<p>"The deal is, my extra curricular activities lack only because of my involvement in sports and student government."</p>
<p>In terms of how you listed things, there's nothing impressive (in terms of admission for schools like Stanford) about your sports or student government experience.</p>
<p>From what you posted, it's not as if your sports were so strong that you were a recruited athlete. Places like Stanford reject many students who are SGA presidents. Since you didn't list that you were SGA president, I'm assuming that you didn't have that high position. </p>
<p>" I wrote of my circumstances in my essays, by the way."</p>
<p>If your essay essentially was giving excuses for your lack of continued participation in athletics, that may have hurt you. It would have been better if that info were in your GC recommendation, and your essay had focused more on something highlighting what you had to offer the college.</p>
<p>Regardless of what you think, you do not know why the other students were selected over you.</p>
<p>I have done whatever I could've done and I'm content with all of that. In no way was my application a sob story, so don't worry.</p>
<p>I just think it's rough for colleges to become so selective to the point where people who want to learn and want to prosper in their school will shut people out who had qualifications, even if they didn't have 4.6 GPAs and 2400 SATs.</p>
<p>I just think if I were of a different race it would've been a different story, even with my "lacking" background. I'd like to know the truth about quotas...</p>
<p>It's amazing to me how people seem to always blame race for why they were not admitted to a college.</p>
<p>One can look on the CC boards and find plenty of people -- including URMs with stellar backgrounds--- who were rejected by top colleges while people (including some whites and Asians) with lower gpas, scores and weaker ECs were accepted.</p>
<p>This is the most competitive that U.S. colleges ever have been (and due to the size of the Echo Boom, next year will be even more competitive). There are many excellent students who want to learn and who could prosper in a particular college's environment who'll be rejected for reasons of space. That's life today.</p>
<p>Not to be mean, but your ECs and awards/honors showed no focus/passion. You sorta spread yourself thin, which is probably why Stanford didn't happen.</p>
<p>Older S -- a NM Commended URM with a 1410 on the old SAT-- went to University of Minn. with merit aid. Was rejected by Columbia, accepted by Vandy, Syracuse( (with a littlei merit aid), Wisconsin (a little merit aid) and Michigan.</p>
<p>Younger S, another NM commended, SAT 760, 780, 650, plans to go to Rollins, where he has been offered a merit scholarship, but not the college's mega merit scholarship. His acceptance was to a second tier public, which accepted him. He only applied to 2 places.</p>
<p>When it comes to other URMs whom I know, I know a URM with a 1520 (V+M), salutatorian at a strong h.s., who was waitlisted and then rejected by Harvard. I know another (can't remember his SAT), state ranked in 2 ECs, who was a Harvard legacy who was waitlisted and then rejected. And, of course, I know plenty of stellar white and Asian applicants (the bulk of the applicants to places like Harvard) who were rejected by Harvard as well as other top colleges.</p>
<p>For the most part, I think college confidential is a good thing, with lots of valuable information. On the other hand, as much as I had hoped schools looked at the person rather than the scores, it is evident that with people as focused on the scores as all of you, there is no other choice for the schools. I doubt I will spend much more time on threads such as this. </p>
<p>Props to those of you who are truly honest and caring in your responses, but shame on those who use this as a moral booster for themselves. </p>
<p>And Northstarmom, please explain to me why you are even on this website with both of your kids in college? 8,082 posts is a little much, especially for someone who isn't even a student.</p>
<p>Thank you for your opinions in my situation. I wish you all the best of luck in your future college endeavors.</p>
<p>"And Northstarmom, please explain to me why you are even on this website with both of your kids in college? 8,082 posts is a little much, especially for someone who isn't even a student."</p>
<p>Because I like the people here, and just as I do in real life, I enjoy helping students and parents learn about college options. </p>
<p>"On the other hand, as much as I had hoped schools looked at the person rather than the scores, it is evident that with people as focused on the scores as all of you, there is no other choice for the schools. I doubt I will spend much more time on threads such as this. "</p>
<p>The reason that many people here focus on scores is that scores are important to many colleges. After all, the SAT, ACT, etc. were created to help colleges select students. It's not as if parents and students lobbied to get the tests created.</p>
<p>In your case, however, neither your scores nor your ECs were exceptional for some of the colleges that rejected you.</p>
<p>runnells, I am very sorry that you didn't gain acceptance to a lot of the good universities; however, I think that maybe you should be more understanding of the competition these days. I don't want to really "rate" your stats, but if they only fall in the lower 25% range [or maybe 50% range for ucla], your chances are still a crapshoot and you can't assume that you were discriminated against in some way. Even those with stats in the 75% range have a hard time getting into good schools. And by the way, I don't think that we're as STATS FOCUSED as you make us out to be... Sure, you need to have the test scores to even be considered, but universities [other than some UC's] most definitely take EC's and awards into account. It's not ALL numbers...</p>
