@lookingforward the challenge is too many kids aspire for colleges they have a better chance of getting weeded out of their dream instead of better fit schools where they can excel and achieve their dream.
Another hint is when schools wait list you chances are you are not a top candidate there. Move on…
80% of Harvard test takers for each part of the SAT scored over 700.
[/QUOTE]
I’m not sure exactly what you mean by this (or where the 80% came from)?
So if your number holds, a huge percentage of Harvard applicants would have to be ACT only.
[/QUOTE]
No, actually, only about 15% of Harvard admits were ACT only last year, and that’s the number I used in the original post.
(And the 14% acceptance rate you imputed is for which range of applicants? - it certainly is not for the middle 50%)
[/QUOTE]
It’s actually for the group from which the upper 3/4 of the class was drawn (excluding the bottom 1/4 of admits.) That group is (basically) >= 2100 SAT / 32 ACT.
@NickFlynn - your numbers don’t compute. Harvard has 35,000 or so applicants. You are saying 16,000 took the SAT - that would mean 19,000 submitted ACT - not 15%, but over 50% in your scenario.
Harvard accepts 6% overall. How then can the top 75% of the class have a 14%'admit rate?
For arguments sake, let’s say:
Top 25% = 10% admit rate
Middle 50% = 6% admit rate
Bottom 25% = 2% admit rate
That would be 6% overall (and a little over 7% for top 75%)
But if it was:
Top 25%: 14%
Middle 50: 4%
Bottom 25%: 2%
And again 6% overall and a little over 7% for top 75%)
@ClarinetDad16
“Harvard has 35,000 or so applicants. You are saying 16,000 took the SAT - that would mean 19,000 submitted ACT - not 15%, but over 50% in your scenario.”
I honestly don’t know where you are getting this from (and I went back and read through my earlier posts on this thread.) I think you misread something. I know from the CDS how many students took the SAT and ACT that year, and that’s what I used in the subsequent calculations.
As for the other part, here is the short version of what I said in the OP:
Then, look at the applicants < 2100 SAT / 32 ACT:
500 admits / 23,500 = 2%
I’m sure it’s not dead on, but it is a pretty reasonable estimate.
The only way what you wrote makes any sense is if you assume the distribution of test scores in the APPLICANT pool is the same as distribution in the admitted class, which obviously isn’t true - the majority of applicants (even at Harvard) are below the 25th percentile of enrolled freshman.
Maybe the original post wasn’t written as clearly as it could have been, but I’m pretty certain you misunderstood what I wrote.
Harvard has 35,000+ applicants.
Do you not see that number?
http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2015/04/harvard-college-admits-1990/
12,500 + 23,500 = 36,000
Does it not?
At this point, I’m just going to say that you need to go back and re-read what I wrote, because you aren’t responding to what I wrote, you are responding to your own misunderstanding.
Nick you have the numbers backwards.
3/4 of the applicants have 2100+ on the SAT.
How can 3/4 = 12,500?
And how can 3/4 of the class get accepted at 12% rate when the overall rate for the class = 6%?
In your model:
Top 75% = 12% admit rate
bottom 25% = negative 12% admit rate
To get to 6% overall
This is good info. But in reality the real admit rate for top college is 2 group - ED/REA and RD.
Most of the Ivy admit about 50% of the incoming class during ED where smaller # of motivated, well coached student from private school apply. The majority of the student apply RD. For example Upenn ED 5622 applied 1300 got admitted. While Rd - 25K apply for 1200 slots. They provide admission to about 2000 applicant which has 8% admit rate. So for the regular population to Harvard is should be less than 3% (guess)
“3/4 of the applicants have 2100+ on the SAT.”
That’s flat out absolutely wrong. I have no idea where you got this, it certainly wasn’t from anything I wrote, and it is definitively not true.
Below are stats for 2019 Harvard class. The link for other ivy are below
https://www.■■■■■■■■■■■■/2019-ivy-league-admissions-statistics/
In reality 2100+ for 3/4 applicant is true. But your odds is very low if you have that score and apply for RD.
Ivy League Colleges / Overall Accept. Rate
Harvard / 5.3%
Regular Decision Accept. Rate / Regular Decision Apps Accepted / Regular Decision Apps Received
3.2% / 1,013 / 31,388
Early Decision / Early Decision or Action Apps Rcvd
16.5% / 5,919
Early Decision / Action Apps Accepted / Expected Number of Students to Enroll
977 / 1,660
Total Apps Received / Total Apps Accepted
37,305 / 1,990
@ClarinetDad16
Um, that’s the data on ADMITTED STUDENTS, not applicants.
Honestly, at this point, let’s just drop it - for whatever reason, you don’t seem interested in understanding what I wrote, and I am about out of ideas for trying to explain it a third time, and in the big picture, it’s not really important, so…
That only gives numbers for admitted students, but the stats you’re arguing with are about the entire applicant pool.
It would be interesting to see what Harvard’s admit rate is by race.
Maybe it would, but without a lot of other detailed information also broken down by race, it wouldn’t be especially useful. In any event, we aren’t likely to see any schools voluntarily providing any applicant racial data because of the current legal environment.