<p>that's true. but for me, I scored fairly well even b4 prepping. my parents were so over-zealous and wanted me to score near the perfect range in order to help me get into HYP. I think that if i could give someone an advice, I would tell anyone to keep the sat score, as long as it is fairly high. Same as gpa. Worry about other 'soft' factors more.</p>
<p>These kind of threads give me hope...thanks for sharing!</p>
<p>I think that's good advice. If you already have a high SAT score, you should work on other areas of your applicaiton. Pick up a meaningful EC that's important to you instead of trying to replace your 2200 with a 2300.</p>
<p>^ Ack, I totally agree.</p>
<p>Anyway, a HUGE congratulations to your sister!! You two must be absolutely thrilled. I didn't even apply to most of those schools, but I'm definitely jealous, haha.</p>
<p>BubbleTea,</p>
<p>Thank you so much for your kind words. As you could imagine, we are both thrilled. We both realize that, compared to many other people in the world, we are lucky enough to be able to go to college in the first place, let alone some of the best in the world.</p>
<p>Hey, congrats! Your sister for suuuure deserved her acceptances. Thank you, we were in need of some miracles here. Never lose hope, people!</p>
<p>Even if her ECs were "only" decent... could you please talk a bit about them? Did she devote her entire h.s. to one activity? How about the activity essay (the short one)?</p>
<p>You and your family must be proud of her!! Wish her wonderful years in college!</p>
<p>As far as ECs go, she really didn't do anything exceptional - at least not compared to your average applicant at the top schools. But my sister has led an...interesting...?.. life so far, so she had ECs in terms of life experience. I know that sounds corny, but she was definitely able to convey this to the colleges.</p>
<p>
[quote]
SATs are waaay overrated.
[/quote]
I would think essays are overrated, but apparently, it's not. Also, anyone could have written it for you.</p>
<p>Asa,
Congratulations to your sister and you! Good to know a genuinely nice honest down to earth girl can succeed by being herself!</p>
<p>congrats to your sister... your thread doesn't make me feel better, because I was rejected from all 6 ivies I applied to, and had higher scores, gpa, and more activities than your sister</p>
<p>You said your family is just you and your sister, that is not average. How are you middle class for not having parents around? Sorry to be so personal. I suspect your sister got in because of her interesting life, hence great essays. I think posts like this can be misleading to many students out there. It is not luck or random that your sister got into all three of those schools, one is luck, 3-4 there is a very good reason. If people think OP's acceptance was a miracle, then people would start to think maybe they could be the lucky one next time. Having been through it with my daughter and many friends' kids, it's not as much of crap shoot as people think.</p>
<p>I agree that it is always worth giving your dream school a shot. You never know. Just make sure that the rest of your applications are to realistic choices. My child had a 3.5 cum and 1340 combined math and cr and was accepted to U of Chicago, which was a real reach school for her. They even told her at the interview that the school was a reach for her. She is now in her second year, getting honors and singing in three choirs and loves it. So always give it a try.</p>
<p>^ so what? Should we keep or lose the hope?</p>
<p>Here's a good "miracle" story. My friend got into Princeton, full scholarship, int'l student. Lucky, eh? Oops, she was first in a physics competition -_-</p>
<p>You shouldn't lose the hope, but it is important to be realistic. There have been many disappointed students this year, and years before. I see many people only applied to first tier shcools with very few safeties they love, and I think it's because people think maybe they will just get lucky. I still do not think this is a "miracle" story. U of Chicago is a lucky story, buy his daughter may have something special U of C was looking for.</p>
<p>I have to agree with the OP.</p>
<p>I know a kid who had a 1690 on his SATs and he wanted to go to Harvard. He managed to raise his score to about the 1900 area. He got in Harvard and Princeton. He was a URM though. But even that is low for a URM.</p>
<p>Asa,
May I ask what your sister wrote about in her essay? I ask because my DS wrote what I thought was an extaordinary essay, but he was still rejected from Harvard. :(</p>
<p>Thank you ILoveMyKids for asking that question. I was reading the posts on this thread and wondering- why in the world is nobody asking the OP what the essay was about?!! I think it displays a slightly cynical view among people that the essay is too subjective and therefore does not carry the same weight.</p>
<p>So yes, OP, please let us know what she wrote about. Of course, you won't want to share too many details and we will never see how well the ideas were conveyed, but I am just curious.</p>
<p>Both my sister and I were raised in the Westboro Baptist Church. For those of you who are not familiar, this is the church that protests outside of Iraq War veterans' funerals, organize demonsrtations that claim that God Hates America, and makes posters and yells at passerbys that "God Hates Fags!" The church is quite infamous in America for vehemently arguing that God hates America with a passion, that he hates our veterans, and that he hates gay people. Our parents indoctrinated us with this b.s. and would make us make posters and stand outside and "protest" and "demonstrate." We would be forced to say extremely hateful things about gay people and America in general. My sister eventually came to realize, on her own terms, that this was immoral and disgusting. She ran away from home. She tried to go to our aunt's house in California, but she wouldn't take her. So she illegally traveled in train boxcars for 4 months (she missed some H.S. and had to repeat a grade), until our aunt in Cali finally took her in. This was what her essay was about.</p>
<p>congrats to your sister, asa...I have always rated essay higher than SAT...My SAT scores aren't that gr8 and my essays, I believe, are average, that's why I didn't get to good colleges...</p>
<p>As u said, your sis's essay must have been gr8. I'd love to read ur sister's essay, if that is possible.</p>
<p>Not a miracle, then. The essay and background totally explain the acceptance. That story is definitely a hook. Harvard has a history of acceptances like this.</p>