<p>I think I am average, but according 2 u guys, a person with a SAT score of 2160 is not average. U make me cry.</p>
<p>A score of 2160 is above average, clearly. </p>
<p>"the chance threads do TO ME, put a negative spin normally on the OP "
Ctmomof3- that's why you won't see hardly any veteran CC parents post on the "chances" forum- they are a waste of time. Most CC parents won't tell students what their chances are because we don't know.</p>
<p>'rentof2 - ditto. For me and my kids.</p>
<p>Ooo I completely agree with this. I stopped browsing in the SAts and chances thread because there were so many people putting others down even though they are obviously above average (and above me). It makes me wonder if all the students at top schools are like this.. o_O</p>
<p>Hi thanks for including that link up there, it really gave my son a vote of confidence to realize he is one of only 3000 boys who scored what he did and is in the 93rd percentile! That list surely puts a lot of this whole argument in a fair perspective. This site, as wonderful as it is, is not reflective of the average college bound senior but rather a tiny slice of extremely accomplished and motivated kids.</p>
<p>Furthermore, I beg to differ on the remark that ED is easier to get into, it is ONLY easier if you are very well/not borderline qualified for that school. Most top tier schools will say point blank on their website that the ED pool is ultra competitive/more competitive although they receive a much smaller pool of applicants but it is filled with kids who mostly fall into the high end of their average stats. Also if you are requesting fin. aid, that can also hinder your chances as a ED candidate. All great points raised above^</p>
<p>I too avoid the chances threads. When I first began reading CC, I was thrown into fear and panic for my son's chances after reading what great credentials many of the posters claim to have. Then I became frankly disgusted at the types of posts asking absurd questions such as "should I retake my 2350 SAT?"</p>
<p>Take heart all parents of "below average" CC students. My son had about a 3.1 UW GPA, 1880 SATs, but strong ECs, stellar recommendations. He applied ED to a top 20 USNWR LAC and was admitted and is doing well academically.
The school saw something they liked in him and gave him a chance. It can happen---</p>
<p>
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Most top tier schools will say point blank on their website that the ED pool is ultra competitive/more competitive although they receive a much smaller pool of applicants but it is filled with kids who mostly fall into the high end of their average stats.
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</p>
<p>The schools are saying that for marketing reasons, not to give you an accurate view of their admission processes. Those statements are not verifiable by independent researchers and savvy high school students know that those statements understate the advantage of applying ED. Take a look at </p>
<p>for a very good book, which I wish I had read cover-to-cover much sooner. (I already knew the basic research finding about ED, which is that it makes one's admission chances MUCH higher, as all well informed college applicants know.)</p>
<p>I will check out that book for sure but are you saying they are purposely misleading students? That doesn't make any sense. Perhaps for the student with very high credentials, yes he/she stands a great chance given that the numbers are so much smaller, it would APPEAR to be less competitive, but it appears particularly with the higher ranked schools, that the ED application pool is in fact stacked with lots of kids who are at the high end of their average stats. I can't imagine every college website would intend to say this if it were not true. It just doesn't add up, of course that is just my opinion.</p>
<p>I find it hard to believe that the top intellectual institutions of our country are eager to fill their freshman classes with the "OMG, I am such a DREADFUL student with my 2350 SAT and 5.9 GPA" freaks...but if they are, I'm very happy to have my kids go elsewhere.</p>
<p>Median score is 1515</p>
<p>I do agree that the people on CC are not the average pool of applicants, not by any stretch of the mind. But they are average pool when compared to the people who GET IN to the top schools. Seeing as many of the students on this site want to go to top colleges, this site can give you perspective, and is better than everyone from your school telling you you're a shoo in at MIT/Harvard/wherever just because you have 2300+ SATs and val/sal.</p>
<p>haha apples I hope so too
sunshine... that's a great thought too</p>
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I will check out that book for sure but are you saying they are purposely misleading students? That doesn't make any sense.
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<p>Often they are misleading themselves. Colleges may be sincere when they say "The base admission rate is higher for ED" (which EVERYONE acknowledges) "but that is because the students who apply ED are so outstanding." Research conducted by examining actual admission files shows that students who apply ED are wealthier, for sure, and more likely to have attended high schools where the counselors are knowledgeable about strategic issues in applying to college. The POOL of ED applicants may be somewhat stronger than the general pool of regular round applicants to a given college, but of course many students in both pools get rejected at any college that is at all selective. The main take-home point is that applying ED is like getting a higher SAT score (or, from another point of view, like having a higher grade average), because equally qualified students generally have substantially higher chances of admission if they apply ED than if they apply in the regular round to the same college. </p>
<p>Princeton abandoned its ED program and Harvard gave up its single-choice early action program because the research convinced their admission officers they could well afford to have a single-deadline admission system and still end up with an equally strong (or even stronger) enrolled class, while providing better admission probability for low-income students. </p>
<p>The</a> Harvard Crimson :: Opinion :: New Possibilities in the Post-Early Admissions Era</p>
<p>These kids are geeks. I'd like to see how they'd react if you put them on a football field. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, that's what makes the world go round.</p>
<p>"I find it hard to believe that the top intellectual institutions of our country are eager to fill their freshman classes with the "OMG, I am such a DREADFUL student with my 2350 SAT and 5.9 GPA" freaks...but if they are, I'm very happy to have my kids go elsewhere."</p>
<p>I'm an alum interviewer for an Ivy, and I know that you are right that such colleges are not looking for the kid of kids you describe. The kind of kids they want are the ones who are pursuing their own intellectual and EC interests and are high achieving in both -- due to their own talents and interest, not due to their trying to manipulate an application to impress HPYS.</p>
<p>The "OMG I have only a 2340" and "Help me pick an EC to impress Yale" students are not the kind that such universities are looking for or select. Indeed, I think that the students who are most likely to get into the top colleges are the smart ones who are too busy pursuing intellectual and EC passions to be spending any time on the chances threads.</p>
<p>Northstarmom is RIGHT! Bingo:</p>
<p>"Indeed, I think that the students who are most likely to get into the top colleges are the smart ones who are too busy pursuing intellectual and EC passions to be spending any time on the chances threads."</p>
<p>Once you achieve a certain SAT range score or "level" or threshold, 50 points doesn't amount to much...</p>
<p>98.0th percentile: 2140
99.0th percentile: 2200
"99+" percentile: 2290</p>
<p>Pointing out that 2350's and above are quite rare.</p>
<p>I agree with both sunshine breeze (post#52) and Northstarmom (post#56) even though they seem to contradict each other. </p>
<p>C.C is a good place for high-achieving students to get a "reality check" about where they stand with respect to others like them. Yet it is true that the cream of the crop does not need to obsess about playing the whole college admissions game.</p>
<p>To add a few more numbers to the pot, does anybody know how many people will be applying to college this year?</p>