When the time finally comes to send in your college applications, you’ll have to choose when and how to apply. Usually, high school students can choose between applying regular decision, early decision, and early action. It is important to be aware of the differences between these college application types and use them to your advantage.

Application Deadlines

Not all colleges have the same application deadlines, so you should research the specific deadlines for each school on your list. At some colleges, regular decision deadlines are at the end of November. At others, the deadline is as late as the middle of January. For most top colleges, however, the deadline is January 1.

All the parts of your application—the transcript, test scores, essays, and recommendations—should be in motion long before the deadline. Some of these elements, like test scores, can be completed during junior year, while others, like essays and short answers, might not be done until late in the summer before senior year. But by the fall of senior year, you should be putting the finishing touches on your application, not getting started.

Starting late and rushing into the college admissions process can result in unnecessary errors, poor decisions, lower-quality recommendations, and missed deadlines. Starting early is key. Once you have determined to apply to a college, you should start preparing application materials specifically for that school.

Regular Decision

Regular decision applications undergo the normal admissions process during the spring of an applicant’s senior year. Such applications are weighed against all others in the general application pool and offer no distinct admissions advantage.

Early Decision

Early decision applications are binding: if you are accepted into the college, you must enroll. As a result, a student can submit an early decision application only to a single college. If you choose to apply early decision, the school should be your top choice.

Fewer students apply early decision, so your application will be weighed against a smaller pool of applications. Most admissions officers at top colleges, however, have higher standards for early decision applications. Still, applying early decision will generally give you a significantly higher chance of being admitted.

Colleges typically send notices to early decision applicants by the middle of December. In addition to being either accepted or rejected, a student’s application may be deferred to the regular decision application pool and will be reconsidered through the normal admissions process.

If admitted through early decision, you must notify the other colleges to which you applied of your enrollment to the early decision school.

Applying early decision does have certain financial ramifications; if accepted, you will have to enroll regardless of how much financial aid is offered.

Early Action

Early action applications have similar deadlines and notification periods to early decision programs, but, unlike early decision, early action applications are nonbinding. So, even if you are accepted to a college through an early action program, you will still be able to apply to other schools and ultimately decide which one to attend.

Single-choice early action, a variation of this system, allows applicants to submit an early, nonbinding application to one school only. If you submit a single-choice early action application, you may not apply early decision or early action to any other school; but if you are accepted, you can decide whether to enroll in that school or in the colleges you applied to regular decision.

These Ivy League admission tips will help you use regular decision, early decision, and early action applications to your advantage. In our next blog post, we’ll examine various strategies that will help you choose between the three application types.

One of the foremost characteristics college admissions officers look for in applicants is the ability to innovate. Top colleges want students who know how to identify problems or opportunities and formulate solutions. As a high school student, you have many opportunities to show your ability to innovate, and entrepreneurism is an ideal way to accomplish that goal. The following Ivy League admission tips will help you use entrepreneurism to craft a strong admissions profile.

Entrepreneurism Can Strengthen Your Admissions Profile

Being entrepreneurial is a powerful way to demonstrate value to colleges; it combines a number of desirable traits, such as leadership, innovation, determination, and commitment.

Top-tier colleges want students who are the future leaders in their respective fields, and in today’s competitive marketplace of products, services, and ideas, being a leader means investing time and resources into something, taking risks, and learning from every experience.

Whether or not you are naturally entrepreneurial, taking the seed of an idea and growing it into a project, business, or organization requires a great deal of drive, effort, and perseverance. Admissions officers favor applicants who display these qualities.

The Benefits of Social Entrepreneurism

Exhibiting an entrepreneurial spirit is good and will certainly set you apart from many other applicants. Still, being a social entrepreneur—someone who seeks to use entrepreneurial means to develop solutions to social issues—can add an additional layer of depth to your admissions theme and narrative, making it truly exemplary.

Top colleges are community minded, and they want a student body that cares about the issues facing our world. Graduates that solve social problems reflect well on a college. As with every other aspect of your application, past demonstration of social entrepreneurism is the best indicator of future engagement.

