerdy geeky and so smart u make president bush look like a monkey! oh wait...he already is one!!





option 2.....be super famous, yo daddy will pay em
Reply:If Princeton isn't ranked as the most selective school in the country in a given year, it's pretty much always Top Three. Yale and Harvard take at least one of the other two spots, and the rest aren't much easier. You need to have an A average in challenging classes (the more AP/IBs you can handle, the better), SAT scores above or very, very close to 700 on each section, and demonstrate exceptional skill and/or leadership in multiple extracurriculars. (Exactly what those are is up to you, since you can't predict what they think will give the class more diversity the year you apply.)





Even after you've done all that, you need to have some good safeties in mind: no matter how qualified you are, there are a bunch of other applicants who would make equally good students. Fortunately, there are lots of other good colleges out there, too, so don't think your life will be over if you get rejected. And remember, there's always grad school.