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<p>“Tufts syndrome”? (Schools that don’t want to be used as safeties, so they reject “overqualified” applicants.)</p>
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Hm, that’s an interesting thought. I don’t know, that would be unfortunate, but I suppose it’s understandable. It only happened with a few, though, and it was probably just genuine differences. Though with one, it happened to every high-stat applicant I knew who applied, all well above 75th percentiles, and the deferral/waitlist was confusing. But it might not be because of worrying about who will attend, because one person I know who was way above their stats also kept expressing a lot of interest (visiting, writing letters, making calls, emailing with admissions counselors), actually really wanting to attend, and it didn’t make a difference.</p>
<p>I guess some decisions will never make sense. They’re the product of many people with various ideas about what the school needs. The best advice, in my opinion, is to not get too beat up about it and be happy with where you end up. Remember, if you go to college at all, you’re much more fortunate than the billions of human beings who will never have that opportunity.</p>
<p>The decisions make a lot more sense if you look at it from the perspective of each college – but you need to know a lot more about each candidate for admission than their GPA and test scores. Colleges do not see the process of admissions as one of giving out rewards or recognition. They are trying to fill their classes with an array of students that meet their overall institutional needs. That may vary from one college to another, or one year to the next. </p>
<p>Try to think of it in these terms: putting aside the “stats”, what did this particular student offer to X college? One harsh reality of the admissions process is that colleges seldom have a great need for more of whatever kind of students they already have in abundance, which usually are students interested in majoring in the areas that the particular college has established a strong reputation. The student who goes against type, or who wants to pursue studies in one of the less popular majors offered at a particular school, or who has some talent that fills some non-academic institutional need, has the advantage.</p>
<p>5boys - you’ve got me as anxious for you and your son as I am for my sons friends. From the outside I know he will get in somewhere great and I wonder if you reached too high or if it’s just dumb luck. I’m starting to wonder about this ea business. Seems schools this year are skimming off the top then kicking the rest to rd, which kind of irks me as these kids got their stuff together early enough, schools are just hedging their bets with deferrals, imo.</p>
<p>You certainly don’t need to tell me, but what can you see is the main weakness of your sons application? Are these schools stats driven or did they need interviews. Any chance your recommendations are suspect? The fact that he is deferred not rejected tells us you are in the right ball park. Does he have apps in at schools a level below these? I think I’d be all over the gc to read through the entire package and see if anything doesn’t match up or stick out like a sore thumb.</p>
<p>Keep breathing.</p>
<p>5 boys -I would have a fresh set of eyes look at the app. And then possibly request a new/ different recommendation letter - possibly not academic - if you haven’t already. I think there has to be something there that is making these adcoms pause. I think 4 deferrals is alot. Possibly even have your DS rewrite his essays if needed.</p>
<p>If you would be comfortable posting his stats and schools -possibly someone here can give you some information about the schools that he was deferred from and also about the schools he is currently applying to.</p>
<p>According to previous posts, 5boys’ son was deferrred from Colorado College (ED – his first choice), UVM, Tulane, and Lewis & Clark. His SATs are ~2190, GPA posted as 3.5 unweighted. Goes to a “top 50” private prep school. From CA. </p>
<p>" 2200 SAT’s 3.5 GPA… Eagle Scout, National leadership position, 1500 CS hrs volunteering for the National Parks all over the US, SCA internship, works, and commutes 3 hrs a day to school…"</p>
<p>Thanks everyone! My S is already in at an OOS public. It was his first acceptance and he got a personal call from the dean of admissions saying he was their top applicant and offered him their top scholarship…full COA… so I’m not worried, just confused. This school happens to have a lower acceptance rate than 2 of the schools he got deferred from. His GC at his school is very savy and was at one time an admissions rep from a top 30 school…I’m sure she looked over his app and rec’s and would have told my S if it wasn’t up to par… this is a prestigious private prep school where 100% go to college and most of them top schools. </p>
