Getting into Ivy League or top colleges?

Does band/orchestra really matter? Service hours? Non-school related activities? Awards, contests, etc.? Recommendations?



It seems students with participation in sports teams have a way better chance. I mean it would be logical for an ivy league school to want it's students to look healthy or at least fit. What do you make of this?

Getting into Ivy League or top colleges?
Community service, music (band/orchestra), athletics, and other activities are all important. Obviously, you don't have to do them all (and most students don't do them all), but you should do the ones you are good at, and interested in, and do well in them.



Regarding sports teams, Ivy League schools really couldn't care less if "most" or their students looked totally out of shape--AS LONG AS the athletes on their varsity teams are in great shape and win prizes for the school. That's why colleges are interested in athletes--to play on the school teams. If you're not going to play varsity, then athletics does not matter any more than any other activity you do in high school matters (i.e., it counts equally as music, or journalism, or student gov't etc.). But if you are a star athlete and will play varsity, then yes, you will get preference in admissions.



More broadly speaking, these are some general things you should aim for if you want to get into an Ivy:



1. Get good grades. Straight A's are best. But a mix of mostly A's and a few B's is OK, especially if the B's are in tough AP/honors courses. So, yes, try to get straight A's, but if you get a B, don't kill yourself over it--just work harder. Try to stay in the top 10% of your high school class.



2. Take challenging classes. Honors, AP, etc. Don't take soo many at once that you overload yourself and get a C. But take as many as you can take with good grades.



3. Clubs/extracurriculars are important, but there is no "magic number" of activities that you need to do.The most important things are commitment (do the same activities for long periods of time) and leadership (being president, or treasurer, or committee chair...). And you should have at least 1 or 2 community service activities, but your other activities can be clubs, sports (especially varsity) or student council, etc.



4. Get as high scores on the SATs as you possibly can. Start studying a in your freshman or sophomore year, so you will be very well prepared to take the exam late in your junior year (or early in your senior year, but better to get it out of the way in junior year if you can). You'll need a few SAT II subject tests in addition to the SAT I.



5. Think about what teachers you might ask for recommendation letters, because you need good ones. Try to take more than one class with them, so that they get to know you well. Or the reverse: in your senior year, ask the teachers you've taken the most classes with (or done the best with) to recommend you. But if you start thinking about that now, you can perhaps plan accordingly.



6. And of course write a good essay that you have proofread and reviewed by others.



By the way, you should change your screen name. It's obscene.
Reply:extracurricular activities show your a balanced person, not focused solely on academic work
Reply:Yes, they all matter.

And sports do matter because they look like you have cooperation, leadership, skills, talents, SOME physical expertise, social skills and a LIFE. :]

hope this helps.