<p>I like reading those college acceptances of 2016, and i feel like so many people deserve to go to Harvard, Yale, etc. but they don't. I honestly don't understand how universities decide who is accepted. Does your essay and recommendations matter a lot? My dream school is Harvard, yes. I am currently, well almost a sophomore. I am on varsity golf and have a 4.5. I am apart of a lot of clubs but not really because I don't go to most of the meetings. Any advice of what makes you stand out to the Ivy Leagues (:</p>
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Who are you to decide who deserves and who doesn’t?</p>
<p>^That was my first read too. But when I went back a second time, I realized that the OP meant to say that they deserve to go, but didn’t get in.</p>
<p>OP, please take the time to read some of the sticky threads and current threads that sound interesting. You might also want to look for college admissions books at your library; you could also use the Search function on this forum for ‘books’ and will get some good leads. </p>
<p>Yours is a big question and it tends to be more helpful here to ask things that are more specific to your situation.</p>
<p>My first piece of advice, forget dream schools. Instead, look for a range of schools that will meet your academic, social and financial needs.</p>
<p>When my child got rejected from Stanford, it was so devastating, but decisions are decisions, so “no questions ask” why?! </p>
<p>Here’s an excerpt from an article written by the Dean of Admissions at Stanford –</p>
<p>“I wish there were a formula to explain who is accepted and who isn’t, but the decision‐making is as much art as it is science. Each class is a symphony with its own distinct composition and sound; the final roster is an effort to create harmony, and that means that some extraordinary bass players don’t get a chair.
What’s more, even among my staff there are legitimate differences about applicants. The bottom line: The world is not going to judge anyone negatively because they didn’t get into Stanford or one of our peer institutions.”
Here’s the full article -<a href=“http://files.e2ma.net/37634/assets/docs/rick_shaw_rea2010.pdf”>http://files.e2ma.net/37634/assets/docs/rick_shaw_rea2010.pdf</a></p>
<p>You’re still in your sophomore year, you should just enjoy school for now and not put pressure on yourself regarding college applications!</p>
<p>At times, it really does seem rather random. The best thing to do is accept that you will be happy wherever you end up, and anybody who rejects you is just missing out.</p>
<p>I like the Dean of Admissions at Stanford’s explanation. What it says is that lots of brilliant, talented, inspiring and interesting people - who could easily do the work academically - are not admitted every year. (And there are many more of those who never apply because it’s not a fit for them in any case.) And the lucky beneficiaries of this are the many excellent schools all over the country which may not have the same brand name recognition. (And the brand name is often a reflection of factors that have nothing to do with how good a place this will be for a specific student with specific interests and goals.)</p>
<p>As others have said, focus on getting into the right school for you - not the right school for some person who an admissions committee decides would be an asset Stanford’s ‘freshman orchestra.’</p>
<p>To truly answer your question valeryykira, highly selective schools like HYPSM can fill their classes a number of times over with students who are truly well qualified and deserved to go there, but there are simply not enough spots. That’s really it. A general trend of students who get in to such schools are valedictorians, salutatorians, and those in the top 1% of the class. To be seriously competitive, you should be in at least the top 1% of the class, preferably 1 or 2. Yes, those students also get rejected but in smaller numbers than lower ranked students. Unless you are a minority, athlete, or legacy.</p>