So, I know all these colleges say it isn’t all about the numbers… Just wondering if anyone out there knows of anyone who was rejected by Stanford despite having perfect numbers? Can they / do they actually reject applicants with a perfect ACT and a better than perfect GPA? (Assuming that everything else (ECs) is at least decent.). The application process just seems so daunting knowing the acceptance rate!
It is called holistic admissions. The “perfect” numbered applicant wasn’t “perfect” in other areas.
D had a 36 ACT and strong but not perfect GPA and she was rejected REA. If you look at Parchment or other websites that profile students admitted to Stanford, you’ll see a fairly broad cross section of GPAs and test scores represented. At the level of a Stanford, a very top LAC or the Ivy League, perfect scores alone don’t guarantee anything. ECs, recommendations, essays, and the where the student attended high school become important factors. Students often think that since you need high test scores or grades to be admitted that the better the test scores the better the chances. Above a certain point test scores are not a meaningful differentiator
Every year this site has people posting that they were rejected with similar if not better stats (e.g. throw in some amazing ECs on top of perfect grads and test scores). That is true for Stanford as well as many other top colleges.
Heck, there was an IOI (international olympia informatics - a top competition for programming) medalist who was rejected by MIT.
Of course some with “perfect” stats are rejected. If they weren’t the whole class would be filled with students with “perfect” stats and anyone with anything less would never have a chance.
Yes. It happens every year, not only with Stanford, but also the rest of HYPM.
Deans at all the top schools seem to relish the ‘fun facts’ part of the convocation where they announce that they’ve rejected boatloads of 4.0s with perfect or near perfect test scores. For some reason, this is supposed to make you feel special. Or maybe it’s gratifying to them after their own lackluster performances in high school. Then they like to tell you how many states they have students from - usually everywhere but South Dakota, where the students are apparently too smart to play this game and don’t bother to apply.
88% of the applicants with a perfect SAT CR score of 800…get rejected.
91% of those with a perfect SAT Math…get rejected.
86% of the perfect writing scores…get rejected.
93% of the applicants with a 4.0 gpa…get rejected.
Brown’s published stats mention rejecting 76% of applicants with a perfect ACT, most of which probably also have a 4.0+ GPA. I’d expect Stanford’s rejection rate to be even higher. Most of the members of the decisions threads who fit this description seem to be rejected. An example from this year’s applicants is at http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/17866899/#Comment_17866899 . He had a perfect 2400 SAT, perfect 800s on all SAT 2s, a perfect 36 ACT, a perfect 4.0 UW GPA while taking advanced courses beyond AP, perfect 5s on all APs, and ECs that were impressive on beyond just a HS level. He was rejected.
I was at an info session for Harvey Mudd where the admissions officer said that she only looks at grades and test scores as a threshold. Can the student do the work, yes or no. If the grades and test scores are high enough, she moves on to the rest of the application. Past a specific point, increased scores and grades don’t matter for some schools.