The Ivy League admissions process becomes more competitive and more complicated every year. With most schools admitting less than 10 percent of applicants, many students want to know what exactly the process entails. Dartmouth College, a small liberal arts Ivy League school in New Hampshire, recently released statistics about their current incoming class. Forty percent of students were the top student in their high school, and ninety-four percent were in the top ten percent of their graduating class. Along with high SAT scores, these students demonstrated leadership in their schools and communities. Because applicant pools are extremely competitive, it is important for students to know what other criteria is used in the admissions process.
This year, Dartmouth saw a twenty-four percent rise in international applicants, which means that it is becoming even harder for Canadian students to gain admission. Typically only seven percent of students admitted are international students, so Canadians are competing for far fewer spots than American students. We are often asked at Options Solutions: how can Canadian students gain a competitive edge in the application process? Some students are worried that because their school does not offer Advance Placement courses, that they will be at an extreme disadvantage. Dartmouth College Dean of Admission, Maria Laskaris, sheds some light on these issues in a recent interview with Dartmouth Alumni Magazine:
“Each application is reviewed multiple times using a rating system that is applied to four different areas: academic achievement, extracurricular accomplishment, intellectual qualities and personal qualities. We try to identify students that demonstrate qualities such as curiosity, perseverance, authenticity, genuineness, and students that are open, inquisitive, risk-taking, and interdisciplinary thinkers.”
“The understanding of context is one of the pillars of our review process. It’s critical to understand the secondary school the student has attended- everything from the courses the school offers, the rigor of the program the student took given what’s available, and how the school grades. We may be looking at a student who’s coming from a school that doesn’t offer a lot of AP or honors courses. We need to understand what the student has done relative to what’s been available to him of her, and if they are prepared to be successful. “
While having strong high school grades and SAT scores are a huge part of the decision process, there are other factors taken into consideration to determine which students will gain acceptance. Students can best prepare for attending a competitive U.S. college or university by taking the most challenging and rigorous curriculum offered at their school, initiating independent research projects in an area of interest, committing to long term extra-curricular activities, building relationships with teachers and counselors for recommendations and being a leader in and out of the classroom. For more information about getting accepted to the school of your choice, book an appointment today with a consultant!
