<p>not to mention academic interests and passions. Some read prodigious amounts of books in their spare time, others build computers. Personally, I take classes at museums and take time to go to lectures at bookstores and universities. Interest and passion have a diverse spectrum of expression.</p>
<p>On the SAT I, it is true that one question wrong on the math section = minus twenty points. In other words, get one question wrong on the entire test, your score will be 780.</p>
<p>not at all. i got two questions wrong and managed an 800. Its all based on percentile</p>
<p>I got one wrong and had 770, so it's really extremely different between test days. More a matter of luck than skill when it comes down to the difference between 750+ and 800, really, although of course 800's a fabulous score and should never be discounted.</p>
<p>The only real thing I had going for me was athletics when applying to colleges, and I made it clear I wasn't playing them in college, and I managed to get into MIT and Princeton. I had a 720 Verbal/780 Math for SATI, then 690, 720, 750 for Chemistry, Writing, and Math SATII.</p>
<p>I didn't list a single volunteer or community service item, the only ECs I listed was 10 seasons of varsity sports, 12 seasons overall (2JV), which may have been hook enough. No one from my school had applied to MIT for 10 years also, and I wasn't even close to legacy.</p>
<p>I don't know if this was what you were talking about when you said normal though, since the athletics might have done it.</p>
<p>Applicants are admitted to Ivy League schools for a variety of reasons with a wide range of numerical statistics. I know of many students with sub 1400, math and critical reasoning combined, SATs who were recently admitted to the Ivy League. Most are legacies, URM, artistic or crew, ice hockey, or football players. Some, however, are just very well rounded kids with leadership potential. Several months ago I spoke with Yale admissions and was assured that there were "many" sub 1330 "kids walking around here" as enrolled students. Many posters on this site have very limited contact with the realities of college admissions and,therefore, seem to base their opinions simply on US News type statistics. If that was the basis for admitting and denying college applicants, admissions officers positions would be extinct and computers would do all the processing of applications. Also, there is a significant difference among Ivy League schools re: admissions stats, targets and educational opportunities- just compare Cornell, the only public and private university, with Brown or Penn or Princeton. Try to study agriculture or hotel management at Harvard. Real world experience is much more valuable and accurate re: Ivy admissions than simplistic numerical charts. Twista's experience is not as rare as posters here seem to believe. Many experienced college watchers suspect that US News stats are selectively reported by colleges.</p>
<p>"Many posters on this site have very limited contact with the realities of college admissions and,therefore, seem to base their opinions simply on US News type statistics."</p>
<p>I don't even think it's US News. I think that they get their supposedly "authoritative" information from each other mostly. That can be observed from reading CC student forums for a considerable period of time.
:). Occasionally someone cites a GC's comments or an admissions rep or a Naviance scattergram, but generally it's just urban legends that feed off of themselves. It's one things to post admissions results (self, school, whatever). But theorizing on why someone did or did not get in, and if someone else will or will not get in, based on reading ONLY that person's profile (even if comprehensively stated), tells .XXXXXXX of the story. I keep saying this, but people who have not competed regulary as an individual in an individual sport, do not understand this: you are never evaluated alone. You are always evaluated within an entire, very large group. It is comparative. I don't care how many Nobel Prizes you have won. Someone else, count on it, has won as many, or maybe even more. You just may never meet that person.</p>
<p>I think many of the posters in this thread has misunderstood me.
First I really am a considerate and supportive parent.
It is not I who is passionate about getting into the Ivies but my child is.
I just won't be able to face the disappointment if my child won't be able to make it to the Ivies. That is what making me nervous. </p>
<p>Also I didn't say that my child doesn't do any Extracurricular Activities Just not into sports.
1. > 100 hours of community service till now (10th Grade) including tutoring for underprivilaged children and at summer camp for those children.