<p>As far as grades vs test scores… yes, my S’s grades do not match up with his test scores… and we knew that going in… that is why we cast a wide net. His grades have been rising though, and his first semester Senior grades are the best ever… thank god. The thing is, for UVM and L&C he is above their 75% or right at, and they have a higher acceptance rate… from my S’s HS they take C students… my S has never even had a C… so it’s hard for me to imagine they are waiting to see his first semester grades there. As far as CC, it might be the grades, that makes sense since it is a top 30 school… and way more selective.</p>
<p>He also has an unusual situation where he spent his 2nd semester Junior year at a boarding school on a rural organic farm in VT… studying Environmental conservation and farming. The school is well known by some schools and is very selective and academically rigorous on top of working and living on the farm…my S had to write a 50 page thesis paper, so this school is the real deal. </p>
<p>THere is not much he can do to change anything… he left yesterday to go back to the East coast for a week, so he had to quickly finish more app’s. He has 2 that are more selective, but mostly less selective on his remaining app’s. At this point there is not much he can do but wait and see, and really work on writing another essay to CC. Unfortunately his GC is out on winter break too… which is SO weird being this is crunch time, and it would have been nice to have her to hash this all out with.</p>
<p>MY S is a great kid… and I have 5 of them… they are not all the same, so I’m not using mom blinders here… I mean he spends his weekends helping senior citizens with odd repairs and gardening. He also is on a search and rescue team and volunteers up in our local mountains once a month… he is VERY unuusal for a 17 year old boy. I know he will be fine,a nd it will all work out… just trying to make some sense out of it all.</p>
<p>Hmmmm…let’s step back for a second. The EA program itself, as well as a high EA acceptance rate, doesn’t present any advantage to a college. Why would they accept a bunch of students who may not come, thus lowering their yield? It adds to their “exclusivity”/selectivity to have a lower EA acceptance rate.</p>
<p>ED, on the other hand, is binding. They have the applicants that they want, they have their commitment…the “rush for EA” used to be a great benefit to applicants, so that they had a non-binding acceptance (or two…or five…) in their back pockets as they went into April. Admissions offices have obviously wised up.</p>
<p>As for why others with lower stats, etc., have gotten in EA–could have been any of these factors: legacy, sports, interest, school’s history–or the “better” candidate was deferred because of wait-and-see transcript or oversupply on individual’s talent (we already HAVE six oboe players)…or the infamous Tufts factor.</p>
<p>In the end, I strongly believe that all of these kids will end up in a place where they CAN be happy, as long as they allow themselves to be.</p>
<p>5boys, I’d be wondering what’s wrong with his application. Could he have any negative school input? Is his essay very weak? he should have been a shoo in at Colorado College ED and the others you list with a B plus average and 2200 from a top prep school. I’d have someone review his essays and other application material. I’m sure his counselor is savvy, but she can’t tell you if his recs are not the best. Consider new recs for last minute schools.</p>
<p>tough one, because you cannot change the Common App. essay, although someone else can look at it for you (GC already has but maybe an English teacher?) to see if it may have raised a red flag. Also LORs are usually not a huge impact, but maybe something damned w/faint praise there. About all you can do is have the GC sit down and take a good look w/you. Consider applying to a couple more schools w/different people supplying the LORs and taking a completely different tack on the supporting essays each school usually requires. Or communicate w/the college’s regional rep directly to express interest at any deferred schools or to clear up any miscommunication.</p>
<p>don’t forget that they are also playing with their yield numbers. If they have a sense kid will not attend, they often defer and wait to see if they are pursued more aggressively - this applies to the really shocking deferrals. I remember a joke from my day along the lines: “Just got rejected from Tufts, guess I’ll have to go to Harvard.” Please no offense…</p>
<p>Of course you can change the CA - you just need to make an alternate version.</p>
<p><a href=“https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/Docs/AlternateVersionTechnologyFAQ.pdf[/url]”>https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/Docs/AlternateVersionTechnologyFAQ.pdf</a></p>
<p>Can I change any data in the alternate application version?
