I was rejected by all the all-expenses-paid minority fly-ins I applied to (I applied to 4). They were all for top-20 universities and I thought my stats were reasonably in range for what they wanted. I’m not a URM though (in fact, I’m Asian LOL) so was my race probably the reason I was rejected or were my essays/something else the issue? (I showed my essays to a couple people and they thought they were fine…) Thanks!
I’m curious because if the fact that I was rejected from all of them is a red flag that I’m reaching too high in regards to my actual college choices.
You may be right. The fly ins are typically for under represented groups in the applicant pool, whatever those may be. You might have had better luck applying for fly ins to LACs that have fewer Asian applicants. And you will want to make sure you have solid matches & safeties that you can afford and know you would be happy to attend outside top 20 universities.
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Race can be a factor in rejections for fly-ins, but income could also be - these fly-in programs are targeted towards individuals who otherwise would not be able to visit the college.
But remember- being rejected from a fly-in program does not mean you will be rejected from the college if you apply. Many fly-in programs take maybe 30-40 max kids, most even less. There are many more spots in the freshman class.
A number of colleges allow anyone to self-identify as minority for this sort of visit. But the app and essay are a bit of a test of interest, in themselves. They can like to know you’re already serious about and know the school. Your GC rec can also matter. These weekends accomplish a number of things for them, including working on a little geo diversity, not just URM or low SES. Lots of reasons you may not have gotten the invite.
As for whether you’re over-reaching, we don’t know your stats.
Thanks everyone, hope I have better luck in the actual admissions process!
@lookingforward , I have a 3.6 ish UW GPA with a rigorous courseload, 10+ AP classes and a 36 ACT - I live in an affluent area and go to a specialized magnet school (around 1/3 of kids get accepted to a top 20 school each year). I also have great extracurriculars (haha). None of these programs asked for a GC recommendation.