<p>People seem to be saying that they feel misled by the school. That they assumed they were competitive because of the amount of correspondence that the schools initiate. You are expected to show interest in them- isn’t it wrong of them to show interest in you (when they don’t really care. And to charge you $80 bucks a pop to apply! The more I think about it, the more it seems like a scam.</p>
<p>Scam is probably the wrong word. It seems like this is how the admissions office pays for itself. It also seems like a win-win for the schools as their rankings improve and they make a bundle! Lose-lose for everyone else on the planet though.</p>
<p>This was in an article in the WSJ today. Unfortunately, they limit access to subscribers.</p>
<p>“Four-year colleges spent an average of $2,311 per student on recruiting in 2011, according to 2012 report by the National Association for College Admissions Counseling. In 2011, the yield rate for private four-year schools was 36%, down from 48% in 2002. The rate for public four-year schools fell to 43% from 51% over the same period.”</p>
<p>I want to know if that $2311 is per enrolled freshman or per accepted student or what? Need to find the source document to confirm. A constant frustration with WSJ reporting.</p>
<p>Based on the number of pieces of mail from Chicago, they must be exceeding that average by multiples.</p>
<p>Even though we have a relatively big class (628), the public school I go to is really bad and uncompetitive. Thinking about going out of state is rare. Our top 10 students usually go to state schools, at least in recent history, but this year has been good. I’m going to Princeton. Another got accepted to Cornell, but because of money issues, might defer and go to a state school to not risk amassing so much debt. And our valedictorian got her QB full ride to Rice.</p>
<p>I am really not sure what a “safety school” is anymore.
My DS got into several reach schools, two matches, but was 0 for 6 on “safeties”.</p>
<p>My school is a private all-girls’ IB school, but last year wasn’t all too hot. Out of about 35, the best was Cornell, Johns Hopkins, Boston College, and Bucknell for one girl, 1 Haverford ED, 1 Bryn Mawr ED, and 1 USC. Others had art school, state university, or ultimately decided on community college.</p>
<p>However, the best of my class of 38 this year:</p>
<p>One friend of mine got into Columbia (full ride), USC, UCSD and UCSB, and Wellesley.
Another friend of mine got into Barnard and UNC Chapel Hill (which is REALLY hard to get into if you’re from in-state)
Another classmate got into Barnard and NYU
Another classmate got into UVA and Chapel Hill
The best of mine are Bryn Mawr, Vassar, Middlebury, Haverford, and NYU
And then this other classmate who committed to William and Mary</p>
<p>So it’s not really a dodgy year for students, at least not in my school…</p>
<p>My sister’s going to Cornell. They’re great about FA, they guarantee to meet full need. Your friend shouldnt have to go into massive debt.</p>
<p>May I ask a stupid question here…My thread got shut quickly, why? Do I need to check it some time?</p>
<p>wrong place to ask good sir WWJ959520</p>
<p>This past year turned out to be a good one at our kids’ high school (a Top 100 in NOVA but not TJ). Students achieved a typical number of acceptances at UVA and W&M (30 plus at each) but unlike past years also acceptances at Princeton, Duke, WUSTL, Stanford, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Davidson, Rice, and Williams, among others, with several of these schools giving multiple acceptances. In past years, this HS would have gotten two or three kids into schools like these but not nearly as many acceptances as this year.</p>
<p>Over the last 5 years, my high school has sent a consistent 5-10 students to both Penn and Cornell. This year, two and two with one double legacy (and at least 2 grandparents were also legacies)</p>
<p>Thank you, but where to go>>></p>
<p>My D’s school often was quoted as the top Ivy feeding public school in the country. Their last year’s class had 10+ acceptance from each of H, Y, Columbia, 20+ each from Cornell and Chicago, 5+ each from Princeton, Penn, Brown, Duck and Dartmouth, they also had 3 or so got accepted to MIT and Stanford. Many had congrats letters from Amherst or Williams type of LASs as well. This year it is said they had a even stronger class. Out of 180-190 kids, 80+ were national merit finalists. SAT average is rumored to reach 2250. However, it seems impossible to be close to last year’s numbers. In the early round, they were doing OK, about 6 each from H/Y/Columbia/Penn(2 Wharton)/Cornell, 3 or so from Princeton/MIT/Dart/Chicago/Northwestern/Duke. But in the RD round, they got somewhat dumbed. Many very bright kids (like best GPAs and close to 2400 SAT scores) got waitlisted or even rejected. It is said one of highest GPA kids got waitlisted on every single Ivy League school he or she applied.</p>
<p>ucbalumnus: Your make a good point about kids focusing on top schools with more money - or going in-state making both more competitive. This is definitely the case for our family (applying to state schools and financially generous elite schools) and almost completely ignoring the less generous, private schools. It worked out well for her, as she was admitted to her top choice / financially generous school, but I also think she would have done well attending the flagship state school she was accepted to. The debt of full tuition at a less generous private school really wasn’t an option for us.</p>
<p>I’d be interested to know how many of the high schools that have gotten bad results this year or last year for ivies are on the east coast and how many schools that had bad results from the CA schools are in or near CA? It seems to me that it’s getting harder and harder for middle class east coast kids to get into the ivies these days, but that’s not necessarily true for other parts of the U.S.</p>
<p>I can second the thought that according to anecdotal evidence, it’s increasingly difficult for east coasters to get into ivies. I think that this applies to public schools especially. The elite boarding schools seem to give their students an undeniable edge in college admissions.</p>
<p>2013 was a great year for my school in contrast. We historically have around 5 ivy admissions (or eq.) but this year we had 11. Very few kids didn’t end up at a reach or match school. It may be because our school won an award last year for being an exemplary institution.</p>
<p>if more kids looked at wanted to go to schools like elizabethtown college, hendrix, butler or lebanon valley in PA. they would be a lot happier . the name game is so silly! your education is no better at harvard. ( I know to most people I am talking to the wall and it is a waste of time)</p>
<p>It has been quite to contrary in my school. We have three graduates out of 190 attending Ivy Leagues, as well as nearly 20 percent of the others attending schools such as Penn State, Lehigh, Colgate, Michigan, Richmond and Vanderbilt. Yet this is rather strange considering my school is not typically one of the stronger ones around.</p>
<p>At both my son’s private and the local highly competitive high school, it’s been a banner year for “reach” acceptances. However, at the local girl’s private, they have had one of their most disappointing reach acceptance years ever. Since we have 6 completely independent high schools in our city (5 private one public), I think I can say with some certainty it depends on the class. Last year was horrible at the public high as far as competitive acceptances go. The most interesting takeaway of 2013 is the lack of acceptances to Competitive UCs by qualified students. Schools that used to be slam dunks put many local students on wait lists. </p>
<p>The best news is that all kids in 2012 landed somewhere and almost all are happy and thriving. And that’s what really matters. Hoping the same for 2013.</p>