Is it worth it to apply to ivy leagues?

Answered

Grades and test scores are only used as threshold criteria for admission to Ivy League colleges. So the general rule of thumb is that you want as close to a 4.0 as possible but 3.9 is acceptable. These days applicants strive to get a 99% percentile score on the SAT or ACT which works out to be a 1530+ or a 35+. As an Int'l student, I highly recommend that you submit an SAT or ACT test score since the competition is fierce for Int'l.

Other key factors to admission to an Ivy are the following in no particular order:

-Excellent writing ability evidenced in your common app essay and supplemental essays which are all different for each of the 8 Ivys.

-Impressive and impactful extracurriculars.

-Evidence of intellectual vitality or curiosity which can be things like internships, supervised research, published papers or articles, unique individual scholarship in a subject area, sponsored summer programs, college coursework outside of high school, and any kind of dissemination of your knowledge for teaching or sharing on social media.

-Very supportive recommendations from teachers and your high school counselor

-Ability to advocate for yourself in your own voice, especially during the interview process and if you submit optional short videos

-Course rigor which for Ivys typically includes 4 years of English, 4 years of Maths, 4 Years of Science (including 2 labs), 3 years of History including American and European history and 3 years minimum of a foreign language. These are min. levels many Ivy admits have 5-6 years worth of each subject area because they have doubled up on classes during their 10th, 11th, and senior year.

-And it doesn't hurt if you have some artistic, athletic, or musical talent. All Ivys have a vast variety of Division I Athletics from Football (American), Soccer, Lacrosse, Tennis, Track & Field, XC, Swimming, Diving, Golf, Hockey, Basketball, Water Polo, Rowing, Rugby, Squash, Sailing, Skiing, Volleyball, Wrestling and Fencing.

So your grades are important but there are around 99 criteria for admission at Harvard for instance and that certain parts of the academic score has more to do than passing a threshold level. So if you submit a 1530 SAT, Harvard doesn't treat someone with a 1550 or 1590 any differently. If you have a 3.9 GPA, then Harvard doesn't treat someone with a 4.0 differently. And if you have taken 8 APs or have graduated with a full IB diploma, Harvard doesn't give bonus points to someone that had 10 APs or scored 44/45 vs 42/45 on their IB exams.

The admit rates for Oxford and Cambridge are about 3-4 times easier than Ivies so you should think about the real benefit an Ivy education will give because arguably attending Oxbridge will be way more affordable as well. Tuition at Oxford is $11000 USD (9250 GBP) vs $65,000 at Ivys. The projected cost for Ivys in 3 years will be $100,000 USD for year 1 and about $110,000 for year 4. So the $425,000 is a steep price not including air travel and other costs of attendance for Int'l students like health insurance. I only bring this up because most people in Europe and UK do not fully understand the amazing deal they have by getting their undergraduate degrees within the EU.

Good luck.