Think about this - if the key issue is essays or ECs, of course you would predict multiple rejections. Or if everything is too perfect, most Ivies would think that they are too perfect.
OP should be very glad to have two excellent choices - I know many great Dartmouth grads.
Your definition of “safety” is not conservative enough, as evidenced by many posters saying that they got rejected from their “safeties”.
How more conservative can I be with a definition of “high likelihood”? Obviously, as I wrote, I do not buy in the notion that a “safety school” should be one that is a 100% guarantee, including finances. Safety is not the same as guarantee!
The fact that some CAN be rejected at their safety school does NOT undermine my position. I am happy to agree to disagree, and I will happily continue to opine that a good number of students are perfectly entitled to call any of the UC school a safety. After all, do we really assume that the numerical “score card” that was disclosed eons ago has completely vanished at the UC, including Cal and UCLA? The fact that the admission has borrowed a bit of the holistic process from its more prestigious counterparts does not mean they still do not total points to establish a floor of admissions.
How would a kid that obviously scores in the top percentile of the “score card” feel about his chances?
Lastly, and more importantly, why do such definition matter? We all think or believe that students should build their applications from the bottom up. From there, the definitions are simple semantics. For many, a system of rolling admissions or auto admission deliver the guaranteed schools. For others, it is a system of early reads and likely letters. The exact terms do not change much.
Thanks for sharing your results OP.
More students should read this and accept the reality of admission to these types of schools. Unfortunately these schools will probably only become more elite, more exclusive and thus more sought after.
In any case, wishing you all the best in your future endeavors.
Only the OP’s glass is almost completely full. It’s only missing a few drops.
You got into Dartmouth? I would kill to have gotten into that school…you should be all hooping with joy! Its hard to get the rejects…i have a few…but your story has a happy ending.
@AlfredoKim, the bar is significantly higher for internationals and stats are far from everything at the super-selective schools. Those Korean kids applying to Ivies didn’t know that?
You don’t know anything about their applications, though. You seem like a really bright young person and your credentials are very impressive, but at first glance they are similar to those of other top students on these boards. Perhaps the student with the ‘worse’ resume who got in had an essay or an EC or an interview that really stood out. Some highly-intelligent kids just don’t test well. Going strictly by GPA or test scores really only tells a small part of the story.
That is how the real world works. Many of us have had difficult experiences like this - the perfect job that goes to someone else with less credentials, the house you want that the buyer sells to someone else, etc.
Congratulations on your acceptances. Dartmouth, Cal and CMU are all top rate schools. Yes, it is shocking that you were not accepted to more of the schools you were listed. . Though I can explain and even see why, it is still very shocking and disturbing to me as I am seeing a lot of this.
First of all, many of your schools have accept rates in the single digits. Since you are not in any favored category (not a recruited athlete, not a legacy, not a celebrity, don’t have parents in development, parents don’t work at the schools, not a “friends of”, not economically or otherwise challenged, not a URM), the accept rate for students like you are likely half or less of the actual number because there are so many students that make those categories. So, just statistically, all things equal, getting into one out of ten such schools makes sense.
A lot of the colleges do not differentiate between val and top 3 (and more in favored schools) of the class. They get the same numerical rating and the Admissions officer doesn’t know or care whether you or who are vals or sals. That info doesn’t make it to their summary sheet. You all get the same 5 out 5 top rating for grades. Same with test scores which are often assessed on a 4000 SAT and again, the perfect score person gets the same 5 out of 5 or 10 out 10 points as anyone else who makes that top category. They do not know or care whether you got that 2400 or not.
But still, your academic profile is tops regardless. The scary thing is that there are not enough seats at these top of the top schools to take everyone who get the top scores. But the schools do have some things that they are seeking and will sacrifice on the top scores to get, and that’s even outside of those special pools. At JHU, for example, being a pre med or natural sciences major or fitting that profile is not going to win you points. A German major, that’s a whole other story.
So for schools like HPYSMC, I can see how you did not get accepted. All a matter of numbers. There are others like you. For the other school, it’s more puzziing even given the info I have given.
Even as a premed or other commonly found major, by all previous numbers, JHU, for example, would have been more likely than not for acceptance. But this year, 1/3 of their 11% acceptances were to URM, which cut down other seats. That’ is an example. But statistically, it’s still remarkable and frightening that you did not get more hits. It shows how so very difficult this process has come to those without a hook and not in a special pool. Getting in on straight academics is getting increasingly difficult.
I disagree that Cal was a safety school for the OP. Cal OOS is not an easy go, and I’ve seen kids with top stats not get accepted there, depending on the program. It was not a wise safety choice unless some early action or rolling decisions was used. UMIchigan, I might have bought into, EA, but this year, kids with stats like the OP’s were deferred for OOSers. Yep, saw it. Don’t know what was going on there.
I think Dartmouth is a great school with all the lustre one could want, and the ug academic experience there superior to a lot the larger schools. So you’ve gotten a wonderful pick I can see why you are jolted with this outcome, however, and it bothers me greatly, even though I have seen this. Usually there is not as many schools on the list, so it’s difficult to gauge how competitive the process has been. There are some amazing kids at my son’s school who were not accepted to their top choices, and others who were accepted who were not as top gun in academics but were in favored pools which has a great impact on admissions chances. More so than ever as the older pools have not been replaced by newer ones but have been joined. It has become increasingly difficult to get into the most desired school without some specialty on top of the academic prowess.