2. Is a selective member of JETs team and won prizes at regional and national level.
3. Won speech and Impromptu competition at local level.
4. Won research paper awards at Model UN conferneces.
5. Founded two clubs at the high school.
6. Made into NHS and holds a post in it.
7. Partitcipate in National History Day, Math and Science competitions, science bowls, AMC (have not won or qualified for AMIE or science olympiad)
8. Will be getting the Tai Kwon Do Black Belt this year.
9. Play Piano</p>
<p>But if you go thru the activities then nothing is a special hook. Many students at the same high school has the similar actitvities.
I've not seen the students putting up stats have normal activities as every one who post stats have done extraorinary things which doesn't seem realistics for every child.</p>
<p>well, as a parent you can educate your child as to the statistical realities of ivy admissions</p>
<p>10% or less, and even "perfect" applicants get rejected...and the schools take a certain "pride" in saying that most of the applicants are amazing, but there are just too many of them to accept</p>
<p>as for the disappointment, well, its gonna happen, but they move on and you and they are smart about where you apply, with a range of schools, the disappointment with pass</p>
<p>as well, you can help your child become aware of the many amazing schools out there, not Ivy, but just fantastic....and that wherever they end up should be the right place</p>
<p>so get some books, get on some lists, talk up other schools, etc....we cannot shield our kids from disappointment, but we can make sure they see all the options available</p>
<p>What I don't understand is how come everyone who makes to Ivies will have stellar ECs or Sports.</p>
<p>My child school is a very competitive and almost 25% of students make it to the Ivies (CHYPMS and other Ivies(5)), so that is why I would like to know what type of Stats get a child into these school as I don't think all 35-40 students at my child high school have stellar ECs.</p>
<p>I'm unable to get this information from the school too, and the school don't rank so won't know if the child is into the top 25% or not.</p>
<p>Parentofivyhope,
I think it's important to realize what many have already pointed out: Many people posting on this board are not experts on Ivy or any other type of college admissions. Many are high school students. If your kid wants to apply to an ivy, let him or her apply, but be realistic about chances of getting in. The ivies all have very low acceptance rates even when your stats are within or above their published ranges. Not everyone at the ivies has found a cure for cancer, won an oscar, won an olympic gold medal, all by the age of 17. Don't get hung up on only ivies. For example, if your kid doesn't want a rural school, should he/she apply to Dartmouth anyway because it's ivy? I don't doubt that you are a considerate and supportive parent. Make sure that your kid applies to a range of schools and realize that most people who apply to ivies will be disappointed. Find some other great schools that you and your kid can love.</p>
<p>"I was accepted to an IVY having no alumni connections with a 3.6 w GPA and a 710 cr 640 math. I was surprised by the acceptance and only applied for the hell of it."... Twista, you must have had SOMETHING!! </p>
<p>"my friend got a "very likely" (read acceptance) letter from Dartmouth... m680, r710, w750... she's wonderful but not much ecs. No sports, no work, no internship, one leadership ... She got defered from stanford and is pretty much sitting on a bee at this point in time..".. Again,Inaina, there must have been SOMETHING. These are the kinds of posts that drive applicants crazy.... they start thinking.... why them? why not me??? I have more qualifications, better scores.... etc. etc. There is always a reason why one person is selected over another, perhaps Twista wrote a great essay,or had dynamite recommendations. And maybe Inaina's friend is from Alaska... who knows, but there is always more to the story than just the stats.</p>
<p>True that chacha. Afterall, institutions compose classes, it's almost like an art form (from my yale interview) so there must have been something interesting about the girl. Maybe she was a top underwear model? Or she had a really popular blog? Or maybe she ran anime conventions etc. </p>
