Applying for IVY LEAGUE? Meet your competitors.

Chance Me / Match Me!
41

<p>^ You're right in the sense that "average" Harvard applicants (even though there are thousands of them) are still pretty far removed from the average American teen. Don't let that discourage you. Once you get out of school, into the real world, nobody cares what your grades in high school were or what you scored on the SAT. They care about personality, work ethic, etc.</p>

<p>P.S. That guy is totally real. I love the fact that he's just starting his sophomore year, and yet he's already accomplished more than I have in four years.</p>

42

<p>I came to terms with shying away from unrealistic goals like that for a while, so I'm completely content with being discouraged by my "average" scores. Oh well, just because I won't get into a top school and eventually making hundreds of thousands a year as a top notch lawyer doesn't mean I can't look forward to settling for the next best thing: marrying a rich Harvard/Yale/Princeton grad. </p>

<p>Tehe :)</p>

<p>PS: I highly highly doubt it.</p>

43

<p>hahahahaha nice. I hope that approach works for me if I don't make it!</p>

44

<p>This article makes me feel much more competitive :P ... I've got better stuff than a lot of those applicants (aside from independent research and such)</p>

45

<p>Yeah DataBox is a BEAST. I hate how good he is at high school but I still have him on facebook haha. <3 the fact that he's not in my applicant pool!</p>

46

<p>I saw the first applicant and thought "If the rest of them are like this, I'm impressed." They pretty much dwindled off from there, though the Asian girl with the 2400 and the math EC's was good. A lot of so-so SATs, but some great ECs.</p>

47

<p>Old article... </p>

<p>Anyway. You don't even feel anxiety over this kind of stuff after seeing a few cycles of admissions... Sometimes the superb fail to get in while the mediocre do... It's really random.</p>

48

<p>Looking at the updated article and on Facebook, most of these people got into Ivies.</p>

<p>Does it give me hope? I hope so.</p>

49

<p>yeah i did a facebook search too....most got into their top choice or another equally good school</p>

50

<p>Their SAT scores are all quite low, so I'm wondering how they even chose the applicants.</p>

51

<p>^Ironic post! If you seriously wonder that, then I'm wondering how YOU can actually think "their SAT scores are quite low" </p>

<p>You can't be THAT bright if you don't realize having a 2400 on the SATs isn't really as important as it used to be. SAT scores are much much much less important now, and EC's are much much much MORE important now, so that explains why their SAT scores are 'low.' This should seriously not be all that difficult to grasp. </p>

<p>And, this probably sounds foreign here, but I've said it once and I'll say it again: their SAT scores arent even low. Most scored well above average, because in reality, average is 1500/2400. A lot of the people on this site need to get their head outta the clouds!</p>

52

<p>Lol. Whatever... You obviously don't believe in hard facts then. Three of them scored below 2000, four below 2100. One guy got 560 for writing.</p>

<p>Upenn's middle 50%:

[quote]
SAT Critical Reading: 650 - 750 95%
SAT Math: 680 - 770 95%
SAT Writing: 660 - 750 95%
ACT Composite: 29 - 33 30%

[/quote]
</p>

53

<p>^hard facts, as in what part of my post defied any hard facts? 2000 is above average, 2100 is above average. Again, average is 1500. THe guy who scored 560 on his writing scored right in the middle range, not 'quite low' like you claimed. UPenn's average IS NOT the universal average by any means, like I said, get YOUR head outta the clouds.</p>

<p>SAT scores aren't even as relevant as they used to be, either.</p>

54

<p>Hahaha but the essay wasn't even aimed at average students! Look at the top of the page. Competitors for Ivy League, not Shenandoah Valley Technical School.</p>

55

<p>
[quote]
Hahaha but the essay wasn't even aimed at average students! Look at the top of the page. Competitors for Ivy League, not Shenandoah Valley Technical School.

[/quote]

lol, I'm the one who created the thread, I think I know I tried to attract the attention of Ivy League applicants, but the thread's title is hardly relevant. The actual article was aimed for the general audience... it was posted on a NY mag website, easily accessed by and for everyone.</p>

56

<p>^ ummm riiiiight, but the article was definitely aimed at Ivy league applicants. Claiming that these kids were somehow "super-applicants" makes it seem like they're the "main competition" for Ivy League hopefuls.</p>

<p>I think the most insightful post on this thread so far came from whoever said something along the lines of "Oh, the article was from 2006...That explains it." The application process has gotten exponentially more competitive every year. This year is supposedly "the peak." Now, Ivy League schools expect 2250 SATs plus great ECs, community service, etc....unless you're a URM or a recruited athlete (sad, but true).</p>

<p>Anyway, we all realize that a 1500/2400 is "average" for an American high schooler, and that a 2000 is therefore "well above average." However, Harvard doesn't want "above average." They want exceptional, and they'll get it. </p>

<p>Harvard's SAT admission stats:</p>

<p>The range of scores, in total, is the middle 50%, so the number on the left is the 25%, while the number on the right is the 75%.</p>

<p>CR: 700-800
Math: 700-790
Writing: 690-790</p>

<p>Therefore, a 2250 (750s in every section) is literally the average person walking around Harvard, including legacies, URMs, athletes, etc.</p>

57

<p>
[quote]
ummm riiiiight, but the article was definitely aimed at Ivy league applicants. Claiming that these kids were somehow "super-applicants" makes it seem like they're the "main competition" for Ivy League hopefuls.

