Harvard University
Harvard's admission rate this year is 4.59%, proving it is indeed one of the "most difficult schools to get into." A total of 42,749 students applied, and 1,962 were admitted. In the REA stage, 964 were admitted, with 12% being international students. Most of these students received offers with scholarships, and 70% of them received full scholarships. This year, Asian-American admits at Harvard reached as high as 22.7%.
Among the 12% international students, 11 were Chinese students. They came from the High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China, Shenzhen Middle School, Zhengzhou Foreign Language School, UWC Bosnia and Herzegovina, Shanghai American School Puxi, a high school in Hong Kong, while Nanjing Foreign Language School sent two students directly, and the other three were from U.S. high schools: Concord Academy, Westtown School, and St. Paul's School.
Brown University
Brown's admission rate this year is 7.2%, down from 9% the year before last and 8.6% last year, setting a new low step by step. Brown received a total of 35,438 applications this year, and with early applications combined, admitted 2,566 applicants. Engineering, computer science, and biology were the most chosen majors. The international student ratio was about 11%, with Chinese students accounting for the highest proportion among admitted international students.
Brown admitted 27 Chinese students this year, three more than last year. These 27 Chinese students came from: Beijing No.4 High School International Department (6 students), Peking University Affiliated High School (4 students), Shanghai American School Puxi (3 students), Beijing No.4 High School (3 students), Beijing National Day School (1 student), International Department of the High School Affiliated to Beijing Normal University (1 student), Shanghai Baoyugang International School (1 student), Shanghai Qibao Dwight High School (1 student), Shanghai High School International Division (1 student), Nanjing Foreign Language School (1 student), The Affiliated High School of South China Normal University (1 student), Beijing Jingxi International School (1 student), and the remaining three were from U.S. high schools.
Yale University
Yale admitted 2,229 students this year from 35,306 applicants, for an admission rate of only 6.3%, a mere 0.04% increase over last year. Clearly, Yale's campus expansion hasn't given applicants more room for admission. But compared to last year's 9, the number of Chinese students has doubled! That's cause for congratulations!
These 17 Chinese students came from: Shanghai American School Puxi (3 students), Nanjing Foreign Language School (3 students), Shanghai Foreign Language School Affiliated to Shanghai International Studies University (2 students), UWC Changshu (2 students), High School Affiliated to Beijing Normal University Experimental School (1 student), Beijing No.4 High School International Department (1 student), Beijing No.4 High School Main Campus (1 student), Shanghai High School International Division (1 student), Shenzhen Experimental School (1 student), Raffles Institution Singapore (1 student), and UWC UK (1 student).
University of Pennsylvania
UPenn received 44,482 applications this year and admitted 3,731, resulting in an 8.3% admission rate. Penn's admission rate had held steady for two years but followed the trend and dropped sharply. Applicants, you have our sympathy. After all, there were over 4,000 more applicants than last year, with international applicants up 6%. The early admission rate was only 18.5%, both reaching historic lows. But compared to last year, the number of successful Chinese applicants increased from 19 to 26! Nanjing Foreign Language School alone sent 4 students!
Other admitted students came from: Shanghai World Foreign Language Middle School (2 students), Shanghai Foreign Language School Affiliated to Shanghai International Studies University (2 students), High School Affiliated to Beijing Normal University Experimental School (1 student), Beijing No.4 High School (2 students), International Department of the High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China (1 student), Shanghai American School Puxi (1 student), High School Affiliated to Fudan University (1 student), Shenzhen Middle School (1 student), Shenzhen College of International Education (1 student), Hangzhou Foreign Language School "Cambridge International Experimental Class" (1 student), Victoria Junior College Singapore (1 student), and the other 8 admits were from U.S. high schools.
Princeton University
Princeton selected 1,941 incoming freshmen for the Class of 2018 from 35,370 applicants, an admission rate of 5.5% this year. Last year, there were 31,056 applicants and a rate of 7.28%. The doubling of applicants put pressure on admissions officers—so many outstanding students made decisions tough. Over half of all applicants had SATs above 1400. International students made up 12%. Among them, the number of Chinese students was 10, doubling from last year.
These 10 students came from: Beijing Shunyi International School (1 student), High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China (1 student), Tsinghua University High School (1 student), High School Affiliated to Fudan University WLSA (1 student), Nanjing Foreign Language School (1 student), UWC Changshu (1 student), and the other four from U.S. high schools: Westtown School (1 student), Choate Rosemary Hall (1 student), Peddie School (1 student), and Agnes Irwin School (1 student).
