Ivy League colleges are a group of prestigious colleges and universities in the United States. This list of elite schools includes Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, and Yale. These institutions are infamously difficult to get admitted into.

What does it take to be admitted into one of these schools? Not only do you need an excellent GPA, you must have stellar test scores, letters of recommendation, and an awesome admissions essay. 

Besides this checklist of must-haves, you’ll likely also need something to make you stand out, such as volunteer work, a passion project, or talent outside of academics. Ivy League schools only accept a small percentage of applicants every year, and many prospective students are left wondering why they didn’t make the cut. Many people don’t know that there is a secret to getting into an Ivy League college. 

Assuming your grades, test scores, and other must-haves are in order, there is one very important thing you should do to up your chances of being accepted into an Ivy League school. The secret? Establish a relationship with your regional admissions officer at the college of your choice. This single thing can boost your chances of being admitted.

This guide covers what the regional admissions officer does and how you can create a relationship with this most important person. Read on to learn more.

What do Regional Admissions Officers do?

The regional admissions officer is the person who is responsible for admitting students from your geographic area into a school. This single person has vast authority when it comes to admitting you into the school. What is this person’s job, exactly?

A regional admissions officer’s job description includes creating college fairs and recruitment events for their school. They also assist with the admissions process and meet with and interview prospective students. This person also sits on the admissions committee, and has a large amount of sway for students from their area. 

Why do you Need to Establish a Relationship with the Regional Admissions Officer?

There are several benefits to establishing a relationship with the regional admissions officer. Chiefly, doing so helps you stand out from other prospective students. When you meet the regional admissions officer in person, you put a name to your face and cease to be another number with good test scores.

If the regional admissions officer feels like they know you personally, they’ll remember you when your application crosses their desk. Meeting them in person makes it easier to have further correspondence via email or phone calls as well.

Meeting and speaking with the regional admissions officer is also a good way to get a feel for the institution, the culture, the environment, and make sure it is the best fit for you. This helps both you and the regional admissions officer make the best choice.

Tips for Building a Relationship with the Regional Admissions Officer

Creating and maintaining this relationship can make a huge difference during the admissions process. It’s a good idea to take the time to build a relationship with the regional admissions officers at all of your top choice schools. 

Below is a list of things you should do before and during the admissions process to help you create a relationship with a regional admissions officer. If you are unsure where to start, follow these helpful tips. 

Work on your Communication Skills 

Effective communication skills will serve you well throughout your life. It’s a good idea to start developing these skills while you are still in high school. Excellent communication skills will allow you to communicate clearly, with both the written and oral word. This will help you when meeting a regional admissions officer for your school of choice. 

How can you develop these skills? Sharpen your written communication skills by taking advanced writing classes.Try taking speech classes at your school. Join your school’s debate team. Practice giving extra presentations and mock interviews with your parents, friends, or classmates. 

All of these are great ways of strengthening your communication skills. This will help you later with meetings, phone calls, and interviews with admissions officers and future employers, as well. 

Attend Events

One of the best ways to meet and establish a relationship with admissions officers is to attend events like college fairs or other recruitment events. If your regional admissions officer will be at such an event, you should plan on being there. There, you can meet them, put a face to your name, and ask any questions you may have about the admissions process. Before attending a college fair, it is a good idea to prepare yourself. 

Also, your regional admissions officer may visit your high school to meet with and speak with students. If this happens, make sure you meet them. This is the perfect opportunity to meet an admissions officer in person since that is what they are at your school to do.

Another way to meet the regional admissions counselor is during a college tour. Visit the institution of your choice by signing up for a college tour, and requesting a meeting with them. Some admissions officers are open to face-to-face meetings with prospective students during these tours.

Be Strategic

No admissions officer wants a prospective student to email and call them over and over, asking about their application. Regional admissions offers are inundated with thousands of requests from students, so it is important not to waste your time and theirs. Know when and how to contact them. 

Contacting an admissions officer can be a great way to show how strong your interest in the school is, and could tip the scales in your favor. However, you should take a quality-over-quantity approach. Contact them selectively, and with a real purpose. 

Many schools prefer for students to send things like deferral letters or waitlist letters through the website’s admissions portal. This is not always something that you should reach out to an admissions officer about. So, when should you contact your regional admission officer?

Once you have met the regional admissions officer in person, send a brief email thanking them for their time. Let them know you are very interested in their school. After that, contact them sparingly, and only with good reason to do so. Make sure every phone call, email, and meeting has a real purpose and substance.

Getting Into Ivy League Colleges

Getting into an Ivy League college is notoriously difficult to do. These schools are very selective, and each year they accept only a tiny percentage of students who apply. You must make yourself stand out from the other applicants, and make yourself known to those who are the decision-makers. Your regional admissions officer will ultimately be a deciding factor in your admission, so it is important to create and maintain a relationship with them. If you do this one thing, your chances of getting admitted will be greater.

Do you or your student want to attend an Ivy League college? Are you needing some guidance? Prep Expert has all of the college preparation guidance you need to get into an Ivy League school! Register for our free webinar today.