<p>Parentofivyhope: Basically, you have to show that you're the best. Bottom line is: Whatever you do, you better do damn well. It's definitely possible to be a pure academic applicant, but for that, you better be one of the best academic applicants out of the thousands of applicants they get. Or maybe you're a potential prize-winning scientist or author, shown by your EC work and jobs. Your kid has to show his or her difference from the many other applicants like him or her, either by being the best in something (academics, a sport) or being damn good in several. That's it basically. A kid can be so-so academically, but if he's number 2 in Florida in tennis, that's gonna count for something. You don't need a lot of ECs, just ones that show quality and help differentiate yourself.</p>
<p>I was admitted into Princeton and Cornell both with a good amount of academic scholarships. I had good stats, but not outstanding since I didn't really try all that hard in high school, I definitely partied too much, especially senior year.</p>
<p>GPA UW: 3.8
GPA W: 4.2</p>
<p>Was in the top 6% of my class (we didn't have class rank).</p>
<p>SAT I
Verbal: 740
Math: 670
I never took any review courses, too expensive.</p>
<p>SAT II
Both 720</p>
<p>Extra curriculars were also not great. I played lacrosse in high school, but I'm also a volunteer firefighter since I've been 16. I honestly think this was my "trump card" so to speak. It set me apart. Being president of a club and raising money for charities, while great, starts to blend together when the admissions counselor reads about that fundraiser for hurricane relief for the 20th time. Firefighting took up all my time, and it was pretty much all I did.</p>
<p>
[quote]
My child's school is a very competitive and almost 25% of students make it to the Ivies (CHYMPS and other Ivies), so that is why I would like to know what type of Stats get a child into these school as I don't think all 35-40 students at my child high school have stellar ECs.
[/quote]
That's an entirely different kettle of fish. Certain high schools do have a reputation as "feeder schools" for Ivies. If such is the case, your child may have better chances than (s)he would otherwise. Normally applicants should be in the top 5% of their class.
[quote]
I've not seen the students putting up stats have normal activities as every one who post stats have done extraorinary things which doesn't seem realistics for every child.
[/quote]
CC mostly attracts the cream of the crop, even by Ivy standards. Still, the RD admit rates for HYP are ~6%, so most successful applicants <em>do</em> have extremely strong applications.</p>
<p>In</a> the meantime, this thread is required reading.</p>
<p>My son got in early to Yale with SATs of 800, 740 and 770, and no SAT II above 770, but his GPA was a little above your request -- 3.89 UW, 4.44 W. No legacy, URM, athletics, no Siemens or Intel. Don't know if this helps, though, because he's the type of student who teachers refer to as a once or twice in a lifetime student so amazing teacher recs may overcome imperfect SATs. Plus, he had significant leadership positions and had done extra work in his area of intended future study. So, the good news, you don't have to have any specific scores to get in -- the bad news, you have to stand out.</p>
<p>ParentOfIvyHope, what are your child's passions? What are the one or two things that your child is excellent at? Highlight these things on the app. A long list of extracurriculars is not attractive to a top school--you have recognized that. But winning an Olympic medal or curing cancer is not the only other alternative. If your child has a unique talent, accomplishment, experience, or interest, and is able to convey a consistent passionate message about it on the application, colleges will have a reason to choose your child. So, the best thing for a parent to do is help a child identify and develop that interest, and market it to colleges.</p>
<p>Heres an answer to a previous question as to which school i was accepted to and what my ec's were.</p>
<p>I got accepted to cornell out of state with no alumni connections and im not an athlete. I simply applied to ILR and showed interest in the program in both my essays and my ec. I didnt even plan on applying to cornell accept for the fact that the ILR program sent me something in the mail so i figured why not. I recently got accepted since ILR is rolling admissions and was completely suprised by the verdict.</p>
<p>To follow up on what Mallomar said, my son is the poster boy for finding your passion and making it work for you. He hooked into Latin and Ancient Roman History back in fifth grade and expanded on it, making it the focus of his high school ECs showing that consistent, passionate message. We didn't help him find his passion, but we supported him (by buying books, paying for classes, fronting money to go to events, driving him -- or paying to fly him -- everywhere) to make sure he could be as active as he wanted in his passion.</p>