SHOWCASING YOUR SKILLS

TO GET INTO THE

IVY LEAGUES

"Your skills and experiences play a vital

role in your US admissions. Start Early."
- Ian Gang, Columbia
Welcome,
Before we go into how to build a top-notch profile for your dream school,
you need to understand what they are looking for.

There are 3 important aspects to any college

application in the U.S.; and those are:

YOUR ESSAYS
Communicating your
personality through text

YOUR PROFILE
Extra curricular
YOUR ACADEMIC GRADES
activities and passions
Quantitative Measure

Let's get one thing out of the way. Grades are a given. They are the first step in opening the door to an
Ivy League College. There are plenty of online resources where you can find the average GPA and
standardized test prep scores needed to get into your dream university.

Now, you don't need to be valedictorian to get into a top school, but it does help.
Academics is important because it shows universities you can cope with academic rigor
while balancing other passions.

In this guide, the focus is on how you can present a well-rounded

profile to universities and show them you're ready to excel in college.

The following are three steps you can take to catch their attention.

Showcasing your skills to get into the Ivy Leagues 1

 Explore a passion, something you really love.
Become extraordinary with it.
This is going to sound cliché, but hear us out.

If you're asking yourself and others: "What extracurricular activities

should I do to get into an Ivy League University?", you're going about
it the wrong way.

First, we want to introduce a mindset shift.

To truly impress a top-tier university, don't just aim for what

you think they are expecting. Choose something you are truly
passionate about and show them how college is a milestone to
achieve your long-term goals.

Aim for something larger; 100 times larger than what you are thinking.

The University and the education you get from the school you choose should be one of many
steps you'll take to reach that goal. The more you affirm this thought, the more likely you'll get in.

No top-tier university wants the kid whose life goal was to get into their school. They are looking
for kids with a high level of productivity and ambition that goes beyond academics. They want
someone who will build the next Amazon, impact millions of people, become the next big tech
developer, or become the top professional in whichever field they choose.

To do that, you're going to have to find your passion and stay true to it.

Universities choose their students thinking of them as an asset as much as you think of them as
an asset. They'll be proud to show you around. Just look at the Stanford Alumni web page, you'll
see a list of notable alumni with the likes of Brian Acton, Whatsapp Co-Founder and Reed
Hastings, Netflix Co-founder in the business section:

Showcasing your skills to get into the Ivy Leagues 2

 How your activities and efforts
translate into core skills
Let's take a quick look at what Harvard and Stanford have to say.

HARVARD STANFORD

"We seek to identify students "We review applications

who will be the best educators holistically - with a focus
of one another and their on academic excellence
professors –individuals who intellectual vitality, and
will inspire those around them personal context"
during college years and
beyond"

This part is really important so pay attention.

When you pick the passion, look to fulfill the following:

ACADEMIC RIGOR
Have you pushed yourself
when it comes to learning?
Because a good learner
can conquer the world.
Now taking difficult
courses and scoring high
grades is one metric. But
there are many ways to
show Academic rigor. It
could be through a
research paper, a blog, or
an internship.
DEDICATION
Demonstrate a long-term
commitment to some activity
whether it's volunteering at a
community centre, playing
football, or the debate team.
SELF-REFLECTION
You essay is an excellent
opportunity to dig deeper than
simply reciting a story and
really give colleges a view into
how you think and your
internal processes of growth.
INITIATIVE
Show that you are willing to go beyond
what is merely expected. This can take
the form of starting a new club at your
school or simply coming up with new
ways to optimize existing activities you
are a part of.
QUANTIFIABLE SUCCESS
Whether it’s ranking second in the
state in swimming or winning X
number of debate tournaments, it
is helpful to show definitive
evidence of past successes.

Showcasing your skills to get into the Ivy Leagues 3

 MIT

"You should be invested in the

things that really mean
something to you (we’re not
particularly picky as to what). Remember. College is a melting pot of cultures.
Explore! Choose quality over They want students who have different skillsets and are
quantity—you don’t have to do proficient at them.
a million things to get into
college. Put your heart into a They only way you can get there is if you invest time and
few things that you truly care effort into honing your craft.
about and that will be enough."

Why you're really reading this guide.

What can you do?
Firstly, understand that all activities have merit. They're teaching you some skills that will be
useful in different aspects of your life. You just have to reflect on which skills those are.

One of our students was an ardent gamer.

Upon reflection, he realised he had excellent communication skills (you get that
when you've played enough CS:GO and Valorant), amazing dexterity, and the
ability to think critically (that's a synonym for "game sense" by the way).

Here are some broad categories of skills you can explore that will help you build a
holistic profile:
Colleges love these. Here's why.
Music, Theatre, Art Arts education has been linked with increased creativity, confidence,
motor skills, visual learning, decision making, perseverance, focus and
collaboration. The arts are also a great way of channelling your emotions
in a productive way. There have also been numerous studies that show a
direct correlation between the arts and improved academic performance.
So you can thank your parents for sending you to music lessons when
you were younger.

Showcasing your skills to get into the Ivy Leagues 4

 To be able to write, is to be able to think. Remember that.
Writing The more you write, the better you get at articulating your thoughts. To
improve your writing, you'll have to read more. This will directly increase
your breath of vocabulary and you get exposed to new styles of writing.
Writing can go from poems to research papers. Just remember, it is
essential to validate your written pieces and document them properly.

