<p>
. No, I was saying that they make admissions decisions with the overall stats in mind, and that some of the decisions are made with an eye on making sure the stats turn out the way they want them.</p>
<p>That is not the same as giving an outright preference to the highest end stats, though -- if they did that then they would end up with even higher scores -- because we know that they are rejecting far more students with numbers in the upper 75th percentile range than the total number that they admit in the lower 25th. </p>
<p>So I think they make admissions decisions with the stats in mind, even before they get to the waitlist -- and of course that could be a major factor when they do go the waitlist. Whether they get daily reports or weekly reports or get the reports on paper or online or in a formal daily briefing - I have no clue. I just know that when the ad com is looking at some kid who is a published writer and class valedictorian but has bottom 25th percentile scores, which by Ivy standards could still be very high -- they probably also have an awareness as to how their overall numbers are running. If the demarcation line for the bottom 25th % is 700, then they have to admit 3 700+ student for each <700 student they admit. </p>
<p>That doesn't mean that the odds are 3 times better of getting into an Ivy if a student has a score over 700 however. The valedictorian from a large, well-regarded urban high school with a record of impressive accomplishments and a 680 score may have a much better chance than an individual with an 800 but class rank below top 5% and no strong record of leadership or top performance in any EC's. You can't evaluate "chances" without seeing the whole package.</p>
<p>My guess is that the Ivies probably get a large number of applicants from high schools all over the US who have high end SAT scores and excellent GPA's, but who have virtually no chance whatsoever of admission because of overall weak EC's, and less than ideal class standing and academic records. It is very common for such students to be encouraged to apply to Ivies by well meaning parents and teachers who believe that an SAT score of 2200 and a 4.0 GPA mean that the the student is "Ivy material" .... but the reality is that these kids are never in the running because they may have opted for a less challenging set of course options and have been joiners but not leaders in various school activities -so they don't have the stand-out qualities that the Ivies are looking for. </p>
<p>If it was rare to see an SAT over 2250 or a 4.0 GPA that would not be the case -- but for the Ivy applicant pool it is not at all rare.</p>