WHAT IT REALLY TAKES TO GET INTO IVY LEAGUE & OTHER HIGHLY SELECTIVE COLLEGES This page intentionally left blank. WHAT IT REALLY TAKES TO GET INTO IVY LEAGUE & OTHER HIGHLY SELECTIVE COLLEGES CHUCK HUGHES FORMER SENIOR ADMISSIONS OFFICER HARVARD COLLEGE M C G RAW-HILL NEW YORK CHICAGO SAN FRANCISCO LISBON LONDON MADRID MEXICO CITY MILAN NEW DELHI SAN JUAN SEOUL SINGAPORE SYDNEY TORONTO Copyright © 2003 by Chuck Hughes. All rights reserved. Manufactured in the United States of America. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, with- out the prior written permission of the publisher. 0-07-142506-3 The material in this eBook also appears in the print version of this title: 0-07-141259-X. All trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners. 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If you d like more information about this book, its author, or related books and websites, please click here. For more information about this title, click here. CONTENTS Acknowledgments ix Introduction xi Part 1: College Admissions 101:What Matters to Admissions Offices 1.A 10,000 Foot View of Selective Admissions 3 The Long Line to Admission 3 The Admission Mission: Prepare Leaders for the Twenty-First Century 8 Universities Don’t Just Admit Individuals— They Build Classes 10 Individual Assessment: The Key Criteria 14 2.Academic Assessment:Are Good Grades and Strong SAT Scores Enough? 17 Analyzing Academic Rigor, GPA, and Class Rank 18 Standardized Testing 27 Co-Curricular Programs and Awards 42 Academic Profile of Students Admitted to Highly Selective Colleges 48 3.Extracurricular Activities 55 Making a Difference on and off Campus 55 The Extracurricular Milieu 58 v Copyright 2003 by Chuck Hughes. Click Here for Terms of Use. CONTENTS Depth versus Breadth of Extracurricular Commitments 60 Avoiding Tunnel Vision 63 Student Government and the Politicians of Tomorrow 67 The Great Debate 71 Music and Visual and Performing Arts: High Profile on Campus and in Admissions 73 Power of the Pen: Publications, Journalism, and Writing 79 Entrepreneurship, Business Internships, and Term- Time Work 81 Social Service and Community Involvement 82 Impact of Athletics in Admission 85 Recognized Extracurricular Programs and Positions 102 Extracurricular Profile of Students Admitted to Highly Selective Colleges 105 Circumstances That Limit Extracurricular Involvement 108 4.Personal Qualities and Background Factors Impact on the Application 111 Why Personal Character Is Important 112 Letters of Recommendation 117 The Personal Essay and the Story It Tells 126 Interviewing 130 Intangibles: Tip Factors 135 Part II: College Admissions 102: Understanding the Admissions Cycle 5.Rating Candidates and the Evaluation Process 159 Reading and Rating Your Application 159 Academic Rating 161 Extracurricular Rating 162 vi CONTENTS Personal Rating 163 Overall Rating 164 School Support and Teacher Recommendations 166 Who Reads Your Application? 166 Fall Recruiting 170 The Reading Process: Early Admission Whirlwind 176 The Reading Process: April Admission and Rounding Out the Class 178 Committee Meetings, Presenting Cases, Mailing Letters 179 A Cruel Summer: Waiting on the Waiting List 181 6.Application Preparation: From Middle School to College 185 Early Awareness Makes a Difference 185 Junior Year: The Application Process 190 Senior Year: Fine-Tuning Your Application 197 The Value of College Counseling 198 Applying to College Early 201 A Note on Financial Aid 207 Part III: Harvard Case Studies An Examination of Admissions Applications 213 Appendix 239 Index 241 vii This page intentionally left blank. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This book would not have been possible without the support from so many colleagues, past and present, friends, and family. My par- ents are the foundations of this book, as they have shaped who I am. Their commitment to providing for me and my sister the college ed- ucations that they never had has always been inspiring. Thanks to Catholic Memorial High School for helping me to develop my tal- ents. From the admissions office to the athletic department, Harvard University is a place that I will forever “bleed crimson,” and I am grateful for my nine years at Harvard as student and employee and to all those who have impacted me! Thanks to Bill Fitzsimmons and Marlyn McGrath Lewis, who provided counsel and support during the revisions and drafting process. A great deal of credit has to go to my friend, former Har- vard admissions office colleague and fellow Harvard alumnus Dan Drummond, who copyedited most of the book from his admis- sions/high school counseling perspectives. Thanks to Brother An- drew Prendergast for his valuable insights, to Norma Mushkat for putting the final touches on the copy for McGraw-Hill, and to Doug Hardy for guiding me through the writing and business perspectives on getting published. My close friend Peter Blacklow was instru- mental, giving me the keys to his summer place in Falmouth dur- ing the fall and winter months for writing retreats, and for referring me to Howard Cohl, who did a phenomenal job as my book agent. ix Copyright 2003 by Chuck Hughes. Click Here for Terms of Use. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Thanks to all of the students whom I advised at Harvard—on- campus advising is the best teaching tool for a young admissions of- ficer! In particular, I want to thank the five students who were willing to be case studies in the book. Their willingness to share their stories with the public demonstrates the personal character that helped them to distinguish themselves as applicants and will lead them to tremendous successes in life. The biggest thank-you goes to my wife Melissa, who was patient, encouraging, and supportive throughout this entire experience which has taken two-plus years to complete. She is my best friend, the love of my life, and has made the past six years most exciting. A final acknowledgment goes to a poster that my father hung in our kitchen from the time I was eight years old until well after I graduated from Harvard in 1992. The poster portrayed a ballerina in dance and sums up the underlying message of this book and how I try to live my life: If you imagine it, you can achieve it. If you dream it, you can become it. Chuck Hughes x INTRODUCTION Gaining admission to the nation’s most highly selective colleges is one of the most competitive yet least understood processes in edu- cation today. The value placed upon receiving a prestigious univer- sity education over the past decade has increased dramatically, and more students are looking to attend the country’s elite universities. At the same time, the appeal and reach of the Ivy League has broadened, attracting outstanding international students from all over the globe. The globalization of America’s elite colleges has only made the admissions process more competitive. With such in- credible competition and growth in the number of applications, par- ents and students need a resource to guide them through the inevitably nerve-wracking, intense admissions process that begins in earnest during senior year of high school.