You should consider your interests and passions, drawing inspiration from them to make something bigger happen. For example, if you have a passion for helping erase the stigma associated with autism, you might start out by advocating for this cause. Then, you might consider starting a community project in partnership with a local organization and maybe even starting an organization of your own.

The key is to accomplish something through what you say and do. You should strive to make a measurable difference. Try to communicate the tangible results of your efforts. How many people does your blog reach? How much money was raised? How many people were served? What did your organization accomplish?

Is It Too Late to Start?

If you are close to finishing high school, you might feel it is too late to start pursuing some kind of entrepreneurial activity. Every student is different, however, and admissions officers understand that people begin to discover their passions at different times in life. Ingenuity often requires some kind of catalyst, and almost any experience can awaken the entrepreneurial spirit within you.

If you are truly passionate about something, a nudge may be all it takes to start transforming that passion into a project, business, or nonprofit. And the experience you would gain pursuing a social project or starting a business will likely prove invaluable.

Admittedly, it can be hard to decide what extracurricular activities to pursue to strengthen your admissions profile, and each student is different. An admissions consulting firm such as Ivy League Prep can help you craft an outstanding admissions profile and pursue activities that will impress your target colleges.

The personal essay is one of the most important components of the Common Application—it gives you a chance to show the admissions officers who you are and how you will add value to their schools. Your personal essay should tie in with your overarching admissions theme and narrative, showcasing your unique story.

Certain content, however, is generally inappropriate for a college admissions essay. And some kinds of content, such as misrepresentations of the truth, are simply unacceptable.

The following 10 kinds of content are usually inappropriate for the personal essay. Still, depending on your unique circumstances, it may be appropriate for you to write about some of the content that appears on this list—be sure to use your good judgment.

General Biographical Content

Since the rest of your application contains the biographical information required by the admissions officers, the personal essay should not be a regurgitation of your résumé. Any biographical information in your personal essay should be presented in narrative form, not as a description of what you have accomplished.

The more narrowly focused your essay is on a specific experience or series of events, the easier it will be to avoid writing generalized biographical content.

Outstanding Assignments

Your personal essay should not contain a classroom assignment you are particularly proud of. If a research paper, literary analysis, or some other writing assignment fits your theme and narrative and is truly exceptional, it should be submitted as supplemental material to the appropriate college department.

Minor Health Problems

If you have faced a serious illness, you might draw on that experience when drafting the personal essay. But you should be careful not to trivialize health problems by writing about a mild illness or condition; exaggerating a minor illness into a life-altering experience may strike admissions officers as immature or even dishonest. Write about a non-life-threatening illness only if it is a key part of your narrative.

Complaints

Your personal essay should have an overall positive tone and should not come across as complaining or pessimistic. Of course, you can still write about problems, difficulties, or circumstances that you believe to be wrong or unjust; instead of complaining about those unwanted circumstances, you should address them with maturity and insight.

Lies and Misrepresentations

Your application, including everything in your essay, must be truthful. In the essay, however, being honest means more than simply portraying the facts and events accurately: your personal essay should be an honest reflection of who you are. Feigning interest in a subject, exaggerating your abilities, or hiding behind pretense is unethical and likely to be discovered.

Disrespect and Bias

Top colleges value strong convictions and passion, but they don’t tolerate disrespect, bias, intolerance, and bigotry. If writing about a firmly held belief, you should take care to avoid coming across as inflexible and closed-minded—after all, college is about learning from others, sharing insights, and broadening perspectives. Open-mindedness is a virtue.

Deeply ingrained biases have a way of working their way out in writing—even unconsciously. You should carefully check your essay for racism, sexism, politically charged language, use of stereotypes, disrespectful statements, profanity, and vulgarity.

If your essay relates to community service, missions work, people from underserved or underprivileged backgrounds, or people from other cultures, you should be especially careful to write in a thoughtful and compassionate way.

Illegal Activities

You should not write about any illegal activities in which you have engaged. Writing about pranks or ethically questionable actions is also unadvisable. Depending on your narrative, however, an essay related to illegal activity may be totally appropriate. For example, if you plan on studying criminology, a compelling essay might focus on an experience that piqued your interest in that subject.

