Nevermind the fact that only 1% of the U.S. college-going population will be educated at an Ivy League university, or that the acceptance rate to virtually all of these hover around 10% or less every year (Cornell being the exception), these statistics seem to deter relatively few of my clients and students who are particularly academically inclined. As students and their families may continue to see these as the holy grail of higher education, at least they can go into the process informed with a few facts about the trends in admission to these (and other highly selective) schools.

First, students who can demonstrate a deep and sustained interest or “expertise” in a particular area, whether that be of an academic nature, music, leadership, athletics, will have a greater chance at standing out in these highly competitive academic pools. These “angular” students (let’s be clear – “well rounded” is a term and approach of decades past), are those sought after by the most selective institutions for the contributions they stand to make on campus.

Another way for one to distinguish oneself in the application process is to make an intelligent assessment of what the college offers and to explain clearly – in the very important supplemental essays – how one is a good fit for that college. In fact, reading those supplemental questions can be a good clue to the student whether in fact they do fit. And choosing a school because of its location or core curriculum, or the beauty of the campus, is not going to cut it in terms of making a compelling argument for good fit. The more specific and personalized your response to the prompt is, and the more genuinely you can describe your interest, the better your essay will be.

Independent intellectual curiosity is key. Consider how you have demonstrated your interest in your studies in general or in a specific area, beyond just meeting the requirements for your high school program – no matter how rigorous they are. Remember that you will be competing with students who are all highly accomplished academically, with top scores, and likely excellent recommendations. What else do you do on your own initiative to build your knowledge and challenge your own learning. Have you conducted some research? Participated in some summer study in pursuing an area of real interest to you? Read broadly and regularly on a topic? Designed, created, written something original? Been recognized in competition for an academic achievement?

And if you are a first generation student, or from a low socioeconomic background, you will receive some extra consideration where admission is concerned as well. President Obama’s push for accessibility of higher education is going to have some influence on especially the elite and most selective universities.

Lastly, be prepared for a mix of policies regarding waitlists and deferrals, but in general the trend will be for those spaces to be smaller in number. Many admission offices feel it is better to make decisions earlier than to keep students on the waitlists who will have little chance of admission relative to the pool.