<p>eyemamom - thanks, that helps. I’m going through second guessing myself and “the plan”. I read the stats of some kids and wonder did they initiate all that research, internships, etc. themselves or did a parent guide them. Should I have done more? Given different advice? I’m wishing that we were in the financial position to have applied ED to the other school and be done now. The other tough part about SCEA is that (assuming you’re honest) you haven’t applied EA other places so there’s no “bird in hand” to know that you have a place somewhere. Some kids already have a handful of EA acceptances to dilute any disappointment that might be coming later. I’ll definitely need to shift my attitude from obsessing about it and mentally move on myself. Thanks, again.</p>
<p>Saintfan–sorry that it didn’t work out for your daughter. There are several schools that have EDII’s (deadline Jan 1, notification Feb 1)–if her other favorite is among them, then there will be a little less of a wait. Meanwhile, don’t second-guess yourself–the most competitive schools, including Stanford, reject a very high percentage of valedictorians, Eagle Scouts, etc.–by applying ED she gave herself the strongest possible chance of getting in, but it wasn’t to be.</p>
<p>Everything happens for a reason, sometimes we just don’t see it at the time. No doubt there are friends, professors, opportunities at her school-to-be that will have a tremendous impact on her life. </p>
<p>If it helps, you can use the analogy my D’s used many times when faced with (temporary) rejection: Jennifer Hudson was voted out of American Idol. She didn’t exactly fold up her tents and go home, did she?</p>
<p>I looked over at the Stanford’e EA thread and Good Lord. I can’t believe some of the kids that weren’t admitted. I honestly don’t know how anyone could devise a plan to get admitted to that school beyond what some of these kids accomplished. I really couldn’t discern anything speciifc separating the admittees from non admittees with the possible exception of some hooked applicants, but even that wasn’t fully elucidative.</p>
<p>I’m sure it’s the same at all the selective schools.</p>
<p>I’m absolutely certain everyone will end up fine, but wow.</p>
<p>Yeah. Wow. Those of you who are upset about kids not getting in to Stanford should spend a few minutes with that thread. You ought to be able to conclude that there was absolutely nothing you or your child could do to get a better outcome. Such wonderful, accomplished kids getting rejected outright! I’m sure the ones accepted are equally wonderful, but the only discernible “stats” pattern is no pattern at all.</p>
<p>In past years, at least, Stanford was known for rejecting kids in the SCEA round instead of deferring them (compared to Yale, at least). The end results may be the same, but it’s shocking to see highly qualified kids getting rejected early like that.</p>
<p>I just looked at that EA thread, and it’s pretty daunting. But perhaps it’s the CC sample, but I noticed that the rejected kids with super-high SAT scores were (I believe) all Asian males. What this means–if anything–I don’t know.</p>
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<p>My DDs attend(ed) a VERY high performing prep school. Easily a third of the class (if not more) are qualified on paper to attend Stanford. In D1’s class, 6 were accepted to Stanford. All six were absolutely qualified to attend, and all 6 were legacies. As you said above, “what this means–if anything–I don’t know.”</p>
<p>D1 applied RD to all her schools, so we didn’t know for sure where she was going to go until May.</p>
<p>All of D2’s choices turned out to have rolling admissions. Acceptances began coming in in late September, and her first choice arrived in early October. The only ones pending were pretty far down on her preference list, so any anxiety has long passed. </p>
<p>We survived the D1 experience, but I must say this time around is pretty sweet. But for anyone deferred or rejected, waiting until spring isn’t the end of the world. Everyone survives and it all usually works out pretty darn perfectly.</p>
<p>My son ED to a small Liberal Arts College. He thought he was the only one from his school. He found out yesterday that a recruited athlete also ED to the same school. Both kids are excellent applicants but I doubt that the school will take 2 boys from the same school. They are just too small. This is nerve-wracking, the waiting!</p>
<p>I believe Stanford’s pattern of rejecting early applicants rather than deferring is deliberate. They don’t want to string people along. The only Stanford applicants I have ever known of who were deferred were legacies – apparently, this is some special courtesy for legacy applicants. Their applications get a second look (and probably a second rejection).</p>
