"Stop the haters"~ Ivy Acceptances with VERY low SAT

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Yes, the title of this thread is slightly deceiving and I have been going back and forth about writing this for several weeks but the part of me that wants to seems to be winning. </p>

<p>Anyway, like most of the class of 2013, my college application process started in the fall. And like most of you I was optimistic and thrilled to be entering the next stage in my life. I have been an avid Stanford fan since I was old enough to understand what Stanford was. Needless to say I applied early and eagerly waited on the eve of December 14th 2012 for decisions to be released: rejected. I don't think words can describe the feeling I felt. This lofty idea, this dream of mine shattered by the simple words plastered to that letter (or email rather). Thing is, I knew exactly why I was rejected. I took not one AP class in high school, got a C and two Bs freshman year and... here is the whammy: 1750 SAT score! </p>

<p>That's when my addiction to College Confidential began to fester. I never posted anything until this out of fear. Basically for months I read "Chance Me" threads for hours and continually watched as one 2200 SAT was told after another that they needed a score or watched as yet another kid with 5 AP classes lacked rigor. The hours I spent with a stomach ache watching my dreams sink lower was absolutely enumerable. </p>

<p>After my Stanford rejection I applied to a bunch of safeties (to all of which I was accepted) but being an over-zealous senior I had already filled out four ivy league apps prior to my Stanford disaster. It goes without saying my ivy chances looked to be slim to none.</p>

<p>Then March 28th, 2013 rolled around. Like thousands of other senior I spend the morning waiting until 2pm (california time) plastered to my computer screen anxiously counting down the minutes. Then it came, a day I will never forget, the second chance I'd never think I'd have: ACCEPTED! Accepted into Cornell, Yale and Harvard (rejected from Dartmouth, if anyone was wondering)!!! I am absolutely over the moon happy but that is not the point. </p>

<p>You are probably asking yourself was she a URM, first gen, a martian? Nope. I am white, female, middle class from california. As average as it gets.</p>

<p>So who am I? I more than my numbers. I am strange. I have been pursuing the same ECs since I was six years old, I am the best in the nation, I spent my summer flying overseas speaking at conferences. I am odd, I am different. Very few people would even understand what I do. Others would call me crazy. </p>

<p>The point of this post, after months of not posting a thing, is simple. I know you juniors will post "chance me" threads come the fall, I know you will stew over your SATs and grades wishing you could just change one thing. This threads are a wonderful way to kill time but don't let them get you down. To younger students I cannot stress enough: be yourself. What gives you a spark? What makes you happy? What ignites you with passion? Latch onto it and fight for it. Be the person YOU want to be, don't become obsessed with AP courses and test scores, don't let yourself be defined by superficial integers. Be you. And best of luck!</p>

2

<p>More info on your ECs are appreciated</p>

3

<p>Well, yeah, if your ECs are extraordinary, that’s almost like a hook. However, the number of students who have such exceptional ECs are rare.</p>

<p>That’s why people focus on scores; they actually are a fairly good indicator of what colleges you should apply to, unless you have something else that makes you stand out, which you had.</p>

4

<p>IVYs are holistic afterall.</p>

5

<p>Congratulations, Stuckinsparkle! I suspect that you wrote an essay that made some weary admissions folks sit up and say, “Yes!,” amid a parade of perfect-ly repetitive candidates. After going through this process with my son, I could design the perfect plan for my soon-to-be high school daughter. But, the advice I have finally arrived at is for her to decide early what her service and ECs will be and then COMMIT! BUT…only do things she loves to do because, in the end, she still may not get where she wants to get, but she will not have felt that she wasted her time. And, let’s face it, it’s the passion that separates one from the crowd.
Thanks for your positive post. I will share it with my daughter. I suspect that, someday, Stanford will regret its decision.</p>

6

<p>I hope this is true, since my freshman year sounds just like his</p>

7

<p>@pinkbulldog thanks for the positive feedback. I am still bummed at about Stanford but I’m just happy it worked out and I really do think dedication to one thing is the best way to go. Love. Passion. Drive</p>

<p>My ECs are truly very complex and would take pages to explain and the sentiment of my post was not to gloat them but rather to dispel the absolute importance of SATs and APs.</p>

8

<p>hmm can you briefly explain what you did?</p>

9

<p>Congrats, that is extremely impressive! But you have to remember that most people on CC have more typical ECs. You where essentially a hooked applicant by having such a fantastic EC (based on your brief description), giving you a chance even with your SAT score.</p>

10

<p>Okay, you pretty much have to tell us; what’re your ECs?</p>

11

<p>Tis makes me feel better since I have two decade long ECs as well, though, I am not the best in the nation.</p>

12

<p>You should be able to explain your EC’s in a few words?</p>

13

<p>Ehh… in what reality are activities so convoluted that you can’t write them down?</p>

14

<p>I always feel a little wary about advice like this based on how many people will interpret it. Sure, who wouldn’t agree with “being yourself” and “pursuing your passions” and whatnot. For people that are curious about this sort of thing as far as getting into college, I would stress that it may not be the best idea to make it your sole focus like the OP.</p>

<p>The vast majority of colleges don’t care at all about ECs, so as long as you have a strong focus on classes and test scores you can get into a very solid school. Definitely nothing wrong with that. </p>

<p>For the ‘upper echelon’ of colleges that place a good deal of weight on ECs and personal talents/interests, it may not pay off the way you hoped. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t pursue your passions or be less number-obsessive, however most of us won’t reach the level of accomplishment like the OP. All you’d really be stuck with is a subpar high school record and low test scores, which will almost always guarantee rejection. </p>

<p>There are extremely rare exceptions like the OP, so I’d def be cautious about sacrificing focus in ‘typical’ schoolwork. Deciding to not take AP classes or not trying to raise your SAT score and such are not good choices in my opinion. Like my Penn interviewer said, you have to be able to “sell yourself” to the adcoms to a certain extent and this is first and foremost done through raw stats. </p>

<p>There is nothing wrong with molding oneself into a typical student or to present oneself as a ‘strong number’ before pursuing anything else. This will almost always prove much more advantageous than the opposite, even for many students at institutions like Harvard or Stanford. Otherwise, you’ll almost certainly be setting yourself up for disappointment.</p>

<p>(P.S. God help me if this is a ■■■■■. God help us all.)</p>

15

<p>If OP is telling the truth, It’s really not an inspirational story if you have solid, exceptional E.C.'s since you were 6 years old. These can easily make up for a lack of high school stats, as most applicants are not fortunate to have such an activity path. But nonetheless, Congratz to you!</p>

16

<p>So the take away from this is, in order to get into the Ivies, you must be one of the best (at something important) in the nation. Unlike the OP, many of us don’t have anything we are the best at, so we resort to working on top grades.
Congratulations on getting into such good schools, I wish you good luck.</p>

17

<p>Until OP clarifies what she means by “best in the nation”, I’m taking this whole thread with a grain of salt. Honestly sounds too obscure and abstract to be real. Sounds like a load of bull**** tbh.</p>

18

<p>It is probably easier to study hard and have high test scores than be best in the nation.</p>

19

<p>LOL notice how she didn’t reply to anything</p>

20

<p>Yeah that probably didn’t happen. Your EC’s may be good but why would a college admit someone who had very average scores and didn’t really challenge themselves in high school. College is after all academics mixed with extra curriculars (with extra emphasis on academics). Sounds like a fabricated plot straight out of the movie “Admission” to me</p>