Yep! And my kid’s public school gets a silver award from US News….we are specifically looking at three colleges that take a lot of private school kids. One college has an acceptance average gpa ofl 3.6 unweighted. My kid is much higher than this—and the counselor needed to check what quartile he falls into knowing he needs to be in the top 25%tile for the school…
And you told the OP this in your first note and if the OP comes back, they can take your advice.
The equalizer will be rigor and test scores. You can’t tell rigor but it doesn’t appear strong. Test score is solid but not close in range even if 200 points higher. Will it go higher ? When the OP sees it that’s when they should believe it. My kids had tutoring and scores went up. But my kid also had an English AP 8 points lower than the previous. A lot depends on the difficulty of the test on test day.
If the school has a rank, that would also be impactful.
Ps. Headstrong…look in the mirror.
I’ve heard no one say not to apply to Cornell. They said you won’t get in.
But there are many a student on this website that applied to no realistic targets or matches with Ivy level stats that ended up getting in no where. My daughters valedictorian with a 4.5 plus and 36 ACT is at UT Knoxville. She was 0 for on 16 top 20s she applied to. Only got into NYU full pay and UTK. Thank goodness she applied to UTK.
No matter who the student is they need a well rounded plan. The BU stats posted above seemed very Ivy like to me and give a great example why. The upper echelon today is brutal. Again, maybe Illinois, maybe a Wisconsin but I don’t see any other us news top 50 as an In. Those are unlikely. That’s my opinion.
Note…to me. I speak for me and I appreciate other perspectives including yours that may respectfully disagree.
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All students are free to take their shot at an Ivy. A Cornell legacy could help but it will NOT compensate for a low GPA or other deficits in an application. Most legacies who are admitted have similar stats to non-legacy admits. There are just too many legacies for it to be a significant boost for every student.
As far as the test scores, most schools are continuing test optional but that generally helps those students who have stellar grades but don’t test well and otherwise have a strong application.
Likewise private schools are all over the map in terms of how they’re viewed by schools. I agree the HS counselor is the best source of info as to how students and their stats are viewed by colleges.
The reality is all Ivies are reaches….go into applying to any one of the them with your eyes open.
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Your comment intrigued me so I looked at Harvard Westlake Schools recent history of 3.2-3.399 GPA applications and acceptances at Ivies. The school is extremely well regarded and routinely places 25% plus of kids at Ivies and has a significant number of parents who are Ivy legacies and or have a variety of other resources or connections.
Brown 3 applied 0 accepted
Columbia 2 applied 0 accepted
Cornell 12 applied 0 accepted
Dartmouth 1 applied 0 accepted
Princeton 2 applied 0 accepted
U Penn 5 applied 0 accepted
Harvard 2 applied 0 accepted
Yale 2 applied 0 accepted.
Total of 29 applications with zero acceptances all with a 3.2 GPA or higher (but lower than 3.4). Safe bet many legacies as well.
Hope this provides context for OP. Take your shot so you never have to wonder what if, but do so with full awareness, expectations calibrated and contingencies planned.
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Harvard Westlake School is a feeder school for Ivies too!
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It’s possible. My kid did it. He actually went from an 1150 to 1380. He was not well prepared for HOW to take the SAT the first time. We did have him take a prep course before the second try.
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Thank you for researching and providing context. I have to admit it was hard to get past…’stay in your small world.’
Yikes!!
Every student, even elite private, needs a balanced list. My neighbors kids went to an elite catholic in Nashville. Their kids go to Miami of Ohio, Clemson, W&L and Hillsdale. All fine. One fringe elite.
They had much better scores. No acceptance to the top choices of Vandy, UVA, and Norte Dame.
Having gone through this two of the past three years I think I have a good sense. At least in my ‘small world’ I do 
OP if you ever come back you’ll have a lot of good advice. I know that’s what you want. Theres hundreds of great colleges that will want your son (many outside your zone). But I saw some schools mentioned in it close to your zone and other strategies such as ED.
If you have two schools that are a sure fire in that your son would be excited about attending, then where else you apply doesn’t matter.
While it was telegraphed I don’t recall anyone not telling you to apply anywhere. They just have an acceptance assessment.
I think we killed this one !!
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And yet, the low GPA is similar to the relatively low test scores. If the student had low GPA, but 1550+ SAT score, you might argue that the GPA for the whole school is lower than usual. But both GPA and test scores tell the same story.
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@thumper1 anything is possible. And it might have been the tutor or the test. My son went from a 31 to 22 to 29 on one subject. He had a tutor.
If you read the OPs words she’s assuming it’s a done deal and I’m simply trying to keep her expectations in check. It’s possible but not probable.
Tutoring and other factors…difficulty of version, sleep and other things play in.
Too many people write that they are at a 24 act but they know they’ll get a 28. It’s possible but not reality for the vast majority, even those tutored.
Until the score comes in, you don’t have it.
All I’m saying. Thanks
3.2 GPA 1170 SAT 3 AP’s
On the surface thats not an IVY League Application.
Agreeing with your argument on harder grading Private vs Public. Are his private school peers going to Ivy’s scoring 1170 on the SAT and taking only 3 out of 16 AP’s offered, or only taken one honor level class this was in his freshman year?
Let’s look at EC’s No officer positions in clubs or leadership positions.
