<p>So these past weeks the admissions for early decision have come back and a lot of people have gotten into great schools. </p>
<ol>
<li><p>Does this mean that those of us who are going regular don't stand a chance? Are there quotas at any of the Ivy League schools?</p></li>
<li><p>Also, is anyone who is not in the top 5 students in the graduating class even considered? I have also heard that Ivy Leagues really only look at the top 5 or so students maybe top 10 students from each high school, and those are the only ones who really recieve any consideration. Is that true? </p></li>
<li><p>Do they only compare you to fellow applicants from your school? Or is it in terms of their overall applicant pool?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Quotas? Oh no (they say). it’s a coincidence they come up with roughly the same percentage of whites, Asians, blacks, Hispanics, men, women, kids from MA, NY and CA year over year!</p>
<p>While they do go deeper into the class at highly competitive schools, at even the “lower ivies” about half the class was their Val or sal. And half had a hook!</p>
<p>You will be both compared with your class and with the overall pool.</p>
<p>Yea they might have quotas for that…but is it actually by school? Or is it just by state, and stuff like that? It is frustrating that we never really know lol…</p>
<p>No. Regional admissions officers at in state schools tend to recognize in state high schools simply because of the volume of applications from one specific school, in addition to regional connections they make with the schools by visiting them personally. The Ivy leagues generally receive only a handful of applications from each high school, if at all, per year, and see a multitude of “George Washington Senior High Schools” and “Ridgeview Highs.” These applications come in at all different times, and may even be read by a few different people. You are considered based on how you fit into the applicant pool as a whole, not your school. Even consider class rank. You are of course being compared against your fellow classmates by your high school, but not the university. If three applicants from the same high school apply to the same college, the admissions officer is unlikely to notice or care which of the three has the higher rank among that high school. They are more concerned about how each of the individuals compares to the rest of the applications they’ve read. If all of the applicants are qualified and each bring different nuances to the freshman class, they all get the fat letter come April.</p>
<p>I see. So admissions might be a little less malicious than people percieve it. I guess what I am saying is that, since at my school, there are at least a few people I know who would be “shoo-in” types at almost any school. Since they will likely be applying to top schools, should I not even think about it? I am qualified, at least, but I would hesitate to say that I am very competitive–I don’t have any national or international or state awards, but my question is…if there are “shoo-ins,” do non-shoo ins stand a chance applying alongside the shoo-ins?</p>
<p>No, they don’t have quotas. But they are trying to assemble a well-rounded, diverse class, and this means that they’re unlikely to accept multiple similar students. You won’t be in as much competition with your classmates as you will with those in the entire applicant pool with similar interests and accomplihsments.</p>
<p>The idea of HS quotas supposes that the schools you cite feel the need to “spread the wealth” at many different high schools. This just isn’t the case. As others have stated, the colleges’ own goals are primary to any need to curry favor w/schools.</p>
<p>glass’ logic about seeking diverse classes therefore presses against multiple similar kids from similar schools makes lots of sense too.</p>
<p>Finally from anecdote , I know there to be wild swings in # of accepts from year to year from my HYP alma mater at my local HS. One year there was 4 accepts, a statistical outlier. Usually, 1-2 accepts yearly. The individual’s strengths/weaknesses trump any supposed “quota” for high schools.</p>
<p>On the other hand: do admissions committees consciously or sub-consciously admit students to pre-set ranges? Of course – the general static nature of percentages of sub-groups’ admits argues for this fact.</p>
<p>At our high school, which sends 30% to ivies, the number of unhooked each take per year is remarkably consistent. However, the overall number does vary year to year, but seem to rise and fall on the number of athletes and legacies.</p>