There’s a lot of talk about the T20 schools.
What is a T20 school? Is it impossible to get in? Can you get accepted into a T20 without good grades? What if I don’t get accepted? Am I doomed to be a loser?
Everyone says a lot.
But, there are far too many opinions. Not enough facts.
That’s why we wrote this article to clear up the air.
In this article, we’ll be covering what a T20 school is, how hard it is to get accepted, and what you need to get accepted.
Also, we’ve added a secret tip at the end. *wink*
Table of Contents
- What is a T20 School?
- The T20 Medical Schools 2023-24
- The T20 Law Schools 2023-24
- The T20 Business Schools 2023-24
- The T20 Engineering Schools 2023-24
- The REAL Chance of Getting Into a T20 School.
- What T20s Are Looking For.
- Can I Get Accepted Into a T20 With a Low GPA?
- The Secret EVERYONE Missed.
What is a T20 School?
So, what do people mean when they say they want to apply for the T20 schools?
In the college admissions community, T20 schools simply refer to the top 20 schools ranked in the world by the US News and World Report.
However, it should be noted that the definition of T20 school can change every year, as not every school holds the same rank. For instance, Stanford may be the top school (T1) in the world for one year only to be topped by Princeton the next.
It should also be noted that there are sometimes ties for certain ranks.
So, the rank of 3rd best school in the world may be tied between Harvard and Stanford. Thus, both schools hold the title.
You can find the list of the top schools listed here for 2023-24.
The T20 Medical Schools 2023-24
The T20 Law Schools 2023-24
The T20 Business Schools 2023-24
The T20 Engineering Schools 2023-24
The REAL Chance of Getting Into a T20 School.
Okay, so how hard is it to get into a T20 school?
Well, despite the answers being quite clear when searching through online resources such as official websites and their Common Data Set, it’s not always that simple.
For starters, there are a lot of arbitrary assumptions and conjectures surrounding the actual acceptance rates for top schools. Everything from statements like “It’s impossible to get into ‘x’ school even with a high GPA” and “Not having ‘y’ extracurricular immediately gets you rejected” is not based on reality.
Suppose a statement about acceptance rates is not directly stated by a college admissions officer who is currently working in the admissions office or is not on the school’s official website. In that case, it is not verified as true.
Thus, it should be taken with a grain of salt; or, rejected completely.
In addition, there are certain exceptions that can make the chances of getting accepted into a T20 school more obscure.
For instance, here at PenningPapers, we get plenty of students looking to apply for Business schools with an entrepreneurial streak. Sometimes students with an entrepreneurial background are strong applicants. Other times, they bring a lot of uncertainty to the school due to their inattentiveness to their GPA.
Another example is some of the students we get who have strange or unusual backgrounds. Some of these students are very much qualified for a T20 school, and they certainly demonstrate their worth. However, they did not have the conventional resources to demonstrate said worth because they attended a school that did not have meaningful clubs, didn’t have a large number of APs, or had any other hose of unusual deviations from conventional education.
These students do not fall under conventional applicants. However, if they still meet the basic requirements, they will be assessed. And, their acceptance rates may not be as clear-cut.
Thus, most students are special and unique. So, their acceptance rate is going to differ; no one person will have a similar acceptance rate.
However, although a solid number cannot be attributed to anyone’s acceptance rate, it is certainly the case that everyone’s chances of acceptance to a T20 school are slim.
That’s right! Let’s say that again in case it needs to be repeated:
Everyone’s chances of getting accepted into a T20 school are slim.
We can infer this because by using the right arithmetic.
Most students who get accepted into a T20 school are exceptional. However, there are undoubtedly many (and we really do mean many) students who are just as or sometimes even more remarkable as the students who were accepted. In order to even fit in this average application pool, you need to be the 1% of the 1% of students. So, you’re at the top percentile of academic performance, test scores, extracurriculars, personal projects, and notable mentions/awards.
Given that all students have 24 hours in a day, it’s a given that there’s a limit to how much students can truly do. The ceiling in performance caps at a certain point and any other additional information added to the resume would be unreasonable or even unbelievable.
For instance, saying you started 3 Fortune 500 companies at the age of 18 and interned for the Vice President is most probably impossible. There’s only so many students can do. And, even if you’ve met your own ceiling in performance, admissions officers are surrounded by other equally competitive students. Thus, max performance becomes average.
At that point, there’s really no real way to stand out when applying to T20s other than writing a unique essay —as the essay is one of the only parts of the application that even the best students struggle to write well.
