What Are Ivy League Colleges Looking For?

Whereas last generation’s college applicants were debate team captains and student paper editors, this generation’s college hopefuls are minting NFTs and trading Ethereum. Much has changed about the college application process over the past twenty years. Gone are the days when good grades, high test scores, and a “well-rounded” list of extracurricular activities were good enough to get you into some of the top schools in the country. In many ways, these changes reflect the massive social and technological changes our country, and the world, has undergone since the 1990s. The complication of society has similarly complicated the admissions game to top schools, and Gen-Z applicants and their strategy-savvy, modern parents are uniquely suited to handle these changes.

 

Gen-Z has been described as the most racially and ethnically diverse generation in America to date, as well as the most educated and technologically savvy. When college applicants of this generation are evaluated by top schools, they are viewed through the lens of these circumstances; compared to previous generations, they are the only generation to have grown up in a fully digital age, with all the world’s knowledge at their fingertips. Given this unprecedented access, colleges in this day and age want to see applicants who recognize the special circumstances of our current world, and have the enthusiasm and intellectual curiosity to chart their own path and attempt to make sense of it all, all while making an impact in their communities.

 

This is all to say that current college applicants face the toughest college application process of any generation so far. So how do students stand out from the crowd in this exceptionally difficult evaluation process? The answer does not necessarily lie in their academics. “With most schools having received a record-breaking number of applications in 2020, they could fill their incoming freshman class several times over with 4.0 GPAs and 1600 SAT scores,” says Christopher Rim, Founder and CEO of Command Education, a boutique college consulting firm. “This means that elite colleges these days are looking for students with unique backgrounds or niche interests who are making an impact in their community.”

 

Founded in 2015, Command Education works with students to help them craft compelling applications centered on their authentic passions. Ultimately, top schools have their pick of the litter. Fortunately for parents, Command Education provides an emotionally intelligent approach to college consulting, centered on not simply improving an applicant’s chances of success in the process, but also helping them build crucial life skills as they explore and develop their passions. Navigating the complexities of the elite college admission process can be stressful to do alone, which is why many parents pay $1,500/hour to work with Command Education.

 

“We work like an incubator for teens, providing support and expertise to help students develop their own passion projects, build a meaningful nonprofit, or run their own company. Students learn leadership skills within their community and this naturally helps them stand out to top schools,” says Rim. “It’s important that this initiative develops the student’s own personal ambition and something they are truly passionate about — that’s why it takes years for something like this to be developed.”

 

Although they may have vastly different backgrounds and come from all over the world, the parents who work with Command Education are all seeking the same solution for their children: an individualized, white-glove approach to help their child not only navigate the complicated college admission landscape and build authentic, compelling profiles, but also gain the independence and agency to take control of their education.

 

It is impossible to separate college admissions from the current state of society, which is why colleges are seeking students who not only have authentic intellectual curiosity, but also channel that curiosity into meaningful impact on their communities. Today’s college applicants are facing a world divided by racial and socioeconomic issues and threatened by climate change, among other issues. Elite colleges are looking for students who recognize the unique circumstances and trends of today’s society, and take action to make their mark on the world. Command Education has helped students take their existing passions to the next level. For example, past students have transformed a passion for fashion into a sustainable clothing non-profit, an interest in American history into a national curriculum focused on highlighting historical figures of color, and an enthusiasm for finance into a peer-focused financial literacy initiative.

 

Elite colleges want to admit students who will go on to add to that school’s stellar reputation; the type of internal motivation they are looking for is evident in a student who is able to galvanize change so early on as a high school student. There is no formula for success in this process, which is why so many parents seek outside help for their child through companies such as Command Education. In this new era of college admissions, what top schools are truly looking for is this generation’s changemakers and trailblazers.