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Welcome to our new five-part series, Boosting Ivy League Chances, where we discuss the best methods to boost your chances of getting into an Ivy League university. Choosing the right college is highly personal, as is curating your activities and resume. Some institutions value certain accolades more than others, so what exactly are they? While there are no guaranteed admissions, there are some things to consider to increase your chances of admittance.
STEM Contests
Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors are highly impacted, with many students demonstrating interest in the fields. You may be asking yourself, “How can I stand out?” One of the easiest ways to do so is through STEM competitions that showcase your depth of knowledge, interest in the field, creativity, and problem-solving skills.
Below is a curated chart of some of the most prestigious STEM contests that can boost your Ivy League chances.
| Contest Name | Eligibility | Date(s) | Individual or Team? | Type of Contest | Reward |
| International Genetically Engineered Machine Competition (iGEM) | Must be enrolled in a high school | Year-round but registration closes in March | Team (typically between 10 and 15 members) | -Design, construct, and test biological system solutions to solving real-world challenges
-Students present their work at jamborees |
Students who pass the regional jamborees proceed to the Giant Jamboree, where they present to a global audience |
| USA Computing Olympiad (USACO) | Pre-college students in the US | Quarterly contests:
December, January, February, March (US Open) |
Individual | -Test-based on C++, Java, C, or Python
-Regular contests are four hours long, whereas the US Open is five hours long -Start in the lowest division (Bronze) and progress up to Platinum |
-Finalists (top USACO competitors) are invited to a summer graining camp to represent the US in the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) |
| American Mathematics Competition (AMC)/ American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME) | -The AMC10 is for students under 14.5 years old and in grades 10 and below
-The AMC12 is for students under 19.5 years old and in grades 10 and below |
The AMC is in November | Individual | -The AMC is a school-based math exam that leads to the AIME
-Students first take the AMC10 or AMC12 |
-The top 2.5 – 5% of scorers progress to the AIME exam
-The top AIME scorers progress to the United States of America Mathematical Olympiad (USAMO) |
| FIRST Robotics Competition | Ages 14-18 in grades 9-12 | Year-long | Teams | Teams build and program industrial-sized robots to play in an action-packed game against other competitors | Teams compete in regional competitions before progressing to state and national competitions. |
| National Science Bowl | Ages 14-18 in grades 9-12; there is also a middle school division | January for regionals | Teams of four students with one alternate (all from the same school), and one adult mentor | Nationwide academic test-based competition | Teams compete in regional competitions before progressing to state and national competitions. |
| TOPPS Competition for High School Students | Current high school students and no more than 5 entries per school | Due in March | Individual | Students create a video under 3 minutes on how psychological science helps us understand and counter the spread of misinformation | Up to 3 winners are selected and will receive a $300 scholarship reward |
| Regeneron Science Talented Search (previously known as the Westinghouse Science Talent Search) | US citizen or student who attends school in the US | Due in November | Individual | Research project-based competition | Winners can earn up to $250,000 in scholarships |
| International STEM Competitions (International Physics Olympiad, International Biology Olympiad, Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair, ExploraVision, etc.) | High school students | Various dates | Depends on the competition | Depends on the competition | Most of these competitions have regional divisions before national and international divisions |
Key Takeaways
- There are many types of competitions. Listed above are a few of the most renowned competitions that may catch the attention of Ivy League admissions officers.
