<p>I’m only in high school and haven’t even applied to college. I’m not one of those parents/students who got rejected by the school of their dreams and started a vendetta against all Ivy League schools. </p>
<p>DD14 is a QB College Prep Scholar. We went to Yale for the one day conference last June. I spoke to the adcoms from Yale, Princeton, Yale, UChicago, Williams. I asked them about the so called URM advantage, as I find this topic to be quite intriguing.</p>
<p>They each said that what most students don’t understand, is that essays matter. Passion matters. Resiliency matters. So many students assume that the grades and test scores are the only thing that matter, often times the adcoms find their essays to be lackluster. They each said that they feel that many students have a sense of entitlement which comes across in the essays. They find this to be quite annoying. Kindness and altruism goes a long way.</p>
<p>good insight. </p>
<p>Getting in to any college with an acceptance rate of less than 6% is a really a long shot. Is it feasible? Sure, after all someone does win the lottery every week . . . but is it you?</p>
<p>I don’t believe that admission to schools like Harvard is that arbitrary. Luck has something to do with it, but ultimately I would think there is a great reason behind why each student is admitted. </p>
<p>It’s not that they purposely want to make admissions harder -it’s that they must set the bar higher if they are to distinguish between the 30-45k kids applying. I don’t think URM status helps that much today, since the quantity (and quality) of URM applicants is increasing. </p>
<p>Like New Haven Mom said, it’s all about those essays.They want to see what kind of person you are. They don’t just want you to be smart -they want you to truly care about learning for it’s own sake. Not just for grades. Not just for college. For the sake of acquiring knowledge & wisdom (hint: intellectual vitality). They also want you to be a “nice person,” to put it simply. They want students who truly care about the people around them. Yeah, this part’s kinda hard to discern with all these written-by-mom essays these days, but they do their best to find the genuine ones. They also wanna see some kind of hint that you’ll achieve great things in the world after graduating, instead of just getting the good old 9-5 desk job. Nothing wrong with these jobs, of course, but they expect a certain desire for having an great/positive impact in the world.</p>
<p>The val at my kids school got turned down for Princeton and had the highest GPA in school history, a 2390 SAT, and unbelievable ECs, along with being HS All-American. Even with a hook the odds are extremely low. Between kids whose parents were large donors etc, there isn’t much room left for anyone without a hook. </p>
<p>A junior at my school scored a 2400 on his SAT, a 36 on his ACT, is a concert pianist, a varsity swimmer, and is slated to be the valedictorian. I’m really curious to see whether or not he will get accepted at the top Ivys. </p>
<p>Students must stop oozing the sense of entitlement that this generation has been afflicted by. We see it at every turn. </p>
<p>
@mtodd1:
I’m sure the student you describe will do very well in the college admissions process. If what you say is true, he sounds very accomplished. That being said, perfect standardized test scores and a valedictorian-caliber GPA will not automatically secure him acceptances at top-tier colleges. Being on a varsity team is…well…fairly run-of-the-mill. After all, lots of high schools have a “no cut” policy for sports. (I have no idea whether that is the case at your school.) Athletic participation carries far more weight if the student is designated team captain, wins a league MVP award, posts qualifying times at the state level, or wins a state/national title. Although playing a musical instrument is fairly common, being a “concert pianist” with multiple awards at regional/national competitions will certainly look good on the college app. If the student is talented enough to secure a spot at Julliard or some other well-known conservatory, then that’s even more impressive.</p>
<p>On a related note, the test stats you cite set off my BS detector. While perfect scores on standardized tests are not unheard of, one student posting perfect scores on both the SAT and ACT is highly unlikely. Moreover, it makes very little sense for a student to take the other test after a perfect score is posted on one. It’s a waste of time and money. I would think that an intelligent, well informed high school student would know better.</p>
<p>Then there’s the issue of the student letting others know about his SAT and ACT scores. Who does that?
And…you’re assuming that he even wants to apply to HYP. He might prefer to attend a conservatory, matriculate at a small liberal arts college, or stay close to home.</p>
<p>^^^Perhaps this kid is in a state where you have to take the ACT, but he also had a high PSAT and wants to be a National Merit Finalist, in which case he needs to take the SAT as well.</p>
<p>Best hooks are sports hooks for Ivies. Play basketball well and get into Harvard. Play squash well and get into Yale. Play football well and get into Stanford. Asians don’t play sports well – that’s the essential problem for increasing Asian admissions at the Ivies. </p>
<p>Our school requires that we take both the SAT and ACT. </p>
<p>His hook is probably his musical ability. He can play Beethoven, Bach, or Chopin with ease.</p>
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<p>Ability itself is not a hook, a hook is what the person does with it.</p>
<p>Play at Carnegie Hall - hook!
Really good at it and played at the high school graduation and a local show - a skill, not a hook.</p>
<p>Math ability is also a skill.<br>
Getting great SATs is a skill.</p>
<p>Using your math skill and getting second place at the Intel STS is a hook.</p>
<p>Well he does compete in math and piano competitions and win.</p>
<p>You can’t compare yourself to people like that, and I would imagine his parents have been pushing him every step of the way.</p>
<p>^^^ if he is competing at the national level at well known competitions, then that is certainly looking more like a hook.</p>
<p>Not national level.</p>
<p>Maybe he doesn’t have a major hook, but being a concert pianist, having perfect test scores, winning state wide math competitions, and maybe even being from Tennessee all seem like minor hooks.</p>