<p>For schools outside the Ivies, Stanford, MIT, UChicago, Duke, NW, GTown, etc., does having 3.8+ GPA and 2200+ SAT effectively guarantee admissions provided you didn't commit a crime or anything like that? </p>
<p>No. I’ve seen students with practically perfect scores turned down. There is usually a bit of speculation as to why, but no one true “this is it” answer.</p>
<p>The odds are higher for acceptance though.</p>
<p>there are no guarantees. google quantum physics.</p>
<p>Not for holistic colleges. Some smaller ones may want people who contribute to the community around them and will look to your ECs. Some colleges consider demonstrated interest. Some put character/personal qualities in the Most Important bucket on the CDS.</p>
<p>Depends on the school, but using an online tool like Naviance or Cappex might give you a good idea because they look at who actually got in and compare you.</p>
<p>No. Nothing is guaranteed. These scores are not even at the 75th percentile for some schools below top 20. GPA 3.8 is for sure below the 75th percentile for many.</p>
<p>Some schools have high SAT scores for admissions, but aren’t extremely selective, so they aren’t highly ranked.</p>
<p>Your question is in question. The comparison schools list you have include colleges that have smaller admit rates than some of the eight Ivies – including Stanford, which is lower than all of them. </p>
<p>@T26E4 </p>
<p>OP meant “schools outside of (Ivies + the schools he listed )”, not “schools outside the (Ivies), such as the schools he listed”</p>
<p>OP, I think you’re getting harsher answers than you otherwise might have received if you hadn’t used the term “guarantee.” You would have to go a lot farther down in the rankings to get to a point where anyone’s stats would “guarantee” them anything. </p>
<p>Literally, of course, the only guaranteed admissions are to schools that have an auto-admit policy for students above a certain GPA/SAT. But yes, there are schools where the stats you post would almost certainly get you an admission – but they’re more like the ones located below the top 50 or 60 in the USNWR rankings. I think you could feel pretty certain of an admission at, say, UC Santa Cruz with those stats (and now let someone come here and tell me that they know someone who was rejected from there with those stats!).</p>
<p>(By the way, I’m using “farther down” and “below” and similar terms because that seems to be the spirit in which the OP asked this question. I do not actually think that UC Santa Cruz, which is ranked #86 by USNWR, is a “lesser than” school – in fact, my daughter with a 3.97 GPA and 2170 SAT will be applying there, among other schools.)</p>
<p>However, if you’re willing to accept “good chance at admission” rather than “guarantee,” I’ll say that you have a good chance at admission at those schools that are ranked just below the ones you called out. Check out the mid-50% range of test scores for the schools you’re interested in to see where you fall – and don’t forget to apply to a couple of safeties!</p>
<p>you do realize 3.8 UW, 2200 SAT I, and 33 ACT are below average for those caliber schools…?</p>
<p>Usually, but that also depends on the division of the school you’re applying to, as well as what type of school it is. For instance some schools require a statement of faith from a pastor and if you’re unable to procure said document that’s auto grounds for dismissal. Other non top 20 schools have extremely competitive departments such as the University of Washington’s CS division or musical theater at the University of Oklahoma (granted, you’ll still get academically admitted). Further, some schools are quite competitive despite not being in the top 20. UT Austin, UNC Chapel Hill, UCSB, and the US Merchant Marine Academy all fall within this category. </p>
<p>@RunningForLife, no, I don’t think that’s true. Take USC for example, which is tied with Carnegie Mellon, UCLA, UVA, and Wake Forest for spot #23 on the USNWR rankings. A 33 on the ACT would put you at about 75% at USC, according to the Fiske Guide. However, since it’s such a competitive school, even being at 75% does not make it a safety.</p>
<p>@dustypig: oops i misread the OP’s question as “top-20 schools” haha
In that case, for #20 - #50 or so, it’s probably not a guarantee still. even beyond that there’s a chance you won’t get in with those numbers.</p>
<p>Well, if you really want to get in with this scores, one way to do it is research well and apply ED to the school of choice. I say this because some schools will see you using them as a safety. </p>
<p>I know a kid who got wait-listed and rejected from three schools in the top 20 - 30, but got into the very top 1 - 5 super elite schools he applied to. The lower ranked schools figured that no way he was really coming there. But, he would have had a much better shot of getting in though if he committed and applied ED to one of those 20 - 30 schools.</p>
<p>Just be wise and apply to a mix of schools.</p>
<p>@runningforlife those stats also arent below average for top 20 schools…</p>
<p>The stats are good, but good stats alone do not guarantee admission to any of the schools on your list.</p>
<p>Dustypig,
I do know a student for Fall’14 who was flat out rejected from UC Santa Cruz with a 4.0 and a 1900 SAT. She applied within the deadlines and just so that we know she filled in her application correctly and didn’t totally bomb the essays, she was accepted to UC Santa Barbara.</p>
<p>The only true safe schools for in the UC system (in-state) these days are UC Merced, and the undergrad Admission Guarantee program at UC Riverside. Many more out-of-state, full-pay students are being admitted to defray funding issues, so admissions are even harder to predict than ever.</p>
<p>I knew it :(( </p>
<p>UCSB did take a lot of kids with various stats. I think it’s a fantastic school.</p>