Keeping these Ivy League admission tips in mind as you write your personal essay will allow you to focus on compelling, relevant content and avoid portraying yourself in a negative light. Even though it can do much to impress the admissions officers, the personal essay is just one of the elements of a successful college admissions profile. Ivy League Prep can guide you throughout each step of the admissions process and help you impress the admissions officers of your target schools.

Most high school students are aware that their academic performance will be one of the decisive factors in the college admission process. As a result, some college applicants try to achieve the highest GPA possible and pay little attention to the quality of their course load, thus ignoring this important component of their high school transcript.

Even though academic performance is certainly important, your course load is just as relevant—college admissions officers are on the lookout for applicants with a focused and challenging course load. Therefore, you should aim to take on a challenging yet doable course load instead of concentrating only on your grades; doing so will show the admissions officers that you will be a hardworking and focused asset to their schools.

How to Select Core Courses

Your high school will have specific requirements that generally include four years of English and three to four years of foreign language, math, science, and social studies.

The graduation requirements of your high school may not, however, match the expectations of selective colleges. For example, some top colleges prefer four years of English, two or more years of a single foreign language, and four years of math. The key is to take the most challenging courses available and, once you have a list of potential colleges, find out those schools’ preferences regarding core courses.

Selecting Advanced Courses

Taking advanced courses during high school will make your transcript competitive. If you succeed at advanced courses, you will show the admissions officers that you are ready for the academic rigors of college.

Following are the most common types of advanced courses.

Honors

Generally, honors courses are the lowest tier of advanced courses, but admissions officers may consider honors courses in context. For example, a high school’s honors course may be more challenging than an equivalent AP course. Or, on the other hand, honors courses may be the most rigorous academics offered at a particular high school. In either case, regional admissions officers generally understand these school-specific dynamics and consider them when reviewing an applicant’s academic record.

Advanced Placement (AP)

AP classes are some of the most demanding courses offered and are a decent gauge of college preparedness. One advantage to AP classes is that they can result in college credit depending on end-of-year exam scores. Another advantage is that AP scores provide colleges with another standardized indicator with which to evaluate and compare applicants. And while these courses are not as difficult as their equivalent classes at top colleges, they do offer challenging coursework and help develop many skills vital to college success.

Dual Enrollment

In some ways similar to the AP program, dual enrollment programs give qualified high school students the opportunity to enroll in specific classes at local community colleges, granting both high school and college credit. Dual enrollment classes are particularly useful if your high school lacks equivalent honors or AP courses, but they can also be a way for you to take classes that aren’t offered at your school.

Keep in mind that every college has its own policy regarding honors, AP, dual enrollment, and other opportunities. Some accept college credit based on AP exam scores, for example, while others base college credit on AP grades. Some colleges don’t award credit for advanced coursework in high school but do allow students to skip college prerequisite courses such as a first-semester English class.

How Many AP or Advanced Courses?

As a general rule, you should take as many AP or advanced courses as you can handle without letting your grades slip. These courses should fit in with your admissions theme and narrative.

Moreover, admissions officers will gauge the rigor of your course load against the typical course load of top students at your high school. In other words, if you take two AP and several honors courses during junior year but the typical top student at your school takes four or five AP courses, you will not seem as competitive.

Keep these Ivy League admission strategies in mind as you select your course load for each year of high school. Evidently, succeeding in the college admissions process takes more than just high grades: every aspect of your applicant profile—including your course load—must reflect your personal and academic abilities. Ivy League Prep would be delighted to help you craft a strong admissions profile. We provide our clients with personalized guidance throughout high school.

A competitive transcript is one of the most important elements of an outstanding college admissions profile. If your grades are excellent and reflect your academic interests and goals, the admissions officers at top colleges will likely be impressed. As with every other aspect of your admissions profile, the key is to make sure your transcript matches your unique admissions theme and narrative.

Still, it can be challenging to make your transcript stand out. The following Ivy League admission strategies will help you develop a strong transcript by being aware of your school’s grading policies, choosing challenging courses carefully, and mitigating the impact of any poor grades.

Be Aware of Your School’s Grading Policies

High schools around the country calculate and report grades in a variety of ways. At some high schools, the GPA is based on a four-point scale that correlates to the letter grade assigned in class. This is probably the most well-known grading system.

