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/biz/ - Business & Finance

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311846 No.311846 [Reply] [Original]

We all know the best place to go for a valuable, strong network and interesting opportunities is a top 20 college.

Share tips on how to maximize one's chances to get in that aren't affirmative action or donations. Avoid the obvious like "work hard".

Anyone here attend or attended a top university in the US? Could you share your experience with the application process and your achievements that could have gotten you in?

>> No.311873 [DELETED] 

Cornell is shit easy to get into.
Brown, Dartmouth and non-Wharton UPenn are hardly worth it.
Yale and Princeton are extremely hard to get into, but Harvard is (in my experience) easier.
Most of the kids who got into Ivies in my class got rejected from most schools but Harvard and Cornell. Sometimes they even got only into Harvard and rejected by all the others.

>> No.311908

Pretty much the only way to get in as a white male is to get 4.0+ and have a good connections (senator writes you a rec letter, etc).

>> No.311931

>>311908
You sure? It seems unnecessarily selective to me.
By white male you mean not part of any kind of group or minority that could let affirmative action come in play?
Do those schools care at all if I can afford to pay full ride?

>> No.311950

>>311846
>Anyone here attend or attended a top university in the US? Could you share your experience with the application process and your achievements that could have gotten you in?

I was in the gifted program with 2 people that went to the Ivies. Also dated a girl from Cornell for a bit.

First friend was a neurotic straight A student (black female) that did band and some other extracurriculars. Always jumped at every opportunity. She's now pursuing a postgrad degree on top of her African American studies undergrad. She goes to Princeton. I know for a fact that Princeton doesn't care if you can pay at all. You graduate debt free as far as tuition goes. She was from an affluent family, though. Both parents have 6 figure incomes.

Other guy ended up going to U Penn. I know he retook the SAT's because he got a 2350 the first time. Band again. Some sort of science club. 4.0 GPA. Insanely math oriented. I believe he went for a pure math degree or engineering. Wasn't really close with the guy. White male; clothing suggests he wasn't loaded.

Girl I dated had money. White. Cornell is pretty easy to get into relative to the other Ivies. From what she told me, I'd be a good fit. She was a little neurotic as well. Pursuing a business degree to open and run a bakery. We don't talk anymore.

The workload at these places is phenomenal. If you're a slacker, just go to a good school that isn't a top 20. Better to be a big fish than get lost in the wash here.

Also worked with a girl from Yale. She was a cunt.

>> No.311961

>>311950
The two people you described at the beginning fit the stereotype of the student who works so fucking hard all the time and makes it, but I can't believe everyone who gets into top 20 colleges either works so much and has so many activities they become neurotic, or are somewhat privileged by race, income or sexual orientation.

Or am I being delusional?
Aren't there any human beings who get in there without a rec letter from Mandela or whatever?

>> No.311968

>>311961
>I can't believe everyone who gets into top 20 colleges either works so much and has so many activities they become neurotic, or are somewhat privileged by race, income or sexual orientation.

That's how these people run. You work hard. I know another girl who was the same way as the first two. I took a CADD class with her. She cried when she got a 99. It was the lowest grade she'd received that semester.

She does robotics for NASA as an intern if I'm not mistaken. Think she went to MIT. Not sure.

The kids getting into Ivies on merit aren't normal for the most part. These people are so focused that it's scary. I don't understand how they keep it up

>inb4 some anon comes in with that's why you didn't make it. "We" understand

They crash and burn all the time, but get back up. The high tension they put on themselves is crazy. This is all just anecdotal, though. Yale cunt was pretty normal; just a bitch.

>> No.311974

>>311968
So the answer to my question
>aren't there any human beings who get in there without astonishing credentials and an inhumanely stressful work ethic
Is "no"?

If I'm not a 4.0 GPA valedictorian inventor/champion athlete or a paraplegic black lesbian with a sob story, I'll never get in?

>> No.311980

Also, if Ivy League/top 20 schools are that impossible to get into, what about very good public schools, like UMichigan, UVA, UWash, UIUC, and the top schools from the UCalifornia system?
Are those extremely hard too?

>> No.311989

>>311974
Yes. You need insane credentials to get into an Ivy. That's sort of the whole point. You can get in without being perfect, but you damn well better be close and have a ton of extracurriculars. If you're a 3.5 student with a decent SAT, just stick to a really good state school.

>> No.311995

>>311989
Eh shit. Not even Cornell?
To what extent does Single Choice Early Action help when applying to H/Y/P? Acceptance rate jumps (for Harvard) from 4% regular decision to 18% SCEA... Those 14% can't only be legacies and athletes.

>really good state school
Does Berkeley count? And UCLA?

Also, do you think doing a master's at H/Y/P grant the same networking opportunities and prestige as a BSc/BA?

>> No.311997

I went to one of the top 5 schools for video game design. Piss ass easy to get in, don't even require an ACT score, but the game design program is brutal.

