Is applying to the ivies worthwhile?Answered
I am a rising senior from India. I have a 4.0, and I am in the top 1% of my class of 450 (approx.). But I'm sooo worried about my ECs and at this point, I think it's no use applying to the Ivies. I have 0 AP classes as my school doesn't offer them, but I am enrolled in the ISC curriculum which is pretty rigorous. I will take the SAT later this year, couldn't take it till now due to Covid. I proofread for Gutenberg, I'm doing a 5-year diploma course in painting (halted now due to covid), I am translating a Moliere play from French to Bengali(my native language), I have been practicing yoga since 1st grade (no achievements) , and my book of poems was published by a second tier publishing house. I also peer review essays here on a regular basis and am a super reviewer. But I am not a member of any club, I have only one significant award , I and I don't have any leadership roles. What do you think I should do? Please give your honest opinions, as I don't want to go on a wild goose chase. Also, I want to major in English. Sorry for the essay. Thanks in advance for your help .
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4 answers
I think that is some solid ECs. I would first look at the chancing profile here and see what it says. Secondly think about it, do you want to go to an ivy because you like it or is it purely for namesake? Usually you are recommended to apply to two reach schools, so I would pick the ones I like best and see where it goes. Not getting into a school is probably for the best. It has nothing to do with you as a student or person but with values and if the schools think you will fit in well there. Don't stress about it. There all also tons of selective schools not considered ivys that have higher rankings for work and achievements like research in different departments. They just aren't talked about a lot because they aren't interested in being world famous.
Remember that admissions are holistic and pretty random. Anything can happen. Shoot your shot and apply for a decent mix of schools. Your GPA is great, ranking great, I would recommend that you aim for at least 1510 on the SAT and try to improve your activities. With the pandemic, there are a lot of virtual activities; research opportunities, and participate.
I do think u should work on ur extracurricular a bit more. maybe try out some self-based projects. the most important question is, do you really want to go to an ivy league? do u think you'll fit in? will u feel too stressed? don't apply to schools that you don't know a lot about. if u apply to a school just because it is prestigious, I don't think it's going to work out especially in your why school essay. for international students especially, top US colleges DON'T want to see thousands of applicants applying to their colleges just because of their ranks in US News.
I'll stay away from giving you a chancing answer -- my best advice is that Ivies are hard to get into, no matter who you are. Doesn't mean you shouldn't give it a shot! You have cool extracurriculars and, from the sound of it, sound academic foundations. There's nothing wrong with applying to schools that are famously difficult to get into and seeing where it may lead!
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