But many high schools use variations of this system, and some use a different system altogether. As you enter high school, you should be aware of your school’s grading policy and adapt your expectations accordingly. For example, if your high school uses a tough grading scale, a strong grade might be in the high 80s or low 90s. Admissions officers are aware that some schools use tougher grading scales and that students from such schools will have to work harder to get good grades. The opposite is also true: if your school’s grading scale is particularly easy, you should have stronger grades.

You should also consider your school’s grading policies when deciding how much effort to invest in your classes. For example, some schools report letter grades with pluses and minuses, but others don’t. If your high school reports only the letter grade without pluses and minuses, an A- is as good as an A. In such cases, if the effort to get an A in one class would result in a B+ in another, it would be better to get an A- in both.

You should perform well within your high school’s grading context, whatever it may be. Admissions officers are aware of how schools differ in their grading policies, and they adjust their expectations accordingly.

Challenging Courses vs. Good Grades

One of the dilemmas you will face as you try to develop a challenging course load is not knowing whether the coursework will be too difficult to handle. For example, you may be able to get an A in AP Calculus BC, but if you take many other challenging courses, you may not be able to get an A in every class.

The keys to solving this dilemma are self-awareness, timing, and careful strategy. It’s never too early to start planning for the academic rigors of high school.

You need to focus on your strengths and play to those strengths whenever possible. Don’t select advanced classes simply because they are available. Rather, select advanced classes that fit your narrative and will allow you to excel.

Timing and strategy are vital if you must take a course that is likely to prove challenging. If, for instance, you know you are not great at math, Calculus may be a struggle. If possible, try to take an honors Pre-Calculus class before taking AP Calculus AB. In any case, make sure not to take more challenging courses than you can handle.

What If You Get Some Poor Grades?

If you get one or more low grades, you should address the situation proactively. One of the most important steps is to ensure that your counselor understands the extenuating circumstances that led to the poor grades. If your counselor understands your situation, they may include an explanation in your letter of recommendation.

In addition to talking about the situation with your guidance counselor, you should also inform the admissions office of each school to which you apply. Make sure not to assign blame or make excuses. Instead, you should simply explain what happened, how it affected your grades, and what you learned from the whole situation. Doing so will demonstrate perseverance and a positive outlook despite circumstances—qualities that are valued by top colleges.

As you begin high school and start to plan your academic goals, you should keep these Ivy League admission tips in mind. Planning your course load strategically will allow you to craft an outstanding applicant profile.

Preparing for the SAT or the ACT can be intimidating—your performance on the standardized test you choose will be an important part of your college admissions profile. You’ll have to prepare well, get acquainted with each exam’s general layout and content, and develop test-taking skills that will help you perform your best.

We’ve noticed that many high school students fail to apply general test prep strategies when studying for the entrance exams. The following Ivy League admission tips will help you take the SAT or the ACT with confidence and get a high score.

Start Test Prep Early

Early planning and preparation can significantly reduce the stress associated with the entrance exams and increase your chances of success. Start preparing for the ACT or the SAT as a sophomore, and take the PreACT or the PSAT. In fact, the summer before junior year is a prime opportunity to prepare for your entrance exam; you will be able to study without worrying about homework or extracurricular activities.

If you begin test prep early, you will also have more chances to take your exams. For example, you could theoretically take the ACT a total of 12 times (not that you should, of course). Keep in mind that tests are offered a limited number of times throughout the year.

Get to Know the Exam

If you get to know the ACT or the SAT before taking it, you will be able to study more effectively. Instead of having to become familiar with the exam’s instructions on test day, you will already know what to do in each section.

Develop Test-Taking Skills

Effective test taking requires a strategic approach. Before taking the standardized tests, be sure to master the following test-taking skills:

• Manage your time carefully
• Use the process of elimination to make informed guesses
• Answer the easiest questions first
• Follow your instinct (first responses are often correct)
• Pay attention to key words and qualifiers (e.g., “usually,” “none,” “all but the following,” “the best,” etc.)
• In multiple-choice questions, anticipate the answer before looking at the choices

Take Practice Tests

Taking practice tests helps you become familiar with the test format and instructions, develop test-taking skills, and determine which subjects and question types require the most attention.

