<p>X student has 2250 sat score, 750+ scores in subject tests,essay below normal( not interesting),ECs below mediocre,teacher recommendations very good.Applies RD in Amherst.</p>
<p>Y student has 2100-2160 , 700-720 sat scores in subject tests,essays interesting and tells a lot about student(his individuality), ECs competitive among ivy students, teacher recommendations very good.Applies ED in Amherst</p>
<p>Both are international students.What do you think,who will be accepted?</p>
<p>Could be both, could be neither, could be one of them. No way to predict it.</p>
<p>I understand that its ambiguous,but probability exists!</p>
<p>In my opinion, the second student’s more likely (but neither of them can be guaranteed). The top colleges nowadays seem to be rejecting bookworms with ~2400 SAT’s but nothing interesting on their applications.</p>
<p>I’d say the second person has a much better chance IMHO, but it all depends.</p>
<p>I will say number one, because this is a pointless exercise. We are not admission officers and most of us have no idea how many international students Amherst will want this admission cycle and from what countries. And just because you think the ECs are boring and the essay is mediocre it doesn’t mean the adcom will.</p>
<p>I agree with MizzBee, the “not interesting,” “below mediocre” is too subjective. However if that’s what the admissions officers are thinking, then the second student wins.</p>
<p>And what is the purpose of this thread? Do you know students X and Y?</p>
<p>Its not my opinions, i asked qualified people about my ECs and they said its competitive.</p>
<p>However, dont concur that “not interesting” is very subjective.Highly rated books about college essays by admission officers write what means interesting and what not.And i think its not difficult to understand…</p>
<p>Okay, you have an 11.9% chance of getting in. Feel better now?</p>
<p>MizzBee</p>
<p>definitely! :)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>College admission doesn’t work like that. You either have 1 or 0 chance of getting in, ie a sum of bernoulli or binomial.</p>
<p>However, a more realistic and convenient way of thinking is that most students have 0 chance of getting in, while a small proportion have very high chances.</p>
<p>I would take student 1, but I’m not an Amherst admission officer. Student 2 is not cut out for this tier of school academically.</p>
<p>thx.</p>
<p>Other opinions ?</p>
<p>How about this?</p>
<p>Any Amherst aspirant who meanders around, waiting for strangers’ uninformed guesses about relative merit in applications is weak starting out the gate.</p>
<p>This entire “comparison” is banal and reflects poorly.</p>
<p>^Laozi </p>
<p>…</p>
<p>@T26E4:</p>
<p>LOL, that is basically what I want to say to all the “chance me” threads, but CC won’t operate properly with such remarks right? :P</p>
<p>probably Confucius: so all books about admission is fake and silly?</p>
<p>doctoribach: I realize my post may be unduly cold and harsh. What I’m trying to impart is that it’s perfectly fine to hone one’s own profile and project the best image possible. Equally important is to craft a realistic, affordable and balanced list of college choices.</p>
<p>But beyond that, what does hearing strangers’ “you have a X% chance of being admitted” mean? I recall a post by a Havard interviewer once (and frequent CC contributor, Northstarmom) where she lambasted insecure Harvard aspirants who begged for people’s opinions on their “chances”. It was spot on.</p>
<p>I understand the desire to foretell one’s chances. I get it. But people need to put forth the best profile/application – and be done with it. You are who you are. </p>
<p>The endless “chance me” posts are now rightly banished from this forum IMHO.</p>
<p>I never weigh in on these “chance” threads. I feel compelled to this today. Why would X have a greater chance? It seems to me that Y is a more interesting candidate…</p>
<p>We all know the student(X) who has less than mediocre EC’s… the basic school clubs and thats it… maybe throw in a sport or 2… and thats it…</p>
<p>and then the other student(Y) is capt of the swim team, a docent at an art museum, has implemented service projects for the less fortunate, holds down a part time job, works with Special Olympics and maybe even coaches special needs youngsters in swimming… </p>
<p>I would tend to think that student Y is far more interesting and would be one who would gain entrance… did any of you read The Gatekeepers?? </p>
<p>There is a student at my dd14’s school who I chatted with during a luncheon a few months back… and I asked which schools were his top choices… he responded by saying " I am only applying to Yale" When I asked if he had any safeties, his response " I don’t need safeties because Yale will accept me"… this young man has NO volunteer hours and feels that volunteering is a waste, he has very limited EC’s and said that his projected 2400 SAT will help him get in… I am sure he has a great GPA, I didnt ask. He also stated that b/c he is Phillipino that he has a great chance because he is Asian. He also stated that he is perfect for Yale and they would be foolish to reject him!</p>
<p>I sat in awe of his sense of entitlement/naivte(sp?) and didn’t challenge his cockiness… I just smiled and nodded and wished him luck! Far be it from me to change his mind set. </p>
<p>I am sure that this sense of entitlement will show in his essays(he also mentioned that writing was his weak area)… </p>
<p>Do other students feel this way? And could this be the reason why they are not gaining entry?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>They are pretty silly, to be honest. Books on college essay writing tend to give you rules and formulae to follow, but in reality, there are no rules and formulae.</p>
<p>You can start with an anecdote, or you can write an essay without any anecdotes. You can write about how getting a C in 9th grade taught you an important life lesson, or you can tell a funny story about your stoner friend. You can be witty and funny and light-hearted, or you can make a video of yourself just talking about the street you live on. You can tell a story with an exposition, build-up, climax, resolution, and take-away message, or you can write five short paragraphs about your favorite webcomics.</p>
<p>Anything and everything you read in those books can be proven wrong. The fact that they frequently contradict each other bears that out. You can’t encapsulate the practices and preferences of hundreds of admission committees in a single book, and you can’t predict their reactions to admission essays you haven’t even read. Imagine writing an essay about how you got into a fight, broke someone’s nose, and got suspended, and how you’d do it again in a heartbeat if you got the chance because that person was a total ******. Nine times out of ten that would be a terrible idea, and no adcom would want to accept you after reading that. But there are people who can write that essay. There are people who’d get accepted with that essay. Conversely, there are people who spend thousands of dollars on counseling, prep books, etc., people who follow the instructions in these books to the letter and craft their application essays with surgical precision, injecting just the right amount of humor, self-confidence, emotion, and biographical information… only for their essays to turn out completely forgettable.</p>
<p>The discouraging truth is that no book can teach you how to be a good writer, or give you the recipe for the perfect application essay. You just have to do your best and hope that your best will resonate with someone.</p>
<p>I beg that at least 10 % of CC give the right information as did NewHavenCTmom.
and Thank you for this.</p>
<p>However, I think that posts like “its very ambiguous”,“it all depends” doesnt describe the writer of this message as very well educated in this area,because that can be heard nearly from anyone.</p>
<p>And this thead is about PROBABILITY, not GUARANTEES :)</p>
<p>And…I am sorry if i irritated anyone with this,but it was NOT a chance thread…its just gathering of information.</p>