My daughter was denied. She does have lots of other options, but I can not help but wonder if there was a mistake.
ACT: 35 (36 Eng, 36 Reading, 35 Science, 34 math)
gpa weighted 4.14
gpa unweighted 3.9
will graduate with 9 AP’s, most scored 3 and 4 (on3 5)
Varsity sports 4 year
involved with lots of EC
Applied for Engineering Major (took complete engineering coursework offered at HS, 3 years)
White female
Large Competitive Atlanta Suburb Public school
National Merit Commended
The only downfalls I can think of are:
Jr year, she made a B in Calc AB
She will graduate with only 9 AP’s, and I think the higher ranked students took more than 9 AP and/or dual enrollment classes
her class rank is 12%
Thoughts? Once she scored her 35 ACT, we thought that Tech was kind of a “safe” school for her (she previous ACT scores were 32 and 33, super score was 33). Could she re-submit her application for another major? any other ideas?
That’s very odd for an in state student. For OOS it makes sense but for in state the only explanation I can think of is not trying on the why Georgia Tech questions.
As an instate girl with such high stats looking at mat sci, I would ask your GC what he or she thinks is going on. Does your HS have a good relationship with your instate universities? (I would hope so). Does your DD actually want to attend though? No chance she didn’t apply all in? The application looked OK? Again, your GC should be able to help. This was EA and you had Harvard as SCEA? Is that correct?
If your daughter would really like to attend Tech, she can always reach out to the admissions counselor that handles her school, although maybe wait a few days as I’m sure they will be swamped this week. It probably won’t change anything, but at least then you will know that you truly did all you could to confirm there wasn’t some sort of error.
As an in-state applicant with strong test scores, it was likely either an issue with grades/rigor or something really amiss in the essays. I think something in the essays is most likely, since even with the B in calculus, a 3.9 unweighted GPA with 9 AP classes doesn’t raise any red flags and is definitely in range. Given that she is in-state and has also been involved in her school/community (although you don’t mention if she had any leadership roles?), I would certainly have expected this profile to yield a deferral rather than being denied. The essays really do matter. Fortunately, if she really wants to attend Tech, there are several pathway programs available to in-state students that would allow her to take courses elsewhere and transfer into Tech in a year or two, although I know that’s likely not an ideal solution for someone who has done as well as your daughter in high school.
They use a holistic admissions process and the overall admit rate for in state students was only 45%. Maybe the admit rate for her chosen school or major was even lower.
No one here can see into the crystal ball to view her recs, her essays, her community service, or what ran through the minds of the application readers.
Sorry, but people get disappointed by Georgia Tech admission results every year. It’s much more competitive than one would expect. It has an odd niche to fill as an unassuming public school that happens to be world class in many fields. I’d check with your counselor, then move on and find another school to fall in love with. Only being top 12% of your class may have hurt. How many APs are offered? Also, scoring mostly 3s and 4s on AP exams may have hurt. I’m not sure how much attention GT pays to this stuff. I’m just trying to point out some of the inconsistencies in an otherwise strong application.
Getting rejected from 40% accept rate and 25% defer rate is kind of surprise for an ACT 35 student. As a parent, you may ask your daughter to show her common application essay and Georgia tech questions, there are only two 150 word short answers there. Maybe the application show too many other interest except Engineering. You may be able to check the recommendations, or ask her recommenders about it.
What has been done is done, better focus on next school or opportunity. Just re-exam your daughter‘s application and try another in state school.
Given that you’re in-state, i believe there are 3 possibilities:
a mistake. This is relatively easy for your guidance counselor to confirm on tuesday.
the major. Tech’s material science program is in the top 5 in the country (and top 2 or 3 in the grad program). They may literally have rejected hundreds of great candidates with similar stats.
something unknown. All of these will make you feel paranoid but…poor essays without much thought? a teacher recommendation that wasn’t a recommendation? I don’t know but it’s worth reviewing…not getting a deferral is what would most concern me.
your D sounds very smart and she will send up somewhere great.
The key is acting fast for some Jan 15 deadline schools. Just exam the common application and essay with your daughter, send the application by the deadline. Call the college asking extension for other application materials. You can try to find out the reason of rejection later.
@droppedit Something negative or even just lukewarm in rec letters can be the culprit, too. I agree that having the GC go over the app for anything that maybe should be tweaked is a good idea.
Thank you all for the helpful replies. I will contact her guidance counselor to see if there is anything amiss. In all honestly the things that you guys mentioned (maybe average essays, lack of math and science leadership EC, 3’s and 4’s on many science AP exams, and many students from her HS were accepted) were probably contributors to her her denial… It’s still “shocking”, but as her mom I was probably expecting the 35 ACT to pull more weight than it did. Thank you again for the explainations and helping me speculate. This input is very helpful as I try to wrap my head around this decision and to help me guide her and my other kids when there reach this stage.
