<p>Lets say there were 1400 students in one grade at a public high school.</p>
<p>If the top 20% of the students of 1400 applied to Ivy-Leagues only... Ok, only.</p>
<p>Then how many do you think would make it. The top 20% is 280 people. Now if 280 all applied to Ivy-leagues (With everyone with similiar high sat scores) </p>
<p>How many would actually get accepted?</p>
<p>My theory is that if you're not in the top 2 or 3 percent in your class, no Ivy will accept you..</p>
<p>I myself am actually in the top 20% (I know, horrible) </p>
<p>This theory has made me cry the past couple of days, and I'm a guy...
damn.</p>
<p>
[quote]
My theory is that if you're not in the top 2 or 3 percent in your class, no Ivy will accept you..
[/quote]
False theory, they obviously will not accept every person from the school but it really depends on the individual. Since it's public, you probably do need a pretty good class rank, but it really depends...*it's pretty hard to make a guess based on the info you gave, since it *depends.</p>
<p>I agree that this theory isn't sound. As Invoyable said, class rank is important, but ultimately the Ivies review their candidates holistically (as they keep telling us). There is no magic number that you should have to get into an Ivy. A person with no ECs who is the Val at their school may not get in, but someone who's 10% but has great ECs may be accepted. </p>
<p>As a lot of people say, the Ivies as a crapshoot. You can't completely predict if someone will get in or not (unless they cured cancer, wrote a bestselling novel and and raised 50K for a charity). All you can really do is get in the Ivy zone and have the basics down (good GPA, good scores, good ECs, good essays). </p>
<p>So don't worry. Just being 20% doesn't automatically disqualify you.</p>
<p>Yes, it's very unlikely that more than a couple people will get into from a regular public high school into a single Ivy, especially if we're talking about the ones toward the top of the Ivy hierarchy, like Harvard, Princeton and Yale, rather than Cornell or Brown. If you're the usual good student with good grades and good test scores but nothing unusual about yourself, I would counsel you to look for schools other than those in the Ivy League (although affirmative action can create an exception to this.)</p>
<p>Affirmative action basically encourages colleges to accept under recruited minorities (URM's) instead of a typical student (usually white or Asian). While it won't get an URM who would otherwise have no chance whatsoever at the university admitted, it can definitely be a tip factor.</p>
<p>
[quote]
This theory has made me cry the past couple of days, and I'm a guy...
damn.
<p>^Actually, I don't think colleges really count Asians as URMs because stereotypically they tend to do a lot better on tests and stuff than the rest of the country.</p>
<p>Plus, the Ivy League consists of 8 different colleges. Access into one does not guarantee acceptance in another, even if it's Harvard, Princeton, or Yale.</p>
<p>There's lots to look at, class rank is only one. Do your best on the tests, even if that means extra work on weak areas. Channel your "heart on my sleeve" self to write some amazing essays. Follow your passions in ECs and think of the big world (even bigger than the Ivies, I promise).</p>
<p>Minority but not underrepresented = Asian/Pacific Islander, Jewish, etc.</p>
<p>The other 80% are most certainly not ****ed. In fact, you might even say that some of them, such as athletes and artists, are bumped over the top.</p>
<p>Class rank matters, but class rank in the context of the school is important too. Hence, at a strong public school, top 20% or even top 50% (though the latter is a stretch) can get you into an ivy or ivy-equivalent institution, whereas the same rank at a weaker public might make second tiers a reach.</p>