"And in fact, for that SAT, it put her in the 99th percentile. " @lindagaf, You’re doing it again. Ok, she was in the 99th perentile–of 1.7 million students. So, along with 17,000 other students who took the SAT, plus maybe another 10,000 students who took only the ACT.
@Undecided3494 , I don’t think you are an “average” excellent student:-) Great job, and well done. I wish you success.
Not to flog a dead horse, but when many people are first getting started with the whole college thing, they just don’t understand how holistic admissions work. I didn’t, and that’s why I wrote this post, so that I could try and give a little insight to people who are getting started. If even one person benefits from our experience, that is great. It’s all well and good for me to have thought “wow, she scored in the 99th percentile. She has a chance.” The 99th percentile is pretty good. Like many people, I didn’t think about the actual numbers of humans, and I just didn’t understand how many really spectacular students there are in this country. At least she didn’t do anything really silly, like apply to all the Top 20 colleges and no safeties. My D is very happy with how it has played out, and that is all that matters to me.
@mathyone, what’s up? No need to attack me, I am trying to show how naive I was with the process. I have fully acknowledged my ignorance. Again, this is about lessons learned.
Just for reference, here’s some info from the admissions page of Princeton. I suspect most top schools have a similar admissions profile even if they don’t break it down. You can see that the admission rate for kids close to the top of the 99 percentile is substantially higher than the rate for those lower down. One must also consider that athletic recruits have on average lower scores.
PERCENTAGE OF APPLICANTS ACCEPTED BY SAT RANGE SAT SCORES % ACCEPTED
2300-2400 14.5
2100-2290 8.1
1900-2090 5.2
1700-1890 2.1
1500-1690 0.3
Below 1500 0
No SAT Scores 5.9
@LIndagaf, Contrary to what you keep saying, I am not attacking you, I am just pointing out that looking more carefully at the scoring info provided by the college board and the admissions info provided by colleges would be helpful to students trying to assess their chances. There are plenty of students on here who got a 2400 and are shocked not to get into Princeton, but if they looked at that chart maybe they would not be so shocked.
@mathyone are you trying to add something to the discussion or just prove you can do more test score research than the average high school parent?
So the accept rate for 2300+ at Princeton was 14% rather than 8% for 2100-2290. How on earth is that information useful to a HS student?
Well, just a few posts back @HRSmom asserted “Yes, there are 20k kids with their score, but there is little difference in a 2200 and 2400”. Look at the numbers from Princeton. I think I’m done being attacked here. Carry on.
^ IMO that’s little difference, the vast majority of both groups aren’t getting in.
I actually like the chart, because it makes the breakdown really stark and specific. I knew the odds generically, but have rarely seen it spelled out like that. For some, that’s clearer than all the discussion in the world. In combination, it’s all hugely instructive. (In fact, I’ve shared this thread with several people I thought needed to read it – not sure they actually have, though, sigh.)
@mathyone of course we looked at all that stuff. And my D was totally not shocked that she didn’t get into her dream schools, because by March 31, we were totally aware of reality. In fact, she would have been a million times more shocked if she had got in. But when kids are first starting out, and not having all the knowledge that we have now, it was more like this: “hey, 8% of kids in your test range get admitted, so maybe you have a chance.” Note that the word chance was always emphasized.
I think many people do not understand just how important ECs are at the very top level. We didn’t, then. Now we do. The previous poster, Undecided, is by no means average. Captain of 3 varsity sports, 96 UW GPA, and 35 on the ACT is not average by anyone’s book. That student is exceptional, IMO.
I’m going to add that a key piece of info is the track record of your high school. There is the saying that past results don’t predict future returns, but in the college game it kind of does. Look at naviance and how many students get into top colleges from your school each year. @Lindagaf makes the point that it is almost impossible for a white girl to get into a school with an acceptance rate below 20% without a hook. But certain high schools are hooks with certain schools, so do your research there.