@sweetest, all the best to you and to your D. This process can be brutal. I hope she does not take this too hard and I’m glad she has other options. She’s a smart girl and will do well wherever she lands.
@sweetest First, I want to tell you that I am sorry that your DD was denied by GT. I know it must be disappointing but as a parent who has been there before, trust me it does work out and your DD will be accepted to a college that is the right fit for her. Be sad for a day or two and then help her and yourself to move on and focus on her other applications and colleges.
Your DD cannot resubmit her application for another major. I also would not have her or you contact the GT admissions office. Instead if you want to pursue this further, have her high school guidance counselor contact the admissions office. It has been my experience that if an admissions officer is going to tell what was lacking in an applicant, they are more likely to do so to a high school guidance counselor than an applicant or parent.
As a parent of a current GT 4th year female, and I who work in assisting middle class and underserved high school students with the college admissions process and I have been the parent rep at admitted student events in my area for the past few year, I have some ideas to share why your DD was denied. Again these are not definitive reasons but possibilities.
GT has gotten a lot more competitive in the last 4 years- It is an affordable option that provides a world-class education in many fields in a great city with all the attractions of a complete college experience (sports, greek, travel etc.). Switching to the Common App four years completely changed the admissions game at GT. During our first visit to GT in 2012, the admission rep told my DD to "for sure apply EA because the acceptance rate 70%." When it came time for my DD to apply, GT had switched to the Common App for the first time, the number of applications increased exponentially (37%) and the EA acceptance rate dropped to 40%. Now four years later, the number of applicants is even greater and the EA acceptance rate has dropped even further to 26%.
When an admit rate is 25% or less, a student and their parents have to understand that grades and test score do not guarantee admission and that the particular college is a reach for all applicants other than signed athletes. This means that a student understands admissions situation is a "chance" and that there should be no surprise if they are not accepted. If GT accepted just the top 10% of high school students in Georgia public schools, it would be over-accepted by 5K. If you look at other students who were deferred or denied in this round of EA, you will find many students with similar stats to your DD. There simply isn't enough spaces for all qualified applicants.
By the way, a school with GT’s admit rate is never a “safety” for a student. To be a true safety, the acceptance rate has to either be high like over 70% or the applicant’s stats are better than 75% of the applicants. Your DD’s do not fall in that category and GT’s rate means it is a safety for no one. Moreover GT had a higher than expected yield last year (means more said “yes”) so that means they had to downshift the acceptance rate this year and potentially rely on their waitlists this summer
When a college has application and acceptance numbers like GT, the margins come more into play. By margins I mean, the essays, recommendations, EC's, Community Service, demonstrated interest, the student's potential, what the student wants to contribute to the college and most importantly does the student "fit" within the college's mission statement. These aspects I think students fail to really look at when completing their applications but it is particularly important at a college like Georgia Tech. Rick Clark, GT's admission director, in my experience is very transparent about GT's admission process and the kind of student GT looks for. He writes a lot about it and gives a lot of interviews. Did you or your DD read his admission blog? Did you look at GT's mission statement? When my DD was applying (as well as when my students apply), I had her read everything out there about GT's admission process. I had her make sure her essays and the way she presented her community service and EC's fit within the kind of student GT was looking for. She also shared a interview Rick Clark did with her recommenders so that their letters hit upon the same themes Rick Clark said he wanted in a student.
In a 2013 interview for the “College Admission Book,” Rick Clark said that “In simple terms, we want kids who will really be missed by their school or community when they’re gone. Those are the students who bring depth to classroom discussion, build and augment our campus environment, and make the experience of those around them more rich and meaningful.” I recommend you read the rest of the interview because I think it does a really good job of explaining what is important to GT in the admissions process and you can see if your DD communicated those factors in her application. http://collegeadmissionbook.com/blog/rick-clark-director-admission-georgia-institute-technology IMy DD’s recommenders talked about what they would miss when my DD was no longer at their high school, my DD talked about what she does at her high school and community and how she hoped to bring those experiences to GT and contribute in specific ways to GT through specific ideas. In my experience too many times students write too generically when they really need to look at the college’s mission and see if they fit within the type of student they are looking for. At GT the motto of progress and service is extremely important so I always make sure my students give specific examples that fit within those themes. Look at their admission blog for other ideas. Lots of colleges write blogs about the kind of student that gets them excited. Make sure your DD gives them something to be excited about other than her numbers. In fact, I am sad to tell you that Rick Clark says this standardized test scores “It’s not about one Saturday but a body of work, of which testing is one component. We place much more emphasis on four years of academic and extracurricular achievement than we do four hours on a test.We look significantly at extracurricular involvement and a student’s writing. From a writing standpoint we hope to really get a sense of a student’s voice.”
CC says my post is too long so I will post it in two segments.