<p>Someone earlier in the thread mentioned ED II. This may not be a very good choice for students who were rejected from Stanford or its equivalent ED. The problem with it is that most of the schools one step below Stanford – such as Cornell or Wash U – don’t have it. To take advantage of it, you usually have to go one step below that, which means giving up all chance of admission to schools on the Cornell/Wash U level. </p>
<p>On the other hand, if you’ve been rejected ED by Cornell, Wash U or the equivalent, ED II could be a very promising option.</p>
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<p>They may be pleasantly surprised. The college can still avoid taking too many kids from one high school by not accepting anyone in the RD round.</p>
<p>Hunt, there were rejected kids with high test scores at Stanford who were white, and also Asian women. It wasn’t all Asian men. And there were lots of high-test-scoring Asians, men and women, admitted. I don’t think you can draw a lot of inferences from those examples, except that having high test scores and GPA obviously isn’t much of a guarantee.</p>
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<p>Could they be internationals? Over at MIT forum, somebody mentioned that about 1,000 kids applied to MIT EA from India alone. I would think most of them have excellent stats and almost all of them will be rejected. Stanford may get similar applicants from India and other parts in Asia. Since almost all of them will be rejected, it may look more asians with high stats get rejected.</p>
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<p>Most SCEA/REA schools will allow a student to apply to rolling admissions schools. While it is too late for this year’s applicants, for those reading this thread for the future…try to get your child to find a rolling admissions school that they would be willing (and happy) to attend. I realize this is somewhat difficult for students applying to the tippy-top schools, but many of the rolling schools have very good honors programs. For some families, it just helps relieve the anxiety of an SCEA/REA/ED rejection.</p>
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I’m just talking about the REA thread here on CC, and by high scores I’m referring to scores over, say, 2350. I didn’t do a careful tally, but that was just my observation. It may say more about who posts results on CC than anything else.</p>
<p>I was looking at the same thread, although I may have defined “high score” as 2300/35 ACT. Among Asian males, I counted 5 rejected or deferred, and 3 accepted, and for Asian females I think one rejection and two accepted. There were also at least a couple Asian students accepted with lower test scores, and whites rejected with high test scores.</p>
<p>In my looking, many/most accepted kids either have done really exceptional research, internships, etc, (WOW) or are hooked somehow. They are certainly a VERY well qualified group (as are the rejected), but it does appears that the standard few hooks of URM, legacy and recruited athlete still help push it over the top for those who don’t have crazy non-school based research and other experience.</p>
<p>It also brings more truth and clarity to the strategic admissions game (much better chances ED at Cornell, etc.) and the discussion of ED/SCEA and financial aid. </p>
<p>Anyway, thanks to all for kind words of support on the process, I finally did get to sleep and woke up ready to move on.</p>
<p>Marian-thanks for your input. Hopefully you’re right. Hope is a good thing but my son’s highschool is pretty small too. I still think the odds of them taking 2 kids from an all boys Catholic highschool will be very tough. I do believe the recruited athlete has the edge but my son has an excellent application so I’m hoping for him…</p>
<p>I remember well-meaning relatives saying, “IF he gets admitted to ____? How could they not admit HIM? Of course, he’ll get admitted.”</p>
<p>Fortunately, I knew what a crapshoot it was, and prepared my son for that reality. He did get admitted to his ED school, but I still realize what a razor-thin victory that was. It could have gone the other way by the flip of a coin. Several of his friends were not so lucky and I understood completely how unfair it felt to them.</p>
<p>Marian, If I am not mistaken, Vanderbilt and Emory have EDII.</p>
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<p>I didn’t know that. I really ought to get my head out of the Northeastern sands. Those schools could be very interesting options for students who like the South.</p>