­　　到目前為止,各個常春藤大學2016年的本科錄取數據都已經出來了，下面是每個學校的具體數據。其中哈佛大學在今年在3.9萬名申請者中，錄取2037人，創下5.2%的錄取率新紀錄。

­　　1. 哈佛大學（Harvard University）—5.22%

­　　申請人數39041，發出錄取通知書2037，錄取率為5.22％，去年錄取率為5.33％。

­　　2.哥倫比亞大學（Columbia University ）—6.04%

­　　申請人數36292，發出錄取通知書2193，錄取率為6.04％，去年錄取率為6.1％。

­　　3. 耶魯大學（Yale University）— 6.27%

­　　申請人數31455，發出錄取通知書1972，錄取率為6.27％，去年錄取率為6.49％。。

­　　4. 普林斯頓大學（Princeton University）— 6.46%

­　　申請人數29303，發出錄取通知書1894，錄取率為6.46％，去年錄取率為6.99％。

­　　5. 布朗大學（Brown University）— 9.01%

­　　申請人數32390，發出錄取通知書2919，錄取率為9％。去年錄取率為8.49％。

­　　6. 賓夕法尼亞大學（University of Pennsylvania）—9.41%

­　　申請人數38918，發出錄取通知書3661，錄取率為9.41％。去年錄取率為9.9％。

­　　7. 達特茅斯學院(Dartmouth College )—10.52%

­　　申請人數20675，發出錄取通知書2176, 錄取率為10.52％。去年錄取率為10.3％。

­　　8. 康奈爾大學(Cornell University)—13.93%

­　　申請人數44966，發出錄取通知書6277。錄取率為13.96％。去年錄取率為14.9％。

­　　美國頂尖大學的錄取率連年下降，說明申請人數不斷增加，競爭越來越激烈，看來爬藤之路會愈加艱難。盡管申請這么難，但還是有學生拿到好幾封名校offer的。啄木鳥教育今年一名學子同時被排名第一的文理學院威廉姆斯學院和錄取率低至4.69%的斯坦福全獎錄取。下面這個叫Brittany Stinson的小姑娘也拿到了5所藤校（耶魯、哥大、賓大、達特茅斯和康奈爾）+斯坦福的錄取。商業內幕Business Insider網站全文刊載了她的申請文書。我們一起來看看敲開6所頂級名校大門的文書長什么樣。

­　　Brittany Stinson

­　　Prompt 1: Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.（通用網申的題目一）

­　　Managing to break free from my mother’s grasp, I charged. With arms flailing and chubby legs fluttering beneath me, I was the ferocious two­ year old rampaging through Costco on a Saturday morning. My mother’s eyes widened in horror as I jettisoned my churro; the cinnamon­sugar rocket gracefully sliced its way through the air while I continued my spree. I sprinted through the aisles, looking up in awe at the massive bulk products that towered over me. Overcome with wonder, I wanted to touch and taste, to stick my head into industrial­sized freezers, to explore every crevice. I was a conquistador, but rather than searching the land for El Dorado, I scoured aisles for free samples. Before inevitably being whisked away into a shopping cart, I scaled a mountain of plush toys and surveyed the expanse that lay before me: the kingdom of Costco.

­　　Notorious for its oversized portions and dollar­fifty hot dog combo, Costco is the apex of consumerism. From the days spent being toted around in a shopping cart to when I was finally tall enough to reach lofty sample trays, Costco has endured a steady presence throughout my life. As a veteran Costco shopper, I navigate the aisles of foodstuffs, thrusting the majority of my weight upon a generously filled shopping cart whose enormity juxtaposes my small frame. Over time, I’ve developed a habit of observing fellow patrons tote their carts piled with frozen burritos, cheese puffs, tubs of ice cream, and weight­loss supplements. Perusing the aisles gave me time to ponder. Who needs three pounds of sour cream? Was cultured yogurt any more well­mannered than its uncultured counterpart? Costco gave birth to my unfettered curiosity.

­　　While enjoying an obligatory hot dog, I did not find myself thinking about the ‘all beef’ goodness that Costco boasted. I instead considered finitudes and infinitudes, unimagined uses for tubs of sour cream, the projectile motion of said tub when launched from an eighty foot shelf or maybe when pushed from a speedy cart by a scrawny seventeen year old. I contemplated the philosophical: If there exists a thirty­three ounce jar of Nutella, do we really have free will? I experienced a harsh physics lesson while observing a shopper who had no evident familiarity of inertia"s workings. With a cart filled to overflowing, she made her way towards the sloped exit, continuing to push and push while steadily losing control until the cart escaped her and went crashing into a concrete column, 52” plasma screen TV and all. Purchasing the yuletide hickory smoked ham inevitably led to a conversation between my father and me about Andrew Jackson’s controversiality. There was no questioning Old Hickory’s dedication; he was steadfast in his beliefs and pursuits – qualities I am compelled to admire, yet his morals were crooked. We both found the ham to be more likeable–and tender.

­　　I adopted my exploratory skills, fine tuned by Costco, towards my intellectual endeavors. Just as I sampled buffalo­chicken dip or chocolate truffles, I probed the realms of history, dance and biology, all in pursuit of the ideal cart–one overflowing with theoretical situations and notions both silly and serious. I sampled calculus, cross­country running, scientific research, all of which are now household favorites. With cart in hand, I do what scares me; I absorb the warehouse that is the world. Whether it be through attempting aerial yoga, learning how to chart blackbody radiation using astronomical software, or dancing in front of hundreds of people, I am compelled to try any activity that interests me in the slightest.

­　　My intense desire to know, to explore beyond the bounds of rational thought; this is what defines me. Costco fuels my insatiability and cultivates curiosity within me at a cellular level. Encoded to immerse myself in the unknown, I find it difficult to complacently accept the “what”; I want to hunt for the “whys” and dissect the “hows”. In essence, I subsist on discovery.

­　　當然，文書只是一部分，她的成績、所獲的獎項、個人特質等這些都是媒體沒有公布的。總之，美國大學申請是一項大工程，盡早規劃是王道。