You should want to show colleges that you have had a taste of the real
Internships world. Going beyond what schools offer to learn by doing, internships are
a great way to network, get mentored and learn very specific skills. Make
sure you work so hard, the person mentoring you would be happy to
write a recommendation letter for you.

This could mean starting a business, it could also mean starting a

Entrepreneurship podcast, YouTube channel, or non-profit organization. It is a great way
to showcase leadership and initiative. You also get to experience failure;
The most important chapter for success.

They help you keep up with current affairs and show you can hold your
Debating, ground and make sound arguments. These activities also show you know
Pre-law or MUNs how to logically arrive at a conclusion and you clearly understand the
difference between fact and opinion.

These play 2 important roles in the development of your profile.

School Clubs Firstly, you get to collaborate and give back to the school and
community. You also get to showcase your leadership abilities if you
make it to an executive position in the organization. So stick with it!

This should be pretty self explanatory.

Sports Team sports show you know how to collaborate, communicate, handle
high-pressure situations and grind.

This is a slippery slope. Every student does community service.

Community service Let me give you a little secret here. Focus on social service efforts that
have a long lifetime value. Example: If I serve soup in a soup kitchen to
homeless people, that's a great benefit to society, but my efforts add
value only for the 30 minutes a week I do it. On the other hand, if I
educate kids on personal finance, I'm giving them the tools to help them
for the rest of their lives. That is a high lifetime value.

They're crazy expensive, but they give you amazing exposure.

Summer School They also show colleges you're stepping out of the way and taking time
from your summer vacations to study instead of chilling on a beach in
Bali. They are also networking hotspots - get those Snapchat IDs and
Insta handles! Make sure that you speak to as many people as you can in
summer school and connect with the professors. This will come in handy
later.

Showcasing your skills to get into the Ivy Leagues 5

 Time to call in those contacts you made in summer school.
Research Volunteer your time and energy to dive deeper into a subject of your
choice. Work with a professor who will give you grunt work, so you can
understand what real academics do. You'll be doing it in college anyway,
so you can get a head start.

Learn how to code.

Computer Science/ Even if not for college, just for your life goals. If you have the ability to
Digital skills make your ideas a reality using technology, that's a superpower that will
make sure you're services are always in demand.

In Conclusion...
You're in high school. The world is your oyster. Never really knew what that meant, but you get the point.
Try new things, speak to new people, fail and fail hard.

Just make sure that you follow the 3 tips given in this guide and you'll be setting yourself up for a life of
success. Just remember to always reflect and understand yourself better. The more you do it, the better
your decision-making skills will be when it comes to your time and choices.

Time for a plug.

We are an EdTech Start-Up based in Singapore that is disrupting
the way students aged 7-18 learn. Through our personalized one-
on-one online classes, students are taught through their
preferential learning style to meet their unique learning objectives.

Some of our programs:

BLOG WRITING APP DEVELOPMENT ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Students improve both Technical knowledge of Students build their own
their written and oral coding for students to start businesses and take part
communication skills. developing their portfolios. in a Bullpen Competition.

If you thought this guide was helpful, wait till you talk to us.
Contact us and join the Ascend Now family today!
enquiries@ascendnow.info
ascendnow.org
+65 8139 2314

At Ascend Now we have been helping numerous students find their passions and
build their profiles, helping them achieve their goals to be pioneers of tomorrow.
We've put some of their stories in the next couple of pages.

Showcasing your skills to get into the Ivy Leagues 6

 Success Stories
What our students have created
Portia Hartono
Founder and CEO of InternEd, Age 15
InternEd is a business that provides virtual
internships to students based in Indonesia.

Students want to learn and add

value to the company they are
interning at. The goal of InternEd
is to build a model where all
stakeholders in the process
benefit.

Internships in: Companies InternEd has provided

internships in:

Product Market Social Media Marketing

Testing Research Analytics

Website: www.intern-ed.com

Patrick William Liong

Founder of Operation Drip, Age 16
Operation Drip is a non-profit comprising of multiple
projects aimed to help people in education,
sustainability and a pay-it forward program.

I know a lot of people in

Indonesia are suffering from
various issues. So I didn't feel
comfortable focusing on one
topic, because my mind kept
changing. Through Operation
Drip, I can try to help
everyone in some way.
Results

10,240+ USD 126 81 846

Donated Trees planted Students Website sessions

Website: operationdrip.org

Showcasing your skills to get into the Ivy Leagues 7

 Rajan Bilan-Cooper
Music Producer, Age 16
Rajan created his own album which comprises 6
songs. His EP focuses on calm tunes using electronic
synthesizers and instrumentals.

From a young age, I've had a

huge passion for music, From
drumming on a table as a young
boy to now producing from home.
Mixing instruments from my
Indian heritage to suit different
genres such as trap or pop.

Results Find Rajan on SoundCloud:

20+ 1 30+ 6
Hours of Research Article on Music Listens on Tracks
and Analysis Analysis Soundcloud Produced

College Acceptances 2022

Where our students have been accepted

Showcasing your skills to get into the Ivy Leagues 8

 Check if your chosen passion fits into the following criteria.
Then, reflect on how you can take it a step further.

DEDICATION INITIATIVE
ACADEMIC RIGOR

SELF-REFLECTION QUANTIFIABLE SUCCESS

Bring it all together.

Reflect on how your passion is contributing to building your skillset.

Showcasing your skills to get into the Ivy Leagues 9