Who’s Really Getting into Ivy League Schools?

We all have that friend—her child earns perfect grades, volunteers on the weekend, participates in a bevy of extracurriculars, and scored a 1600 on the SAT. She is quick to parrot her child’s many accomplishments and wide-ranging interests at parties and events, leaving us wondering how they can possibly find the time to do it all.

Yet, as college decision season rolled around, many of us were shocked to hear that that friend’s perfect kid received letters of rejection from all of the Ivy League schools they applied to.

If her kid isn’t getting into top schools, then who is?

The Ivy League could be considered one of the most exclusive private clubs in the nation. The last few admissions cycles have brought record lows in Ivy League acceptance rates, as top schools admit only 3% to 4% of their applicant pool on average. With tens of thousands of applications flooding in each year, prestigious schools could fill entire classes with students who boast well-rounded resumes and perfect grades and test scores. In this competitive admissions landscape, colleges are looking for more.

“It’s not enough to be the valedictorian of your class,” says Christopher Rim, Founder and CEO of Command Education, a premier college consulting firm. “Top schools are admitting entrepreneurs, nonprofit founders, researchers, artists, and changemakers. It’s not about what students have the potential to do in the future—it’s about what they’re doing to chase their passions and affect change right now.”

Becoming a successful applicant requires students to strategize and self-reflect, but all too often they simply pack their schedules with activities they assume will impress colleges—leaving both students and their parents stressed and unfocused. Margot Brown discovered this during her daughter Kate’s sophomore year of high school. After reading about plummeting acceptance rates and witnessing her peers experience the sting of rejection, Kate began signing up for every club and activity that caught her eye. Brown lent her full support, assuming that the more activities that Kate was involved in, the more impressive she would be as an applicant.

“By the end of her sophomore year, we were drowning,” says Brown. “It felt like all of our time together was spent traveling to the next place for a competition, event, or awards ceremony, and Kate was up at all hours of the night trying to finish her school work so that she could maintain her good grades. I kept asking myself, ‘Is this really what it takes to get into an Ivy League school?’”

In short, the answer is no, according to Rim. “Many families assume that simply doing more will increase their student’s chance of acceptance—but this isn’t the case,” says Rim. “The applicants that are in the 3% of students to earn admission to Ivy League schools are those who are anchored in a singular and demonstrable passion.”

Allison Elliott, whose son Jake has worked with Command Education throughout his high school career, notes that many of her friends equate their students’ busy schedules with their competitiveness as applicants. “My friends were shocked when Jake was accepted to Cornell,” says Elliot. “Not because he wasn’t smart and talented, but because they didn’t see us running ourselves ragged like everyone else. Jake’s mentor helped him identify his passion and create a detailed roadmap to achieve his most ambitious goals with purpose, rather than throwing himself into any activity that vaguely interested him.”

Elliot shares that Jake’s work with Wafa Muflahi, a Senior Mentor at Command Education, empowered him to not only create an actionable plan for his high school career, but also equipped him with self-confidence and a path for his future. “Chris’ team helped us to recognize that the students getting into top colleges aren’t simply those filling their time—it’s those who are driven by their passions and making a change in their community. I am so proud to say that Jake is one of those students.”

Ten years ago, colleges regarded the well-rounded, all-American student as an ideal candidate—that friend’s well-rounded child would likely have had a good shot at admission. But the college admissions landscape has changed dramatically in the years since. Now, colleges know that it’s impossible for a student to excel while doing it all—the key to success in Ivy League admissions is finding a core passion and doing that one thing well.