If you happen to want help with your application essay and want to stand out amongst the other T20 applicants, feel free to reach out to us for a free consultation. We’ll show you how our expert admissions essay editors can help you write a stellar winning essay.
What T20s Are Looking For.
Academic Performance.
This comes as no surprise to anyone.
In order to get accepted into a T20 school, you’re going to want to be at the top of your academic performance. That means being at the 95th percentile or higher. GPAs like 3.95+ and SAT scores of 1550+ or equivalence would be best. However, there are instances when students with lower stats are still accepted. We’ll get to that later.
A great way of determining if your scores are “good enough” is to look either through the school’s Common Data Set or their official website.
According to Northwestern’s Common Data Set, accepted students at the 25th percentile of SATs earned a score of 1490. The 75th percentile earned a score of 1550.
Regarding GPA, 95% of students scored in the top 10% of their class.
Sometimes, you may want to find information on acceptance rate statistics for certain majors or grad programs. However, this information is not always readily available online; or, some of it may be far too outdated.
If that is the case, you may want to contact the respective school’s undergraduate office of admissions.
Ambition or General Curiosity and Interest.
This is a very important element of the application process.
Students who want to get accepted into a T20 school must be ambitious or have a general curiosity and interest.
Admissions officers are typically looking for the kind of ambition and drive needed to make students succeed in the future. They often cannot do this through GPA alone; though, GPA is a great marker.
Most admissions officers are going to determine your level of ambition or curious personality through college admissions essays. The application essay is your one chance of demonstrating your personal qualities; and, these soft skills are going to be crucial to getting your foot in the door of a T20 school.
Grades and stats alone won’t help you get accepted. So, remember to write your college admissions essays with the intent of showing your ambition and curiosity for your interests.
If you’re looking for help with writing your T20 college essays, feel free to contact us for a free consultation; at PenningPapers, our expert college admissions consultants have helped countless others get accepted into T20 schools.
Creativity.
As with ambition and curiosity, you will need to demonstrate creativity in your application essays.
When applying for T20 schools, there are going to be many other students applying with top stats and scores. So, your goal is to create a narrative in your application that demonstrates your creative side. In addition, you’ll need to convey your application essay in a manner such that it’s both creative and stands out from the rest of the admissions pool.
You can do this by both answering the question from a different angle and using strong imagery or powerful writing skills to demonstrate linguistic prowess.
Clear Potential That Should be Invested in.
The admissions office at most T20 schools is going to want to know that you’re someone that they are interested in investing in.
This is a bit of a weird metric to measure by. But, universities typically have this on their radar when assessing you. It’s especially the case for T20 schools that value the kinds of students they’re accepting in the long run.
Think of yourself as an asset.
If the admissions office has a limited number of dorms, professors, money, and general resources, what kinds of students are they going to want to invest in?
Athletes? Sure. But, universities don’t just consist of athletes. They also consist of great mathematicians, poets, engineers, future startup founders, etc.
Sometimes, you can be a very capable applicant; but, the university simply does not have any need for more smart and capable neuroscientists because they’ve already capped their numbers.
So, you’ll need to think about some of the reasons the university would want to throw money hand over fist just to get you through their door. Often, the best method for this is to demonstrate that the extracurricular activities and intended major you’re pursuing will funnel you into developing a future project alongside the university’s resources. This can come in the form of a full-scale nonprofit, startup, etc.
Ethical and Moral Sophistication.
As generic as this sounds, it’s crucial to have ethical and moral sophistication when applying for T20 schools. This is often shown through the essays and the language you use to speak.
The admissions office is screening you not just for your performance and future potential for success; they also want to see that you have the moral and ethical sophistication to give the school a good name.
It’s certainly the case that universities at the T20 level will come across their fair share of scandals related to student misbehavior. Things like fraternity and sorority hazing or bullying are the most common.
Thus, the best way of applying to T20 schools is to make sure the essay you write does not come across as offensive. You also want to make sure you can show your moral strength and integrity without using the essay as a chance to virtue signal. Fake virtue can be seen a mile away, and it can easily be detected depending on how you write. So, be careful!
Humility and Openness to Learn.
This doesn’t sound like the most important factor. However, humility is a vital aspect of the college application process for T20 schools.
Before we get started, let’s show you an example.
Let’s say that you had to choose between two students.
Student “A” claims to be a successful entrepreneur and wishes to apply to NYU Stern. They boast about how they’ve made thousands of sales per month, and have managed to scale their business on their own and learn everything on their own. As a result, they have learned a lot about business and are excited to see what will happen with their business in the coming years.
