Ivy League Admissions: Structuring Your Extracurriculars

Common Misconception

• Many believe 10-15 extracurriculars are needed for Ivy League admissions.
• This is incorrect; quality matters more than quantity.

General Advice for High School Students

• Typical advice includes:
  • Volunteering to show community involvement.
  • Joining clubs to display school engagement.
  • Playing sports to demonstrate physical ability in addition to academics.
• While not wrong, this advice is too general and often not helpful.

Key to Ivy League Admissions

• Differentiation: Ensure your application stands out.
  • Many students have similar profiles with volunteering, clubs, and sports.
  • Admissions may rely on essays for uniqueness, which is subjective.
• Being irreplaceable requires uniqueness and impact.

Structuring Your Extracurriculars

• Order by Impact:
  • Arrange extracurriculars from most impactful to least impactful.
  • This helps make a strong first impression on admissions officers.
• Consider which 3 activities best represent your achievements and focus on these.

Creating Ivy League Level Extracurriculars

• Avoid Common Mistake: Building horizontally (doing more of the same activities) rather than vertically (developing depth in an area).
• Example:
  • Instead of sticking to basic activities, diversify and deepen your involvement.
  • A construction analogy: Building diverse structures (houses, skyscrapers) rather than just many sheds.

Strategies for Impactful Extracurriculars

• Create Unique Opportunities:
  • Start a personal club for a specific cause rather than joining popular ones.
  • Initiate personal projects that are engaging and enjoyable.
• Demonstrate Impact:
  • Use metrics to show the impact of activities.
  • Examples include number of app users or volunteer hours.
• Show tangible results to validate your efforts beyond just participation.

Final Advice

• Prove the significance of your extracurriculars through measurable results.
• For more guidance, consider seeking a personal application review.
• Remain consistent and aim for differentiation to achieve success in Ivy League admissions.