IvyWallah

There are few subjects New Yorkers love reading about more than themselves, so it is of little surprise that the New York Times has taken the occasion of the start of the new school year (and with it, freshman move-in day).

The article, titled Backpacks Among the Briefcases, is well-worth reading, and points out aspects of going to school in a major American city (if not THE major American city) that everyone–especially people coming from another country–should consider.

Being in New York does offer many opportunities that are difficult to find elsewhere, but it also comes at the cost of a coherent on-campus community–a campus, period. And when you’re far away from home, that campus community can be even more valuable.

You should also consider the costs of living in NYC, which are considerably higher than other American cities.

We’re not saying that NYC schools are a universally inferior decision to make; there are plenty of Indians who go to Columbia and NYU and have a fantastic time there. However, this is definitely something you and your family need to take the time to consider.

Hey kids, it’s that time of year! The annual and wildly over-hyped US News rankings have descended upon us.

What is it this year? (and can you put the Ivies in green?) Why yes we can!

1. Harvard

2. Princeton

3. Yale

4. Columbia

5. Penn and Stanford (tie)

7. Caltech and MIT (tie)

9. Dartmouth, Duke & UChicago

12. Northwestern

13. Johns Hopkins & WashU

15. Brown & Cornell

17. Rice

19. Notre Dame

20. Emory

Remember, rankings are a tool but not the overarching most important factor to consider for college–and that these rankings can not be taken too seriously. IvyWallah co-founder John would rather go to Brown over half the schools that are ranked above it. Be true to yourself and what schools you think are best after thinking about not only the schools, but about yourself.

“Think you are smart?  Wanna bet on it?”

Later this month, some college students will meet a new load of professors, study a pile of syllabuses and optimistically think, “I bet I can get a 4.0 GPA this semester.”

Well, now they can actually bet on it.

The Web site Ultrinsic.com allows college students to place wagers on their grades. Bets start at $25 — the student puts up some of the money, the company puts up the rest (more for super high grades, less for easy-to-get grades). If the student makes the grade, he or she can keep all of the money. Falling a few percentage points short means the company keeps the cash the student put in…

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“Pulling an All-Nighter for the College Application“

From the New York Times: Just after 12:01 a.m. on Aug. 1 — when this year’s version of the Common Application, the passport to N.Y.U. and more than 400 other institutions, was first posted on the Web — Cree sat down at the computer in his parents’ bedroom and began filling out the form. The room was dark, because they were sleeping.

After listing his extracurricular activities (including cross country and show choir), tallying his Advanced Placement courses (seven) and putting a final polish on his essay, he pushed the “send” button. It was about 3:30 a.m. Never mind that he had never visited New York, let alone New York University. This, he said, was his “dream school,” and he was determined “to be the first to apply.”

As it turned out, Cree, 17, was the first applicant for the class of 2015, not just at N.Y.U. but to any institution that accepts the Common App, including those of the Ivy League. By Tuesday he had plenty of company: Nearly 1,000 applications had been filed by students to colleges —Harvard, Miami of Ohio and Vanderbilt, among many others — a nearly fourfold increase over the comparable period last year…

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Well it’s not so much an article as a pastiche of interview snippets from Indians at Ivy League schools, it’s still a nice little read. However, you should take some of their comments with a grain of salt as everyone’s perspective is limited largely to their own school. While one Indian student at Yale correctly points out that Yale’s system of residential colleges is both unique and awesome, he is way off if he thinks that only Yale has a diverse South Asian population from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. All 8 Ivies, along with other elite schools, have significant numbers of students from all South Asian countries.

Where diversity is lacking, however, is economically–even more so than among the American demographic at Ivies, the South Asian students all skew towards the wealthy upper crust of those countries.

Many applicants wonder if the admissions officials are in the business of checking Facebook, and if you should be curating your Facebook profile (including tagged pics) in case the lovely folks from Yale’s admissions office.

We here at IvyWallah have heard official statements and anecdotal evidence from various sources on the matter, and the gist is that they probably don’t–but they might. It’s best to err on the side of caution here. So keep a close eye on what pics your friends are tagging you in, and keep your privacy settings turned up to maximum privacy.

Oh, and don’t think once you’re accepted you’re out of the woods. We have heard at least one story of a student getting his admission rescinded from an Ivy based on his Facebook status!

Today the 2010-11 Common Application for colleges goes live on their website. The Common Application is designed to simplify the process of college admissions by having a common dataset one can use to apply to multiple colleges at the click of a mouse button (the cynic would point out that colleges participate to get more applications by lowering the barrier to entry).

The Common Application is currently accepted by over 400 schools, including all eight Ivy League schools and just about every other elite school (save for MIT). Note that this does not entirely replace the school’s application process, as each Ivy also has a supplement to the Common App that still allows them to ask their own unique essay prompts (such as Penn’s infamous “Page 217” question).

Of course most schools still offer their own complete application, alongside the Common App. this leaves some applicants wondering if they are at a disadvantage over applicants who applied via the school’s own application. Does the Common App somehow show less dedication to the school? The answer is absolutely not. You can apply via either application with no difference as far as the admissions officers are concerned.

“College campus visit: Keep it simple, make it fun”

Don’t get too serious too soon. Eventually you will be paying for this. Why not enjoy one day when the admission is free?

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