<p>I am really confused. I applied to Vanderbilt, Johns Hopkins, Brown, Cornell, UPenn, and Rice but I got rejected from ALL of them!!! My stats aren't bad (800M/690R/740W, IB diploma, 11/500, 4.0 GPA). So what happened?</p>
<p>why is this in the rice forum?</p>
<p>And remember:
Admissions are 40% stats, 30% essays and all, and 30% luck</p>
<p>It could have to do with the essays or they already had candidates that looked just like you and had to cut somewhere. :-(</p>
<p>
[quote]
I applied to Vanderbilt, Johns Hopkins, Brown, Cornell, UPenn, and Rice but I got rejected from ALL of them!!! My stats aren't bad (800M/690R/740W, IB diploma, 11/500, 4.0 GPA). So what happened?
[/quote]
Seems very strange. (Please report that those weren't your only applications!)</p>
<p>it is almost certainly your essays. are you sure you didnt sound even a little arrogant or something?</p>
<p>I thought my essays were pretty good since they got me into several other good schools i.e. University of Michigan. The only thing i can think of is either a) my ethnicity (indian) b) my GPA (3.87) c) my rank (top ten percent not top five) or d) incredible competition this year.</p>
<p>I don't know what it is, but I hope someone can tell me.</p>
<p>UM did not require an interview. Of the schools that did not accept you, to which did you interview?</p>
<p>Admissions is a crapshoot. The more competitive a school is, the more unpredictable decisions appear to be. The problem is that too many students have excellent GPAs, ECs, SATs, etc., and the schools simply don't have room for everyone who is qualified.</p>
<p>You can't ask yourself why you were rejected because there is no solid answer. People can say it was your essays or your interviews, but chances are that it was something less tangible. I've been shocked this year by students who have been rejected from top colleges. Unfortunately, their rejections filter down as they accept spots in lower ranked colleges, thus forcing out other who might have otherwise been considered a good fit.</p>
<p>And so it goes.</p>
<p>I interviewed at Rice and Brown, didnt get in either although my interviews were very solid. I received responses to my thank you notes that gave me the impression that I had done pretty well. So I think the interview isnt really that important these days.</p>
<p>I really hope those weren't your only applications. You should always have a safety school, and Vandy is prob the closest to a match. Sure you have a good GPA and SAT, but who knows what your ECs and essays are like. You can have a 2400 but do nothing and a school will still reject you.</p>
<p>My ECs are pretty good as well and I thought my essay was fantastic. I have no idea!! I applied to Texas A&M and obviously got in (top 10% admit) so I guess I'll go there. And I had an interview at Brown and Rice which I thought went well.</p>
<p>A lot of people I have talked to say that it could be my ethinicity because I am Indian. I don't know. All I know is that I am extremely unlucky!</p>
<p>im shocked that you didnt get into vanderbilt... one of my friends got in with a 1280 and is ranked 35/500 and doesnt have any special ecs.. hmmm</p>
<p>too bad you didn't apply to Dartmouth--they give priority to Indians</p>
<p>Do you think that I could call them and they'd be able to tell me which area I was lacking in or why they rejected me? I am just curious what I did wrong or what happened and I would like to know so that I can fix it for when I apply to med school. And yeah joshb110, Vanderbilt came as a huge surprise to me too. I was almost sure I'd get in there. Aahhh! Guess I'll just end up at A&M.</p>
<p>I think Dartmouth gives priority to Native Americans.</p>
<p>ridpat--you probably won't get an answer as to the whys of the rejection.</p>
<p>If you are reading this forum throughout all of the various sections, you should notice the randomness of admission. Great gpa, great ECs, great essays, interviews, recs no longer are the sine qua non for admission.</p>
<p>Instead you have to capture the eye of the admit committee and that is random. They're building a community and they are socially designing it. It is the luck of the draw if you happen to garner a place. There are simply too many applying for so few spots.</p>
<p>The realization by applicants of this community building is causing apps to multiply like rabbits--meaning that you had better apply to more than 10 schools if you want any kind of chance to be randomly selected.</p>
<p>Your stats are incredible and Michigan is very smart to have picked you up.</p>
<p>actually, I didn't get into Michigan that was someone else. I got in NOWHERE!!! (except A&M)</p>
<p>Don't feel bad ridpat88, I didn't get into Rice, Cornell, Brown or Darmouth either, but I got into Northwestern, which is where I'm going, U of Chicago, Emory, U of Virginia, USC. Rice is just too picky!</p>
<p>Can you talk with your GC and have her/him review your file to make sure the information submitted was correct? Sometimes misinformation is sent, or recommendations inadvertently imply personality characteristics that are less than flattering... Talk with your GC and see if that could have been the case.</p>