>> No.312002

>>311997
What was it? Just curious.

>> No.312005

>networking

You're watching too many movies.

>> No.312008

>>311995
Don't know about any of that. I was always an intelligent slacker. I failed my junior year of English despite getting a 99 on the final. I went to a decent state school that did nothing other than look at my SAT's and read the letter I wrote promising to apply myself. I think I was the highest SAT score they accepted that year.

I never bothered with all of the Ivy bullshit or worrying about getting in anywhere.

>> No.312011

>>312008
Do you regret it? Do you think an Ivy would have benefited you?
>>312005
How so?
How come so many american billionaires attended a top 20 university (dropping out included)?
How come Harvard counts the most ultra high net worth individuals out of any other institution in the world? etc

>> No.312014 [DELETED] 

I'm attending to Stanford in the fall. Was accepted to Harvard and Columbia but I didn't like my peers during the admit weekends.

My personal essays made me sound like a intellectual that thinks outside the clichés.

For instance, the essay topic was "What historical event would you like to have been a part of?" Obviously don't write something everyone will write about like the civil rights movement or the French Revolution. Actually set out and find something unique.

Seriously, stop with the networking and nepotism and Jews did it bullshit, and actually try thinking outside the box. I have absolutely no connections and I made it.

>> No.312019

>>312014
>I have absolutely no connections and I made it
Mind me asking what race you are? Or sexual orientation? If you don't want to tell it's alright.

What was your GPA, SAT scores and main extracurriculars? I just want to compare myself to you

>> No.312023

>>312011
>Do you regret it? Do you think an Ivy would have benefited you?

No and fuck no. I never would have made it in an Ivy.

Too much work. I didn't even graduate my state school. I dropped out to do real estate and trade.

I made some awesome connections through my fraternity that have served me well, and I'm considering a sales job with a firm that a brother's dad owns.

I recognize that people are different; myself included. I wouldn't recommend my path to anyone, and I wouldn't blindly tell someone that an Ivy would be their best bet for success. As cliche as it is, you have to find what works for you.

>> No.312028

>>312023
I see. As you say, different things work for different people, how did you make connections through your fraternity though? Was it difficult or natural?

>dropped out to do real estate and trade
As of now, mind telling your income? Or a range?

>> No.312040

>>312028
>how did you make connections through your fraternity though? Was it difficult or natural?

I attended college with a best friend from high school. We played football together and roomed in the dorms. His older brother was a senior at the school, so I met some older people right out of the gate. My friend also knew some older guys from our area that attended our school. One was in the fraternity and encouraged him to rush.

I tagged along to a few events and really meshed with some guys. I also found out that a lot of the people I'd found myself talking to at random parties were brothers. I rushed, and got a bid (My junior year I found out I was a very contested bid.).

I got really close with my pledge class, as everyone does, and enjoyed my time with the guys. It was natural because I found a good fit. You share a common bond with these people, and you can trust them. Those connections are very valuable.

>As of now, mind telling your income? Or a range?
First year. I'm on track for 40-60k from sales. Trading is a tossup. I trade OTC's for the most part because the volatility is exciting.

I missed an opportunity for a $2.1 million buyout along with a six figure job by choosing not to drop out earlier. Put a business I was starting on the backburner. That really cemented my decision to dropout.

As I said: Different strokes for different folks.

>> No.312051

>>312040
Okay
What was the university you attended?
Would you say the opportunities you got out of the fraternity were just because of your bonds with those people, or did it also come from the fact that it was a big fraternity which had a big network too?

>Different strokes for different folks
Yeah. Interesting path though, I guess that if I had really nice opportunities I'd probably drop out, but there's still the appeal of a prestigious education and a reputable and influencial alumni network

>> No.312061

>>312019
Why did the Stanford guy delete his post?

>> No.312064

>>312051
>What was the university you attended?
Shippensburg University

>Would you say the opportunities you got out of the fraternity were just because of your bonds with those people, or did it also come from the fact that it was a big fraternity which had a big network too?
Both. Most opportunities have been from my chapter. We're not one of the larger fraternities as far as nationals are concerned, which means I've actually met and had a drink with our national president. You can't just expect to be handed a job by virtue of your association, though.

>> No.312083

>>312064
Alright, I'll keep what you said in mind in the likely event that I get rejected from where I want to go. Thanks for your advice.

>> No.312108
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312108

Aiming to go to an Ivy is silly. What kind of person do these schools attract? The person who spends his time fighting to preside over a high school club that no one takes seriously. The person who spends his nights memorizing dates that he'll forget for history and chemistry. The person who learned an instrument, not to compose anything, but to win competitions. The kind of person who will look at a newspaper with a completely blank face because he didn't have the time to learn about current events (it wasn't being graded). He doesn't know anything about politics (it wasn't being graded), or philosophy (it wasn't being graded). He doesn't subscribe to any particular subculture except that which he learns from the tumblr posts he looks at in the chance he has free time. His only goal is for other people to see him as successful. The person who never took up an interest that wasn't going to be immediately graded. The person who never learned to look inward, as how can you do that in between research and internships and sports and a good GPA? These people subsist entirely on pop culture & MSNBC narratives. They care enough to mask just how little they care.

