<a href=“http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/sats/who/[/url]”>http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/sats/who/</a>
does anyone else think these are a little strange?
<p>How can someone with an 880 SAT get into Berkley?</p>
<p>This seems bizarre. What makes the 880 kid so special? He didn't take any AP classes...</p>
<p>I don't really get it.......</p>
<p>His URM status helped. </p>
<p>But I think more than that the adcom saw great potential in this guy through his essay. The student probably did not have the money to prep and take the SAT numerous times. He probably went to a school that didn't prepare students to take standardized tests. I think the background of the student's school and what classes he took compared to what were available probably played a factor here also. His grades were not outstanding but were decent. And he wrote a good essay. Berkeley probably took him for his potential to become great. His faith in himself and his optimism really shown through in his writing. IMHO</p>
<p>No one ever said this had to make sense.</p>
<p>College admissions is an art, not a science. They can admit whoever the hell they want.</p>
<p>I saw this website that showed 3 kids, and the one with great scores didn't get in, while the two good, but not great students made it</p>
<p>Yeah, but this is a selection of 5 admits from a set of many thousands. Of course a university will admit some oddballs because they want to have variety in the student body. In these cases the ones with the lower SAT scores sounded like the more interesting people and not "Grinders".</p>
<p>After all the SAT only demonstrates one ability: How well you can study for a test. If someone screws up the SAT it is not always an indicator that they are less smart but possibly that they did not spend time peparing for something thaty they only do once.</p>
<p>haha i like the one that said, "wouldn't this kid be happy at uc irvine?"</p>
<p>the driver's license essay was pretty bad.</p>
<p>do admissions officers really do things like that...like say an applicant will be better off somewhere else so they dont accept?
Thats terrible...makes me angry...</p>
<p>i hope not...the third kid getting rejected is surprising. i mean with a 1550, mostly a's, natl merit semifinalist status, average ecs and a good essay, im sure most people would have predicted that he would have gotten in</p>
<p>The third kid got in.</p>
<p>"He doesn't seem that well-rounded. I wonder if he might be just as happy at UC Irvine"
^^^
i think that means they didn't want him</p>