The Ivy League is a name that is held in the highest of esteems when it comes to secondary education. They represent a large percentage of the most prestigious, most selective, and even most expensive schools in the United States. This eight school legion consists of Brown University in Providence, Columbia University in New York, Cornell University in Ithaca, Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, Harvard University in Cambridge, Princeton University in New Jersey, the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and Yale University in New Haven.

While there is often significant cooperation between the universities academically, the Ivy League is first and foremost an athletic conference. Like the Big 10, Big 12, or ACC, it was originally formed so that this group would compete on the athletic field with one and other. There is a reason that Harvard and Yale (which predates the Ivy League’s formation) is known simply as “The Game.” It should be noted that every Ivy League school predates the league, which was not officially formed until 1954, by a good margin. Cornell is the youngest school at almost 150 years old (founded 1865), while Harvard is the oldest at just over 370 years old (founded 1636).

Now, that is was the Ivy League is. The questions many of you may be having is how do you get into them and why would you want to? To answer the second question first, the prestige associated with these schools holds tremendous value. Whether the actual education level is better is debatable, but that perception is still very important. The doors that opens with employers (not to mention the networking opportunities that the schools themselves offers) are unrivaled by most other universities. In a rough present economy, with the unemployment rate for new college graduates hovering somewhere between 40% to 50%, these opportunities are extremely valuable.

The harder question to answer is how do you get in to an Ivy League institution? Many perceive the answer to be money and legacies. While both of those certainly help, there are still (usually) student qualifications that must be met. High grade point average and solid test (SAT and ACT) scores are a good start. Maximizing these scores can definitely give you great odds, but it should be noted that not every applicant who does that gets into each school and not every current student at those schools accomplished that feat. There are other aspects that are also taken into account – these admissions offices want to see well rounded students. Participate in clubs and athletics. Be a leader in your community (service projects). Join most clubs that will have you as a member. View your college application as your first real resume. What can you do to make it stand out?

For more information on each specific school and how you can apply, please visit the admissions sections of the websites for the respective schools. You can find them easily through a Google search or feel free to contact this author and I will provide you with any of the necessary links/destinations.

Author Recommendations:
Harvard Med
Other MD Schools Example
International Medical Universities

Author Recommendations:
http://hms.harvard.edu/hms/home.asp
http://www.auamed.org/md-schools
https://imed.faimer.org

Author Bio: Author Recommendations:
Harvard Med
Other MD Schools Example
International Medical Universities

Category: Education
Keywords: Ivy league, college, harvard, yale, princeton