What “score card” do you mean? There are formulae for getting to base UC eligibility, but that is not generally a guarantee into any specific campus other than Merced (or Riverside if one qualifies for that campus’ guarantee). Otherwise, the usually method is a comprehensive review by two admissions readers, each giving a holistic reading score to the application. Obviously, 4.0/2400 helps get a better score, but is no guarantee, and some divisions or majors at more selective campuses have higher admission thresholds than others. It is not based on adding up points for stats, points for ECs, points for essays, etc. as it used to be.
http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2005/05/16_houtreport.pdf
This happens at all different levels. I know a class President, salutarian, all around wonderful humanitarian who didn’t get into the University of Rochester when others in her class did, including my daughter.
I know a perfect score val at a huge suburban high school, state level athlete, etc…didn’t get into Penn - but did get into Dartmouth!!! She made the best of it poor thing. (Really, she loves it!)
I know an outstanding student from competitive Northern Virginia with a zillion AP’s, science fair success, job, interesting person, etc - didn’t get into Virginia Tech!
Kids and adults sometimes work really hard for something, and it doesn’t pan out. It’s ok to feel disappointed, but don’t let it define you. Move on. Celebrate what you have.
Congrats to the OP. I think you might end up loving Dartmouth, or you might get into another choice off a waitlist. I don’t see how many conclusions are made in this thread without seeing the entire application file. The problem is most on CC think their essays and recs are excellent, and that can’t be true in every case. There could be one 2400, 4.0 applicant with an extremely boring essay and lackluster recs and the next applicant could have 2300 and 3.8, but with a wonderful essay where the applicant’s personality and talent burst out. If I’m an admissions counselor falling asleep reading about perfect, but boring kids, I would perk up when I come across something unique and interesting. This is not at all a comment about the OP, rather I’m saying the process would not seem so random if we had full information. Congrats again and good luck.
OMG, I just stumbled upon a new fact: since OP’s and VMT’s acquaintance had 2400 SAT scores and got into Dartmouth, then that MUST be the key to getting in. ATTENTION TO ALL CCers applying to Dartmouth!!! 2400 SAT will get you into Darthmouth! It must be true, I have two people now that had that happen to them. See what you can conclude from 2 pieces of anecdotal evidence!!!
@KKmama this is absolutely the best advice I’ve read today! So many entitled students looking at college as the end all not seeing the forest for the trees. Makes me sad for our society:-(
Yeah, you can come down with schizophrenia at 18, too. 
You really do need to get a little perspective. You are so blessed!
I am not sure what was unclear in my post. I wrote about assuming that what was once used has vanished. What else do I need to add to the discussion?
Could it be the score card that did not exist according to some and who were surprised when I posted a copy of it in all its splendor. Could it be the score card that supposedly did not exist until I posted how it was used at Davis?
In the end, it is pretty simple. You do not believe that there is a numerical tally that corresponds to admission. Great! I believe that some variance of what used to rule the day is still in existence. You don’t. Again, that is great!
None of that will change my mind about students who can and should consider Cal as a safety! It really is nothing new to have to agree to disagree with people who put Cal on a high pedestal.
Hi!
I am also a top stats student just like you – 4.0, 2400, (not val lol), but heavily involved in my community! No major awards though. I was waitlisted at every Ivy I applied to (5) and rejected at Stanford (where I thought I sent good essays). I literally bawled my eyes out for an hour yesterday. It wasn’t so much specific schools, but I thought I had a decent chance at getting into one “top-tier one”, if only for bragging rights (except for HYP, aid probably wasn’t going to be good). I was/am also concerned of people judging me for not getting in with a perfect score and all (I know it’s not a gurantee, but people who haven’t gone through the process do). The reason I am typing this is because I want you to know you are NOT alone. Many qualified friends I know got shut out from many top schools – frankly it sucks. I am also writing this because I want to validate your feelings. To the parents out there: yes, it is an incredible privilege to even APPLY to these incredible schools, one that I am so grateful for, but it still hurts. And let it hurt, for a day or so. It is hard when you are questioning the effort you put in that ended up with “nothing” (in quotes cause we both still got great acceptances!).
After you’ve let the hurt out, celebrate and look forward to what you have! I was still heavily upset this morning but looked over my acceptances – Duke, Rice, Vanderbilt, Gtown, and USC – and reminded myself these are also schools many would be ecstatic to be accepted to. I also got notification of being a Stamps Scholar at USC which is full-tuition and a stipend. So yeah, maybe I would have liked the prestige and res colleges and butteries of Yale, but I am still gonna kick butt as a Trojan 
Already looking into the wonderful internships and research opportunities at USC! And maybe there will still be pangs of pain here and there for the next couple weeks, but I assure you halfway into our first semester of college we will not regret that all our hard work was for “nothing” – we will be glad it got us into the college we are attending!
And, if this post doesn’t help, I’ll end with a common condolence given by adults about top colleges: there’s always grad school 
I have a feeling the rejections are a defensive strategy, they think you might get into HYPS, want to protect their yield.
My advice is take one of those that accepted you and run with it. You will do amazingly well whichever of the 3 you go, as all are excellent choices. Go be as successful as you can and donate generously to your alma mater. Give the finger to the rest.
That is a sweet deal - particularly if you are eyeing some form of professional/graduate school.
Look at it this way: You received two likely letters from excellent universities. This means that YOU are at the tippy top of the applicant pool for those schools. I am an alumni interviewer and the admissions com instructs us to reach out to those with likely letters because they are the coveted, the highly sought after, and the “dream come true” applicants. They love you and are hoping to hear that you have similar feelings.
Don’t go looking for love in all the wrong places.