OP didn’t take any AP’s until Senior year. 2 are in Gov which is good for major.
Dont know if they were offered at his school but based on his interest AP Human Geo, AP world, APUSH. would be a expected someone interested in History, Gov, Poly Sci.
To most accurately gauge chances we’d need to know the level of rigor at his school (while top privates offer a stronger education than public schools, not all private schools are excellent) and how this student compares to his peers. Without context you can’t fully judge his gpa - for example is a 3.2 among the top 5-10% in the class because grading is really tough? At the same time, a 1170 (even un-prepped) is not typically an Ivy League level SAT score. Legacies do have a leg up a Ivy type schools, but it isn’t going to make up for grades/scores below a certain threshold.
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My son was accepted to ILR as a legacy in RD - but he had a 34 ACT and a very good GPA w rigorous classes.
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Is there a HS out there where this would be the case? I am unaware of any HS in which 90-95% of students have a GPA lower then a 3.2. Not being critical just once again providing honest context.
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I actually agree, but someone suggested in an earlier post that because the school is private that a 3.2 gpa could still be considered competitive. I would be surprised if that was the case, but an argument can be made that unless you know the rigor of the school (and their grading policies), you can’t really evaluate someone’s gpa. That being said, it doesn’t seem to me that this student is really a serious candidate for Cornell despite their legacy status.
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I was using that example as a hypothetical to give the OP (who has vanished) an idea of the numbers. Admissions doesn’t work that way, but if you want you can look at the numbers from last year by college here: Undergraduate admissions - Institutional Research & Planning
The acceptance rates at ILR and CALS (where you have to apply to a major) are indeed higher than A&S, but still quite low: in 2020, they were about the same as WUSTL, Emory, and Notre Dame’s. And part of the reason they are higher is applicants self-selecting into very specialized programs and majors. This is reflected in much higher yields (70-80% vs 50% for CAS).
ILR enrolls 160 freshmen annually, not 1,000. No matter how you slice it, I do not see this student as being a competitive applicant. There are too many kids who also have high test scores and who did well across the entire transcript. Test-optional kids likely have flawless transcripts with a sufficient degree of challenge. A kid with a flawed transcript and no test score is a red flag; 1300 or 1350 or whatever the OP is assuming her child will get is still far too low to help.
I think unless OP comes back and clarifies whether the student’s HS severely grade deflates and sends kids with 3.3s to Ivies (which definitely is not the case at Ivy-feeding NYC-area private HS!), this thread has run its course.
Thank you. I misread overall enrollment for ILR and variius colleges for freshman enrollment.
See page 2,
Agreed that we can’t really speculate any further without better understanding this individual student’s background/school etc. I do think the thread is helpful from the perspective of underscoring the fact that while legacy status is helpful in admissions, it is not sufficient to overcome less competitive grades/test scores. A legacy may get a leg up on an equally qualified candidate (and sometimes over a slightly better candidate) but the advantage isn’t going to make up for significant deficits in the application. I think some folks overestimate what kind of bump they can expect for their kid. Also, people that attended Ivy League schools back in the day often don’t appreciate how much more difficult it is to be admitted today–especially if they haven’t had a kid apply to college in recent years.
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Agree. Legacy admits are a tool to improve yield rates under the assumption that there would be a higher likelihood of the applicant matriculating where family ties are strong. For that to work, the school offering admission to the legacy has to worry that a rival school is in the mix. Based on the stats shared, I don’t think Cornell would have that concern.
I go back to - where has the OP gone?
When I read online about legacies, it actually talks about how some elite schools are pulling away from them in their formulas because they are more “elite” or “white” as one article mentioned and taking spots away from the underrepresented populations that the top schools are looking for. At a second tier school where they need to find butts for their seats, that might be different. Just another view point.
I hope the OP checks in at some point regardless - would love to get her feedback - she is the one who asked, after all, but never came back in.
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This thread is interesting. Hopefully the OP will provide more feedback soon. Based on a quick glance at prior activity, she has provided input to Cornell hopefuls and others a few times over the past few years so perhaps has insight not yet shared, particularly regarding the weight of the legacy bump. While I have nothing to add that has not already been said, I do empathize with the OPs comment about the difficulty of objectivity when it is your own child. Hugs to you @CountryMom2 as your family navigates this admission cycle. Your son sounds like an amazing young man and you have every right to be proud.
My takeaways… if the OP wants a more accurate Chance Me & Match:
- What is the student’s class standing? Top 10%? Top 25%
- Will the GC check the box as having “most demanding” rigor?
- Could you clarify the geographical and size preferences?
- Could he get an LOR from a STEM teacher since selective colleges prefer one STEM and one non-STEM (it sounds like that is covered with the history LOR)?
- Is the academic rigor at Cornell a good fit for your S to be happy, successful and enjoy 4 years there? I know that one was hard to read when mentioned upthread, but your family knows Cornell and knows your S so hopefully can give that more thought.
Just a comment… this thread indicates no cost constraints but another thread makes it clear you won’t have a building named after you (not many do! 
). There is no need to answer this if you do not want to, but would you like suggestions where your son could potentially receive merit?
I also agree with the suggestions to get a tutor for your son and attempt the SAT again. Understanding the strategy was very helpful for my D. I know some have suggested otherwise and mentioned the probability of any significant improvement, but it can’t hurt and he won’t be left wondering “what if”.
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