Learning and Ivy League Admission

Learning and Ivy League Admission March 3, 2012 A love of learning and Ivy League admission are intimately tied. Ivy League admissions counselors seek students who enjoy learning for learnings sake. They arent interested in students who are interested in learning to secure great grades, great letters of recommendation, and a fat envelope to college. A love of learning is, quite simply, something you cant hide. Ivy League admissions counselors can discern an applicant who loves to learn from an applicant who loves to get top notch grades. Its important to convey a love of learning in your college essays as well as to your teachers and guidance counselor. Its even better if you really do love learning! Maybe its a line or a word in a teacher letter of recommendation. Maybe its something like, Michael works very hard to master lessons from chemistry class to excel on exams. Or maybe its something more subtle like, Getting good grades is important to Michael. Or maybe its even more subtle something like, Michaels work in my biology class is summed up by his test scores. He is an excellent test-taker. If you think that subtle last line is positive, know that its not. An Ivy League admissions officer will likely interpret that line as though the teacher is trying to convey something not directly stated. If you want to gain admission to an Ivy League college, youve got to love learning and youve got to convey this not only in your college essays (where you should show though not tell) but also to your teachers, your guidance counselor, and in your extracurricular activities. Ivy League colleges dont want students who work hard for the grade. They arent interested in grade grubbers. Theyre interested in admitting students for whom learning comes easily and who have a deep passion for learning. Its something Ivy League admissions counselors are looking for in each application that they review. And thats something thats not going to change anytime soon. A love of learning matters in the Ivy League admissions process. Big time.