<p>@monstor</p>
<p>Then hooks don’t exist, since basically nothing can by itself get you into a top school.</p>
<p>But don’t be like that girl in the add “Don’t Be a Freshman” and think that scoring a 2400 will help you push over someone else who scored a 2350 in Ivy League admissions.</p>
<p>Three words: Get a life</p>
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URM status (and I’m finding that being Hispanic is becoming increasingly a tip factor and not a hook factor), athletes, developmentals. These are the only hooks I speak of. Perhaps I should revise what I said; hooks do not guarantee admission because obviously you need the stats (unless you’re a developmental, then you’re pretty much in no matter what). But what they do is they remove the subjectivity of the admissions process. You will never find a recruited athlete (assuming he/she was truly being recruited AKA not MIT/Caltech) with a 3.9 GPA and a 2300 SAT get deferred/rejected because he/she didn’t exhibit special personal qualities or because his/her essays were weak. People emphasize that hooks allow for more leeway in terms of grades/scores, and while this is generally true, my main point is that they also turn the admissions process into a whole different game.</p>
<p>The College Board publishes statistics of score distributions based upon groups – See page 6: <a href=“http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/Total_Group_Report.pdf[/url]”>Higher Education Professionals | College Board; – so, it stands to reason that admissions offices lump students together in the same groups and compare them to their peers. For example, all students who scored 750-800 are compared together, as are students in the 700-740 range, 650 to 690 range etc. However, as nluu0929 said “An SAT score won’t get you in…it’ll only get you considered.”</p>
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<p>Monstor, can you please clarify what you mean by “tipping factor.”</p>
<p>^ Tipping factor as in it helps if you have the stats, it doesn’t if you don’t. And by helps I don’t mean it turns the admissions process into something completely different - it’ll “merely” increase your chances.</p>
<p>gibby, Collegeboard’s policy does not cover a college’s general policy. Of course, neither does my sweeping generalization, but at least I believe I’ve provided something more accurate. Not that I think a 750 demands a retake, but Princeton groups its admissions statistics by composite SAT scores, and it uses 2300 (which is about 766.67 per section) as its “threshold,” so to speak.</p>
<p>^^ slightly weaker than a hook. being hispanic no longer has the same importance in admissions as being black or native american. it can tip you in when you’re right on the edge, but it’s not a true hook that will lower the standards of admission.</p>
<p>“Because these highly-selective schools are bombarded with amazing applicants; the kinds of people who have SAT scores of 2400, 4.0 GPAs in the most rigorous courses available to them, etc.”</p>
<p>@ Jahaba: You are seriously misinformed or ■■■■■■■■. There are around 250-300 perfect SAT scorers in the United States at the 12th grade. Harvard accepts half the kids with perfect SAT scores; chances are, if they are smart enough to get a 2400, they are smart enough to start clubs, run for offices, and check on CC that extracurriculars are important.</p>
<p>Anyways, so the sacred 2300 is a good cut off point? Hopefully ill get it.</p>
<p>You’re making the assumption that every smart person is a prestige chaser, but I’m sure there are 2200+ scorers who are making a better use of their time than collecting ECs with the singular goal of pleasing colleges.</p>
<p>“Anyways, so the sacred 2300 is a good cut off point? Hopefully ill get it.”
Why is 2300 so sacred to you? Seems arbitrary… Just do your best; if you get in, great. Remember that there will be dozens who could have easily been picked over you. And if you don’t get in, tough luck. Your success doesn’t hang on your school’s name.</p>
<p>the standards are also different for people who come from different social and economical backgrounds. A person coming from a not so good environment is going to get more slack because they are not given the same opportunities.</p>
<p>Last year a people(minority) from my school got accepted by Harvard with 1800+ SAT,i forget he is black or hispanic,at this point,SAT is not important.</p>
<p><a person=“” coming=“” from=“” a=“” not=“” so=“” good=“” environment=“” is=“” going=“” to=“” get=“” more=“” slack=“” because=“” they=“” are=“” given=“” the=“” same=“” opportunities.=“”></a></p><a person=“” coming=“” from=“” a=“” not=“” so=“” good=“” environment=“” is=“” going=“” to=“” get=“” more=“” slack=“” because=“” they=“” are=“” given=“” the=“” same=“” opportunities.=“”>
<p>Also note that even a lot of people who do get the opportunities will get shot. </p>
<p>Example: IB. My IB class of 2010 started with over 300 people. Now everyone got dropped or kicked out except the 98 of us left. </p>
<p>So…That person that people would give slack to because he came from a not so good environment might actually end up dying when he DOES get a good opportunity. You never know.</p>
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