What do I need to accomplish to get into Yale, Harvard, Princeton, or Stanford University?

Question

I am on eighth grade right now, but I want to know what I need to do in highschool to get accepted into one of these Universities. I want to become a Pediatrician. I know that I will be able to maintain all A's in my classes and I was reccomended for AP/Honors Geometry, Biology, World History, and English. I was wondering what other classes I should take my following years and what I should do inorder to get into one of the universities. Anyone know the standards on getting in to one of those? What looks good is I apply?

Answer 1

You need to maintain at least to get scholarships a 3.0 and up and you need to also rack up on extra cirricular activities since the schools thrive on student activity and participation. I actually applied to Northwestern University when I left high school and didnt get in, but I got accepted and graduated from a small catholic college that was listed as one of the best schools for liberal arts and teaching, but unfortunately they closed their doors nearly 3 years ago. Since you're still in 8th grade which is a long way from when I was in 8th grade (back in 1988 to be exact), but definetly maintain grades in high school it will pay off and you can even get a full or partial ride scholarship and apply for scholarships when you graduate high school so the money is available when you go so in case you don't get enough you can have money on hand to kick in, but keep in mind you will have to maintain grades to reapply or apply to new ones that are out here.

What looks good to Ivy league schools are grades, but also scoring high on the ACT and SAT exams and your extra cirricular activities. What constitutes extra cirricular is like Student Council, Music, Drama, or any kind of student club involvement that will help your chances look excellent. Apply early because only so many people get in during the Spring and Fall quarters or semesters. If you want to cut down cost wise too take all your general education classes at a community college to keep your GPA high and then transfer the credits to the school of your choice once accepted.

I would actually look at maybe contacting the schools around your junior year in high school and ask if you can talk to an actual student and they can tell you what they actually put on their applications and the factors they believed got them accepted into the school. Also keep in mind many schools also base acceptance by the attitude of the personal statement since they want to know your level of seriousness to their institution.

Answer 2

You can check the websites for the elite schools and they will all say much the same thing. You must have very good marks, and they all say that if you are the kind of student who will succeed at a top school you will be able to take APs and Honors courses and get A's. So that is the minimum standard that you need to meet. They expect that if you are getting A's in your courses, that when you take the SATs you will score high... the typical student at these schools gets 2100 or higher on the SATs.

So, everyone who applies to these schools with a serious intention of being accepted, has a high GPA and high SAT. But 20,000 kids are going to apply to each school, and each of the Ivies, Stanford, Duke and MIT each only take about 1500 freshman. So what have you got that sets you apart from the other 18,500 kids who are NOT going to be accepted.

You need to show the school that you are totally passionate about something. It could be sports, history, music, community service, politics, whatever. But they want to see that you have the determination and smarts to pursue a topic to the highest level. Have you won gold medals in your math or history passion at the state or national level. Have you won a statewide music competition? Are you a state record holder in an athletic event? Did you go to the Nationals in your Future Farmers events and win Farmer of the Year?

What have you done besides be smart and get good marks.
If you don't have a great answer to that question, then report for college at the state u.

Answer 3

Take as many AP and Honors classes as possible in all subjects (calculus and advanced calculus if possible), and get all A's. Get extremely high scores on SAT's. Do as many extracurricular activities as possible, including sports and areas like drama and writing, and display strong leadership qualities. Do community service work and display strong leadership qualities there too. Demonstrate a strong passion for your future field - the higher schools like that passion and dedication. Getting straight A's isn't what counts since many people do that - what counts is leadership and passion.

Answer 4

And the same question comes up again