Hello College Confidential community,
I understand that the chances of getting into a school like Tufts are slim, but let me give you some details about myself: I’m ranked #1 in my class of 450, I’m captain of the swim team, president of the school’s chapter of National Honor Society, have won several sports and academic awards, worked one summer as a breast cancer research intern, and am an Eagle Scout (among a bazillion other things). My friend is ranked 10th in our class, does no sports, BUT is a Questbridge Finalist. Also, he’s black and I’m Middle Eastern. My GPA and grades are higher than his, my overall SAT scores are higher than his, and yet, I got rejected and he was accepted. Is it because of racial quotas? Should I not have mentioned my cultural background in my Common App essay? Anything helps. Many thanks.
P.S. I was rejected by every other school, from Johns Hopkins to BU, and as of right now I’ve only been accepted by a state university (my safety school).
My counselor says that BU might have turned me down because they thought that since I was competitive enough for other top-tier schools, they rejected me because I might turn them down to go somewhere else, whereas a kid desperate to get into BU with a less than admirable application would jump at the chance of admittance.
happened to me to. I just think race is a factor and personally some kids just get the shaft when it comes to admissions. Was denied to all 1-19 schools
This is entirely likely, but there is no way to know for sure.
“Should I not have mentioned my cultural background in my Common App essay”
They would have figured this out anyway.
“I was rejected by every other school, from Johns Hopkins to BU, …”
Ugh. This is a story that I have heard a lot. Something is very wrong with university admissions in the USA.
“I’ve only been accepted by a state university”
I noticed several other schools that you applied to in Massachusetts. Is this UMass? If so it is a pretty good university. If not, then where did you get in?
Just a point of distinction - schools are not allowed to use racial quotas. SCOTUS ruled this unconstitutional in California v. Bakke. What you (seem) to be referencing is affirmative action. There is an essential difference.
There were likely Middle Eastern admits with lower stats than yours - why them and not you? You can’t attribute that difference to affirmative action. There was likely something about their apps which was more compelling, or something with yours that was concerning.
At this point finding someone to blame except yourself isn’t productive. You’ve been accepted to a college - look forward not back.
Questbridge program does have pull (geared towards low income/socioeconomics not race) as it is a program that has established a strong working relationship with many selective colleges.
I’m going to guess there was something a little off in your application - essays, recs, who knows. Some colleges do protect yield but not all and they would be more likely to waitlist than reject if that was their only motivation in not accepting you.
"Yes, I did get into Umass, their honors college, to be exact. So, thankfully, all hope is not lost. "
I toured UMass with my daughter about a year ago or so (she is also a senior now). It is larger than she wanted, but is quite an attractive university. Personally I would be very happy going to the honors college there instead of Tufts, and assuming that you are in-state (which you sort of already said) and in the top 10% of Massachusetts students (which seems rather obvious) then it is going to cost quite a bit less also. Most certainly, all is not lost.
If yours were the only story such as this that I had heard, then I would think that there was something in your application that someone didn’t like. However, I have heard a LOT of stories such as this (although very definitely spread across a large number of US schools – not Tufts any more than anywhere else in this country). Universities in the US seem to have forgotten that their primary goal needs to be to educate academically strong American students regardless of what the American students look like or what their backgrounds are or what their political views are (or whether they even have any significant political views).
They only have so many seats, applicant numbers are rising, and too many students seem to consider the “top 50” the only universities in the US. You need more than one safety and match school nowadays.
Classroom education is only one part of the goal. They educate in a larger context, the community they create. That’s what holistic allows. And if it didn’t work, all these kids wouldn’t be clamoring for one of those limited seats. Instead, they’d follow their tax dollars to their state’s public colleges.
If a candidate doesn’t really know what a college values, who knows how their application came across? It’s more than going to some/any high school and getting certain stats.
OP, you’ll never know what explains your results. But you have a shot to grow and thrive at UMass. Best wishes.
Did you visit? Did you share something about you/your talents/your interests that would make them want you rather than the other way around? Nowadays there are many, many very talented kids applying to the top schools. Its important to stand out (new buzzword is having a “spike”.)
I am so sorry all your hard work in HS hasnt yielded the results that seemed realistic at the time you applied. I just want to remind you that in almost every reputable school in this country exist educational opportunities, research opportunities and connections that you may not have found at any other school. If you do attend UMass you sound like the kind of student who would definitely explore all options there. If you still feel you would like to attend a different college or university, with your background a transfer to another school should be entirely possible. Unlike high school where the town you live in usually dictates which high school you attend, the world may well be your oyster when it comes to college.
So sorry to hear that. You have a good profile - you’ll do great with any Uni
Middle Eastern counts as “white” - so I doubt it would help you a lot in the admission process - maybe a little bit if you have a good story to tell along or if your parents are poor/first gen/refugee etc. You will never be in the same league than the URMs.
The reason why your friend could get into Tufts - you will never know - but hunches tell me - Questbridge and Race. SAT 1290 is really low for Tufts for starters. I doubt too many non-Athlete middle-income whites can get in with that score. Even 1400 SAT is borderline case. Tuft’s essays are extremely important in the selection criteria. I just feel bad for you. BU should be a good fit with your stats, but I notice BU WL a ton of “higher stats” kids this cycle. Could be the explanation here. JMHO>
It’s the whole app and supp, in holistic, save for some athletes, for some colleges. No one here can point to any one or two things, with such certainty.
Questbridge has several layers or categories. Not all yield pull. And their app (nowadays, more like another supp,) includes more writing prompts and more questions, more ways to get a wider impression of a kid.
It could also be that OP was the umpteenth kid from his area, wanting his major, having his pattern of activities, similar things said in his LoRs. What really matters, OP, is that you know you gave it your best and now 'look forward," not pick at yourself.
Just an anecdote. My kid’s friend was limited to UMass, despite other choices, because a parent had a discount on costs. She bravely dug in and created one of the more impressive resumes out of that hs class. Remarkable drives and achievements, including some cross-pollination with Harvard, as well as the consortium schools. Awesome. You can do it.
As to the earlier comment on something has changed in admissions to American universities. Some schools may be shifting towards this “common good” approach:
