The Student Room Group

Need advice from ivy students!

Hi! I’ve always dreamed about going to an ivy in America and want to make that dream come true. I am currently in year 11 so I have about 2-3 years left before I go though the whole Process, and need some help or advice to further increase my chance of getting in.

I am currently sitting on A*’s and B’s so I don’t think my grades lack but my extracurriculars could definitely be better😓

i am a language ambassador and have been for 2-3 years at my school
I speak 3 languages English, Dutch and German. And I’m trying to learn more!
•u did gymnastics for 2 years and ballet for 4
I won 2nd at a national reading competition

That’s pretty much all I have going for me now and I don’t think it’s enough ( I plan to volunteer in the summer ) so if u have any advice on what I should do that would be much appreciated 🥲

Reply 1

Hi! It's great that you're thinking about this early, what are you uncertain about?

Context: Admitted Princeton, Stanford, Upenn M&T, have helped UK students get into ivy leagues for the past 7 yrs/


I would want to know the following:
What major are you interested in?
What do you do as a language ambassador?
Do you still do gymnastics and ballet? Have you won any awards?

Couple of points from an initial look at your profile:

You have around a year, not 2+, as you will need to have worked on and completed your SATs by around this time next year, and your writing assignments for the common app will begin August 2025 (unless you are planning on taking a gap year)

As you note, it would be best to spend some time thinking about what matters most to you and developing your extracurriculars further. Ivies are reporting record low UK admits by over a decade, so it's now more important than ever to develop a truly remarkable hook.


shoot me a message if you have any specific questions!

Reply 2

Make sure you sign up for Sutton trust us program once you’re in year 12!
Free trip to the states and comprehensive help on the application process.

Reply 3

Original post by ben324234
Hi! It's great that you're thinking about this early, what are you uncertain about?
Context: Admitted Princeton, Stanford, Upenn M&T, have helped UK students get into ivy leagues for the past 7 yrs/
I would want to know the following:
What major are you interested in?
What do you do as a language ambassador?
Do you still do gymnastics and ballet? Have you won any awards?
Couple of points from an initial look at your profile:

You have around a year, not 2+, as you will need to have worked on and completed your SATs by around this time next year, and your writing assignments for the common app will begin August 2025 (unless you are planning on taking a gap year)

As you note, it would be best to spend some time thinking about what matters most to you and developing your extracurriculars further. Ivies are reporting record low UK admits by over a decade, so it's now more important than ever to develop a truly remarkable hook.


shoot me a message if you have any specific questions!


hi! First off ty sm for replying and sorry for my late reply😓 I’m not sure yet in what I want to major in since I want to be a lawyer and in America u need an undergrad before u go to law school if I’m correct? As a language ambassador I help the kids who can’t speak English or only know a little and often show family’s around our school. I haven’t done ballet or gymnastics in a while since I’m quite busy in school and haven’t won any awards.

Reply 4

Original post by ben324234
Hi! It's great that you're thinking about this early, what are you uncertain about?
Context: Admitted Princeton, Stanford, Upenn M&T, have helped UK students get into ivy leagues for the past 7 yrs/
I would want to know the following:
What major are you interested in?
What do you do as a language ambassador?
Do you still do gymnastics and ballet? Have you won any awards?
Couple of points from an initial look at your profile:

You have around a year, not 2+, as you will need to have worked on and completed your SATs by around this time next year, and your writing assignments for the common app will begin August 2025 (unless you are planning on taking a gap year)

As you note, it would be best to spend some time thinking about what matters most to you and developing your extracurriculars further. Ivies are reporting record low UK admits by over a decade, so it's now more important than ever to develop a truly remarkable hook.


shoot me a message if you have any specific questions!


Also, I am from Northern Ireland specifically so the years are a bit different here. Next year I am going into year 12 and then I have 2 more years of A levels and I think between those times I could take the SATs

Reply 5

Original post by Moooowww
Also, I am from Northern Ireland specifically so the years are a bit different here. Next year I am going into year 12 and then I have 2 more years of A levels and I think between those times I could take the SATs

Ah gotcha, yes you do have a couple of years left to work with.

Do try to get them done asap - you don't want to be worrying about A levels, essays, AND SATs all at once, and you only get to pick the time with one of them.

That's great news! You do absolutely need an undergrad degree for law.

The exact degree you pick matters a bit less, but generally something that shows your ability to grapple with words/ideas is good.

I can't advise on what to do without knowing more about your profile but make sure you spend time to pick out what you want to highlight and build something tier 1 with it. Happy to chat further if you have more questions!

Reply 6

Original post by ben324234
Ah gotcha, yes you do have a couple of years left to work with.
Do try to get them done asap - you don't want to be worrying about A levels, essays, AND SATs all at once, and you only get to pick the time with one of them.
That's great news! You do absolutely need an undergrad degree for law.
The exact degree you pick matters a bit less, but generally something that shows your ability to grapple with words/ideas is good.
I can't advise on what to do without knowing more about your profile but make sure you spend time to pick out what you want to highlight and build something tier 1 with it. Happy to chat further if you have more questions!