[/quote]

hah no, apparently not. Apparently, claiming that these kids are somehow "super-applicants" makes it seem that way only in the eyes of the AVERAGE high-schooler. You "exceptional" students on here keep saying these applicants aren't intimidating, so how can you claim that this article was "definitely aimed at Ivy League applicants" for you guys? You're wrong. This article was meant to intimidate it's audience, and apparently it only succeeds in doing so when the average highschooler is reading it, therefore, it wasn't "definitely aimed at Ivy League applicants." I just chose to title it in a way that attracts IVY leaguers.</p>

<p>
[quote]
^ ummm riiiiight, but the article was definitely aimed at Ivy league applicants. Claiming that these kids were somehow "super-applicants" makes it seem like they're the "main competition" for Ivy League hopefuls.</p>

<p>I think the most insightful post on this thread so far came from whoever said something along the lines of "Oh, the article was from 2006...That explains it." The application process has gotten exponentially more competitive every year. This year is supposedly "the peak." Now, Ivy League schools expect 2250 SATs plus great ECs, community service, etc....unless you're a URM or a recruited athlete (sad, but true).

[/quote]
I agree with you here, sort of... the article is a few years old, and competition is probably SLIGHTLY more fierce now than it was a few years ago, but instinctually I doubt it has really changed all that much. It's only been two years since the article was first published. You'd have to examine whether youth is shifting towards being more academically competitive as a whole or not, I haven't seen any evidence to suggest such a thing, so I wouldn't claim that the application process has gotten "exponentionally more competitive every year" unless you have evidence. You say this year is supposedly "the peak" whered you hear that? More young people =/= more super applicants... it all depends on how many of those young people are driven enough to apply to Ivy Leagues, and I haven't ever come across any studies that have shown anything suggesting the pool of super applicants has grown within the last two years.</p>

<p>
[quote]
Anyway, we all realize that a 1500/2400 is "average" for an American high schooler, and that a 2000 is therefore "well above average." However, Harvard doesn't want "above average." They want exceptional, and they'll get it. </p>

<p>Harvard's SAT admission stats:</p>

<p>The range of scores, in total, is the middle 50%, so the number on the left is the 25%, while the number on the right is the 75%.</p>

<p>CR: 700-800
Math: 700-790
Writing: 690-790</p>

<p>Therefore, a 2250 (750s in every section) is literally the average person walking around Harvard, including legacies, URMs, athletes, etc.

[/quote]

I'm not so sure about this. I think Harvard would consider an "above average" SAT scorer IF the applicant had TONS of exceptional community services, etc. as the kids in the article did. Like I said, SAT scores ARE NOT all they're cranked up to be anymore. It's more a test of HOW WELL you take it, not of intelligence.</p>

58

<p>^ About this year being the
"peak" year for competitiveness,</p>

<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1060365663-post2.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1060365663-post2.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>About the last comment regarding Harvard: sure, they might consider the kid, but they've also got to consider whether or not he/she can handle Harvard's courseload. They don't put kids in "Community Service" class or "Extracurriculars 101." Harvard Freshman jump right into a lot of hard academic challenges. Take note, hardly anybody ever makes a 4.0 at Harvard, even considering the ridiculous talent in every graduating class.</p>

<p>Anyway, I'm getting off subject. The point is that, sure, they might consider such an applicant, but the fact that the overwhelming majority of Harvard's students have SAT scores that look like the ones I listed says something about what they look for.</p>

59

<p>
[quote]
^ About this year being the
"peak" year for competitiveness,</p>

<p>Admissions: Is This Year the Peak Year</p>

<p>About the last comment regarding Harvard: sure, they might consider the kid, but they've also got to consider whether or not he/she can handle Harvard's courseload. They don't put kids in "Community Service" class or "Extracurriculars 101." Harvard Freshman jump right into a lot of hard academic challenges. Take note, hardly anybody ever makes a 4.0 at Harvard, even considering the ridiculous talent in every graduating class.</p>

<p>Anyway, I'm getting off subject. The point is that, sure, they might consider such an applicant, but the fact that the overwhelming majority of Harvard's students have SAT scores that look like the ones I listed says something about what they look for.

[/quote]

You didn't refute my first paragraph so I take that as concession? :)</p>

<p>Of course extracurrriculars/community service isn't the single most important thing, but I'm sure it's "above" SAT scores. Also, I have no facts to back this up, but I'd fathom to guess passing at Harvard with a C average is equivalent to sustaining an A average anywhere else. :)</p>

60

<p>^ haha I'm just tired of arguing about it. Another thing to consider, though: who are the vast majority of high schoolers that go on forums like CC and read articles about "super-applicants" and actually care about the college admissions process? Most of them are Ivy league hopefuls :) Not all, but most.</p>

<h1>2, yes, I'd say that's about right, and that's my point! If Harvard is so hard academically, they simply can't afford to enroll a kid with a 1750/2400. He/she will flunk out his/her first year! It's to Harvard's advantage to weed out the less academically competitive kids. Anecdote that our college counselor always tells:</h1>

<p>there was a girl from my school (3 years ago, I believe) who told my college counselor that she was applying to Princeton. This girl had around an 1800/2400 and a 3.5 GPA. Of course, the counselor was skeptical, but said "sure, go ahead, do what you want....just don't get your hopes up!" The girl kept saying things to my counselor like "Oh....well... I'm pretty sure I'll get in!" Months later, the girl's accepted. Why? Her daddy had recently donated over $5 million to Princeton. One year down the road, the girl flunks out of Princeton. I think she literally failed over half of her classes.</p>

<p>ANYway, lol, the point is that top schools will almost never accept kids with not-so-flashy credentials, even with killer ECs, because they have to know that the kid can handle the rigor of their university. URMS, athletes, and $-kids are the exceptions</p>