As I surf this forum, I see posts by high schoolers who say they want to apply to Ivy League schools, MIT, Caltech, Stanford, etc. I also see their application stats, and I’m stunned and somewhat discouraged by them.
Is it just me, or is it insane that students with 1600s, 5s on APs, >4.0 GPAs, work experience, musical ability, athletic ability and tons of extra curriculars (all one person, mind you) actually DOUBT their chances to be accepted to top colleges?
Is it <em>that</em> difficult to get accepted to colleges like those above?
I am one of the smarter students at my high school, but I feel like I’m going to be near the very bottom of MIT’s, Caltech’s and Harvey Mudd’s applicant pools. AHH! (lol) Is it wiser to save the application fee money instead of trying to compete with top schools’ applicants’ calibres, and instead apply to schools where you have a 10% chance instead of a .01% chance? I mean, if you’re not one of those freaks (in a good way) described above.
Thanks for listening to my venting…and maybe replying too.
<p>It's all about standing out from the rest. Test scores, GPA's and EC's don't mean anything if you write a bad essay. They'll just skim through the first pargraph, put you in the "Rejected" pile, concluding that you're just like the other 1000's of students with similiar stats and no personality. </p>
<p>Recommendations also help, since they basically back up your credentials and convey what you can bring to the school you're applying to.</p>
<p>Don't be intimidated. Apply to everything and see how it goes. I have a friend who got great SAT scores (somewhere in the 700-800 range) and spoke 5 languages. He applied to Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Williams, Swarthmore, etc., but he got rejected from most LAC's, whereas he got accepted by Harvard and Yale. Colleges look for different things in their applicants, so you have to do research and find out what that "wow" factor is.</p>
<p>I'm getting the vibe that the essay(s) are the deciding factor.</p>
<p>Would an outstanding essay still make someone stand out if his/her numbers are less-than-stellar? In other words, is there a lower limit of SATs/GPA/etc. for which essay(s) cannot compensate?</p>
<p>I don't know when the admissions dept began to think in terms of "community" but at most top schools this is what the objective is. The admissions dept is doing its own sociological lab work. It's very pc. If you get admitted, they track your involvement, your grades, the impact you have on the school and then they quantify your hs for its preparation of its students for future admission decisions.
You also have to realize that the adm dept is receiving 20k apps. In terms of time limitations that doesn't help to get a thorough review or time to be sympathetic.
Even if you have the grades, the scores, the recs, the ecs you have to realize that it is the lottery system. You are a bright kid but the quota has been reached on the tuba playing, highland fling dancing, retro beat poetess for the class of 2010.</p>
<p>There is but it's not a hard edge. Look at the admit stats, those give you the middle 50 percent of the students admitted scores range. If you are within that and have something to set you apart you have a chance. How big a chance depends on where in the range your scores fall and what your distinction is. D wasn't interested in ivies but did apply to a number of LACs. Since she didn't have anything dramatic to set her apart she picked schools where she was right at the top or a little above the top of the range as matches and ones where she was closer to the middle as reaches. Her essay was good enough that her AP Lit teacher saved it as an example for next year's students. I wouldn't count on the essay to compensate for low numbers. I think that would take something more dramatic, coming from an inner city school, running a business, statewide leadership etc.</p>
<p>It's not at all just about the essay, stats matter!!Yes, it really is that har, but only at about 15 schools. At the top 15, you'll need great stats to be in the running and then a great essay vecause all the real contenders have great stats.</p>
<p>In 2003, there were about 760 people nationwide with a 1600. Of these, about 500 applied to Harvard and less than 300 were accepted. </p>
<p>After you reach a certain point academically, they don't split hairs. A 1600 is not going to get you in before somebody with a 1550 who looks like a better overall candidate based on personal interests and EC's.</p>
<p>The mistake that so many people make on CC is that they heard that good EC's will overcome less than perfect SAT scores. They think that good EC's means being student council president, and the less than perfect SAT scores means 1450.</p>
<p>This is off topic for this thread, but someone mentioned the SAT ranges. The 50% SAT ranges represent everyone admitted to the college. URM's, legacies, athletes, and a few other groups typically have statistically lower SAT scores than the general pool. (These groups can represent 40% of the general pool.)</p>
<p>Another mistake that some applicants make is to think that because they are inside the 50% range, they have a real chance. If you are a non-URM, non-legacy, and non-athlete, you need to be near the top of the 50% range before the school is a match for you. If the range is 1300-1500, then you need around a 1450. The hooked groups can afford to be lower. This doesn't mean that you can't apply with less and still be accepted. It just means that the school is a reach instead of a match. Go ahead and apply. Most people are accepted to at least one reach school.</p>