<p>I’m just wondering something. You know how in the past like 2 or 3 years, admission to the ivies has gotten so intense that even the valedictorians are being rejected? I wonder if acceptance rates were in the mid twenty-percents for brown like 20 years ago! Becuase I know back in the fourties harvard’s acceptance rate was around 60%, which was insanely high!</p>
<p>probably b/c back then there was no standardized testing and no track of ECs, so admissions solely depended on grades--I'm not sure if essays were required or not</p>
<p>we certainly had SATS and ECs as well as essays!</p>
<p>I think the acceptance rate differences are because a lot less people applied to Ivy Leagues and such back then. Most either just starting working after high school, or went to the local state school.</p>
<p>I also think that in the last few years, we have taken a vey unhealthy approach to the whole admissions process. More people apply to the ivies because of easier access now days and because of the belief that an ivy education does not compare to any other. The whole thing is totally overrated in my opinion.</p>
<p>Also remember that being valedictorian means almost nothing for most valedictorians.</p>
<p>things got easier in the early 90s because the number of applicants to college fell from the 80s--then at the end of the 90s/00s applicant #s rose again</p>
<p>Apparently, the acceptance rate at Brown was 30% in 1964.</p>