Ivy League admissions statistics

Once again admission rates have dropped for most of the coveted Ivy League eight in the latest round of admissions for the incoming Class of 2023. Harvard University plunged to a record admissions low of 4.5 percent, admitting 1,950 of their record high 43,330 applicant pool. Columbia University dropped to 5.1 percent with 2,190 of their record 42,569 applicants granted admission.

College deans and admission officers regularly boast that they could fill the entire class with student body presidents and perfect SAT scores. Earning admission to the top universities in the world is a hyper competitive and biased process.

The Good News: Your child can compete and earn admission with strategy and marketing. Planning sets your child up for success. Planning that starts in Grade 9 can help create the perfect transcript needed for admission. However, planning alone is not enough; demonstrating and marketing your child’s value to a college admissions officer will separate him/her from the 200,000+ applicants.

In this competitive global environment, Pakistan stands at a glaring disadvantage. An established system of career counseling is non-existent in the country. Private schools that do have college counselors focus and assist students who are in the process of filling out applications. From an international perspective, such interventions are already too late. Students who were fortunate enough to have family members guide them in their earlier grades, likely did the necessary volunteer service, extracurricular activities and internships. However, more than 95 percent of students are typically unaware of what they should have been doing outside the classroom to build their profile for overseas admissions. This places Pakistan students at a marked disadvantage when competing with their international peers for both admissions as well as scholarships.

Today, Pakistani youth live in an era of unemployment, frustration and mental illness as educational institutes have failed to deliver quality education and accompanying services. Good college/career counselling is absent from even renowned institutions in Pakistan. Education prepares people for different career paths. If provided appropriate guidance and direction people can make the right choices for their future and can contribute effectively as a member of their society. It is critical for a student to know how their personal goals and career choices in the workplace are aligned. Students employed in areas that they are passionate about are more productive, have greatly likelihood to be retained and are highly motivated in their professions.

According to Frank Parsons, the father of career counseling, three things are important to choose the right career: (i) clearly knowing yourself (ii) knowledge and awareness about the opportunities available and (iii) a clear understanding of the relation between the first two facts.

After extensive market research, Eye on Ivy has been founded to fill in the gaps in Pakistan’s counseling landscape. Even in the private sector, applicants and their families typically approach an education consultant when they are ready to apply for colleges abroad. At this point, if the student has good grades and has the requisite portfolio, then they are in a good position. But if not, it is too late to turn back the clock and do all they should have been doing from 9th grade onwards.

While assistance in narrowing academic institutions and support on the admission application is important, at Eye on Ivy we work with 9th/10th/11th grade students to build their portfolio and resume during these critical years so that they will have all the necessary components covered when it is time to apply. An academic passion is identified via internationally accepted assessments, and extracurriculars, internships and community service aligned to have a cohesive narrative. The importance for working with 9th graders cannot be stressed enough. While this is an established practice in most countries, the concept has yet to be introduced in Pakistan on a systematic basis.

Eye on Ivy uses a proprietary, carefully developed Strategic Personalized Approach to help students and families navigate the complex world of admissions. Our team comprises only of policy practitioners. They have not just obtained degrees from top universities, but have also worked in the best organizations in their respective fields. We have an extensive network of mentors who are available to guide students in their chosen academic and career paths.

Learn more about us and our services at: https://eyeonivy.com.

We work with the driven and ambitious to help them reach for the stars.