I notice that many of the top 20 universities have acceptance rates around 10%, which is very low. But how many of those that apply actually do so with competitive applications?
I guess what I’m trying to say is, are there a lot of applicants who really aren’t competitive but try anyways, because “why not?” those with mediocre EC’s, letters, essays or gpas below 3.7 (without great ECs) for instance. Or is it really that if you have a 3.9 with great EC’s letters and essays you still are only likely to see a 10% chance of being accepted, because there are just so many great applicants?
Actually, many top universities would say about 90% of applicants are considered competitive. The number of people taking a crap shoot at elite colleges is lower than you think. One reason for this is probably the high application fee (about $70-90 at many top schools), and that’s a lot of money to waste for people who know their stats are poor.
I think the reality is that there are so many great applicants but a small number of available spaces. Colleges can only accommodate so many people in their dorms, classrooms, dining halls etc. to where they can’t accept as many people as they would like. So yes, if you apply to Stanford with a 4.0 GPA, great ECs, and near 2400 SAT score, I would say you still have a 95% chance of being rejected. That’s not to say though, that you wouldn’t be successful at another Ivy level school. Many students of that caliber usually end up at one top 20 or so school.
How do they accomplish that, by applying to 10+ schools hoping they will fit at least what one school is looking for? If what you say is true it would seem like the biggest determinant to getting into a top school (assuming you are competitive, and that includes a good essay IMO) is race, gender, hooks, background, and luck, things out of an individuals control.
Recently, there was a thread by a student who was “shotgunning” about 30 schools in the hopes of hitting the admissions jackpot at one. Much discussion ensued.
I think a big reason people get accepted to such good schools also has to do with their experiences and creativity. Being a certain race, gender, SES, etc. may help in some situations, but not always.
Really, a student just has to stand out to admissions counselors. If you took the resources around you and did something amazing, that may work to your advantage for admissions. Not all top schools are pining for 4.0 GPA 2400 SAT students because that would be an awfully boring incoming class.
Top schools are a reach for everyone, but if you make yourself stand out in some way, you may just get their attention.
A New York Times columnist recently affirmed, “It turns out that four out of five well-qualified students who apply to elite schools are accepted by at least one.”
(Source: For Accomplished Students, Reaching a Good College Isn’t as Hard as It Seems)
I’ve heard and read in many places that some great percentage of applicants are academically qualified. But i have never seen any clarification of what that actually means. I suspect that the qualified threshold is much lower than the competitive threshold.
Without knowing average GPA and SAT of the application pool, and very few colleges release that information, it is just a guessing game.
But it doesn’t matter. The odds are heavily against you no matter what.
Here, let me be more explicit. Even if we knew that half of all applicants had 2200+SAT and 4.0 GPA, and that 75% of admits came from that group, getting in would still be a long shot. 25% may be five times more likely than 5%, but it’s still pretty bad odds.
^ I appreciate that, and agree that 25% is a poor chance for an applicant that is fully qualified for admission. (But not so bad if s/he has applied to multiple colleges.) I might, however, look even further at your premises if that were possible. For example, of the statistically qualified applicants, how many of them are qualified on other bases as well? Have they demonstrated intellectual curiosity or passion, or other of the many factors that a college may value?
It is a reach for everyone, I am a 3.5 transfer with an incredible story, non traditional student, letters from top Government officials and EC’s that are sure to set me apart. The reality is that someone is going to have better Letters of Rec, 90% will have better grades, Probably another 15% will have an incredible story, 50% will have good essays, 20% will have incredible essays and 60% will have standout EC’s. This is not fact, just crunching numbers in my head and projecting the odds.
Here is the Reality, I think, out of the 10% that Ivies do accept, there is around 7% they accept (fact in the case of Dartmouth) they accept below a 3.6 gpa, and if you can be in the top 15% in all the previous categories then anyone has a marginal chance. A marginal chance is the best that anyone can do when applying to these schools because there are no set guidelines for admission.