<p>Quaker10, admissions is def a crapshoot, and lots of times kids' acceptances/rejections are hard to explain.
Not sure what you mean by "more than just stats and conventional ECs" though. Certainly having leadership positions in a breadth of areas, pursuing what you love the most, or possessing one or two extraordinary talents is going to look good. Plus, essays matter so much -- My friend who was in the top 3% of his class, 1370/1600 SAT, and poor ECs (no leadership at all, few awards), no legacy or URM, was accepted to Dartmouth. This kid def didn't have 'more than conventional ECs.'
Basically, it's a crapshoot.</p>
<p>&Adriana, btw, I know a few people, some graduates of my HS, some relatives, who attendied Ivies, didn't finish 1st or 2nd in their class or anything like that, and the school name def did more than take them 'only so far.'
Plus, certain schools are prestigious for a reason... The resources they are able to obtain and give to their students is amazing, and students at these schools can learn from these resources. Smaller, less recognized schools don't always offer the opportunities for growth or learning that many desire.</p>
<p>These days a 2250, top 5%, good ECs means you have a good shot at Penn, Dartmouth, Columbia, Duke, and Brown (you'll get into one of these probably). Cornell you are likely in, and HYP you likely aren't.</p>
<p>From a post on the Parent's Forum:
" But just for instance, 45 kids from my daughter's school applied to Penn last year and ONE kids was admitted! You wouldn't believe the kids who didn't make it. Unbelievable."</p>
<p>Dartmouth itself said last year that it had enough applicants to fill up its entire freshman class with at least one perfect score on one sectio of the SAT. Even Notre Dame, which has like around 29% selectivity, rejected over 50 students with perfect SATs and even more valedictorians. </p>
<p>legend of max, could you please explain the "tufts syndrome?" is that relevant to the WUSTL comment about accepting students who the admissions committee feels will actually matriculate? IDK its just because I'm doing Tufts regular and I want to make sure before I put in the amt of work it takes to complete that app...</p>
<p>"Tufts syndrome" refers to the fact that Tufts did not want to be the safety school of Ivy League hopefuls and would reject those suspected of applying for that reason.</p>
<p>Again, from the parents forum:
"My daughter with "life altering SAT scores" who is now a freshman at Harvard did not get into UPenn - and that's with a well-crafted application which reflected her two day overnight experience there. The University of Pennsylvania is a very difficult school to get into. Don't kid yourself."</p>
<p>exactly. as much as kids like to look at the US news report and try to infer some kind of hierarchy, things often end up very different. kids get accepted to stanford and rejected to cornell, etc. etc. ... it's all a crapshoot that's vaguely influenced by fit and whether the school needs someone like you.</p>
<p>slipper, top 5% in your class and you'll be competitive at penn? i seriously doubt it. you need something special to get you in on top of those grades.
in addition to that, this year's entering freshman class is ridiculous... i am so impressed by them. and apparently it's only getting more competitive for this next year's rounds.</p>