<p>^You will have to be more specific, then, to avoid misleading the many posters every year who think that going to a Stanford summer program will help them get into Stanford.</p>
<p>I’m not disbelieving you, mind; rather, I’m questioning what type of correlation you refer to. For instance, of 16 participants in one '08 TASP, every single one is attending an Ivy, including 5 to Harvard and 4 to Yale. Does that mean that TASPers are a “shoe-in” at the Ivies? Nope. On the flip side, many colleges host little-known diversity visit programs in the fall that pay for ALANA students to come to campus, and the acceptance rates for these programs can approach 75% (I’ve even heard 90% thrown around) for a school with <20% admit rate.</p>
<p>I don’t think I wrote or even implied that attending a summer program at Stanford will ensure admission to Stanford. What I said was that the participants approached to apply (solicited, really), who applied, got in. It was that way, this year, and has been that way, historically (this is not merely anecdotal–I know the admittees). Granted, my daughter and her peers were a self-selected group a) getting admission to the program to begin with and b) a further narrowed group because they were approached by the university to apply (and most participants were not approached to apply).</p>
<p>When my daughter was “approached,” she wasn’t merely asked to apply but there was mention about not only her performance but some historical things in her original application. So, again (and finally), it seems that the kids who distinguish themselves in the program with an exceptional application to begin with are “shoe-ins.” And, no, the kids (my kid) approached were not part of some diversity program and, thus, accorded special consideration. </p>
<p>An earlier poster noted that students in the top 4% at their HS in CA (ELC status) get a guaranteed (presuming no melt down senior year) admission to certain UC campuses. So, S’s safety became UCSB once he received his ELC status in October. </p>
<p>He still had to apply to UCSB. For him, UCSB is more than just a safety. They happen to have an incredibly strong physics department, and also the College of Creative Studies (separate admission) for a select 300 students. He applied to CCS because he wants to study interdisciplinary science/dual science major. Luckily for him, he’s already been contacted by two CCS profs in physics and biochem who tipped their hands and indicated he’s the kind of student they want.</p>
<p>He took a SCEA shot at Stanford and was rejected in December. (So was a friend of his last year who’s very similar as far as stats go. She’s now matriculating at Yale.)</p>
<p>Two weeks ago, he was thrilled to be invited to interview for the Regents scholarship at UC Berkeley, which is their equivalent of a likely letter. So S is now Zen, telling me “I’m so lucky. Even if I don’t get admitted anywhere else, I can go to an outstanding place like Berkeley.” </p>
<p>Meanwhile, he’s in the wait for USC (should be a match and his father is on faculty), Northwestern (special admit for the Integrated Sciences Program), Duke, UPenn and Brown.</p>
Um… I was giving an example of a lesser-known program at various colleges/universities that come very close to assured admission (and yes, the programs are selective). My question was to whether the example you describe at Stanford was similar to TASP (correlation != causation) or to such diversity visit programs. I am not saying that Stanford runs any such diversity program, nor that your daughter participated in one; they are totally different things.</p>
<p>Flagships were on the likely list here, along with EA apps to reachy schools in which my kids were very interested and where they would be competitive applicants (and which would render them “well-hedged” in admissions should they be accepted).</p>
<p>Both had at least one EA acceptance in December and had a flagship acceptance by late Jan./early Feb. It makes waiting for the other acceptances a lot easier. </p>
<p>I can’t overstate the importance of crafting a list of schools which a student likes and can afford. Every school on the list should have a compelling reason for being there.</p>
<p>At my public high school we have a day in october where a bunch of colleges come and lay out a specific GPA and ACT/SAT score needed for automatic acceptance at their schools. Most schools that come are just regional lower state schools, but a few good universities come every year. Colorado-Boulder and Michigan State come every year, Purdue comes sometimes. Makes the application process much less stressful when you know at least someone will take you automatically.</p>
