December 16, 2024
In today’s increasingly competitive college admissions landscape, I recently had a fascinating lunch meeting that shed new light on what top universities are really looking for. Sitting across from three Ivy League admissions officers, I expected the usual talk about GPAs and SAT scores.
Instead, what they shared left me both surprised and intrigued about the changing face of college admissions.
The college admissions game isn’t just evolving – it’s undergoing a dramatic transformation. While academic excellence remains important, these officers revealed three unexpected pathways that could significantly boost your chances of acceptance.
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Transcript
Dan Lerman: So I just got back from a lunch with three Ivy League admissions officers. Here’s what they said. College admissions game is obviously changing.
It’s very hard to get in but they said one way is and they said this with a straight face. Be an Olympic athlete or be a world class athlete. So if that’s not going to work out for you, they said you can simply just be the best or one of the best at really anything.
So if you’re like the best Rubik’s Cube champion that is good for college admission. And the third one actually surprised me.
They’re looking for people who are going to be super fans of the school so people who are going to get tattoos of Michigan or like going to be huge donors to Duke at some point in the future.
I think out of those three that third one is the one you can control the most unless you’re an incredible fencer or something like that. So hope that helps.
Conclusion
Remember, while these insights come directly from Ivy League admissions officers, they shouldn’t be taken as guaranteed formulas for success.
The admissions process remains complex and multifaceted. However, understanding these priorities might help you better position yourself or guide others in their college application journey.