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<p>Based on the description shared, the outcome appears to be both remarkable and predictable. The programs that offered acceptances are among the most prized in Texas, and reflect the focus of the schools on the high stats local students and little reward for ECs and background. At the other schools on the list, the focus is on the high stat PLUS a slew of other elements! No real surprise here! </p>
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<p>This point quoted is interesting. I would mainly disagree since one canât assume that each of the colleges, or even each of the people who read the app, have the same criteria, weighting and interest in your application given the composition of the class. So it your EC is world class Tuba player, Harvard may like that more if their top Tuba player was sidelined for a year in a freak sushi accident. </p>
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<p>Sure. Each major has different requirements and preferences and types of competition, so?</p>
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<p>This is part of the point of this thread: some students who have great stats get shut out of many schools, particularly the reaches. </p>
<p>You said that a small subset apply to reaches. </p>
<p>I donât believe that is the case, nor do I believe it is bad to apply to reaches, and just because someone applies to reaches doesnât mean that their strategy is about âseeking prestigeâ</p>
<p>Good luck with your daughterâs reach.</p>
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<p>I agree with most of your other points. But this one I have trouble with - I think there is a confirmation bias of who posts here at CC.</p>
<p>I would agree that most students (who are posting on CC about last minute panics, read my essays, help, complain, OMG: I left out a comma) do a poor job of essays and creating successful applications. But I donât believe that is the majority of top applicants (whatever that phrase means).</p>
<p>And of course, those students who do that may also be highly correlated with the same people who post back here 4 months later about their poor results. </p>
<p>At our school, most of the top students had pretty much finished the bulk of their heavy lifting of their applications by September-October. I know, that is just a random data point.</p>
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Really? Almost all students procrastinate, top students or not. You must know different teenagers than I do.
I would say students who come on CC are probably more organized than average students, and I see a lot of them scrambling in Dec.</p>
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<p>IMO, thatâs nonsenseâunless your âapplicationâ extends to the ECs they participated in and their areas of academic interest. </p>
<p>The admissions rates in the regular round were below 10% for a number of colleges. Iâd hazard a guess that at least 80% of the applicants had the basic âgoodsâ stats-wise. I sincerely doubt that 80%+ of that 80% submitted lackluster applications. </p>
<p>I actually do not believe 80% of applicants in the RD round had good enough stats. There are a lot of students who just apply as âwhy not.â I bet adcoms do not make it pass page 6 (or 5, the page where all academic stats are listed) for most of applicants. After the academic page, how good of a fit you are to school then come into play. As an example, the year D1 was applying to school, Princeton just received a huge donation to build a performing arts facility. The donor wanted the school to attract more non STEM students and few more performing arts students. If you excel in performing arts, you may have a better chance of getting in at Princeton than Stanford.</p>
<p>@ruralroute were you a Questbridge Finalist? If not, that might be an answer for all of those QB school rejections you received.</p>
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<p>A safety in terms of admission and affordability is not necessarily an inferior school. Perhaps people think of it that way because they think of college admission as acceptance into an exclusive club, where they believe that membership in a more exclusive club validates their sense of self-worth.</p>
<p>To respond to a post from Fluffy and another:</p>
<p>< March 30
A top-notch university like Georgetown or Vanderbilt probably doesnât want to accept someone for whom it is a tenth or twelfth choice.</p>
<p>But there is no way they would know that they are your tenth or twelfth choice, so it is irrelevant.></p>
<p>My understanding is that if you have to apply to Financial Aid, that colleges can see all the other colleges on the FAFSA. You could rank them alphabetically, but the admissions officers may still take a guess as to where they sit on your studentâs radar. </p>
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<p>The problem is that have the âgoodsâ stats-wise is not a proxy for avoiding a lackluster application. Even the incredibly talented (stats wise) finds a way to screw the applications! I would venture that the overwhelming majority of applications are ⊠not that great! </p>
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<p>We all have different perspectives and imperfect data points. I am amazed at the number of calls or emails I am getting from friends and family about their DS and DD who are starting in September or Octbver, have to scramble to get a SAT or ACT in, have forgotten to request LORs with plenty of notice, and who barely get the application in a few minutes before the deadline. </p>
<p>And my perspective might be biased as I have steadfastly ârecommendedâ that EVERITHING should be done by the start of the senior year, safe and except a last effort for the SAT or ACT in the Fall if it is absolutely necessary. A good yardstick is offered by the application for Questbridge. Everyone should be looking at THAT deadline and not the one offered by the schools. </p>
<p>In so many words, 11 years of middle to high school should be summarized during the summer between junior and senior year. And there are few reasons why one should wait for the Fall or Winter. </p>
<p>Absolutely true, xiggi. </p>
<p>It kills me to see kids procrastinate on something this important. </p>
<p>I completely agree with oldfortâs post #âŠoh wait, there are none. 
I agree with oldfortâs post made at 3:29 p.m.I believe that many students have the attitude âOh, Iâll just throw in an application to HYP. Somebody has to get in. Maybe it will be me.â At least theyâll be able to say they applied to HYP. No way do I think that half the students who apply make it past the first 5 minutes of a readerâs time.</p>
<p>@Picapole - I was told that the no school can see the list of all the schools you apply to on FAFSA.</p>
<p>@LanaHere. False at the majority of colleges. Most colleges keep admission and financial aid separate and neither know nor care where else you applied.</p>
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<p>@ridethewave is absolutely correct. Your snarky comment about taking stats should be directed at yourself. The odds ridethewave calculated donât suggest that one decision is dependent on the outcome of the previous decisions. Rather, the calculation determines the likelihood that the same decision happens every time. Completely different, and the calcs are right.</p>
<p>This kind of calculation is the same type one would use to determine how likely it would be to roll 10 straight sixes in dice. Yes, crapshootâŠ</p>
<p>What I was trying to say was You can;t compare to rolling the dice multiple times. You are rolling exactly the same way ( same student). Its like you are rolling the dice with the exactly same velocity trajectory air resistance, temperature ectâŠ</p>
<p>Why do you think so many people get multiple acceptances to Ivyâs with what people say are the âworseâ stats. Their dice had the proper spin, speed and all that. Your chance of getting into any Ivy is the acceptance rate, hitting your head each time the same way will elicit the same painâŠdelivering the same student to each school will get a rejection just the same</p>
<p>Ivy league schools are not worth it. </p>
<p>You didnât apply to any safeties⊠Community College would be an insult to your intelligence and not going to college would be even worse. All hope is not lost though. I did get an email from University of Kansas saying that I could apply without a rec letter or recommendation so there is still a chance that you can go to a 4 year institute even if it isnât your dream schools. If I were you Iâd consider checking your emails and seeing if you could still apply somewhere. Heck, Iâd probably be calling a bunch of the smaller 4 year institutions to see if I could get in somewhere. (I listed my email from Kansas because iâm assuming theyâre still looking for people if they sent me that email. Itâs a decent school so Iâd call.) Also, Iâd assume that rolling admission schools are still looking for students in general. You donât have to go to an IVYâŠ</p>