Study Abroad | 6 things to do before you apply to Ivy League universities

The cost of studying at the Ivies can add up to $75,000-85,000 a year. But many of these schools are 'need-blind', and will foot the education bill for students who get in but can't afford tuition. (Representational image: Kelly L via Pexels)

Every year, lakhs of students from across the globe apply to the top 8 universities in the US. Together, Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, and Yale University make up the “Ivy League.”

All eight universities place in the top 17 of the 2022 U.S. News & World Report National Universities ranking, including four Ivies in the top five (Princeton, Columbia, Harvard, and Yale). Little wonder, then, that the global acceptance rate for most of these schools is 4 to 5 percent, and only some 50 to 70 students from India are able to make it.

Also read: Why the USA Remains the Best Option to Study

The target is far from easy, admittedly. But if you chart a clear roadmap, there is very little to stop you from hitting bullseye. Here’s advice, gleaned from established counsellors and Ivy League students themselves:

1. An early start, on the right note

Gone are the days when you started preparing for admission a year before the start of university. “Today, the sheer number of parents who can afford to educate their kids abroad is so high that we start getting inquiries when a child is in the 8^th grade,” says Arjun Seth, founder CEO of Gurugram-based education consultancy EdBrand.

“To these early birds, my advice is to use the 9^th and 10^th grade to become interesting individuals,” says Nitin Jain, director and co-founder at Oncourse Vantage. "Feed your curiosity. Start identifying your passion areas. Skill-build. Start reading across genres, from Jane Austen to Murakami. This will help you in multiple ways. For example, while writing your SAT, you’ll encounter complex literary passages, but if you are well-read, you’ll sail through.”

Both Seth and Jain say that scouting for a suitable college should not be akin to brand-shopping. “Always look for the right fit, rather than the top name,” advises Seth.

“I couldn’t agree more," says Ananya Agarwal, who studied management at Harvard. “From the outside, most colleges look similar, but once you do some homework—explore their website, speak to their alumni or even visit their campus—you will realise that some of them are just not for you.”

2. Academic performance

This is the very first filter in your quest for success. Through the four crucial years, from 9^th grade to the 12^th, your grades should reflect a progressively upward slope. Ideally, you should be in the top 2 to 4 percentile of your school. But remember, a 98.4 percenter doesn’t automatically make the cut. Even if you have taken the hardest classes, it’s important to validate your choice of a possible career through tangible effort. If you want to study genetics, for instance, you could showcase your experiments with genome sequencing. Your internships, summer school, research papers related to your proposed career also count for a lot.

3. Testing

Because they look at thousands of applications from various countries, curriculums and boards, it becomes difficult for colleges to assess context. That’s where standardised testing, the SAT, comes in. It is one common platform where everyone is on the same footing.

Together, strong academic performance and high SAT scores are your ‘passport,’ to success, so to say. Now comes the ‘visa,’ which assesses how well you have been doing outside the classroom.

4. Proof of passion

“I cannot emphasise enough the imporance of a holistic skill set,” says Nitin Jain. “But this is not a competition to fill out 20 different things. What they look for its contiguity of effort.”

"I’ve  been doing music and in two years I’ve done Trinity Grade 8" is good, but "Music is what I dream, eat, breathe, and I created music therapy for chronic patients", is brilliant.

Admission officers are trained to identify students who are problem-solvers and change-makers. They also deeply value independent thinkers.

“Here in India, parents make the mistake of doing half the work for their children,” says Arjun Seth. “We encourage them to stop stressing and realise that a true Ivy League candidate is fully capable of charting their own path.”

5. Community service

This is perhaps the most misunderstood part of the preparation process. Most applicants tend to highlight volunteer work they’ve done with NGOs or donations they have made. That’s not it. Community service means identifying and trying to solve a real problem. It does not have to be for the underprivileged, even. You could work with teenagers on their mental wellness issues, or teach senior citizens in your locality how to use basic apps such as PayTM and Uber. That’s wonderful community service too.

6. Your essay

Your essay is your story. It is not a list of activities that you’ve done. It is not a writing competition. It is, in fact, the admission officer’s only chance to get to know you, apart from your form, grades and list of achievements.

Good English is only a part of the picture. It is more your ability to understand the prompt judiciously and not make it about your achievements necessarily.

“When I wrote my essay, I wasn’t even conscious of trying to make an impression—I just put my heart into it,” says Ananya.

A (happy) word about expense

Though the broad expense for most Ivies is a whopping $75,000-85,000 a year, hope shines bright for students who might lack the resources. Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT, Dartmouth, Amherst are all “need-blind” for international students, which means once they decide you deserve to get admission, they are wiling to foot your education expenses.

Gurjeet Singh, son of a farmer from Churni Jagir village in Karnal, Haryana, has made it to Princeton’s Class of 2026. “I was the headboy at SS International School, scored 94.6% in my 10^th grade, and received pro bono counselling from Nextrack, a Delhi-based college counselling company. My mentors helped me highlight my community service work and my handling of family responsibilities. Princeton is taking care of all my major expenses from travel to tuition to health insurance. I’ll be studying molecular biology there, and I cannot wait to start!” Singh says.