<p>Does the same go for the SAT? I got over 2,000, but math was my lowest section.</p>
<p>That is just Exeter and the SSATs-- nothing more-- if anything the point I am making is that there is an over reliance on quantitative measure, esp by kids and parents-- and on CC (bc they stand out, there is a false sense that numbers have authority and comparisons can be made easily on quantitative data)-- than a gestalt of the applicant – and that is the direction admissions decisions are being made…</p>
<p>[Guidance</a> Office: Answers From Harvard’s Dean, Part 2 - NYTimes.com](<a href=“http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/11/harvarddean-part2/]Guidance”>Guidance Office: Answers From Harvard's Dean, Part 2 - The New York Times)</p>
<p>Speaking of college admissions and standardized tests…</p>
<p>I think everyone gas made some very valuable points regarding both high school and college admissions. I would offer in addition to the quantitative data there is also the “hook” that the student offers. Through personal experience I know first hand that a very tiny percentage of BS and Colleges only want students who high GPAs and high SATs or SSATS. The admission in reality is part objective and part subjective. I agree with Etondad that trying to figure it out is a waste of time and energy but I also understand that as parents we want to be able to logically explain rejection or waitlisted to our son or daughter. I have repeatedly tried to explain to my sons about “control the controllables” and put forth the best effort you can so you can differentiate yourself from everyone else. Sometimes it has worked beautifully and sometimes not but in the post BS and college world, we have all been rejected from a job that we thought we were the best qualified. It hurts but we move on and learn valuable lessons.</p>
<p>I think everyone gas made some very valuable points regarding both high school and college admissions. I would offer in addition to the quantitative data there is also the “hook” that the student offers. Through personal experience I know first hand that a very tiny percentage of BS and Colleges only want students who high GPAs and high SATs or SSATS. The admission in reality is part objective and part subjective. I agree with Etondad that trying to figure it out is a waste of time and energy but I also understand that as parents we want to be able to logically explain rejection or waitlisted to our son or daughter. I have repeatedly tried to explain to my sons about “control the controllables” and put forth the best effort you can so you can differentiate yourself from everyone else. Sometimes it has worked beautifully and sometimes not but in the post BS and college world, we have all been rejected from a job that we thought we were the best qualified. It hurts but we move on and learn valuable lessons.</p>
<p>I think it’s the opposite. GPAs and SATs are of utmost importance for most colleges, beside the highly selective ones where many applicants are academically qualified. So if you’re applying to state universities they couldn’t care less if you’re not on the football team.</p>
<p>Why does the hook need to be sports? I think schools want a diverse student population and the hook could be music, geographical diversity, international experience, science or language aptitude or anything else that would make a BS or college meet its vision or mission statement.</p>
<p>Football was just an example. I mean, we on CC tend to focus solely on the very selective institutions while neglecting the fact that 95% of the colleges out there have over 50% acceptance rates, and value academically qualified candidates over the average American high school seniors with 3.0 GPAs and 1650 SATs.</p>
<p>Since everyone on CC always seems to have a 99 percentile, I specifically mentioned to our AO (one of the CC favorites school) that my DC’s scores were a bit of a mixed bag. There were a couple of 92/93 percentile, but also one 70 & 84 percentile (ISEE). His response via email was that the scores were perfectly fine. The only thing they didn’t do was put DC in the “tester” pool. And based on the tone of the email, that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing!
So seems to me, there even might be a “tester” pool, and only so many candidates get chosen from that set. </p>
<p>This has been mentioned in various places, let me just reiterate that while it doesn’t hurt to have a 99 percentile, it isn’t the end-all and be-all.</p>
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<p>@chloes - take your racist rant and go play somewhere else. Many FA students I’ve seen get a spot are white and or middle class. </p>
<p>EVERYONE who gets into these schools is qualified. Adcoms are very perceptive and your unkind summary points to why your family may have been skipped over. Smug, entitled, bitter. Those “families” with attitudes are easy to put in the no pile from the get go.
Maligning other students by using racial stereotypes has no place here.</p>
<p>Also - yes - to some extent, it does become a lottery when you get down to a final stack that still has too many qualified names for the number of slots. </p>
<p>But, can I say, the angst over ORM children and blaming minorities for the lack of additional slots gives me heartburn. First - not every URM on a campus is from a “ghetto.” And it hurts those kids to have to keep fighting the prejudice (my kid) once on campus. Second, instead of asking why some minority kid got the nod, ask why they preferred another ORM over your kid.</p>
<p>Not trying to be cruel, but these bitter assumptions don’t help any. The reality is, and still remains, not enough money and not enough slots and too many parents assuming high stats means automatic acceptance.</p>
<p>What it meant was your ORM child probably advanced farther than other candidates, may be was a finalist, but in the end, the luck of the draw pulled another name with similar attributes. And NOT necessarily a full pay since I know many on partial or full FA. That’s how similar the applications get in volumes that high. </p>
<p>Be kind to those who got the nod since you’d want the same kindness if your child was “in” and - as if evident on the boards - so many other qualified kids are left in the wings.</p>
<p>Well said exieMITalum! As a member of an ethnic minority I cannot understand why people utilize stereotypes to justify racist statements. I firmly belief and tell my sons that they need to be academically qualified FIRST before ECs matter to adcoms, especially at highly selective colleges, universities and day and boarding schools.</p>
<p>Ah, Exie, there you are. As I was reading through this thread and came to Chloe’s post, I was just waiting for you to respond. THANKS!</p>
<p>Bravo Exie - well said.</p>