College Admissions?

Question

I actually have two questions. First of all, what are some colleges that do not have the Ivy League title but are just as good? My mom says that Northwestern in Evanston, Illinois is quite good but it is without the Ivy title soI was wondering what were some other very good schools besides Ivys. Also, I was wondering at my chances in getting accepted into an Ivy League school. I am entering my junior year with a 4.0 GPA with all advanced classes and quite a few AP courses. I have slacked off in the extracurricular department. I have 10 years of piano, ski club, a job as a babysitter and at a bookshop, a student mentor, and I am definitely going to get tons of volunteer hours this year. What are my chances? Thanks!

Answer 1

The Ivy League had its origins as an athletic conference. The schools are obviously some of the best-known institutions in the US, and for good reason - they have outstanding academics and they attract some of the best professors. It's a cycle - they have a good reputation, so they get a lot of resources, so their reputation is maintained.

That being said, all those schools are concentrated in one small geographical area, and there are a lot of outstanding colleges and universities located in other areas. Northwestern is very good, as is Rice in Houston, TX, Stanford in CA, Duke in NC, University of Chicago, Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, MD, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The list goes on and on. A lot of it depends on what you want to study; particular programs can be very selective at any given school. Georgetown, for example, probably wouldn't be on most Top 10 lists - but if you wanted to study international relations, it's about as good as you can get. The book mentioned in the comment above also highlights some really strong smaller liberal arts colleges - most of the Ivies are medium-sized universities with grad programs as well as undergrads. I wouldn't get too hung up on the 'big names' if I were you - just look into the top programs in the field that you want to study.

As far as your chances of getting in to an Ivy, it's a total crapshoot. Your GPA and tough courses are definite advantages, but you also need to have a stellar personal essay, great test scores, and really enthusiastic recommendations. None of that guarantees you admission. Some schools may be looking for a skiier or a pianist, and that'll give you the edge. Others may not. With so many kids currently applying, it really just depends on the other applicants they get that year and what they're looking for in their class profile.

Answer 2

"Ivy League" is not a title; it is an athletic league, made up of particular schools, many of which are academically very strong (like Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, etc.). Therefore, there are a number of schools which are just as good, but are not members of the Ivy League, because they are not geographically located close by, or they don't float the right athletic teams. Northwestern and the University of Chicago would be two. So would places like MIT, Stanford, Rice, Cal Tech, etc.

Your chances of getting into any selective school will depend upon your GPA and SAT scores primarily, with other activities, your essays, recommendations, etc., coming in behind that. Without knowing your SAT score, therefore, it is hard to say what your chances might be. My concern would be that while in the past a 4.0 was a perfect GPA, you mention that you have taken "quite a few" AP classes, which means that something well above a 4.0 was possible. A 4.0 isn't a bad GPA, but if it means that you got a fair number of B's, then your chances at the most selective schools will be less.

Answer 3

The Ivy League is an athletic conference - nothing more, nothing less. Like many athletic conferences, its members have similar academic profiles, and in this case, they are all very good.

The schools in the University Athletic Association are all very good, too. As your mom said, Northwestern is terrific, too, and there are a few others like Johns Hopkins, Rice and Stanford which aren't in athletic conferences with the other big name schools. If you want to do science or engineering, there are many specialized schools like Caltech, MIT, RPI and Georgia Tech which, especially in engineering, are better than most or all of the Ivy League schools.

There are a lot of small liberal arts colleges like Amherst, Williams, Wesleyan, and Pomona which give a more personalized education, but with less research going on on campus.

And many of the top public universities, like Berkeley, UCLA, Michigan, Virginia and Texas are extremely well respected.

Your chances of being admitted to a top school are quite good. Don't get too stressed about the extracurriculars - schools still like to see students with terrific grades and test scores more than anything else. Also, it's much more important to excel at a few things than just to pile up things to put on your list. You shouldn't do extracurricular activities just to impress colleges.

Answer 4

Sounds like you have a good shot at the Ivy league. What is your SAT or ACT score? Also with the Ivy league it's about how you present yourself and all that you've done. Your high school guidance counselor should be able to guide you through the admissions process.

As for the schools you want to know, it would be helpful if we knew what you wanted to major in. Just because a school has a good name, doesn't mean that all their programs are the best.

Northwestern is a very good school, along with NYU, Rutgers, University of Michigan, Michigan State University, University of Pennsylvania, University of North Carolina, University of Alabama, University of Colorado, University of California Los Angeles, University of Florida, University of Texas and Texas A&M.

Answer 5

faculties will acquire a replica of your extreme college transcript once you prepare so as that they are going to many times see the cumulative (as that's the cumulative this is on your transcript). Ask your college registrar for a replica of your transcript and spot no rely if that's cumulative or no longer. you additionally can ask if the college which you propose on attending looks at a cumulative or a separate GPA. additionally, you may desire to attempt for those extreme GPA for the reason that a extreme GPA applicant is extra probably to be picked than a low GPA applicant. As for the admission essay, that performs a significant function no rely in case you're using to a extensive state college or a small liberal arts college with the aid of fact the essay is incredibly the situation that separates you from something of the %.. wish this helps.

Answer 6

get the book "colleges that change lives", its shows you how schools that are not Ivy League can change your life, you dont need a trophy school. that will only last at the beginning and impress people, but soon, u will actually have to go to the school and you might not like it. what happens at the school is more important than the name.

Answer 7

go where your heart desires
and the tittle of the school wont matter a bit

and ur resume sounds impressive
you will definatly be someone important in life :)