Can Someone Explain this To Me?

Applying to College
1

According to Princeton Review, these are the stats at Columbia University

Freshmen Academic Profile
Average SAT: 1409
SAT I - Verbal Range (25-75%): 660-760
SAT I - Math Range (25-75%): 660-760
Average Verbal SAT: 706
ACT Composite Range (25-75%): 27-32
Average ACT: 33
Average High School GPA: 3.78
Students in top 10% of HS class: 85%
Students in top 50% of HS class: 100%
Students from Public School: 49%

How is the average ACT (33) not within middle 50 percent (27-32)?
Just wondering…am I not looking at it correctly?

2

<p>IN GENERAL, it is definitely possible for an average to be outside of the 25 to 75 percentile region, if there are one or more outliers (data points that are very far from the median). When I was taking a grad course in statistics at MIT (with about half students from science/engineering and half MBA students from Sloan School of Management), the professor mentioned that in the previous year (around 1984) that the average starting salary for business undergrads from Boston College was something like $90,000 (this was 20 years ago, and was higher than typical MBA students would start at). I could just see all the Sloan students squirming in their seats, thinking how could the average undergrad at BOSTON COLLEGE make more money than I will!. The professor then showed the distribution of the starting salaries. Most of them were grouped around $30,000, but there was one data point that was at $1.5 million per year that brought the average up to something like $90,000 (Doug Flutie had signed a contract as a professional football player).</p>

<p>However, in the particular case of AP scores at Columbia University, since the scores are capped at 36, it is probably mathematically impossible for the average score to be 33 with the 25th and 75th percentiles at 27 and 32.</p>

3

<p>umm...you mean act scores?</p>

4

<p>Alright, becuse PR isn't very good at updating statistics, here is the Class of 2009 profile thanks to the Columbia website:</p>

<p>The following is a profile for the admitted Class of 2009.</p>

<p>Applications</p>

<p>College
15,792</p>

<p>Engineering
2,333</p>

<p>Admits
Admit Rate
Matriculants</p>

<p>College
1,689
10.7%
1,027</p>

<p>Engineering
623
26.7%
318</p>

<p>In the College 54 students were admitted from the wait list.
In the Engineering School 8 students were admitted from the wait list.</p>

<p>Early Decision</p>

<p>Applications
Admits</p>

<p>College
1,889
446</p>

<p>Engineering
268
132</p>

<p>• 29% of the College ED pool and 22% of the Engineering ED pool were deferred.
• Admit rate for ED defers is 12% in the College and 13% in the Engineering School.
• 45% of the College ED pool and 23% of the Engineering ED pool were denied admission.</p>

<p>Admitted Student Data </p>

<p>College
804 Men / 885 Women
SAT Middle 50% Range:
1380 - 1530
Children of Alumni: 77</p>

<p>Engineering
417 Men / 206 Women
SAT Middle 50% Range:
1440 - 1530
Children of Alumni: 5</p>

<p>College:Approximately 90% of accepted students were in the top 10% of their graduating class; 97% were in the top 20% of their class. 63% of the admitted class attended high schools that do not rank students.</p>

<p>Engineering:93% of accepted students were in the top 10% of their graduating class; 99% were in the top 20% of their class. 58% of the admitted students attended high schools that do not rank students.</p>

<p>I do not know what the equivilent scores are for the ACT, but I'm sure that by going to the ACT website it can be converted.</p>