<p>Then again, I don't have 3 years of experience as you do on this website. </p>
<p>You can see whatever logic gaps you choose to. People like you make me lose faith in the general public and education system. Let me guess, you're one of those moms who forces their kids to do everything, while I on the other hand, am completely self driven. Good luck devoting your life to this site.</p>
<p>If I weren't intelligent I wouldn't be where I am now, I don't need you to tell me otherwise. This is not a friends website by the way, it's questions and facts, not whatever you choose to share from your obvious lack of experience in the hope of "helping" others. </p>
<p>If you think you're so good with college information, why aren't you working as an admissions officer? You sure seem to think you have the qualifications.</p>
<p>Your test scores don't line up with your GPA, plain and simple. With lack of extra-curricular focus and outstanding scores, you can't just expect to get into very selective schools.</p>
<p>There are thousands and thousands of kids around the country with the same and better stats than you. Why did you deserve it more than them?</p>
<p>And before you try to ask me where I'm going in some kind of attempt to discredit what I'm saying...I'm going to be going to Bard College, or Hampshire College if they give me a larger financial aid package.</p>
<p>aquamarinee- Thank you for your input, my accusations were mainly shot at a select few people on this thread. I understand the initial reviews geared towards my background, but I assure you there is more to me than what the people here are apparently seeing.</p>
<p>I'm asking if this could be viewed as discrimination. I know it happens and even if not to me, it is ridiculous. If there are people wanting to deny that discriminations occurs, they are just keeping themselves from seeing the truth. Then again, this is all my opinion and you can take it just as I take all of yours, with a grain of salt. </p>
<p>My feelings toward this thread I'm sure are apparent. </p>
<p>I can deal with my current situation and my beliefs as to what happened. I just hope that in the future things change and I will make sure I do whatever I can to change them. </p>
<p>Sorry if I offended anyone and I hope this website works out better for the rest of you then it did for me.</p>
<p>runnels you are being quite rude, she's a mom. Just be glad that none of the very few colleges you did get accepted to didn't ask for an in person interview, because clearly you are not a very pleasant person, and would have been rejected. You were probably thrown out at the start of senior year because you acted like this. Poor very poor</p>
<p>"You can see whatever logic gaps you choose to. People like you make me lose faith in the general public and education system. Let me guess, you're one of those moms who forces their kids to do everything, while I on the other hand, am completely self driven. Good luck devoting your life to this site."</p>
<p>I didn't force my kids to do lots of ECs. Indeed, I am noted on this website for telling students and parents that students should follow their own passions, not do what they think will look good to colleges. The only rule in my house was that each kid had to do at least one EC of their choice because that would help them learn about and develop their skills and talents so they could grow into happy, productive adults, not so they could get into a particular college. </p>
<p>Runells07, the more bitterness that you display and the more you blame others for your situation, the stronger the case you are making for why colleges rejected you.</p>
<p>No one -- including me -- has said that you lacked intelligence. What I said in a comment that I since edited out was that some of your comments show gaps in your logic. Such gaps can hurt you on standardized testing, in interviews, in your recommendations and in your expectations about which colleges will accept you. Top colleges don't select students based mainly on how much the students appear to want to attend them, but instead the colleges base admission on the students' grades, scores and ECs.</p>
<p>There's no indication that your rejections were due to racial discrimination.</p>
<p>it can never be that you're(collective you) not good enough, the chips always have to be stacked against you from the begining. </p>
<p>i got rejected from some schools i though i "should" have gotten into. it's because i didn't want to work hard enough. be it not taking that extra ap during jr year so i could go out and have fun rather than wanting to stick my head in an oven, or blowing off classes and getting b's in them. it is not because colleges didn't want me because i'm not part of a "rare" demographic needed to fill quotas</p>
<p>It looks like everyone disagreed with you. I'm not going to, I certainly don't know all your circumstances.</p>
<p>Going from what you provided, the academics are middle to lower range for UCLA and other schools. The GPA is fine, it gives you a chance. But the rest of what you provided doesn't demonstrate character, passion, or really just doesn't tell anything about you.</p>
<p>But I haven't met you, I don't know much about you. It just seems like from the information you provided, colleges wouldn't be able to know much about you either.</p>
<p>Personally, I don't believe discrimination was involved. But good luck.</p>
<p>You can prove everyone wrong in grad school or later -when it actually matters.</p>
<p>Northstarmom, I am mad at the system. I feel as though I have been tricked into thinking I could have goals and actually achieve them. Not to say that it isn't true, just not in the educational system. </p>
<p>This has gotten out of hand and I am doing everything I can to get off of this website and have my name removed. I hope you can understand my intent in making this thread and now my intent to leave the website.</p>
<p>Good luck to you and your children.
Same goes to the rest of you.</p>