>> No.312115

>>312108
Nicely said, but...
I'm still having a hard time believing all Ivy students are like that. Or else it must be like a fucking psych ward at those universities. Surely there has to be a few (a minority for sure, but still) people who could be considered as clearly above average but still normal.

>> No.312122

>>312115
There's no doubt, but it's just not the majority.

>> No.312127

>>312122
Well if anyone has any clue about what makes those normal-but-Ivy-material people stand out among the aforementioned perfect GPA automatons, please tell me.

>> No.312137

>>312127
Having a diverse life outside of school. Accomplishments.

>> No.312155

>>312137
That's pretty vague.
>Diverse life
Extracurriculars?
>Accomplishments
Such as?

>> No.312166

>>312108
Saved.

>> No.312167

>>312155
Yes. Like, you volunteer as a Big Brother, play varsity tennis, and are on the debate team.

Awards, specific titles in recognized agencies (i.e Boy Scouts - Eagle Scout Rank).

>> No.312170

>>312167
Wow just that? But it's piss easy to get those things. Is it like a holy trinity? Volunteering + a sport + a leadership position or another activity that requires decision making skills (kek)?
I assume the essay plays a big part, but to what extent?

>> No.312173

>>312155
A "diverse life outside of school" simply means various activities which make up a lifestyle that is alternative to the typical student in a given education system. What this implies is independence, which is a characteristic which merits its own unique power. Therefore, those who choose not to be alternative will lack this power.

The accomplishment that is talked about is therefore the accomplishment of independence.

>> No.312176

>>312170
Make everything sound more glorified than it is. Don't make your essay bland or something that is overused.


The matter is you have to do those things continuously, not just pick them up for a few weeks and drop them.

>> No.312180

>>312173
Oh. Standing out by being independent.
Isn't it basically another way to say "just be yourself but make it look impressive"?

Does it also imply that the admissions process is truly holistic since admissions people can accept a student just because his application has a "theme" and shows independence?

>> No.312182

While it's not Ivy I had a chance to go direct admit to Kelley (IU) which was easily a top 5 undergrad for biz. I passed it up since it was going to cost me like 100k+ easily in loans. Even though I'm poor the only help I was going to get was FAFSA.

So I opted for University of Kentucky. I still have my doubts but in all honesty, I'll probably get a 4.0 easy here and stand out. Plus, I have my tuition paid for with their competitive scholarships + FAFSA. I only need to worry about roam and board which is a joke if you live frugally and rent out a place with people.

Going to go into Finance. Kentucky the state itself isn't the best for jobs (Louisville is okay, but they haven't been expanding say for example, like Texas has). However, I have Illinois (my home state) to the north west. New York and the other states to the north east, Texas to the south west and Florida to the south east. All in all, I think it's more or less how much you bust your ass. I plan on going hard with internships plus I've had experience since high school with internet marketing and doing sales. If anything, I think I'll look better with my experience instead of some guy with some paper in a fancy school, unless the employer is going to focus on nepotism, which is a completely different game.

>> No.312183

>>312182

Oh also, following up.

I have a cousin of a cousin who is in Colombia. He's a jew (lol), and basically is just full blast 24/7 into religious studies. I'm talking being the leader of a Jewish group in a community, doing service every other day, etc. He's a hard worker, just not into what /biz/ would think would be worth the effort.

>> No.312188

Why do people think it's so hard to get in? I and a few of my friends got in with fairly normal personal circumstances and no "cheating factors" (I'm a white male, no legacy, public school):

* Have good grades in high school. This should be easy -- high school is a joke.
* Do a few extracurricular activities just to show you're human
* Get good standardized test results
* Do one thing *REALLY* fucking well. This can be pretty much anything, but it's the most important part of your application. You can be a world ranked DDR player (that's actually someone our admissions office bragged about admitting) as long as you're good at something.

It's not easy to get in, and yes luck does play a factor. But it's definitely not impossible.

>> No.312190

>>312176
So the key is marketing yourself correctly.
What about white lies?
Are there any lies or distortions of truth I can say that they won't be able to check?

What would you say is the minimum amount of time that I should stick to an activity? Six months? I only started doing extracurriculars a year ago - unless shit I did two/three years ago counts? Eg. I did a year of varsity sports but I dropped it in 10th grade.

