Hey everyone! During this crazy college application time, students are applying to colleges all over the country that suit their interests. The group of colleges that get the most applicants are the Ivy Leagues. Only 6-8 percent of applicants get accepted, so it is very important to have a high GPA and test scores for these schools. The name Ivy League is given to the group of eight universities located on the East Coast (Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Pennsylvania, Princeton, and Yale) that have common interests in academics and athletics. The"ivy" term came from the ivy plants that cover the buildings of these universities. These eight universities are the most challenging to get into in the entire country because of their prestigious appeal in academics as well as research. These eight schools face each other in the Ivy League for sports like American football and basketball. Plus, these universities also have considerable international influence and involvement, making their appeal even higher for all students.
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| Harvard |
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| Darmouth |
I recently went on a trip to see some of these highly sought out Ivy Leagues and see what made them so popular. The first university I visited was Harvard in Massachusetts. This school, along with Princeton, are ranked number one in the United States. It had a nice campus, surrounded by the pretty college town of Cambridge, and only a bus ride away from the city of downtown Boston. It was fun to tour the campus and city with my family. The next school I visited was Dartmouth in New Hampshire. This school had a more rural feel, with a wide open campus and small shopping area (one street to be exact). The buildings and scenery were beautiful and there were miles of forests surrounding the campus from all sides, perfect for the young adventurer or wilderness explorer.
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| Yale |
I also visited Yale in Connecticut. Yale had a metropolitan feel, being surrounded by the city of New Haven. It did not have a college town like Harvard, but instead a entire city outside the campus walls. It was nice to be able to experience the college life and city life in one trip.
These three universities represent the three major environments of the Ivy Leagues: rural, urban, and inbetween. Although they are all unique, they all share some of the same things like rich architecture, four distinct seasons, and of course, prestigious academic and athletic appeal. With so many options, everyone can find an environment perfect for them.
Which Ivy League would you apply to? Are you applying to more than one? Let me know in the comments!
xoxo
Hey everyone! This summer is a great time to start looking at colleges that you want to apply to. Since there is no school, summer is a great time to travel around the country to look at perspective colleges. This week I spent on the East Coast looking at Georgetown, Princeton, University of Pennsylvania, and Duke. Those are four universities that I am interested in and wanted to see in person. And I am very glad that I did! They are all very unique universities that offer different things to their students. Some fit me, and others did not. But I would have never known if I did not visit the school.
There are many advantages that come out of visiting the school. Although you can learn about the school online and look at pictures, you never get the true atmosphere and environment of the school until you visit it in person. You can meet with an admissions officer to get an information session about the school and go on a tour of campus with a student. Having these tools available to you helps to learn about the school in cool and interesting ways. Duke Universities has a lemur forrest while a building in the University of Pennsylvania was used as the mansion in the TV show Adams Family. That's something you would never read about on the website!
I have attended two of these information sessions that include schools from the East Coast, California, and even Texas! It is a great way to find out about different schools without leaving your hometown. Learning about colleges before you apply to them is crucial, and now there is a easy and affordable way to do so!