@hebegebe I was actually admitted to two programs Case Western PPSP and Union College/AMC and chose Union/AMC since that allows me to earn an MBA in healthcare management. The program also allows me to study American history along with my bio major, and it also pays for a term abroad.
From what I have been reading lately, you have do some amazing things extracurricularly, have great stats, a compelling story and it helps to be a minority or have parents who never went to college in order to get into a top school. It also probably helps if you come from an underrepresented state such as South Dakota. It’s not good enough to have great stats, be a member of the Key Club and play on a team unless you’re a star and recruitable. Knowing all this, makes the lower tier colleges seem more desirable. Is the stress of trying to be perfect worth a tier 1 college? With a younger high schooler, I am always thinking that she needs to do something above and beyond to have a shot at a great school. That puts a lot of pressure on me. Maybe she wants to write for the newspaper, but not necessarily be the editor in chief. That should be good enough.Just venting.
And that’s OK. Plenty of options out there, and guess what … all those fabulous kids not getting into 'top" schools have the option of attending an assortment of other terrific schools that are out there but somehow don’t get the same kind of play in the public imagination. These kids are all going to be FINE so long as they stay realistic. It makes me sad when kids turn themselves inside out to meet some impossible standard out of some misguided notion they need to get into a tippy top school to have a good life. They really don’t. And the lucky ones who do get in don’t necessarily thrive there. Some do, some don’t. It’s not a golden ticket to anything.
Sorry if I’ve overlooked this (which is likely, given the size of this thread) but I’m wondering what the grades and scores were for the OP’s kid. I found her list and her outcomes but can’t find that piece of information and would like to understand it better. Thanks!
Post #290, @GossamerWings . Read the discussion that follows it. BTW, I am the OP.
A good friend’s daughter had very high grades and very high scores, but did nothing at the school. She was very into opera singing and did performances for a company outside of school, but that was it. She applied to a bunch of ivies and then a few schools that were linked to conservatories in the hope that she could do a dual degree. I tried to tell my friend that her D was lacking in extracurricular stuff and she didn’t really want to hear it. At any rate, the kid was rejected from the ivies, accepted at Oberlin and Kenyon, and ended up at Oberlin (but did not get into the conservatory). She did fine there and it was probably a good fit for her.
Yeah, my kid will be slumming it at Kenyon, lol!
@Lindagaf: Kenyon. Great decision! Time to breathe.
I want to add a small point to this discussion, and that’s the possible role of the interviews as a make-or-break or decision point for the applicants who may look superb by the numbers and broader credentials.
Only one of the colleges my son applied to had an alumni interviewer meet with him. And that young man was a very opinionated fellow. No rapport at all with my son. Not that it was a critical point – we don’t know – but it certainly didn’t help. I could tell in the debriefing right after the interview. The guy was comparing my son with others who had (already) gone to H. Said he had contacted teachers at the school. And in his opinion my boy didn’t match up. In fact, I knew one of those others (and his parents) personally, and he’s a fine man of accomplishment. But to the extent this alumni interviewer played any role in my son’s admission decision, it was a negative.
It’s a matter of fact at the present time that there are roughly a half-dozen graduates from this public high school ever who are widely known nationally for accomplishments in one realm or another. My son is one of them. Another is a founder of a major tech company. A third is an Olympic and professional athlete of great distinction. A 4th was a U.S Senator. None of them attended H or an Ivy+MS. Maybe it takes more for a given public high school (not a magnet or anything special about it) to have high credibility at the most selective colleges. But the luck of who the interviewer is may also matter.
lol slumming 
re: macrame and anthropology
Just as an FYI, my undergrad was a double major in anthropology and philosophy with a Spanish minor. My MA is in Religious Studies with a psychology / sociology of religion focus. I went as far as ABD in Religion (cognitive science focus) before I stopped.
What do I do with all of that? I create people, cultures, societies, religions, alien beings, magical powers and even entire planets out of whole cloth.
I’m a full-time science fiction and fantasy author. Anthropology anyone?