Is an Ivy League Education for You?

Are you considering an Ivy League education? Getting into Ivy League schools like Harvard, Princeton, Yale, and other elite schools like Stanford, MIT and Duke is a goal of many high school students. How to achieve this many times seems like a mystery to students going through the college admissions process. 

College is only the beginning of a long journey. What happens on that tourney is up to you. Success in life is up to you! Many times students have their hearts set on one specific school and it does not work out. The student is devastated. There is no ONE right choice. A multitude of options are available for you.

The truth is elite college admissions are very difficult for a number of reasons. There are generally 23,000 students admitted each year to the eight Ivy League schools. Approximately 10% of the slots are reserved for legacies, 15% for international students, 13% for athletes leaving 13,500 slots for "other" students. Generally, there are around 271,000 applicants. Keep in mind there are 26,407 public schools and 10,693 private schools as well as homeschooled students. Every one of these schools has a valedictorian. Do you get the point? The Ivy admission rate is about nine percent. But, when you take everything into consideration the chances of admission are around one percent.

The truth of the matter is if you are truly committed to pursuing an Ivy League education you MUST begin early with an actionable framework to build the most compelling application unique to you. These schools are looking for students who are going to accomplish world-changing things. They are also interested in students who contribute positively to their communities while in college and help other students accomplish great things as well.

The best predictor of future achievement is PAST achievement. The point of the application is to convince schools that based on your achievement thus far you are going to continue succeeding and achieving great things in college and beyond.

Many students work themselves to death trying to be well rounded. A well-rounded student doesn't do anything particularly well. Well rounded generally means mediocre at everything. Keep in mind the following:

- You must maintain relentless focus one your one "specialty".

- BE 100% committed to your specialty. 

- You need to prove that you are capable of deep

accomplishment in a field. Do you have strong leadership ability? Have you used your potential to activate others?

- Do you have exceptional talent?

- Does your motivation come from an internal desire to contribute? 

- What am are you curious about?

If your goal is to attend an Ivy League college or another highly selective college, you must have a plan and you must start early! You cannot afford to be sidelined. You must tap into the qualities that make you unique, and you must embrace them and apply them in a determined way.

I can guide and mentor you in the right ways that will help you to identify your goals, create a plan, and encourage you to execute it. In so doing, your chances of acceptance to one of the highly selective schools will increase exponentially.

Best,

Melissa