Several of my friends applied to the top schools last year, and they got admitted into maybe 2 out of 10, in what seemed to be almost a random order. For example, one guy applied to all Ivies, plus several near-Ivies (MIT, Duke, Stanford), and he got into Duke and Harvard, but was rejected by all the rest. The acceptance trend was sooo random, and seemed as if the admissions panel was just throwing darts!!
Anybody else get the same feeling? Is there a sure-fire way to get accepted into any school (aside from community college transfer into state schools)? A lot of people go to paid counselors that guaranteed admission into an Ivy/near-Ivy …has this worked for anyone?
<p>"LUCK! "Hooks" could include being a URM, a recruited athlete, or having an outstanding EC (with national recognition)."</p>
<p>How does that explain professional paid counselors? They guarantee admission into an Ivy/near-Ivy....how can they guarantee it if it just depends on luck? Some of them charge $15,000, so parents would be p1ssed if their kid didn't get after spending so much money on the counselors.</p>
<p>The reason that there is no sure-fire way and that you see apparently random results is that admissions is a reverently conducted establishment of merit and ranking among the applicants. A good point of departure is: Admissions committees admit classes, not individuals. A second point to remember is that, if you believe the admissions officers from Harvard, Yale, and Stanford, they could put together 2-3 complete classes using different students with no drop-off either quantitatively or qualitatively.</p>
<p>IMO, those things are all rip offs...what they do is they offer money back guarantees for acceptance to one of your top 3 schools, so people have a sense of false trust. Most of the people who do those things are smart and have high SAT/GPA/rank. The ones that get in to a top 3 choice...they keep their money, the ones that dont...they give back. They are up couple hundred tho. and all they had to do was say "be more specific"</p>
<p>"Near Ivy" is a relative term and admissions gets a lot easier after you get past about the 10 hardest schools. I still wouldn't make that guarantee without looking at student's GPA and scores. If all you want is the Ivy label, Cornell alone soaks up a large number of applicants. Probably the best thing a paid counselor can do is make sure that your app is very very thorough and complete, showcasing aspects of yourself that you may not have thought of, and making sure that your essays are good, which is trickier than it might seem, since a lot of them go off track at the very first point...selection of topic.</p>
<p>" "Near Ivy" is a relative term and admissions gets a lot easier after you get past about the 10 hardest schools. "</p>
<p>I think it just means schools that are as good as the Ivies, but not officially part of the league. You're right...the top schools in the country would definitely qualify.</p>
<p>i wouldnt say scam. many kids can get into top schools without a counselor, but there are those who might need a counselor to help them along the way. but when you put yourself into the perspective of a high-achieving but insecure student, a counselor may be a huge relief to provide them with advice and direction. besides, a counselor knows MUCH MORE about the college admissions process than a majority of students do (even if they did a lot of research on their own), and that info is at least something worth knowing to many. its just how much youre willing to pay for that info and assistance that makes people like thomaschau disgusted about counselors.</p>
<p>golubb! I knew it was you the second i saw "near-ivy" how many times do i have to tell you! Near-ivy is not widely used, is offensive, and is simply not the right phrase. The term you are looking for is "Ivy-caliber."</p>
<p>Anyways, back to the original question. There is no sure fire way to get into a top school. Hooks will significantly improve your chances; however, i've never heard of a real, plausible hook (aside from stuff such as curing cancer, etc.) that will guarantee admission.</p>
<p>Many kids have problems portraying themselves well in their applications. Admissions counselor are definitely a plus in terms of helping students convey their strengths and unique attributes effectively.</p>
<p>Kids are often swept away by the wave of students joining BS-y clubs like NHS and who knows what, and feel that these clubs need to be on their resumes to ensure any sort of college success. Believe it or not, for the average, intelligent student, six hours a day on CollegeConfidential (you know who you are!) does not factor into their daily diet; these kids often don't know what colleges are looking for and are easily misled by their peers. Counselors can help in these sorts of cases.</p>
<p>The Ivy-caliber schools at the undergrad level include Stanford, MIT, Caltech, Johns Hopkins, Duke, Georgetown, Rice, Amherst, Williams & Swarthmore. At the Ph.D. level they generally include MIT, Stanford, U Chicago, Johns Hopkins, Caltech, Berkeley, Michigan, often UCLA & Wisconsin.</p>
<p>Some admissions counselors can be good for choosing a list of schools, etc. They can do research for you and compile a list, and probably know a whole lot more about most schools than you do. Other than that though, I think the application itself is in the applicant's hands.</p>