Student “B” also claims to be a successful entrepreneur. They also want to apply to NYU Stern. However, they had to experiment when they were in high school before they could find something that they were truly capable of scaling and were interested in. It started off selling tacos off of a stand in their home country. Then, it turned into a tech repair business built off of social media outreach and advertising. At the end of the day, they’ve translated what they’ve learned into making a digital marketing business helping other companies increase their traffic. As nice as it is to run the business, they still made a lot of mistakes in their time and are willing to learn more from NYU Stern on how to maximize their ROI.
Which student is more likely to be believed?
If you said student “B”, you’re like most other admissions officers.
In fact, your answer would be synonymous with most other people in general.
Most successful students, business owners, and future T20 students do not have an image to protect. Some of them do; however, truly successful students who have “seen enough of the real world” are the ones who made mistakes. They put themselves in challenging situations where they’re not the biggest fish in the pond.
In addition, you need to show that you’re not only brave enough to be a small fish in a big pond; but, you also need to show that you’re capable of learning from your mistakes and open to learning.
Well Rounded… Or, Hyper-Efficient at One Thing.
The elite T20 schools want someone who is well-rounded.
Or… wait. Was it someone who was very, very good at one thing?
Or… both?
It’s hard to tell these days since the college admissions process is filled with a lot of arbitrary conjecture and rumors. At the end of the day though, you simply need to remember one principle.
The T20 schools are looking for capable students who have the potential for success in the future.
Thus, there is no right answer as to whether you need to be a well-rounded student or one who is hyper-efficient at simply one thing.
A student who is well rounded because they are interested in many extracurriculars and sports shows that they are able to succeed in multiple dimensions. A student who is hyper-efficient at one thing shows that they have a high chance of success in that one field.
Both are strong.
However, sometimes it is useful to show admissions officers that you are human. That means not giving yourself tunnel vision in one dimension. Are you great at robotics and engineering? Cool! Except, you’ll also need to have a social life and basic human interaction at the minimum. It’s not enough to be smart or capable. The real world also consists of basic human interaction; so, a fundamental knowledge of human sensibilities is a must –whether that be through demonstrating your quirky personality or interests outside of academics.
Can I Get Accepted Into a T20 With a Low GPA?
Okay, this is where we start to get to the big question everyone wants the answer to.
At the end of the day…
Yes.
Yes, you can get accepted into Harvard, Yale Princeton, Stanford, MIT, and other T20 schools with a low GPA. However, it is very, very, very difficult.
In addition, how low your GPA will make a difference.
So, if you have a 3.9, you’re only slightly low. But, if you have a 3.8, you’re getting there. At a 3.7, your chances are going to be significantly lower. Also, the kind of program or major you’re planning to apply to is going to make a big difference.
If you’re applying to a T20 school with a low GPA, you will be expected to make up for it with strong extracurriculars, test scores if applicable, and fantastic essays. If you already have a low GPA but still wish to apply to a T20 school, we heavily recommend getting college admissions essay help and writing services from our expert college essay advisors.
The Secret EVERYONE Missed.
Okay. We exaggerated a bit.
Not EVERYONE missed this secret.
But, it’s something that most people are not precisely aware of.
And, no. We’re not talking about the college admissions scandal where rich people paid for unfair advantages. We don’t endorse the use of bribes or unfair blackmail as a method of college acceptance.
What we’re talking about is getting help from people who know what they’re talking about.
“Wow… thank captain obvious…” is what you may be thinking!
But, you’ll be surprised. There are many perfectly smart and capable students who apply to T20 schools completely blind and without any knowledge of what they should be doing when filling out their applications. They have a high GPA, strong SATs, and fantastic extracurriculars. Yet, they do not reach out to counselors or advisors who know what they’re talking about to maximize their chances of success.
It needs to be said.
It does not matter how smart or how capable you are. If you’re applying for a T20 school or more, you WILL benefit from hiring the help of a professional college admissions expert.
Even simple advising for a few hours can help tremendously increase the quality of your application and essays. It’s weird that no one really talks about this a lot. Yet, we go through the application process year after year rejecting help when it’s readily available.
However, it should also be noted that you’ll need truly helpful advice. It’s far too common for rude, unproductive, or callous college admissions experts to make the situation far worse than it needs to be.
That’s why you need a reliable college admissions expert who is capable of listening to your unique background and helping guide you through the whole process.
If you’re in need of a reliable college admissions consultant who is capable of not only writing and editing compelling T20 essays but also providing you with strong college consulting services, we heavily recommend working with us here at PenningPapers. Contact us for a free consultation, and our expert college admissions consultants will get to you within 24 hours. \