>> No.312192

>>312180

To also add another follow up, I did get sucked into the whole Ivy escapade. I gave Yale a shot since some guy 5 years ago in my high school got in. To be honest, a big thing I noticed is the whole "independent" theme revolves around being very critical and deeply invested into something you love. And by something you love, I mean more or less something that you could take into an Ivy and spend their money researching, doing studies, etc.

They honestly don't care about people trying to go their to get connections to make big bucks, that's never their plan. They want independent, driven people that are going to go full blast into what they love. There are exceptions, as always, but this has been a correlation I've noticed when it comes to the Ivys.

>> No.312194

>>312190

You're trying too hard to beat their system already. Think of all the other applicants that dabbled in a couple of things for a couple of months, maybe even a year or two.

They'd rather pick the devoted Tuba player who can toot a toot like no one else instead of the Valedictorian who plays 2 varsity sports. The latter is a very good candidate, but they get enough of those applying already.

>> No.312195

>>312188
In which Ivies did you get into?

What's your idea of a good enough GPA and SAT score?
What was that thing you were really good at? Do you have to be world class?

>> No.312199

>>312180
True independence is not as shallow as simply "making yourself look impressive" to others for the sake of approval. It is for one's own sake of survival. I simply think of it like this; If a virus of some kind (biological or social) spreads among the masses of the common folk, I will remain unaffected because I am not a part of that common folk. In addition, my critical thinking skills may (not in all, but many cases) be above average as a result of my independence, making me stronger than the common folk of my environment.

I'm not talking just about admissions, I care very little about admission into college. I'm talking about the powers of independently thinking. With that said, working as a slave to teachers and various boards of education is not my style, despite the fact that I must do this in order to attend an Ivy League School.

>> No.312200

Is Wustl considered top 20?

>> No.312204

>>312195
Attending Stanford. Admitted Princeton, Dartmouth, Cornell. Waitlisted Yale. Rejected Harvard (totally bombed the interview), Penn

Good enough GPA: 3.9 unweighted? Depends on the school.

Good enough SAT: The average of a schools 25th and 75th percentile SAT scores. I'd shoot for 2300 or higher if you're trying to get into an elite school.

I did a lot of CS stuff. Research and internships usually given to university students. Definitely wasn't world class, but I marketed it well to the universities.

>> No.312205

>>312194
Thing is, I didn't pursue anything long enough like that. I'm no piano master or whatever. I've been getting early into self employment (notably making money with apps and web dev) and trading stocks/investing but I highly doubt this is valuable, and I doubt even more that "entrepreneurship" can be a good theme for a college application.
Oh and I'm surely not the only one to have done shit like that. I need to find something I like and am good at but what...

>> No.312210

>>312204
What CS stuff did you do?

>> No.312215

>>312210
Internship with a startup and a major tech company.

Research with a professor at a state university.

Don't want to go into to much detail.

>> No.312218

>>312204
What was the Harvard interview like?

>> No.312223

>>312218
Just talking with a dude. I didn't really have a reason to attend Harvard other than "I heard it was a good school". That's true for 90% of applicants to these schools, I just made the mistake of not having a convincing lie.

>> No.312227

What's a "top 20" university? Is there some all-inclusive list that ranks colleges?

I just ask because I'm going to U of Michigan next year for engineering, and I know it's ranked highly for engineering but I don't know if that makes it a top 20 or whatever.

>> No.312248

>>312227
Outside of Harvard, Yale, Stanford, MIT, Oxford, Caltech, Cambridge, Princeton, and Chicago, the next tier is basically the same (Berkeley, Duke, UCLA, Penn, Michigan, Virginia, Northwestern, etc.). Michigan is good all the way around but is public so it is much bigger and less exclusive than top private schools.

>> No.312255

>>312248
How hard is it to get into UCLA or Cal compared to H/Y/P?

>> No.312265

>>312205

Hey welcome to my boat. I had a fantastic interview with the Yale lady, she basically hinted that I had drive and was going to be successful but not the kind of success Yale was looking for.

Although to be honest, I didn't really push hard enough with the fact that I've been building websites and doing internet marketing ever since I was in middle school. Although, that's probably not the student body they were interested in.

>> No.312303

>>312115
Of course they arent, and the ones that can think, create, act like something other than sheep, usually end up being very successful because of the resources they acquire at these places.

>> No.312309

>>312011
>how come so many american billionaires attended a top 20 university?

1) This is irrelevant, as only a tiny fraction of students become billionaires
2) The rich children of rich people go to expensive hollywood schools

>> No.312336

>>311980
I got into Cornell and Dartmouth but was rejected from UCLA and Berkeley. Still not sure how UC admissions works.

>> No.312456
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312456

I'm at Georgetown, which is tied at #20 or so I believe. Should have been an Ivy but the university rejected participating in the League on the grounds that it was Catholic. Personally, I believe it should be higher because the metrics used to rank universities are quite arbitrary (number of tenured professors, if there is an engineering school, etc). My younger sister got into UPenn.