<p>My daughter applied ed to an ivy and was convinced she had no chance of getting in because her math score was weak.She simultaneously applied to several schools -one Agnes Scott because she connected with the dean.She applied to Middlebury obviously a match to reachy because she loves foreign languages, then Grinnell and intended to apply to McGill.The others required some portion of their apps prior to 12/15. When she got into the ivy( hearing by snail mail bc this ivy did not post online)she had to withdraw all her applications.Agnes Scott was a clear safety but she liked Decator,we have friends there, and the arts scene was solid and as a musician that was important to her.The state school here though number one in basketball held no appeal for her .</p>
<p>With her brother looking at college soon he wants to study voice and musical theater. His sister decided not to go that route on the undergraduate level but has told him it is just as competitive to get into those schools as the ivy she got into. They are now discussing what he is looking for and narrowing down his choices with the help of his vocal teacher.Having an older sibling will make this a little easier as his parents aren’t too versed in the performing arts.I don’t know if the term safety is operative with regard to musical theater programs.</p>
<p>Keilexandra, I think TASP is a more complex example than you do. Sure, the fact that everyone who gets selected for the program is very impressive means that the program will correlate well with elite college admissions. But I think there is an element of causation there, too. Both because the program actually improves the skills of the participants – makes them more impressive, regardless of the label – and because the label has meaning in and of itself – really the only national, neutrally-judged competition for kids oriented towards the humanities and social sciences, and one whose criteria match up about 99% with those of elite colleges. It’s like IMO or Intel, except that it covers the whole “holistic” range of critical thinking abilities. So, while you can’t say a particular TASPer is a shoo-in at any particular college (unless he or she has other qualities that support that), I think TASPers can take a different approach to safeties than other students with similar high school records.</p>
<p>I highly recommend the strategy of applying EA to a school that is a match or lower reach for your kid. For a school as good as Chicago to become your “safety” by December or early January can remove much anxiety from this process. If the EA news is not good, then there is still time to add one or two match/safety schools.</p>
<p>My youngest applied to 6 liberal arts colleges that share similar characteristics across a fairly wide selectivity range. The logical safety was our small public “honors college”. But by mid-December he was accepted (EA) by a more selective school. With that acceptance came literature and phone calls (plus merit money), which raised his interest in the place. Although it has a 26% admit rate and is the top-ranking school in its region, he presumably got a boost from the EA interest and from being in a distant state. </p>
<p>So apply EA to a school in the mid-high point of your range that does not get thousands of applications from kids who look just like yours. In time for the holidays, an excellent school could become your sure-fire safety.</p>
<p>DS had one EA acceptance and four rolling by the end of December, and it was a huge load off the mind to see so many options. It makes waiting to hear from the toehr other schools much easier.</p>
<p>It’s a little tricky, token. My ds applied RD with its priority app and heard early. Its priority app, in theory, gets you an early answer, so, for us, it took the place of an EA school, timewise. His EA acceptance, Notre Dame, came because ND moved him into the EA pile even though he applied RD. I guess if a school wants you they’ll let you know plenty early.</p>
<p>My inclination, if I thought my kid truly had a decent shot at Yale or Stanford, would be to use SCEA on one of those schools. The reason being that if that is the case, s/he may not need the EA edge at a “match” school. Then if the SCEA does not pan out, put a little effort into expressing sincere interest in the others. </p>
<p>Keep in mind though that as one poster pointed out (maybe in a linked thread), for some categories of applicants the true admit rate to a school like Yale can be as low as 5%. If after honest reflection you think your kid’s RD chances are that low, then why bother? Why bother, if at some schools with excellent academics it might be 30%, and you can use EA at 2 or 3 of them to get closer to a lock on admissions by January to at least one?</p>
<p>You need to think, too, about what HYPS offer that Johns Hopkins, Pomona, Carleton, etc., do not. In my opinion, it is not superior academics. It is a kind of hothouse environment where once in a while a couple of students might start the next Teach for America or the next Google. If your kid is not that kind of rare person, if he is just your average straight-A, high-scoring, local science fair winner who wants to be an excellent MD, then why put all your chips on boosting 5% odds?</p>