Getting into an Ivy League school remains a long shot for most applicants, and the process keeps changing in ways that matter to families across New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York. Harvard and Columbia each expect between 50,000 and 60,000 applications for their incoming classes, with acceptance rates historically around 5%.
Admissions offices are also adjusting how they evaluate candidates. Standardized testing rules are shifting, schools are weighing how applicants use artificial intelligence, and officers say they’re looking harder for signs of genuine curiosity and initiative rather than a padded résumé.
When should preparation start?
Christopher Rim, founder and CEO of Command Education, says some parents want to begin college prep as early as fifth or sixth grade. He considers that too soon, though he acknowledged the competitive pressure driving it. “I would say the first thing is let your kid really be a kid,” Rim said. “Allow him or her to explore different projects, different sports, different activities.” He urged parents not to lock kids into one activity chosen years earlier.
Most families begin serious planning in freshman year of high school, though middle school can be a low-pressure time to explore academics, sports, music and community service. Admissions decisions hinge on no single factor — grades, test scores, recommendations, extracurriculars and essays all play a role, evaluated in the context of a student’s school and community.
Testing requirements are changing
Yale University now requires SAT or ACT scores for the 2026-27 application cycle, narrowing an earlier policy that allowed AP or IB results to satisfy the testing requirement. Yale admissions officials say internal research shows test scores help predict academic performance at the university. Even so, test scores are just one piece of a larger picture that includes course rigor, grades and teacher relationships.
Counselor shortages are a real factor here
Rim, who attended public school in New Jersey, said the counseling resources available to most students fall well short of what’s needed to navigate competitive admissions. “There were two or three counselors for the entire school, and that was it,” he said. “That’s because of budgeting, and I think it’s not even hours that I spent with a counselor, but minutes through the process.”
Figures from the National Association for College Admission Counseling back that up: the average public school counselor handled 405 students during the 2021-22 school year, far above the American School Counselor Association’s recommended ratio of 250 students per counselor. By 2023-24, the average had improved slightly to 376 students per counselor — still a heavy load for providing individualized college guidance.
That gap has fueled demand for private college counseling. A Harvard Crimson survey of incoming freshmen in 2021 found 20% had used a privately hired counselor during the application process.
What makes an applicant stand out
With so many academically strong applicants, admissions officers look for evidence of personal initiative. Rim described a student whose passion for sneakers — waiting in the rain for hours to buy a limited release of 200 pairs worldwide, then reselling them at a markup — became the basis of a standout college essay. His parents initially wanted him to spend that time studying instead. Rim told them the experience was more valuable precisely because it was authentic and unusual.
Princeton’s dean of admissions, Karen Richardson, said in September 2026 that the university considers how applicants spend time both in and out of the classroom. She cited working at a supermarket, writing for a school newspaper, playing in an orchestra, or caring for younger siblings as meaningful experiences. Princeton, she said, wants students who will contribute to campus life — meaning a part-time job or family responsibility can carry real weight in an application.
The AI question
Rim, who recently discussed the topic with New York Post reporter Lydia Moynihan and other industry figures, said AI tools can be useful for researching schools, comparing programs, tracking deadlines and organizing ideas. But he cautioned against using AI to write personal essays or invent extracurricular narratives, since that kind of writing can’t convey the judgment and experience that make an applicant distinct.
“You want to be authentic, and don’t try to just do anything involved with AI,” Rim said. He said parents frequently ask whether they should build an AI-related project with their child to seem engaged with the technology. His answer: no. Richardson echoed that admissions officers want to see how applicants think and communicate on their own, something that becomes clear quickly when reading an application.
The overall message from admissions officials and counselors alike is consistent: there’s no single formula, but doing something only because it looks good to colleges tends to backfire. What stands out is an interest a student genuinely owns.