In any case, our experiences generally reflect these:
>>311950
>>311989
>>312188

You need to have good grades (above 3.5 GPA at least, decent SAT I and II results, etc.)
Be involved in a number of extracurricular activities to the point where you achieve a leadership position (very important).
You want to do well in the interviews AND the personal essays, because this is what distinguishes you apart from everyone else.
You want letters of recommendation from people who have strong pull (big names, have strong experience in their field, are university alumni, so forth).
Finally, you want that ONE thing that sets you apart from everyone else. Something truly unique. (For me that took the shape of a 40-page thesis on the use of the social media and the Internet in US presidential elections).

Was it worth it? I'd say so. The real value in these universities, based on my experience, are the connections you build.

>> No.312488

Threads like these always inspire me to work harder.
Im in Canada and NOT in Western/Queens/UBC, lets just say a mid-tier school... makes me only more dedicated to get out there and get shit done... thanks biz

>> No.312800

>>312336
Well if anyone can enlighten me on the subject it'd be nice.

>> No.312828

>>312456

Georgetown? I wouldn't even let my maids kids go there.

>> No.312836

>>312828
Top 20 is top 20. Besides, it has what I wanted: a strong working relationship with Congress and the intelligence community.

...and of course, the best school undergraduate business school for those aiming for a career in Finance: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-04-08/the-best-undergraduate-business-schools-for-finance

>> No.313288

>>312800
Bump

>> No.313677

>>313288
bumpu agen

>> No.313707

>>312227
nobody cares if it's a top 20 overall, if it's ranked highly in the field you want that's good (michigan is great)

>> No.313724

>>312200

Yes. If it wasn't top 20, St. Louis would be run by WashU grads instead of SLU and Mizzou grads.

>> No.315016

>>313724
Is WashU good though? Can it be used as an Ivy safety?

>> No.315249

>>315016
so my thread's dead apparently

>> No.315410

>315016

Yeah its a great school, but I wouldn't exactly call it a safety for Ivies, you would probably get into Cornell before you got into Wash U. Also, Wash U gives out a lot less financial aid than the Ivies and has a bit of a STEM slant. I'm pretty sure they have a decent amount of OCR for big name finance firms, but not nearly as much as the Ivies.

If you want a Finance career and to exploit your school network, Northwestern would be a much better "safety school".

>> No.315420

>>312108
I went Ivy but had a nervous breakdown after.

You forgot to mention the childhood where your parents love was dependent on your success.

>> No.315422

>>315410
>Cornell before you got into Wash U
Are we talking about the same washU? I'm talking about washington.edu. Perhaps that one would rather be called UWash though, my bad.

I don't need financial aid. I know that doesn't give me an advantage at Ivies, but is there any top school where being able to pay full price can boost my chances?
>Northwestern
>safety
What? It's as hard to get into as Duke, UPenn, Dartmouth or whatever.

>> No.315471

>>312488
>implying Western and Queens are considered top Canadian universities

lol, just lol

>> No.315533
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315533

>>311950
>her African American studies undergrad

mfw she wasted her opportunity

>> No.315537

I don't think you need "insane" credentials to get in. I had a 3.93 in highschool, some college credit from classes, band, cross country, tennis, and a 33 ACT and Princeton accepted. This isn't unachievable, it was pretty easy. Didn't go for monetary reasons but still.

>> No.315539

>>315537

Oh and I'm white and male.

>> No.315574

>>315537
>>315539
What was your essay like?

>> No.315635
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315635

I'm a white male. I got into Berkeley and Northwestern with an unweighted 3.98 GPA, 35 ACT, and what were in my opinion poorly-written essays. I did have a few basic extracurriculars, but most of my out-of-school hours in high school were spent playing World of Warcraft. I had no leadership positions. HYP/Caltech/Stanford/MIT are crapshoots for anyone, but as long as you're a decently intelligent and interesting person a top 20 school shouldn't be unachievable.

And if you do get in, don't waste the opportunity by studying AFAM/Gender/[supposedly oppressed people] studies. Study something useful like STEM or economics.

>> No.315681

How does one "network" ?

I genuinely want to know how the game works.

>> No.315684

I'm a Hispanic male in community college. My HS GPA was 3.2. How do I into these top-level schools?

>> No.315686

>>315684

apply and affirmative action will take care of the rest

oh and fuck you

>> No.315688

>>315635

When did you graduate high school?
You can probably still get into Berkeley with those stats, but the competition for places like MIT and Stanford is ridiculous. My friend had a 4.8 average for all four years of highschool, and did rowing for four years and bunch of other shit and still got denied from MIT and Stanford. He goes to UPenn though.

>> No.315690

>>315681
You know fraternities and all the shit they do?

Believe it or not, that's a form of networking.

>> No.315699

>>315690
>>315690

What if im too old to join a frat? What do?