You should practice with actual ACT or SAT test materials. ACT and the College Board offer official practice tests on their websites for free. Test prep books that include practice tests are also available, but you should be careful to ensure that the test materials are up to date and include actual ACT or SAT content.

Spend Your Free Time Reading

In addition to taking advanced courses, one of the best ways for you to prepare for the entrance exams, college, and a career is to read voraciously. You should read a wide range of authors, styles, genres, and eras: Greek mythology, news articles, the classics, biographies, current bestselling novels, historical accounts, and more.

Get Help

One of the best ways to ensure you are adequately prepared for the ACT or SAT is to participate in an independent test prep program, enroll in a group class, or engage a professional service like Ivy League Prep. Our Ivy League admission tips have helped many students gain admission to selective schools, including Harvard, Yale, Stanford, and others. We offer our clients individualized guidance programs starting from 8th grade and continuing until senior year.

The college admissions landscape in the United States has never been more competitive; the most selective colleges and universities have very high expectations for their applicants. Therefore, crafting a strong college admissions profile can be challenging, especially without proper guidance. Ivy League Prep’s mission is to fulfill this need and provide students with personalized, specific guidance as they prepare to apply for college.

The three main components of a successful college admissions profile are a compelling theme, a unique narrative, and a competitive transcript. To supplement these elements, many students work hard to obtain recommendations that highlight their values and abilities. However, securing strong recommendations requires careful planning, and each recommendation should focus on a specific aspect of your potential as an applicant. For example, teacher recommendations should generally focus on your academic success, while school counselor recommendations should provide insight into your personality.

In this article, we focus on faculty and trustee recommendations—that is, recommendations from teachers, researchers, or board members of the school you are applying to. These types of recommendations may add value to your applicant profile and are relatively uncommon. Still, there are certain risks associated with using faculty and trustee recommendations. The following Ivy League admission tips will help you make the most of your recommendation letters.

The Dangers of Using Faculty and Trustee Recommendations

Few students are admitted to top colleges simply by virtue of a recommendation from a faculty or board member. And if your admissions profile isn’t strong, you are unlikely to be given a faculty or trustee recommendation—the reputation and credibility of that individual are on the line.

What is more, pursuing a faculty or trustee recommendation may adversely affect your admissions profile in several ways. First, admissions officers often bristle at the idea of a trustee or faculty member trying to influence the admissions process. It may be counterproductive to ask for a recommendation from a faculty member or trustee who is a family friend or a business partner. Second, trustee and faculty recommendation letters are often short and contain little substance—this may give the impression that you lack confidence in your academic performance, extracurricular achievements, and application theme.

Incorporating Recommendations Effectively

While recommendations based solely on relationship are unlikely to carry much weight and may hurt your chances of admission, that doesn’t mean that faculty or trustee recommendations are always inadvisable. A recommendation given by the right person for the right reasons will augment your admissions profile and make it stand out.

If, for example, you attended a summer course at college and impressed a professor because of your exceptional work, a recommendation from that professor would add value to your application. Or suppose that a member of the college’s board of trustees is a partner at the firm you interned at during the summer. If that trustee worked with you and can write a letter describing your qualities, skills, work ethic, and potential, the admissions officers are likely to be impressed

As with all other recommendations, the key is to not rely on this aspect of your admissions profile. You are unlikely to benefit from recommendation letters unless you are already a strong candidate.

Admittedly, it can be difficult to navigate the college admissions process. Fortunately, Ivy League Prep is here to help. Contact us to find out how we’ve helped many students gain admission to the most prestigious schools in the United States.

As we explored in our previous post, financial aid may be one of the most important factors to consider when making your list of potential colleges. The financial aid opportunities in U.S. colleges and universities vary greatly, so you need to take the time to learn about each school’s offerings. These Ivy League admission tips will help you get the best possible scholarships and financial aid packages.