What do you think I can do to stand out more? Because I think my extracurricular are extremely bland and don’t really hold much significance. Especially since where I live there aren’t any things to really do.

Reply 7

Original post by Moooowww
What do you think I can do to stand out more? Because I think my extracurricular are extremely bland and don’t really hold much significance. Especially since where I live there aren’t any things to really do.

It's impossible to say without working with you more closely I'm afraid.

"standing out" generally can be replaced with "being more you". If there are elements of your days that actually excite you, then building activities around that can be the secret.

Generally my process involves:

1.

Document activities

2.

Break down by character traits

3.

Look at what themes they cover, and what level of enjoyment it gives the student

4.

Brainstorm ways to extract more out of existing activities, or choose/build new ones

5.

Execute

The location is tough of course, but it gives you a chance to build something that actually matters to you rather than simply participating. I would say that's a plus!

Reply 8

Original post by Moooowww
Hi! I’ve always dreamed about going to an ivy in America and want to make that dream come true. I am currently in year 11 so I have about 2-3 years left before I go though the whole Process, and need some help or advice to further increase my chance of getting in.
I am currently sitting on A*’s and B’s so I don’t think my grades lack but my extracurriculars could definitely be better😓
i am a language ambassador and have been for 2-3 years at my school
I speak 3 languages English, Dutch and German. And I’m trying to learn more!
•u did gymnastics for 2 years and ballet for 4
I won 2nd at a national reading competition
That’s pretty much all I have going for me now and I don’t think it’s enough ( I plan to volunteer in the summer ) so if u have any advice on what I should do that would be much appreciated 🥲

Just to say, Ivy League applicants have a range of extracurriculars that vary whereas in the uk uni applicants only do things that do with their chosen course and if u want to go to an ivy leauge expect to do a lot of volunteering. Also I do know that an ivy leauge is ur dream but do u really think it makes sense to go there for undergrad and then law school? That will take u seven years to get the qualification when in the uk u can get it in three years at uni. If u really want to go to an Ivy League won’t it make more sense to do a three year undergrad law degree here in the uk then do a one year llm ( masters in law which only takes 12 months) over in the US at an Ivy League, this means u can still choose to sit the bar in America or u can come bake to the uk and practice law here. In whole this saves u time and money because you won’t pay for a 4 year undergrad at an expensive Ivy League plus another 3year law school course. That’s only if u want to do law tho! If u don’t want to do law and want to go to an ivy then I think it would be helpful to go back to gymnastics or ballet and maybe start a club at school if that’s possible, things like that are really good but you’ll need a lot more to get into a US uni let alone an ivy. You should read the applications, stats and extracurriculars of those who got into the ivies on tt or online and you really need to be getting outstanding grades so you can try and work out your gpa which has to be exemplary as those who don’t have the best stats usually have something to back them up which is always a talent in competitive sports at national or international level.

Reply 9

Original post by Presentt
Just to say, Ivy League applicants have a range of extracurriculars that vary whereas in the uk uni applicants only do things that do with their chosen course and if u want to go to an ivy leauge expect to do a lot of volunteering. Also I do know that an ivy leauge is ur dream but do u really think it makes sense to go there for undergrad and then law school? That will take u seven years to get the qualification when in the uk u can get it in three years at uni. If u really want to go to an Ivy League won’t it make more sense to do a three year undergrad law degree here in the uk then do a one year llm ( masters in law which only takes 12 months) over in the US at an Ivy League, this means u can still choose to sit the bar in America or u can come bake to the uk and practice law here. In whole this saves u time and money because you won’t pay for a 4 year undergrad at an expensive Ivy League plus another 3year law school course. That’s only if u want to do law tho! If u don’t want to do law and want to go to an ivy then I think it would be helpful to go back to gymnastics or ballet and maybe start a club at school if that’s possible, things like that are really good but you’ll need a lot more to get into a US uni let alone an ivy. You should read the applications, stats and extracurriculars of those who got into the ivies on tt or online and you really need to be getting outstanding grades so you can try and work out your gpa which has to be exemplary as those who don’t have the best stats usually have something to back them up which is always a talent in competitive sports at national or international level.


First off Thank u smm for for replying. I wanted to do law in America Because in the future I had plans to actually stay and live there so I thought it would be easier to just go to uni there and do law there but seeing this now makes me second guess my decision 🥲 cuz 3 years sounds a lot less than 7

Reply 10

Original post by Moooowww
First off Thank u smm for for replying. I wanted to do law in America Because in the future I had plans to actually stay and live there so I thought it would be easier to just go to uni there and do law there but seeing this now makes me second guess my decision 🥲 cuz 3 years sounds a lot less than 7

You can still do law in America and live there if you do the LLM after a law degree in the uk. The uk law degree plus the US LLM will take 4 years altogether. Hope this helps but it really is ur choice! 🥰
(edited 1 year ago)

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