Want to Attend an Ivy League University? Try Doing This.

The college admission scandal shone a light on some of the issues with the Ivies -- how cheating, favoritism, and nepotism are alive and well. That said, for decades now, a whole host of people have been shining a very different light on ways to get into these institutions by doing the most glorious and shocking thing: being whole, unique individuals who stand out from the crowd through the simple act of learning who they are and fostering their true passions.

These are people who've gone from homeschool to Harvard, or attended schools that eschew grades and let kids decide what they want to study, and when. Some of these places have governing boards entirely made up of students, in whose hands the hiring and firing of teachers and educational staff have been placed.

Interested in getting into one of these elite schools? Try being radical. Send them a mixtape made up entirely of metaphors for what drives you, for the unique things you have done that have made you successful according to your definition of success, not some societal standard.

That's how I got into Columbia, scandal not required.