>> No.315700

>>315684

>community college
>3.2 GPA

lmao. I hope you're not going for STEM

>> No.315715

>>315699
Are there any large university organizations/clubs you can get involved with?

>> No.315719

>>315700
mathematics

>> No.315722

>>315471
For Finance they are.

Queens and Western are the first place recruiters go for IB or anything finance related

>> No.315860
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315860

Gonna be drunk, but I'll answer anons' questions via mobile
>>312218
The interview aren't standardized. I discussed MLB with my interviewer.

>> No.315884

>>315860
Any pro tips you feel people miss out on or don't take seriously enough when applying?

>> No.315886

I'm leaving my private university that I don't like to go to community college for 1 to 2 years. If I get above a 3.4 or a 3.6 I'll be able to get guaranteed acceptance to UVA or William and Mary. Any advice?
UVA is a school with a pretty good repuation

>> No.315893

>>315884
Even though it's optional, do the supplementary essay. I have a friend who works in the admissions office and he tells me that a strong supplementary essay, especially if it humbly highlights one of your strengths or accomplishments can be very helpful.

>the major you put for your intended major doesn't matter

>> No.315900

>>315893
Thanks, also i heard it's pretty much standard to do some sort of research on a Uni level before even think about applying to a top college whats your take on this?

>> No.315913

I'm a hispanic with a 3.9 GPA. Am I getting in to these schools?

>> No.315914

>>315900
Research is a strong asset on your resume, but is by no means a shoe-in extracurricular. If anything it can hurt you b/c your research outcomes, skill, and history may be compared to other applicants, many of whom will be science prodigies, both inside and outside the lab.

So in short, don't do research b/c you feel like it's expected of you

>> No.315916

>>315913
You need good test scores and extracurriculars tambien

>> No.315923

Also nobody apply early to Stanford

>It's a trap

>> No.315925

>>315916
Extracurriculars are a problem of mine. I do track, had a shitty year this year injury wise (not even sure if I was on the roster) and I do some service out of school. The clubs at my school are pretty much join, become president and never meet again. Never been big into musical instruments also.

>> No.315930

>>315925
What year are you? I had a lung infection my junior year from which I never recovered, started weightlifting while running shittily, but listed XC and Track. Passion (evident in your essays and rec letters) > actual athletic talent (unless you're a recruit lol)

>> No.315931

>>315886
anyone? is this a good idea or not? It's the end of the year, im trying to decide if i want to do this or not.

>> No.315937

That feel when no extracurriculars
That feel when no school activities ever
That feel when never went to a single football game
That feel when never went to a single dance

How fucked am I?
I just went home and play video games

>> No.315940

>>315937
Played video games* on a phone, pls don't rapeme

>> No.315944

>>315931
If it'll save you money yea. What school do you attend and why don't you like it? Were you just posting in /fit/ ?

>> No.315948

It's all reputation. The school, the professors, etc. But going to Yale doesn't make you a smarter person than a guy going to a state university. It's 80% merits and connections. If your Dad isn't buddy's with R-Money then you need to prove yourself you a future R-Nigga.

>> No.315989

>>312108
I went to Yale, and I don't know how it was at the other Ivies, but that wasn't the case for me and that's not what I observed from my classmates. Most of the people there genuinely wanted to learn about everything and anything.

In the admissions process, it's much more important to be passionate about something than to be have a perfect transcript or the ideal combination of clubs and activities. The Ivies look for passionate people for that reason; they rarely admit people that end up being uninteresting in interviews.

>> No.315995

>>315937
You're pretty fucked.

>> No.316001

>>315995
Why? Can't I just blame my parents for not wanting to transport me

>> No.316048

>>316001
What is carpooling with friends?
What is public transport?
What is dedication?

Excuses don't get you far in life.

>> No.316063

>>316048
>implying I have friends
>implying my city has public transit
>implying I'm dedicated to being around fags I want nothing to do with

>implying these are excuses

I didn't want to go to an ivy anyway, why am I even in this thread.

>> No.316087

>>316063
Because you're a loser who doesn't want to be a loser, but you clearly don't have the spine to put in the effort.

>> No.316095

>>316087
>doesn't want to socialize with fags at HS
>loser
Top lel mate

Seriously though, my HS years were miserable. Mostly because of my home life, but I'd rather not be in the education factory anymore.

>> No.316134

>>316095
High school isn't just the education factory; it's also the proving ground. It's primary purpose is to sort the wheat from the chaff. The better quality are sent to the top schools while the average are sent straight into the workforce or into average colleges.

The system needs mostly needs drones, not thinkers.

You had your chance, but now it's gone. Now your odds are minimal since success must now be earned outside the system.

>> No.316137

>>316134
Not really mate I can go into CC and get into a state school easy. Honestly high school was a waste of time for me. I've found I'm much more successful and happy now that I'm out of that shithole

>> No.316400

>>315923
Why?

