CollegeVine Student Gains Acceptance to Seven Ivy League Schools
Luke Kenworthy, 17, of Mercer Island High School in the Seattle area, was rightfully nervous on Ivy Day. He’d taken a chance and applied to all eight Ivy League schools and so far, the only feedback he’d received was from Harvard, who had deferred his early decision application. As he put it, “I was legitimately convinced I wasn’t going to get into any Ivy League schools.”
But ironically, it might have been Harvard’s deferral that ultimately shaped the rest of Kenworthy’s admissions success. After receiving his deferral, Kenworthy took a hard look at his application and decided to make some changes. Knowing he didn’t have the expertise to do it alone, he contacted CollegeVine for help with his college essays.
While Kenworthy undeniably presented a strong applicant profile, he knew he’d need to go further. He had taken all of the AP courses available at his school, was the student body president, and had participated in multiple mission trips abroad. But these accomplishments alone wouldn’t guarantee him a place at an Ivy.
In fact, this year the Ivies reported record numbers of applicants, with many schools also reporting record-low acceptance rates. At Harvard, where nearly 40,000 applicants vied for fewer than 2,500 spots, the acceptance rate dipped to a scant 5.2%.
Anticipating that his profile alone wouldn’t be enough, Kenworthy got to work reflecting on and revising his essay with the help of his CollegeVine mentor. Eventually, he settled on a topic that was deeply personal. But rather than focus on hardship, he eloquently communicated how the obstacles he’s faced have shaped him into the successful young man he is today. Kenworthy noted that the process was an important one for him.
The result was a success with admissions committees, too. Kenworthy was elated to receive the news that he had been accepted to seven Ivy League schools, including Harvard, Princeton, Brown, Cornell, Columbia, Dartmouth, and the University of Pennsylvania. He also received a place on the wait list at Yale.
To read his successful application essay, head over to Business Insider, where it is published in its entirety.
Congratulations, Luke! We at CollegeVine are proud of your hard work and persistence that has so clearly been rewarded.
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