Negotiate for Better Financial Aid

If you receive multiple acceptance letters, you may be able to negotiate to increase your financial aid. For example, suppose that you were accepted by two colleges, and one of them is offering you a larger financial aid package. However, you would prefer to go to the college that offers less financial aid. In this case, you could contact the admissions office of your preferred college and explain that you will be unable to afford tuition without additional financial aid. Requests for additional aid will carry more weight if you received a larger offer from another school comparable in selectivity and national rank.

Generally, colleges want to see that a request for additional aid is about making enrollment at that college feasible, not just cheaper. Moreover, negotiating for a better financial aid package may or may not result in more aid, but doing so will not put your acceptance at risk.

Seek Outside Scholarships

If your financial aid offers don’t completely cover your cost of attendance, you may be able to rely on scholarships from other organizations. There are numerous national, merit-based scholarship funds in the United States—far too many to cover in this post. Instead of examining specific scholarships, let’s consider some general strategies for finding suitable scholarships.

Don’t Limit Yourself

Since there is no limit on how much scholarship money you can receive, you can pursue as many scholarships as you’d like.

Start Early

You should begin searching for scholarships as early as freshman year. Since these scholarships are based on merit and accomplishment, they could also help strengthen your admissions profile.

Search Locally

Ask your guidance counselor about any local businesses or organizations that offer scholarships to local students.

Search Regularly

You will be busy throughout high school, and searching for scholarships can take time. Instead of spending a lot of time at once looking for suitable scholarships, you should regularly set aside small portions of time for that purpose.

Be Practical

Many of the same elements found in a compelling admissions profile can be incorporated into scholarship applications. To avoid making a lot of extra work for yourself, you should apply to scholarships that don’t require a great deal of additional time or effort.

Apply to a Variety of Scholarships

While you may be drawn to prestigious national scholarships, you should not ignore smaller local, regional, or niche opportunities. The smaller the number of applicants, the greater your chances of winning scholarship funds. Keep in mind that several small scholarships can eventually amount to a significant amount of financial aid.

Financial aid can be one of the most important factors in the college admissions process—it’s never too early to start looking for scholarships or researching your potential schools’ financial aid packages. These Ivy League admission strategies will help you find the best financial aid available. Contact Ivy League Prep to receive specialized guidance on how to gain admission to the most prestigious colleges and universities.

The costs of an education at a top college can be sizeable. For many families, paying a quarter of a million dollars for their child’s education is an insurmountable obstacle. However, it is important to note that some of the most selective schools are also very generous toward their students.

Even though each school is different, generous financial aid in the form of scholarships and grants is fairly common for low-income applicants. Before starting the college admissions process, you need to have a frank conversation with your family about finances. If you determine that you need financial aid, then you’ll have to research the specific financial aid opportunities available at each school to which you plan on applying. If you follow these Ivy League admission strategies, you may be able to mitigate some or all of your college expenses.

Select the Right Colleges

If cost is an important factor to you, you’ll have to craft your list of potential colleges very carefully. When selecting potential colleges, you should be sure to consider the following questions:

• Is the college need-blind (that is, it does not consider financial need when making admissions decisions)?
• Does the college offer merit scholarships? If so, are these scholarships awarded based on the college application, or must additional materials be submitted?
• Does the college offer need-based grants or student loans?

From a financial aid perspective, you should consider selecting at least one safety school that is also fully within your price range. In case you aren’t offered enough financial aid by other schools, this school will serve as a backup option.

Apply for Application Fee Waivers

Depending on your level of financial need, you may be eligible for application fee waivers. These waivers can be obtained through the Common Application, the College Board, the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), or even the colleges to which you plan on applying. In general, if you qualify for free or reduced-price school meals, you will also qualify for an application fee waiver.

Seek Merit-Based Scholarships

Many colleges offer merit-based scholarships for applicants with exceptional academic, leadership, or extracurricular achievements. As part of your application strategy, you should consider applying to at least some schools that offer merit-based financial aid. Merit scholarships vary in size. Some scholarships pay for a portion of tuition, and others cover all tuition costs, room and board, and other fees.

Many merit scholarships are awarded based on a student’s application and do not require applicants to submit additional forms, essays, or other material. If you are applying to such a college, it will be even more important to develop a compelling admissions profile. The stronger your application, the higher your chances of receiving merit-based scholarship funds.

