After reading hundreds of “What are my chances” threads, I can’t help but wonder why many people are so dogmatic. They insist top schools, like Ivies, are unattainable to just about anyone except students with perfect 2400’s and Nobel Peace Prizes. (semi joking).
But what is the truth?
I hear stories all the time about students getting admitted to prestigious schools with slightly lower GPA’s and test scores. Is it truly possible to get admitted into a high-reach school or is it not worth the time and effort to apply?
I have above average stats, as do many others, but based on what others believe, I should refocus toward schools with 90% acceptance rates. Where is the line between telling someone that they should not bother attempting to apply to their dream school and telling someone to go for it + take the risk? Can a well-rounded student with moderately high scores be admitted holistically? Thoughts?
This is a general question regarding all college applicants. I am not interested in my own chances.
Your other post indicates 3.71 HS GPA (unweighted), 33 ACT, California resident, low income, intended computer science major.
You should apply widely to UCs and CSUs, since many of them are good for CS majors, and have generally good in-state financial aid. Check their net price calculators on their web sites for estimates.
You can also try for the highly selective private schools with good financial aid (check their net price calculators), but many of these will be high reach schools due to the high volume of 4.0 HS GPA applicants with higher test scores that yours and high levels of extracurricular achievement.
If you live in a single parent household, but your other parent is alive, be aware that many good-financial-aid private schools (other than Chicago) require both parents’ financial information, so if your other parent is uncooperative (or is wealthy but won’t pay), then you will not get enough financial aid from such schools. UCs and CSUs only consider the finances of the parent you live with.
Out-of-state publics except Virginia and North Carolina - Chapel Hill will not give good financial aid to out-of-state students (you can check their net price calculators for the bad news), but some do give large merit scholarships as listed in http://automaticfulltuition.yolasite.com/ and http://competitivefulltuition.yolasite.com/ (these lists also include some private schools).
There are a couple thousand students admitted to each class. The number of students with “lower” scores are exceedingly small. Moreover, no one outside of the admissions office knows why a particular student got admitted. But, even if there were only a single handful, that wouldn’t stop the stories from being generated a little and passed around A LOT.
There is a wide expanse of schools between the Ivies and “90% acceptance rates” and no one is stopping you from applying to any of them.
So, take the “risk” and let us know how it turned out.
On what threads are parents suggesting that kids with 30+ ACT scores need to focus on colleges with acceptance rates of 90%?
Anybody with time and money can apply to as many selective schools as they want. If your parents are willing to pay the fees to send applications and test scores, then apply away. Just make sure you have academic and financial safeties on your list. Schools do not have to have acceptance rates of ~90% to be considered safeties, but you can use them if you want. Keep in mind that one of the important features of a safety is your willingness to attend if nothing else works out.
You have to have something special. Weakness relative to the rest of the applicant pool on one measure can be overcome if you have something else that is special. One of my kids had only a 3.7 UW GPA, but a 2380 SAT super score, 800s on Lit & Math II subject tests, and some significant accomplishments in academically oriented ECs. Combined with recs that I am pretty sure painted her as a true intellectual, she got in everyplace she applied, including UChicago EA with some merit aid, Swarthmore, Mudd, Carleton, and several other schools with good merit aid. But too many students who are solid but have nothing that stands out want to go to the very top schools. You gotta have some things that “pop” in your application to get into the most competitive schools.
Every year the top schools welcome their students with a speech that includes some reference to the fact that they could have rejected every freshman sitting in the audience and accepted the next 2,000 or so students in the applicant pool and the class would have been just as competitive academically. They then mention that they rejected thousands of 4.0s and even a considerable number of students with 2300s. (But they all want that one top student applying from South Dakota for some reason. Something about having a rep from every state - who knows why?) Then they massage egos a bit by talking up how ‘special’ this group is. The ‘specialness’ apparently relates to some unique aspect of their application that wowed them - a compelling life story, amazing ECs, unique perspective. (And of course, large donor checks, but that also doesn’t get a mention.)
So, in answer to your question, high but not perfect stats are the starting point. After that, it’s making a jaded admissions officer sit up and take notice - even if you have to move to South Dakota. (No insult to South Dakotans, by the way, whom I assume are just too smart to get caught up in this rat race for prestige and therefore don’t bother applying to these schools.)
“Can a well-rounded student with moderately high scores be admitted holistically?”
Yes. My daughter was the dreaded well-rounded kid with high stats but no big “wow” factor ECs or awards. She was admitted to some highly selective schools, and rejected at some as well. We were very careful to craft her list to include match and safety schools along with her reach schools. It’s worth the time and effort to apply to reach schools if the student is interested, but it’s very very important to go in with eyes wide open and applications to match and safety schools as well.