Getting in an ivy-extracurriculars

Question

hi i just want some tips frum someone who actually got in an ivy such as yale, stanford, etc. am i doing too much? these are my extracurriculars varsity cheerleading, track, 4-H, and lotsa stuff in church,and csf which is like the honor society.

i know it seems like i'm trying to load my application, but the truth is i like doing all this stuff, when even though it can sumtimes be stressful, i love cheering , running, and my bunny rabbit(4-H), and of course God(catholic) the only thing i am truly doing just to put on my application is the honor society. so i'm looking for some tips like constructive criticism , am i doing to much willl all these activities help me get in to an ivy, or is it boggling down my app.?

Answer 1

I would group your activities together--those in school and those in the community including your church activities.  Focus on those activities in which you have had or have a leadership role.  You should put less emphasis but definitely include other areas, especially if you have done them because you really like them!  Do NOT only pur honor society.  Get your thoughts down, and then later go back and edit for brevity.  Make sure you are emphasizing the right things--reread the application as you reread your entire application.  Be sure you indicate why you want THAT school--include references to activities and programs from the college's website.  

Answer 2

to be perfectly honest, ivy league schools wants more then you have, both sports are good, getting captain would be better. I'm not sure if what you do in church is community service but if it is thats solid. I would suggest joining a club or two that interest you; such as art, drama, business, etc

Answer 3

Your extracurriculars sound fine -- so long as you've taken the most challenging courses available, done very well at them, and your test scores are superb.  Think deeply about what you get from these activities and write convincingly about what themes or perspectives unite those activities.  And then be happy with wherever you end up:  Nobody finds life enriched or spoiled merely by where they go to college.  Don't confuse people being proud of where they went with that school being the only route to happiness.

For what it is worth: MIT, Stanford, Chicago, Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, Duke, and Caltech are great schools -- but are not in the Ivy League.  But that is immaterial to whether you will like them and whether you will learn a lot attending them.

Answer 4

Put them all down, but keep in mind that they are all pretty common.  None of them are going to make you stand out.  Think of something you can get involved with that's more unique, more related to whatever you want to major in or do in life.

Answer 5

You're not on the right track for the schools you name. They are not looking for well rounded students, they are looking for well lopsided ones. They want kids who have gone to the very top in one thing. Kids who win national competitions in math/science/music.art/sports--whatever. A bunch of averge high school activities will not help you at these schools.