<p>Interesting article. Discusses practices at Harvard, Duke, Cornell, Brandeis, MIT, Yale and others:</p>
<p>Ivy</a> League Solicits Students Only to Reject Them - Bloomberg</p>
<p>Colleges should also list out the requirements clearly, such as the number of SAT II tests required, the “minimum” SAT score needed, etc. Or at least make the prerequisites harder.</p>
<p>Take Northwestern. On the website, it just says SAT II tests are “recommended” not “required”. This leads many students on thinking that they actually have a chance even though they didn’t take any SAT II. I suspect this is true for several other selective schools as well.</p>
<p>I’d say that I’d blame the college counselors more than anything. Let’s be realistic here. If you apply knowing that you have no chance, why would you still do it?</p>
<p>Why do people buy lottery tickets? I would suspect very few CC’ers play lotto.</p>
<p>Thanks for posting the article - very interesting. I really find these practices deplorable. I think many students do react the way the girl in the article did - they think the college is wooing them. Many parents - particularly first timers - are equally naive.</p>
<p>I would love to see colleges put some minimum guidelines right on their admissions page - only X% of students with an ACT under 32 were accepted last year - that type of thing.</p>
<p>oldfort - I get the lottery comparison to an extent - chances of winning are slim - yet people participate. But with the lottery - each player has an equal chance of winning. When applying to elite colleges that accept less than 10% of their applicants - my guess is that 50% of those applicants are eliminated from consideration almost immediately - based on grades and test scores. If some true minimum guidelines were published - those unrealistic applicants would save their time and money. But - elite colleges have no incentive to do any such thing. As the article explains - soliciting apps to reject puts money in their coffers and adds to their selectivity.</p>
<p>Thanks for posting that article. It makes me crazy when other parents say “she’s being recruited by Harvard” (or wherever) when it is clear that the mailers are marketing, not recruiting.</p>
<p>re: NU and ACT Testing</p>
<p>If you are from IL, you do NOT have to take a seperate ACT with writing, or SAT w/subject tests. </p>
<p>[The</a> SAT, ACT, and Recommended Exams FAQs: Office of Undergraduate Admission - Northwestern University](<a href=“http://www.ugadm.northwestern.edu/apply/frequently-asked-questions-and-resources/the-sat-act-and-recommended-exams-faqs.html#2]The”>http://www.ugadm.northwestern.edu/apply/frequently-asked-questions-and-resources/the-sat-act-and-recommended-exams-faqs.html#2)</p>