What about Harvard?
What are the schools where ED/SCEA can be beneficial?

>> No.316430

>>316400
Bump

>> No.316475

>>311846
Blatant nepotism is all you need, work on your social skills as much as your grades and legally chance your last name to something like "Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, Carnagie" or some other prestigious well-connected name.

My friend back in England literally changed his last name to Cambridge to get into his University of choice - and it worked. Of course he had decent grades but the fact that his last name was the same name as the uni itself pushed it over the line.

Be creative when dealing with these elitist ivy-league education factories, it's about connections, bullshitting, good grades and family ties more than anything else. Hustle, lie and cheat and maintain an A average and you'll be fine.

TL;DR
>Drastic measures, change your name to something more prestigious
>A grades
>Invest in ADHD medicine for study purposes
>Lie, lie, lie!
>Cheat, cheat, cheat!
>Create blurry family ties that don't exist and get gentleman-styled social skills to charm old ladies at parties
>Bleed as many references as you can.

>> No.316558

>>313677
i heard UC avoids out of state kids

i was interested in uc but realized paying out of state tuition is for chumps

>> No.316565
File: 60 KB, 720x720, 1488237_10152179969328478_1436197115_n.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
316565

>>316134
>ivy league grads will be making on average the same as engineering graduates from my "average" state school
>cost of living twice as high
lol get a load of this faggot

>> No.316566

>>316475
>you didn't do this

>> No.316664

>>315684

Serious post. Please respond.

>> No.316718

>>311846
Friendly reminder that only the only Ivies in the top 20 are Harvard, Pennsylvania, and Yale.

8 (debatable) of the Top 20 are in in the U.S.

http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/university-subject-rankings/2014/accounting#sorting=rank+region=+country=+faculty=+stars=false+search=

>> No.316730

>>316400
>>316430
Stanford like to reject applicants who apply early whereas other schools tend to defer.

Don't let the early acceptance rates fool you. The majority of recruited athletes sign their letters of intent prior to applying early so they're counted as early acceptances, not to mention those athletes who do apply and have coaches wooing the admissions officers.

SCEA > ED any day

>> No.316735

>>316730
Alright but why are you saying SCEA > ED if they're basically the same?
I mean the acceptance rate for Harvard is 18% SCEA, that can't be just athletes.

>> No.316737

Are there any britbongs here? How connected do you get if you go to Oxbridge/imperial/LSE? Do you still get mad connections if you do a PhD?

>> No.316759

>>316735
The advantage of applying early to one of these schools is strategic. If you're accepted early then that's dandy, but you're much more likely to be deferred (not at Stanford). However, by applying early you show an interest in the school, and should you be extended an offer of admission, are more likely to matriculate to the school. You're a safer bet for the school because you'll protect their yield, especially if you're an athlete or a legacy.

>> No.316761

>>316718
also:
http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/worlds-top-100-universities-for-producing-millionaires/2008749.article

>> No.316769
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316769

Does your school even matter if you're not going to be some CEO or billionaire some day? My school is ranked #150 or some shit.

Majoring in CS.

>> No.316777

>>316759
Yeah but how does that make SCEA superior to ED?

>> No.316787

>>316737
you only have the opportunity to get 'connected' if you get involved in a society or some other kind of organisational role.

if you're responsible for getting corporate sponsorship for a sports team or a ball or some big trip (e.g. the varsity Oxbridge ski trip) then that's pretty good, or you're part of the exec of the finance or economics society and you organise sponsorship / evenings with banks/firms that's also pretty good.

that's it really.
there are lots of networking evenings organised by the university where banks and companies come for the evening to give a talk and do networking, but I don't think those do anything. all the people who come get surrounded 5+ people at all times and I just don't see how it's more likely to get you an internship.

if you do a PhD then there are opportunities to jump into a hedgefund or something but I think that's less to do with connections.

>> No.316807

>>316769
Probably not.

That said, I went to a pretty shit-tier Uni. Recently, I've been doing an online EdX course with Harvard.
The gulf in terms of learning materials is astonishing. Learning with Harvard is an absolute piece of piss- it's tough stuff, but it's actually doable if you apply yourself- my shit tier Uni on the other hand makes actual learning a real struggle.

To give you an example, my shit-tier uni has a few notes, you go to a lecture where the prof reads those notes aloud, then you later have to do your best to write a thesis or make a project or whatever, using the fuck-all you learned.
With Harvard, you get a wealth of resources, the lectures are interesting and informative, and there are little problem sets to help you learn bit by bit, sets of tools you can use, and then when you come to your thesis/ project, you've learned a great deal, can apply that, and can instead wrestle with the trickier and more advanced parts.

tl;dr top tier unis are top tier for a reason.

>> No.316933

>>315422

I had been talking about Washington University in St. Louis, which has an applicant pool that is marginally better than Northwestern.

