Oxford getting harder??

Hi I got rejected from both Emory and Oxford College during ED1. I was shocked by this given my stats (3.8 uw gpa & 2200 Sat score). I thought I would at least easily get into Oxford. What do you think is up??

@pskywalker Sorry to hear about your bad news. I’m sure you’ve received or will receive offers from some other outstanding schools with your stats.

I noticed that you posted a different set of stats on a different thread (lower GPA and lower SAT).
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/19074905#Comment_19074905

If your GPA was the lower UW 3.42 reported in the other thread, that would lower your chances.

@MyOdyssey I got straight A’s senior year, retook the sats in november which i sent, and also realized that emory/Oxford caculate GPA differently so i updated my stats.

That GPA would kill you and also, Emory and Oxford are very holistic. They don’t just admit folks when they have high SATs…they are in no rush to raise their SAT range and that us sorta what at least makes them unpredictable more so than “hard” or “easy” to get into.

It’s almost certain the admissions committee never had a chance to consider your improved senior year grades before making a decision for EDI.

I also question whether they had a chance to consider SAT scores from the SAT take in November.

I would say this is true for any school where you applied ED or EA.

@pskywalker Did you inquire as to whether the admissions committee would be able to consider senior year grades and the November SAT for ED1?

Hopefully you applied to some schools RD. Your senior year grades and November SAT would be considered in the RD round.

@MyOdyssey I definitely thought they would consider my sat and new gpa because they told me that they would during my visit. Also, @bernie12 . I think a 3.42 uw wouldnt kill me for Oxford especially for ED. I just checked the stats for Oxford last year and the avg gpa seems to be 3.7 which is ridiculously high…I can’t believe the gpa they posted, its way too high.

@pskywalker: Yes it would as it shows a mismatch in performance. That always concerns adcoms as it may suggest that they can take standardized exams (primarily MC exams) well, but perhaps have trouble navigating a more intensive classroom environment (which usually won’t predominantly be MC, especially at a place as small as Oxford. Main campus is different but they don’t like the mismatch either). Also, it’s an average GPA for admits…it is probably correct. The enrolled students are typically lower as adcoms aim higher when admitting. They look at stuff in context not isolation

@bernie12 How selective is Oxford? I am so confused

@pskywalker It isn’t too far (1300 average vs. 1365-1380 on main, so like 30-40 point difference on each quartile, not much) from main in terms of the SAT scores and is a little lower in terms of GPA. Also, it has little to do with the selectivity after a certain threshold. A school will decide that you are “qualified” and choose to exclude or waitlist you for reasons perhaps beyond your prediction. You really cannot predict admissions at places with huge pools of say…scholarship applicants or very holistic admissions anyway. Notice how you got into Northeastern which is as selective as Emory stats. wise. You have an advantage there because NE is trying to move up in the rankings and will select as high stats as needed to do so. Again, Emory main isn’t in a rush to do that and Oxford doesn’t appear in ranking agencies so has no incentive to do that as well. They merely want to get good students who may actually want to go there and are not just applying to gain access to main campus in the case they are denied (so Oxford will read some apps. more closely regardless of stats) mainly because they want folks who will stay the duration of the supposed two year tenure there… There is a big class-shaping and yield protection element that goes beyond your control. I would just rejoice in your other choices so far.

Honestly, I believe your test scores and school rank is pretty awesome. I was so shocked about their decision as well. Anyways, best of luck to your other applications.