“While Brown seems among the most holisitc of highly selective schools, they are not way off the charts. They “only” accept 23% of students who apply with 800 SATs and only 15% of those who apply with 750-800 SAT scores…”
For unhooked applicants, those are the best odds you’re going to get at Brown and it’s interesting Brown bases it on test scores and not something else like essay strength or recommendations. Brown does make a distinction between a 1600 and 1400 if it’s accepting 23% of kids with a 1600. And for sure it’s making distinction between a 1600 and 1300 (probably 1-2% acceptance and all hooked). They don’t make a 1470 pile and 1450 pile, agree there, but they do seem to make a 1600 pile, 1500 pile, 1400 pile etc…
"They don’t make a 1470 pile and 1450 pile, agree there, but they do seem to make a 1600 pile, 1500 pile, 1400 pile etc… " @theloniusmonk
Sure, but while 1500 - 1600 is a tiny (~1%? spread) 1400 gets you to 94% or so - that opens the door to a lot of kids, relative to the incoming class. Of course, in some cases higher is better and every school will have a “bottom” that they consider the lowest good indicator of a strong student, barring other mitigating factors. But most competitive schools do not play the “+/-10, 20 point game.” after a certain range. (Engineering/tech schools and Math or MathII scores being the notable exception.)
What makes predicting admissions so tough these days is the claim of holistic admissions is true. And schools get plenty of applicants within their “acceptance range” that they can ignore some 1550 or 1600 applicants if they have a more interesting 1450. They have admitted enough students over the years to be confident what inputs (finances, HS, GPA, extra curricular commitment etc.) will suggest a student will graduate (most important metric for most schools.) and who will thrive and might contribute something cool. And, of course, whose checks will clear.
I also went to a mostly white private school. The difference is, most of us aren’t economically privileged and there are few legacies. ONE student was accepted to an Ivy and she was our Valedictorian with over 100 GPA AND a URM. No one else was accepted to any top 25 schools. My 3.8 GPA, 1540 SAT, “normal” extracurriculars, and first gen status didn’t get me in anywhere in the top 25 and I applied to about 5. @yucca10 is spot on.
@3puppies Not all kids come fom wealth who attend these Private prep schools. They attendbon substantial need based aid. My daughter have no hooks whatsover , no legacies, no sports star, and on top a Korean ORM kid. What she have is her work ethics and determination to succeed. This school send 30% class to Ivies. Her GPA is 3.98 despite most challenging courseload that only includes AP or AP above level classes., and extraccuruicular activities, that she won some national awrds. She has Top scores. At least this thread gives me so.e hope, that she has a fighting chance.
OP, you are in a very rarified environment and seem to be unaware of that. All the students you mentioned had SAT scores no lower than 1450…where does that place them on the distribution for the test? 90-95th %ile I’m guessing. Several students are the children of Ivy alumni. Many years ago the late Texas Governor Ann Richards, in describing then-president GHW Bush, said he was “born on third base thinking he hit a triple.” You seem to be coming from the same place. Your private school can keep out the poor and low-achieving, so the pool you attend school with is already stocked with highly advantaged candidates in the college race. My children go to a very highly regarded public high school with plenty of high achievers. I am aware of one Harvard admit in the past 10 years. The one we got into Yale this year was a recruited athlete. We have plenty of ivy alumni in town, HYP alumni children aren’t getting in, only Cornell alumni children are. Your humble-bragging is a bit much.