>> No.316949

>>315937
This was me. I got into a decent undergrad and am now in a top grad school. White male with good but not stellar GPA, no activities, extremely high test scores and favorable recommendations.

>> No.317020

>>315699

How old is too old to join a frat? Its not uncommon for veterans to join fraternities even though they might be as old or older than the seniors in the fraternity.

>> No.317029

>>315937
Only thing that really matters is your undergrad.

Everyone likes to blow a lot of hot air about "oh, this looks good on your CV", but there are really only three things that matter:
1. Your undergrad degree. Don't have one? Unless you have several years of experience in the role you are fucked.
2. Your previous experience. Experience in the same or a similar position, in a similar industry.
3. Your past projects. This is significantly less important than the above two which are the main factors HR filters by, but it counts for something at least. Anything you've built, competitions you've won, you get the idea.

I did all sorts of school captain, rowing club, part time jobs all through school, cultural events, etc, and they didn't mean dick next to the guy with an honours degree (my course got cancelled so I didn't get to finish mine).

>> No.317079

>>311950
>>311974
>>311980
>>312011
>>316933
You realize its too late to apply to any schools? Deadline was January 1 and everyone knows the college they are attending and have/about to submit their tuition deposit of $500.

And GPA doesn't matter at all. All you have to do is have at least a 3.25 GPA (i did), and be really good at something. I was 'a prodigy' at computers, I know/knew a plethora of computer languages, and was a tournament ping pong player (pretty good at it). I am also pretty good looking so that helped, I wouldnt have the GPA i had in HS if it wasn't for that. There is a real bias for it among education/workforce

>> No.317082
File: 50 KB, 769x437, A little VeRiTas.png [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
317082

Here's a great post I saw on College Confidential

>> No.317083

>>317082
>or even Bs
He's talking about it as if it were a cutoff. I guess I shouldn't even apply in that case.

>> No.317086

>>317083
I think if you have pretty good grades, have a genuine interest in specific aspects of the school, and a love of learning apply.

I get discouraged from applying because my unweighted is only a bit above a 3.5, but at I take exclusively AP and honors courses.

>> No.317090

>>317079
I'm going to MIT btw

>> No.317093

>>317086
But according to that guy, my chances are so slim it'd be the same as not applying. I'm not even sure SCEA would help in that case since I'm not a valedictorian.

>>317090
You got into MIT because you had a good but not stellar GPA, knew a lot of programming languages and had a high level in a specific sport?
How were your essays?

>> No.317108

>>317093
Yeah I also had more ECs than that like Amateur Radio, Chess club, amateur rocketry, etc (like other technological based hobbies like soldering, movie making, writing, I played the Guitar [I had like 14 hobbies]). My essays were good I took an original perspective on the topic, so I think that helped alot. The topic I chose was "Describe a place or environment where you are perfectly content." and I talked about a state of mood instead, where I am content to.

>> No.317128

>>317108
14 hobbies? I heard it was better to have like two or three that you truly focus on, is that not true after all? Did that number help compensate for a GPA that wasn't stellar?

>> No.317220

>>317128
Yea I think so and I think eclectic range of interests are better

>> No.317221

>>315722
It's too bad a large majority of their student base is mentally retarded.

>> No.317349

>>317221
>It's too bad a large majority of their student base is mentally retarded.
It's too bad a large majority of Australia is mentally retarded

>> No.318136

>>311846
>We all know the best place to go for a valuable, strong network and interesting opportunities is a top 20 college.
el-o-fucking-el

>> No.318202

>>318136
Elaborate

>> No.318205

So, I'm a transfer student with a 3.6 GPA and an SAT of above 2000. I have a letter of rec from an alum who is also a former head of state. In highschool I was captain of my Rugby team and Senior Class President, what do you guys think are the odds I can get into Upenn? Also I technically qualify as hispanic, even though I am pretty white, so I have the AA card.

>> No.318579

>>318202
Bump for this

>> No.319274

>>315016
Where I'm from people either have never heard of it (because they are retards) or they just start sucking your dick about how fucking amazing it is (typically educated people that know more than their typical state schools and the Ivies). I've heard its quality of education is equivalent to the Ivies but it doesn't have quite the name of harvard, yale, stanford, princeton, etc.

>> No.319317

>>311846
OP isn't of aiming for top 20, go for top 10 in the UK

>> No.319335

>>319317
*don't.

Also top 10 there:
1. Oxford
2. Cambridge
3. LSE
4. UCL
5. King's
6. Durham
7. St. Andrews
8. Edinburgh
9. Glasgow
10. Manchester

^Aim for any of these and you'll pay 1/2 the price of tuition and get a better education

>> No.319368

>>311908
You're delusional, this isn't the 1950s, being anything but a White male lowers the standards considerably.

Unless you are saying White males are better at everything, and then you would be mostly right.