At some colleges, merit-based financial aid requires an additional application and, possibly, an essay. If you are accepted to such a school and need additional financial aid, you should certainly take the time to apply for a merit scholarship. When applying to receive a merit-based scholarship, you should keep in mind all the principles of developing a compelling admissions profile.

Some colleges offer scholarships to athletic recruits. If you are a highly skilled athlete, you will definitely want to consider these opportunities.

Take Advantage of Need-Based Grants

A need-based grant is based solely on the applicant’s level of need and does not require repayment. Many top colleges offer generous need-based grants that may cover most if not all the costs related to your education. Unlike merit-based scholarships, need-based grants are solely based on family income.

As we’ve seen, U.S. colleges and universities offer a wide variety of financial aid. The key is to research each potential school carefully, note its financial aid offerings, and craft a compelling admissions theme and narrative—if you are a truly exceptional applicant, the admissions officers are very likely to accept your applications. Visit our Ivy League admission blog to learn more about how to craft a unique applicant profile.

Athletic ability can make a powerful difference in the college admissions process. If a college or university recruits you as an athlete, you will automatically gain admission to the school. Even if you are an exceptional athlete, however, you must still develop a compelling transcript and a unique application theme and narrative.

In this article, we explain how top colleges recruit athletes. Then, we provide some Ivy League admission strategies on how to increase your chances of being recruited.

The Athletic Recruiting Process

There are two basic stages in the athletic recruiting process.

First, college coaches travel extensively, review local news columns, and conduct other research to find potential recruits. They look for distinguished players (such as all-Americans, state and national champions, and the like) and evaluate whether these athletes meet the academic standards of the school they represent.

Second, after finding potential recruits, coaches carefully compile a list of athletes who are highly skilled and meet the school’s other eligibility requirements. Regardless of their athletic ability, students with low academic achievement will not gain admission to top colleges.

Factors That Influence the Athletic Recruiting Process

When evaluating an athlete’s college application, admissions officers are typically concerned with determining whether the student will succeed academically. Therefore, your college admissions profile must show that you are a serious student who can handle a top college’s academic workload.

Academics

Admissions officers who review an athlete’s admissions profile do not only check the student’s grades—they also place importance on their course load. Athletes who maintain strong grades while taking demanding courses show that they are prepared to face a top school’s challenging academics. If you take on a demanding course load that demonstrates academic strength, determination, and commitment, you will have a much better chance of being recruited.

Still, if athletics is your way of standing out—if you have invested countless hours into practicing a sport and are truly exceptional—the admissions officers will understand if you aren’t quite as strong in other areas. Most top-tier athletes have to dedicate themselves to their sport, so many of them don’t have much free time for studying and preparing for college entrance exams.

Regardless of your situation, always keep in mind that top schools have high academic standards—even the most amazing athlete will have trouble gaining admission if they have a weak academic record. If, however, you pursue a rigorous course load and get strong grades while excelling at your sport, you will be a much stronger applicant.

Student Background

In general, the athletes at top colleges with the weakest academic records play football and hockey. Due to bias against applicants from privileged backgrounds, most athletes with low academic performance are middle class. In fact, athletes who attend private or college preparatory schools, maintain average grades, and do nothing else to stand out are much less likely to be admitted—regardless of their ability—than students from low-income schools.

Of course, this general trend does not necessarily mean that athletes from affluent families cannot be recruited or that the process will be harder for them—each student’s case is unique.

Athletic Scholarships

While many top colleges award athletic scholarships, none of the eight Ivy League schools do so. Ivy League financial aid is based entirely on a student’s need, but other top colleges often award athletic scholarships to the best athletes.

Because of this policy, many outstanding athletes who would otherwise apply to an Ivy League school instead choose to attend another, less selective university that offers athletic scholarships. You will have to carefully analyze your financial situation to decide on the best school for you.

When crafting your athletics-based college admissions profile, keep the above factors in mind. Most importantly, remember that your athletic ability needs to be coupled with a solid academic performance. If you follow these Ivy League admission strategies, you will be sure to impress college coaches and admissions officers alike.