<p>I know that nobody has a guaranteed shot at any ivy league school, but if one of the following were to get in, which of them do you think it would be? (also, please explain why you picked the kid that you did)</p>
<p>Kid A-</p>
<p>ACT=34
SAT=didn't take
Class Rank=Top 2%
Race=White
Clubs=several clubs, president of 1 club for a year and VP of 2 clubs for a year
Awards=no major awards</p>
<p>Kid B-</p>
<p>ACT=32
SAT=2190
Class Rank= Top 5%
Ethinicity=Hispanic
Clubs= multiple clubs, President and founder for 1, VP of 2, Class rep and treasurer for another
Awards= National Hispanic, Commended National Merit, a few other state awards from relatively unheard of competitions</p>
<p>Obviously there are other factors that will come into play, but for the purpose of this thread please just assume that both can write pretty good essays and will have good rec letters. Also assume that both are of the same gender and are applying from the same state (to eliminate geographic and gender based discrimination). . .so, given all of the above, which of the 2 stands a better chance at getting into ivies?</p>
<p>Hmmmmmm interesting thread…Kid A has a leg up on Kid B because of his scores and class rank. Kid B has a leg up on Kid A because of his URM status and his multiple awards. Honestly, I do not believe that these two kids will be weighed against each other in reality. The admissions committee looks at each applicant’s info individually.</p>
<p>Kid B, probably. Not just because of his/her ethnicity, but because (s)he seems better-rounded overall (class rep/treasurer, founder of a club [shows initiative], National Merit, etc). It would most likely also come down to who took the more rigorous courseload, took risks, and demonstrated both breadth of interest and depth of passion.</p>
<p>Just my $0.02, though. I’m definitely not an expert on Ivy League admissions.</p>
<p>Thanks to both of you; both of your comments make sense, but I thought I might try to add some more info just to see if it changes anything. Kid A took a slightly more rigorous courseload. Both have comprable volunteer hours. Kid A worked also has job experience for 4 years at a movie theater and Kid B worked for a Congressman (and has a rec letter from him)</p>
<p>My only response is that your solution to this intricate problem will go unanswered. Gaining acceptance into an Ivy League university is one of the most enigmatic formulas known to man. People say you need stellar scores, ECs, essays, and recs but I just caught wind of a boy who is or was at Harvard with scores in the 900s! I mean there is a sort of thing of being on the right track but there really isn’t a set formula, you know?</p>
<p>More rigorous courseload > less rigorous courseload for sure, but I’d say Congressman + rec letter > movie theatre job. I think it also depends on which Ivy these kids are applying to. Some, like Brown and Yale, take a very holistic approach to admissions; they look at who their applicants are as individuals, and from that standpoint, I still think Kid B is more interesting. However, other Ivies are more strictly numbers-based, and from that perspective, Kid A would have the edge, especially with his/her more rigorous courseload.</p>
<p>In the end, of course, Ivy League admissions are basically a crapshoot. So who knows?</p>
<p>Thanks you two; I realize that there isn’t a set formula but I just wanted some input. . .if either of you has chance threads or anything I can do in return for your posts here I’d be glad to chance</p>
<p>Kid B hands down - Seems more well rounded.</p>
<p>And he’s Hispanic. No matter how much you may hate this fact, with his stats which are near similar to the other guy, he has much better chance than kid A.</p>
<p>Probably neither student has a great shot at Ivy with these descriptions…both candidates obviously are stellar students with solid applications, but neither student will stand out in the pool of thousands of applications. The schools will look to see what each student might bring to the campus…the student who is a bit more of a leader might get a tip; or the student from the more deprived socio-economic status; the student who held a long term job brings a certain perspective; so does the hispanic candidate. And what one college might be looking for to fill a slot in its class might differ from what another is seeking.</p>
<p>Good luck to both candidates. Each will receive acceptances from a number of good schools if applications were cast wide enough. And each certainly has what it takes to be successful in college and in life.</p>