You can have defects and still get accepted. If you have something truly amazing about yourself, you don’t necessarily need a 4.0 or 2300+.
To the OP, generally for Ivy leagues, you want your stats like GPA and SAT to be at least the average. The average for Ivies is 2220 so getting a 2250+ is ideal. Getting below average isn’t horrible, but you need some extraordinary accomplishment elsewhere to make up for it. A 2250+ SAT is considered “safe” for Ivies and it shows that you possess academic prowess and you’ll get past the first round of admissions.
@rdeng2614 what if you have a 4.0… and a 2150… lots of leadership… BUT your school doesnt rank…
@happymomof1 - I agree with you last post but I’m not sure what it has to do with your comment that increasing the OP’s SAT score to 2400 wouldn’t be helpful with admissions, a comment with which I still strongly disagree.
Lots of leadership positions in a bunch of school clubs that have 3 people each, or did you lead a group or team (academic, athletic, etc.) to compete in something that won a state level or higher championship?
If you have a “defect”, then your standout achievement or characteristic must be even higher level than what successful applicants to super-selective schools typically have. And even a “typical” (for such successful applicants) standout achievement is likely to be much higher level than what most applicants think is a standout achievement.
1800-1900: double/triple/multigenerational legacies, blacks
LOL you’re joking. If you look through the acceptances in the threads, all the African Americans and legacies have good scores. Although I have noticed that when there’s someone with a 3.5-3.8 gpa admitted it’s usually an African American.
@ucbalumnus Both,
@ZBlue17 keep in mind that this is college confidential which attracts the .0001% of hs students. Students on here are extremely cutthroat and competitive. I remember my first day on the site I saw a chance thread and the girl (asian) had a 2200, so the people said “FOR MIT, YOU MUST RETAKE”. In reality, when I searched the Harvard thread… I didn’t find a single white or asian non athlete, from an urban area, get in with a score of <2250… IN REALITY 1/2 of Harvards class has a score of 2250. Trust the CC parents and experts… don’t rely on those threads… Your looking at roughly 60 kids out of the 2100 admitted
@verizonwireless idrk how this works but you know how most schools technically look at academic eligibility for 75% of the students and then holistically reviews the last 25%? well since a 2350 is what 75% of students at those schools have, then thats what you need to get in order to be considered for the academic part of it. but you can get by with a 2100 if you have a really good holistic application. keep in mind though that i am also a high school junior. im just inferring about these things from whatever i’ve read online.
A Hopkins rep at my school said “less than you think but more than you want”
Personally for top schools I believe 2250 is the point where the actual score makes very little if any difference in determining the ultimate decision.
Anywhere else being in the top 25% is generally safe (though definitely not a guarantee)
@marie122 , Dean Fitzsimmons of Harvard University said himself that students who have low GPAs and high SAT scores are a horrible candidates for Harvard. A case of vise versa would seem more eligible. BUT, that doesn’t change the fact that it is SATs are a major indicator of academic knowledge (NOT! academic success), so IMHO the SAT is kind of like an indicator of the students capabilities.
@Matt846, NOTHING! LITERALLY NOTHING! is a guarantee. You can have a perfect score and not be considered for admission… You can have a 1900 and be accepted (rare though). However, regarding your first statement… did the Hopkins rep talk at all about the potential of a student with modest SAT score getting in?
@verizonwireless I never said that it is a guarantee, just that those are good guidelines to follow. I should know, 2340 and 2/8 acceptances (one being a safety, though I did receive several waitlists). I don’t recall the Hopkins rep discussing that and I don’t know how modest you mean, but if you’re talking about the 1900 range unless they’re hooked or have something really unique going for them, I wouldn’t hold my breath.
@Matt846 where were you accepted (and attend)? If I may ask?
I agree about the 1900 as well, that’s why im asking “after what point will the sat become irrelevant in the admissions process”?
I was accepted to Cornell and the UMD Honors College. I will be attending UMD because of its strong music program and Cornell would not provide me any aid so it was like a 150-200k gap. I also received waitlists to UMich, Duke, Hopkins, and Vanderbilt, as well as rejections to NU and Yale. As I stated earlier, I personally believe for most top universities that 2250 is that benchmark, though you’ll probably hear variations within 100 points of that in both directions.
the asian female cutoff higher than asian male (as female cutoff is higher usually). Everyone can feel the asian female stress coming during senior year.
i believe the cutoff goes like this for normal ppls
2300-asian
2250-white
2100 hipanic
black? idk.
however, I’ve been told by asians that 2350 is a good score to ensure competitiveness when the next 4.0 asian student with the same stats comes along with a 2340. ergo, small differences matter not 2250 is the goal, but good ec’s , grades, whatnot are more important.
@Matt846 If you have a 2400 and you’re not asian, and your GPA isn’t abysmal, you’re probably going to get into at least one school in the HYPS group.
@DressingIron
I’m sorry but that’s not accurate at all. It means that your test score is at the point where it makes you a competitive applicant, but it in no way ensures admission to any of those schools. Even among 2400 scorers who apply I believe the admit rate is below 15% at HYPS. Regardless of your stats, if you’re aiming for top 20 schools cast a very wide net and consider it a success if you are accepted into even one of them, as there are thousands every year who are academically qualified and competitive but are unable to find an acceptance beyond their safety.