<p>OP I think it’s that the math SAT is a little low, he’s got 6 AP classes while in EA the average was 9 AP classes plus he is OOS. Did he send his AP scores to GT? If not I would do that. The common app really has made it harder to get in to GT just by the shear number of applicants.I think he has a chance to get in.Good Luck. </p>
<p>It’s a frustrating position your son is in. Many years ago my oldest was deferred from two schools, one of which was his first choice. He didn’t get in to either regular admissions either. It all turned out fine, he loved the school he ended up at, and I think it may actually have been a better fit than where he’d hoped to go, though obviously there’s no way to know. In any event, there is probably nothing particularly wrong with your son’s application. This apparently is a banner year for GT admissions and they don’t just go by the numbers. Given that he was deferred there’s probably at least one person on the admissions committee rooting for him. Good luck to him, I’m sure he’ll have good choices come the spring. If he has won any awards, or has an outside recommendation from someone he has worked for or something like that, it may be worth sending them in along with a letter saying that GT is his first choice.</p>
<p>Ok, I’m coming around on this. UoM is an OUTSTANDING school. My neighbor who was the director of pharmacy at NYU is a UoM grad and goes around singing the UofM fight song even though the man knows nothing about sports. I even sing that darn song now. And Ann Arbor is beautiful (cold but beautiful). Penn State and Pitt - also fabulous schools. </p>
<p>I know my opinion doesn’t count, but given the competetiveness of GT this year, it’s just a numbers game. All 3 of my girls have been in theater since they were little… auditioning all the time where there would be 200 kids and 1 spot. Some times you win, some times you don’t. Some times you are pitted against your identical twin sister to determine who got that spot (ugh for us). What we’ve learned from auditioning… casting a production is like a puzzle. All of the puzzle pieces have to fit. If you don’t get cast, it doesn’t mean there is ANYTHING wrong with your puzzle piece, it just didn’t fit this particular puzzle. I think it’s the same here in college admissions. </p>
<p>3tallblonds - I so AGREE! We have been so blessed with our son enjoying the theatre as much as he does Engineering - in fact he just had a college interview and the interviewer said and I quote “Wow you are a geek but also in the theater - that is so rare”! First I can’t believe an alumni from this school would even say that by my son swears he did. Now you know why we didn’t get it - he only auditions now for the spring musical and the band stuff but has been blessed with 4 college interviews - so we figure even if he is rejected at those 4 schools he had an awesome experience with interviewing for each of them! Our son goes to a school with his class size of about 635 (large school) and has been blessed with making the spring musical all four years - he was in the ensemble of Les’ Miserable as a Freshman, a Lost boy Nibs in Peter Pan, Principal Harry Clark last year in Footloose and Pinocchio this year in Shrek. Obviously as parents we are always so proud of our children but I think GT Admissions doesn’t get is he kept up a 4.4 QPA while being in these productions along with doing the Fall Play this year, landing the role of Derek Dobson in RolePlay while still being a section leader in Marching Band. Our kids work hard and want to make a difference in the world we live in and I realize Admissions officers don’t see that - which is why I think it is a luck of the draw to some extent and this year there were more EA applications than ever before due to the Common App. Oh well what is meant to be will be - he has already been accepted to some fine engineering schools - at 11 years old he decided to study Chemistry and areas of that field so he could go to college to cure autism - we have moved over the years and each neighborhood has had at least one child with different forms of autism and he wants to learn more about this condition - to make a world a better place for children with autism - that again GT doesn’t seem to get - even though that was part of what he had in his essay. THANKS again for the feedback - it helps to vent a little now and then! (-:</p>
<p>With so many apps having to be processed in such a short time, GTech had to make some fast decisions. I think that he would have likely been admitted with a closer look at his app. Some of these schools, especially the large state ones barely glance at the bulk of the apps, looking at certain key points. My guess is that the SAT2 math is the issue and that it even may have been misterpreted with a quick perusal.</p>
<p>I know of a situation some years ago,where something like that happened. The high school counselor did make an inquiry, because something did not make sense with a kid not being accepted. There was a mistake that had been made–apparently the app is reduced to a few key points, and when that was done, the data was incorrectly entered for the student at a school . Wouldn’t hurt for the GC to take a little lookie see here, IMO.</p>
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Actually they do see it. It’s just there are thousands of kids equally accomplished and busy. Really.</p>
<p>mathmom - I hope there are thousands of youth with such accomplishments - we sure can use it for the future of our country - really.</p>
<p>Mathmon hit the point exactly for Tech this year! Go through the postings in the GT forum and you will see students just like your son were accepted; deferred and rejected. Tech is much harder for guys than girls. MY DD plays 3 varsity sports (Captain of 1) is a robotics lead on a team that completed in Worlds; environmental chair of the schools community service board and one of 36 world-wide ambassadors for Google. She has won 3 national awards in computer science and engineering and these are just “some” of the things on her application. Like your son she does only those things that interest her and that she is passionate about. We feel incredibly lucky that she was accepted to Tech because we knew Tech would be flooded with qualified applicants. Instead of focusing on what your son did “wrong” focus on the fact that he got into some very good colleges. Focus on the fact that he was true to himself and enjoys his activities. I know some students at my DD’s school who did not get into Michigan that would love to go there. I’ve given you some tips for perhaps improving your son’s application to Tech. Has he called or emailed his regional rep??? I suggest he do that to re-express his interest in Tech and update his file. </p>
<p>I would stop “beating” him up for his SAT2 test scores because Tech does not require them so they are not a huge factor in their admissions consideration grid. I suspect your son is your first born. I know with my own first born I took his deferrals and rejections hard (probably harder than he did) but as we celebrate his graduation this May we have discovered that the colleges really do know best. He loves his school and it really was the perfect place for him. We both look back and saw that colleges I shed tears for were really not the best schools for him. With my DD I understood that so much more and her rejection last week was greeted with a much healthier attitude. </p>
<p>Be sure he follows up with Tech and good luck to him in RD. </p>
<p>Thanks itsv! I guess I came off a little wrong as we were all just surprised at the defer and are more curious as to the odds of him getting in on RD vs EA. Does that make sense? And I think the “sting” for him was as much of another student from his class of 635 that did get EA and has a lower QPA and less activities. But you are ABSOLUTELY right in that he will go to the college that is right for him - I have no doubt of that - as our only child yep it is tough when you see them disappointed but we know he does his best and has an amazing future ahead of him no matter which college he attends. (-:</p>