YES, all answers will be editable until the application is submitted.</p>
<p>ok. kleibo, should have said if they have already seen your Common App. essay you are not going to be able to erase that from the minds of the Adcoms that have already seen it.</p>
<p>Most colleges will also accept a new essay you directly mail them. LORs definitely count, especially from top prep/feeder schools where the colleges come to know top teachers and What their top rec means. a counselor who has worked in college admissions is also likely to have many relationships at the schools popular with her school’s kids, so her rec can also be very important.</p>
<p>5boys - your son is a great kid and any school would be lucky to get him. It’s why this stuff kills me. I can’t stand to see the good kids having these anxious times. Is he applying to schools that have holistic admissions or where interviews really count? I believe that was the key to my sons admission. Hubby said as soon as the interviewer had son bring him over to meet and how he gushed about our son, hubby thought it was a lock. I didn’t have that confidence, but the acceptance letter mentioned the interview conversation specifically so I know that was a major factor for him. </p>
<p>I stand by the thought come rd time he’ll be getting lots of acceptances. The difficult time is making it from now til March with your blood pressure under control and hair on your head. I may only have two kids, but I know what you mean about being able to assess each child individually.</p>
<p>Why are we begging these schools to take our great kids and pay them exorbitant sums for the privelege? It’s maddening. I’ve never been as stressed out over something and I haven’t exactly lived in bubble wrap.</p>
<p>My son had stats that were not as good as your sons and he was deferred, then accepted, at several schools including Lewis & Clark and Tulane. I think EA, as someone else said, only works for students who are the tippy-top applicants. For most others, it does not make sense for the schools to accept EA since there is no binding commitment from the student. In addition to what other people suggested- you might want to and a copy of the graded thesis paper (I beleve L&C requested papers) to all the schools, letters about how much you love the school, and if you have not interviewed schedule that too. I’m sure all those deferrals will be acceptances in a few months!</p>
<p>eyemamom, just to carry your final thought a bit further, and in return these schools taking our great kids and exorbitant sums for the privelege, don’t necessarily lead to a career that is all “milk and honey”. Times have changed. Many, very many, years ago one could walk out of an Ivy w/a “Gentleman’s C” transcript and into a prestigious job. I feel for these kids that even after stellar college performance have to work like slaves 60 or more hours per week to get a foot in the door, just to be able to reach the bottom rung of a pretty good career ladder. Junior and sophomore years many of them are totally stressing over which unpaid internship they will get. It’s a bit crazy, BWDIK></p>
<p>Sounds like there are many very qualified students (not just vals and sals) out there who could be a “good fit” for top 20 schools. I can only hope top colleges are doing exactly that—looking for a good fit for their schools. The question to ask yourselves as students is “am I marketing myself well” for a particular school? (This said, we are still amazed at the val and sal both making it into Princeton at our HS, and … laughing because one of them “found” too many answer keys on teachers’ desks.) Remember kids that if you are in the top 5% or 10% you should feel very accomplished. (At our HS, taking the wrong foreign language even with 12 APs and all As won’t get you into the top 5.) Hard work and showing up will take you most places you need/want to be.</p>
<p>D2 went to a prestigious summer program junior year. At the end of program, there was an assessment of her. The director told us she was one of their top scholars. I read the write-up, I thought it was excellent. But when we showed it to her private counselor, he was adamant about not including it because it said D2 didn’t participate as much as other students. It was a comment by one professor of many. He felt it would be viewed as a red flag. As he used to work on an admission committee, we followed his advice. </p>
<p>Most students don’t get to read their LORs, I just wonder how many inexperienced teachers when writing those LORs sometimes hurt more than help those otherwise very good students.</p>
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But do they take those C students during the EA round?</p>
<p>It may be that the colleges have seen too many cases of senioritis – kids they admit in the EA round who slack off and underperform senior year. The colleges might very much prefer to take a kid with a rising trend and strong first semester grades rather than be confronted with the transcript filled with C’s and D’s from a promising applicant they admitted during the EA round. There must be some kids they accept EA that they later wish they hadn’t.</p>
<p>It’s not a matter of your kid alone, it’s a matter of overall trends and what they are looking for. </p>
<p>In a sense, EA is asking for special dispensation – it is a request to a college to accept a student without a critical piece of information (first-semester grades). For many colleges, it may be that they need a compelling reason to waive that.</p>