How representative are CC Members of the Average Candidates for Top Schools?

Applying to College
1

<p>I look around here and frankly I'm a little intimidated. My stats aren't horrible. I have some things that stand out, good essays, recs, test scores and grades. But I'm applying to some top schools, and there are some really epic people (I see a lot of 2350+s, Rank 1/500, 4.7 Weighted GPA, 15 APs, millions of ECs where they're presidents, etc); their stats seem almost inhuman. And some of them still get rejected. Am I just getting the "CC scare", or are most accepted applicants to top schools inhuman as well? If so, I might want to re-evaluate my chances.</p>

2

<p>This would be CC-standards.
2250+
Rank top 5-15%
8 APs (incl. Senior year)
ECs (some are highly inflated, don’t worry)</p>

<p>Not all of them get rejected, don’t worry.</p>

3

<p>The numbers (SAT) here seem higher. However, my son had a 3.90, 2200 SAT, great EC’s, leadership, stunning Rec’s but with no hooks at a public school. People didn’t give him much of a chance. He got in SCEA(Yale).</p>

4

<p>You should remember that those academic superstars (2350+ SAT, valedictorian, amazing EC’s) that you see on this site only represent a select few of the entire applicant pool. They give the impression of being numerous, but if you actually take the time to count them, there probably aren’t more than 20 or so…</p>

5

<p>CC students are extremely competitive. Getting into multiple Ivies is rare for most students, but it’s done often here. Don’t get discouraged and remember that you’re still a very competitive applicant! Best of luck mate.</p>

6

<p>I agree with An0maly.
You should remember that those academic superstars (2350+ SAT, valedictorian, amazing EC’s)
^That is a superstar??!?!</p>

<p>Haha, I’d say 2400+ 800*10+ 20 APs+ ECs are superstars.</p>

<p>Those come across every once in a while.</p>

7

<p>Do they represent the applicant pool? No, because CC boasts acceptance rates to top schools much greater than the actual rates.</p>

<p>CCers, however, are a fairly decent representation of admits to top schools. Looking at admissions results threads, you can start to glean some insights as to what top colleges are looking for (though the line between admitted and rejected is sometimes slim).</p>