Columbia University
Columbia received 40,203 applications this year and admitted only 2,214, with an admission rate of about 5.5%. The number of admits was only about 30 more than last year, yet couldn't keep up with the record number of applications, which increased 8% over last year. Though the admission rate dropped, the number of Chinese students increased by 9 compared to last year, totaling 24.
These 24 students came from: Beijing Shunyi International School (3 students), Shanghai World Foreign Language Middle School (2 students), Shanghai Foreign Language School Affiliated to Shanghai International Studies University (2 students), Nanjing Foreign Language School (3 students), Shenzhen Middle School (2 students), High School Affiliated to Beijing Normal University Experimental School (1 student), Beijing No.4 High School International Department (1 student), High School Affiliated to Fudan University (1 student), Hangzhou Foreign Language School (1 student), Guangzhou Foreign Language School (1 student), UWC Changshu (1 student), UWC Bosnia and Herzegovina (1 student), Victoria Junior College Singapore (1 student), and the other four from U.S. high schools.
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth's admission rate this year is 8.7%, dropping to single digits at once. Applications reached 22,005, up from 20,034 last year, a 9.8% increase. However, the number of Chinese students skyrocketed from only 2 last year to 11 this year!
Last year's 2 admits were from Shanghai Baoyugang Experimental School and Shenzhen Middle School. This year's 11 admits came from: High School Affiliated to Fudan University WLSA, High School Affiliated to Fudan University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated High School IB, Shandong Experimental High School, Shandong Qingdao No.2 High School, Shanghai High School International Division, Shenzhen College of International Education, Shenzhen Middle School, Chengdu No.7 High School International Department, Shanghai American School Puxi, and Blair Academy.
Cornell University
Last year, Cornell's admission rate was still 13.98%, but this year it dropped to 10.3%. Still, it's the highest among Ivy League schools this year... Cornell received 51,328 applications—a record high—and with early applications included, admitted 5,288 students. International students accounted for 9%, mainly from Canada, China, India, South Korea, etc.
Cornell has always been the Ivy League school admitting the most students. This year, the number of Chinese students admitted reached as many as 90. Although its ranking is relatively lower than other Ivies, it remains a dream school for many! Among these 90 Chinese students, 7 were from Nanjing Foreign Language School, 7 from Beijing No.4 High School, 6 from Shenzhen Middle School—CheersYou（清柚教育） won't list all the others one by one.
We may call these admits lucky, but to stand out among tens of thousands and gain admission to an Ivy League school, it's never just a matter of luck.
With Ivy League schools being so hard to enter, what exactly are their admission criteria?
Why are countless students with stellar academic records ruthlessly rejected?
▶ The Dean of Admissions at Harvard wrote in a letter to prospective applicants:
"There is no doubt that competition for admission to a university like Harvard is fierce. No one can guarantee admission, and there is no magic formula. Academic performance, including high school grades, SAT I or ACT, and SAT II scores, is very important to the admissions committee. However, other factors such as personal talents, community involvement, and extracurricular activities are also important. The admissions committee reads recommendation letters and essays very carefully. In the admissions process, we look for students who excel in all areas, ensuring that each incoming class is a vibrant community."
▶ The Dean of Admissions at Princeton wrote in a similar letter:
"We never simply rank applicants by GPA and 'college entrance exam' scores and then select from top to bottom. If it were that simple, we wouldn't spend so much time reviewing application materials... Nor do we blindly search for specific types of applicants. Rather, as we read applications, we treat each applicant as a special case, examining their specific comprehensive abilities and achievements."
It's clear that good grades alone are not enough to gain admission to an Ivy League school. American universities value comprehensive qualities more. So what does it take to win the favor of Ivy League admissions officers? CheersYou（清柚教育） has summarized the six key standards that Ivy League schools use to evaluate students. Do you meet them all?
Outstanding GPA/Language Test Scores
Although American universities emphasize comprehensive qualities, GPA and language test scores are absolutely crucial factors in measuring whether an applicant is qualified. You can consider scores as a "knock-on-the-door" tool. Generally, Ivy League schools require a GPA of 3.3+, SAT 1500+, TOEFL 90+ (100+ recommended) or IELTS 7. Of course, the higher the scores, the better. The stated requirements are usually minimums, and actual Ivy League admits typically have TOEFL scores around 110.
