That could be it. I know my Ds classmates are all getting into elite schools. They had to break the state SIP orders and leave the state multiple times to keep retaking the SATs to get them up high enough. This is the behavior schools are rewarding?!? So disappointing.
5 Likes
I can’t find the info, but elsewhere on CC, stats on some schools’ TO acceptance rates have been reported. I believe in the ED I round, Tufts accepted TO applicants at a rate proportionate to the amount of TO applications they received.
Edited to add info: 57% applied TO. Of those admitted, 56% didn’t submit scores.
My son is test optional under RD, I will have to fond out later. A lot of high achieving kids still get rejected, it’s tough.
Nice article. Thank you!! I found that vast majority of CC members here are highly motivated and highly achieved students or their parents. I am always amazed to see their stats posted here. They all appear extraordinary, but they may not represent the majority of kids who gets accepted. Just fueling anxiety to other readers though. It could be misleading to judge the profile of accepted students just from reading this CC community’s stats posting.
1 Like
This is very bad news for the test preparation institutions, they typically charge something like $3,000 per course targeting wealthier families.
I recently received many messages from such an organization proclaiming that SAT and ACT are still important, and still make a big difference if you are well prepared and do well. They also say that the scores will determine the merit scholarships.
After reading this article, I understand why they are so desperate.
Interesting! I am new to CC. Reading the threads leaves me feeling dismayed. When I read some of the posts I am stunned! I didn’t even know it was possible to take 10 APs.
1 Like
Ha ha! Yes, 10-sided.
Not all APs are created equal IMO. In many public schools I am told you can take and sign up for as many APs as one wants as there is no qualification required. All the student has to do is sign up for it apparently. In some schools APs are “earned” and you have to have made a certain grade in a prior prerequisite class to be eligible to take that particular AP class. In my child’s school (small private catholic HS) APs are offered only in Junior and Senior year and in the public schools here the kids are signing up for APs in freshman year…
1 Like
For those peeps that were accepted in ED2: congrats! Any news yet on your financial aid award vs. NPC estimates?
Ah that makes sense. My D is at a small private school, as well. No APs until junior year. Max 3 APs per year unless special permission (which my D rec’d - she has 4 this year). Must receive special permission / must qualify for every AP at her school. Thanks!
1 Like
My impression is that there is way too much focus on the “stats” in this forum. I don’t think that test-optional makes a difference. Tufts was one of the first major universities to drop standardized testing at the outset of the pandemic. I wouldn’t be surprised if they end up dropping standardized testing altogether after covid is done.
The reality is that good grades, rigorous schedule and a good test score keep you in the game. Unique features, purposeful extra-curriculars, and other hooks are probably what truly set candidates apart. It seems like there is almost no discussion about the personal statement, supplemental essays, and recommendations. IMO, these are the difference-makers.
3 Likes
My D’s large suburban public school limits the number of APs that kids can take as well. It’s different from the large suburban school that I went to way back when - we could take whatever we wanted. It helps if colleges have this info.
High school counselors provide colleges with the school profile which tells them what classes are available to students, so the admissions office can evaluate “rigor” on an individual school basis. They may put some weight on the school’s rank or other factors, but I wouldn’t worry too much about a student in another school having more AP classes available as long as your child had a challenging schedule and excelled in those classes. That’s my understanding of how they evaluate rigor anyway.
1 Like
implying that those not accepted have poor essays, recs, purposeful ECs, etc.? That is simply not the case. There are just too many students for too few spots. Yes, they can reduce the candidate pool by applying some metrics but at the end of the day I think it’s random or at least things that no student could know or target in advance (like needing more majors in Polish or something or harpists.). So stop telling students what will really mattered when in fact students can do everything right and still be rejected.
Honestly I feel that many of these schools can make up a class many times over just from their reject piles… so for my child any rejections I don’t take it personally and tell my kid that as well.
4 Likes
Perhaps I didn’t express myself well enough. People on CC present their “stats” and then these are used as a determinant as to why someone did or didn’t get in. My point is that these are only a portion of the whole picture. There is no implication that those not accepted have poor essays, etc but rather posting measurable data can be misleading (a student might feel like they have no chance of getting in with a 32 ACT and 4.3 weighted GPA if someone with a 1500 SAT and 4.5 got rejected). I’ve seen numerous people posting their stats make a comment that their essays were decent. I would contend that a ‘decent essay’ is not good enough. I also agree with you that there are far more qualified people than truly get in.
4 Likes
I read somewhere, maybe it was on the Cornell admission news. They employ the two stage admission process. The first stage is to weed out applicants based on the stats, such as grade and test scores. Once they pass this stage, everyone is back to square one. Those who made it to the second stage are already academically sound enough to strive in the school. The second stage is to scrutinize applicants by their essays, recommendations, ECs, etc. So kids with less stats may get accepted once they pass the first stage, and if they have better essays, recommendations, ECs etc.
So yes, those who get rejected could be due to the stats, or essays. I would not necessarily say poor “essay”. The college is looking for the diversity, so if your essay and activities are very similar to the majority, it may not appeal standout. That’s what I think. I may be wrong.
5 Likes
Agree with PurpleFaithful about Cornell’s admission. From a 2018 Cornell’s student newspaper article:
"…About 80 percent, or over 40,000 of the applicants, will be chosen to proceed to the next step. Only after the applicant has successfully passed the academic review, the admissions staff will consider other components of his or her application — such as recommendation letters and extracurricular activities, Tan ['97, director of admissions of the College of Agriculture and Life Science at Cornell] said…
Of course, the above is specific for Cornell, but others might have similar protocols.
1 Like
You are 100 percent correct. My stats were very good but not off the charts. So just comparing stats doesn’t help.
I believe I made Tufts due to my essays, EC’s, rigor of classes, LOR’s, and a ton of demonstrated.
They look for “something” and I think the Why Tufts and supplemental are important. Letters of Recommendation also very important.
I attended a few “Tufts Who Gets In and Why” seminars and they will tell you most applicants are qualified grade wise, but it’s so much more.
Good point on demonstrated interest. It seems quite important to Tufts.
1 Like