Average scores and being Asian?

Applying to College
1

<p>Hey all!
I'm look at the 25th/75th percentile ACT scores of those accepted into various top schools. Since I am Asian, would it be more realistic to compare my test scores with the 75th percentile? For example, for Cornell, the ACT scores are 30/33. Would I have to get near a 33 since I am Asian? I'm assuming the bottom 25th percentile are URM, special cases, etc... Is that correct?</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

2

<p>Yeah 75 percentile is good.</p>

3

<p>Test scores are only one part of an application. The bottom 25th percentile need not only be URMs can special cases - it can also include students who have shown their worth in other ways. That said, being Asian has been linked to an admissions disadvantage comparable to -50 points on the SAT (1600). This is equivalent to 1 point on the ACT. It follows that if you want to see what scores to aim for, you should look at the average accepted score on the ACT and add 1 point.</p>

4

<p>No, you’re not right. The law of large numbers re: race makes the SAT nothing but an ante chip for the elite schools. E.G. HYPS could fill it’s entire freshmen roster with minorities who meet the top 25% of SAT range. Just like they do, once you ante up the SAT score you will need other qualifications to edge out other candidates. So it’s not an Asian thing. It’s an abundance of good SAT score things (by everyone).</p>

5

<p>Yeah, being a URM is not as serious as you think.
Fact of the matter is that SATs aren’t the only part of the admissions. Someone could’ve made up for their “slightly lower” SAT score with great ECs, Rigor, Awards, or having serious obstacles.
Being a URM doesn’t automatically mean someone is “allowed” to have lower test scores.
So please don’t cite that as the reason.</p>

<p>I however, do not want to turn this into an Affirm Action thing.</p>

<p>With that said, aim as high as you can. Trying to be in the 60th or 75th percentile is a good aim. Good Luck!</p>

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<p>Aim as high as you can, if course. However, warning on being Asian (I’m Chinese) - have character and don’t be a robot who just gets good grades.</p>

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<p>75 percent (or honestly, even higher…) for sure</p>

8

<p>

Admission is about far more than ACT scores. Many of the 7 areas the Cornell CDS marks as important as test scores often override strong or weak test scores. I’d expect most applicants who score a perfect 36 get rejected. Brown indicates >70% of 36-ACT apps get rejected in their class profile stats. Similarly you might get a 27 and be accepted. I’m not an URM and was accepted to Cornell with a SAT equivalent of a ~27 ACT. I was also accepted to more selective schools than Cornell, such as Stanford and MIT. That said, yes admissions are generally more competitive for Asian students and less competitive for URMs.</p>

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<p>“yes admissions are generally more competitive for Asian students and less competitive for URMs”</p>

<p>I agree – but the reasons behind this is that (please excuse the crudeness of this generality) Asian American applicants tend to hover around specific ECs thus making them indistinguishable from one another. And they apply to selective colleges at a higher rate. Whereas there are fewer high achieving URMs applying so their competition is lesser.</p>

<p>But don’t think that URMs are taking seats away from Asians. The marginal accepted URM at a top school took the spot of a lesser-valued URM applicant. That seat was never available to the non-URM – much like the seat set aside for the football player. The overall applicant was never in line to “get” that footballer’s spot.</p>

<p>See the discussion about “Category Admissions” at the bottom third of this essay: </p>

<p>[Reed</a> College: Admissions Messages vs. Admissions Realities](<a href=“http://www.reed.edu/apply/news_and_articles/admission_messages.html]Reed”>http://www.reed.edu/apply/news_and_articles/admission_messages.html)</p>

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<p>sosamenza wrote:

</p>

<p>This statement is baloney. Harvard, as one example, has a 75% score of 2380/35 and admits roughly 2,200 applicants each year. In a typical year, there are fewer than 2,000 URMs (blacks, Hispanics, Native American) who score at this level - in the entire world. Even if every high-scoring URM applied to Harvard they could not fill the class.</p>

<p>references: <a href=“http://www.provost.harvard.edu/institutional_research/CDS_2011-2012_Final.pdf[/url]”>http://www.provost.harvard.edu/institutional_research/CDS_2011-2012_Final.pdf&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://media.collegeboard.com/digitalServices/pdf/research/SAT-Percentile-Ranks-by-Gender-Ethnicity-2012.pdf[/url]”>http://media.collegeboard.com/digitalServices/pdf/research/SAT-Percentile-Ranks-by-Gender-Ethnicity-2012.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>As for the OP’s question, it is prudent for every applicant to look at the 75% score. There are simply too many hooked applicants and too few spots in the fresman classes to feel any comfort at a lower level.</p>

<p>Harvard has 41 varsity sports. Their rosters are typically one-third freshman athletes, which translates to about 500 freshman spots dedicated to athletes. Some of these athletes are likely to be high-scoring applicants, but more than one quarter of the class will be composed of varsity athletes. This number obviously does not include any other “hooked” instutional needs, such as musicians, entrepreneurs, artists, etc.</p>

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<p>rmldad: the 500 figure you quote does not translate into 500 set aside slots for recruited athletes. Harvard’s allotment is in the mid-200s I believe.</p>

<p>Given the paucity of “open” slots for the general pool at Harvard, I think this is better news than the “500 freshman spots dedicated to athletes”</p>

13

<p>In any case, I always look at the 75% stat for comparison or chancing to be on the safe side. The reason is one may submit both ACT and SAT scores. The stronger score would be considered for his admission, however, the lower one would still be calculated in the admission stat. So there is always a pool that bring down the average. If you just meet that biased average in one test, you are actually below average for acceptance. The same case go for those with spectacular EC or athletic recruitment.</p>

14

<p>Unless you have a special hook in the form of athletics, legacy, or incredible EC achievment on the level of winning the Siemen’s Competition, aim for a 2350+ or 34/35/36 – it’s not going to guarantee admission, but it will guarantee that you won’t lose admission because of your standardized tests</p>