From an applicant's transcripts, admissions officers can infer a lot more than just numbers—such as learning ability, academic motivation, and specific performance. They can also gauge whether the student fits the applied major and can handle the university's coursework. Additionally, scores directly reflect the applicant's intellectual curiosity and academic inquisitiveness. Self-motivated challenge, improvement, and growth are the educational goals of the Ivy League, so they are more willing to accept students with such capabilities.
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Academic and Extracurricular Activities That Reflect Interest and Ability
Some say that American universities don't emphasize academic performance as much and instead value leadership, extracurricular activities, community service, etc. In fact, this is a misconception.
Extracurricular activities and grades are not complementary; you can only talk about extracurricular activities after having sufficiently excellent grades.
Participating in academic activities and demonstrating academic passion in one or several fields will make you stand out among the large pool of applicants with high GPAs and standardized test scores. Extracurricular activities are just as important as academic ones; they can showcase your abilities, uniqueness, and differentiate you as much as possible in front of admissions officers.
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Personalized Application Essays
Application essays mainly consist of personal statements, recommendation letters, resumes, and short essays, and are critical materials in the study abroad application process.
The quality of your application essays has a huge impact on admission results.
To write essays with personal characteristics, you first need real, shapeable experiences. As the saying goes, "Even the cleverest housewife cannot cook without rice." If you have no moldable experiences, even world-class essay guidance would be futile.
It's best to have essays written by or at least revised by native speakers. While we don't recommend students write their own essays, some students and parents may be super confident in their writing skills. If you decide to write your own essays, think carefully about how to incorporate the extracurricular activities you've participated in, highlight the growth and insights gained during those activities, demonstrate leadership, talents, or gifts, and let admissions officers discover your strengths, uniqueness, and passion through your essays. On the basis of fully presenting yourself, try to write in a novel and interesting way to pique admissions officers' interest and leave a deep impression.
Additionally, read your essays multiple times after writing, and have others review them as well. Try to avoid using relatively negative or sensitive words. Ivy League schools need students who approach learning and life with a positive attitude and influence those around them in positive directions.
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Short Essays Highlighting Personal Experiences
Ivy League schools generally require applicants to submit one or more short essays, assessing from specific aspects whether the applicant fits the university's culture.
For example, Harvard's application list includes a section specifically asking students to fill in academic activities, specifying self-initiated academic projects, training courses, or summer academic programs; Yale asks students to elaborate on 1-3 academic interests or goals in a short essay; Princeton requires students to describe an extracurricular activity in detail, describe a recent summer experience, the person who has influenced them most, etc., to showcase unique experiences and values; UPenn asks students to explain their choice of major and how they will utilize university resources; Columbia likes students to describe their ideal university, listing books, websites, films, exhibitions, lectures, etc., they have read or attended inside and outside class.
Short essays require applicants to describe their activity experiences and takeaways more specifically and thoroughly, as well as exploration of their intended major and future aspirations. Admissions officers also use short essays to judge the consistency of the applicant's materials.
Authentic and Objective Recommendation Letters
For Ivy League applications, recommendation letters carry significant weight in the admissions review. Through recommendation letters, admissions committees can piece together personal traits beyond objective conditions, such as personality, leadership, intellectual curiosity, creativity, and passion for learning.
As third-party certifications of academic and learning ability, recommendation letters not only supplement the application essays but also confirm the authenticity and consistency of the applicant's materials.
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Bonus Points
Bonus points for Ivy League applications refer to awards and honors received, and participation in interviews.
If an award or honor is international or national-level, it's more convincing. A portion of Ivy League admissions is also prioritized for applicants with such awards, and the competition awards often need to match the chosen major.
Generally, American universities rarely require interviews, but schools' attitudes toward interviews are "Recommended."
If applying to an Ivy League school, many students proactively request an interview. First, it allows them to demonstrate their English proficiency and on-the-spot response skills to the interviewer; second, it shows their determination to attend the school. Through alumni interviews, third-party interviews, etc., schools can get a more direct understanding of an applicant's personality, communication skills, authenticity, and reliability, as well as directly examine their oral communication ability, adaptability, and sense of humor, among other qualities.
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