到目前为止,各个常春藤大学2016年的本科录取数据都已经出来了，下面是每个学校的具体数据。其中哈佛大学在今年在3.9万名申请者中，录取2037人，创下5.2%的录取率新纪录。

1. 哈佛大学（Harvard University）—5.22%

申请人数39041，发出录取通知书2037，录取率为5.22％，去年录取率为5.33％。

2.哥伦比亚大学（Columbia University ）—6.04%

申请人数36292，发出录取通知书2193，录取率为6.04％，去年录取率为6.1％。

3. 耶鲁大学（Yale University）— 6.27%

申请人数31455，发出录取通知书1972，录取率为6.27％，去年录取率为6.49％。。

4. 普林斯顿大学（Princeton University）— 6.46%

申请人数29303，发出录取通知书1894，录取率为6.46％，去年录取率为6.99％。

5. 布朗大学（Brown University）— 9.01%

申请人数32390，发出录取通知书2919，录取率为9％。去年录取率为8.49％。

6. 宾夕法尼亚大学（University of Pennsylvania）—9.41%

申请人数38918，发出录取通知书3661，录取率为9.41％。去年录取率为9.9％。

7. 达特茅斯学院(Dartmouth College )—10.52%

申请人数20675，发出录取通知书2176, 录取率为10.52％。去年录取率为10.3％。

8. 康奈尔大学(Cornell University)—13.93%

申请人数44966，发出录取通知书6277。录取率为13.96％。去年录取率为14.9％。

美国顶尖大学的录取率连年下降，说明申请人数不断增加，竞争越来越激烈，看来爬藤之路会愈加艰难。尽管申请这么难，但还是有学生拿到好几封名校offer的。啄木鸟教育今年一名学子同时被排名第一的文理学院威廉姆斯学院和录取率低至4.69%的斯坦福全奖录取。下面这个叫Brittany Stinson的小姑娘也拿到了5所藤校（耶鲁、哥大、宾大、达特茅斯和康奈尔）+斯坦福的录取。商业内幕Business Insider网站全文刊载了她的申请文书。我们一起来看看敲开6所顶级名校大门的文书长什么样。

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.（通用网申的题目一）

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.

当然，文书只是一部分，她的成绩、所获的奖项、个人特质等这些都是媒体没有公布的。总之，美国大学申请是一项大工程，尽早规划是王道。