<p>I was looking at some of the ppl who were accepted and rejected from the IVIes (<a href="http://www.prstats%5B/url%5D">www.prstats</a>) Some ppl had perfect stats, great GPA's and really prestigious awards. Somehow, they were still rejected. It's kinda getting me nervous to see these applicants' rejections.</p>
<p>Does anyone know the reason(s) for their rejections/deferal?</p>
<p>Many many folks who apply to the IVIES have "perfect" stats and applications. The reality is that they can only accept a certain number of those who apply. The schools are looking to have a balanced CLASS. They are looking to fill their classes with all different needs filled...e.g. things like certain majors, URM's, geographic diversity, musicians, boys vs. girls, backgrounds, sports, you name it. There are many "perfect" applicants who can fill their roles each year. The schools are needing to balance their incoming classes and fulfil university needs as well. I read somewhere that many of the Ivies could fill their classes MANY times over from their applicant pool each year.</p>
<p>And on top of what thumper1 said, essays can play a role, as well as other subjective factors. You can't count on numbers and awards to get you in.</p>
<p>When I went to a Yale invite thing they said they don't want all perfect people, or any at all necessarily. They want someone who is Yale material. They can have low scores but will get in, not because of connections or money but because they are Yale material. They don't want all perfect scoring people, because, well, they are just bland and usually book worms. Yale wants future leaders of the world, and in general interesting people with different views and people who will bring about different culutres to the school.</p>
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<blockquote> <p>They can have low scores >></p> </blockquote>
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<p>My guess is they can have "lower" scores....but someone with very low scores, a low GPA, and a low class rank would be an unlikely candidate for Yale...unless they won a Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.</p>
<p>When I went to a Yale invite thing they said they don't want all perfect people, or any at all necessarily. They want someone who is Yale material. They can have low scores but will get in, not because of connections or money but because they are Yale material. They don't want all perfect scoring people, because, well, they are just bland and usually book worms. Yale wants future leaders of the world, and in general interesting people with different views and people who will bring about different culutres to the school.</p>
<p>This is very important to keep in mind. I saw far too many amazing young men and women last year needlessly agonize about judgments made about them by some distant, impersonal admissions committee. These adcoms aren't engaged in some perfect scientific exercise; I happen to believe that they are generally very well intentioned, but they are engaged in an "art" (not a science) and are attempting to create a class, which may or many not include any given individual.</p>
<p>What in the world is "Yale material?" I think all you can say is that you can only know this after the fact -- if Yale lets you in, then you were deemed "Yale material" (otherwise you evidently were not). You are whoever you are. You can only present yourself as you are (only BEST present yourself as you are, anyway). If Yale decides that you are not "Yale material," then so be it -- it's their private club, they're entitled to make judgment calls as they see fit. However, I saw many outstanding students last year who were NOT considered "Yale material," but were considered Harvard, Princeton, Brown, Dartmouth, Stanford, Amherst, Williams, Swarthmore, and other top school "material."</p>
<p>To me, even if you've somehow let a particular institution become your favorite, you can't let it define you as a success or as a failure because their review of some group of arbitrary factors constituting an admissions application stamps you as "Yale material," or not. And if Yale (for example) doesn't let you in, but Harvard, Brown, Penn, WUSTL, Amherst, etc. DO, then perhaps an applicant might correctly wonder what's wrong with Yale that they haven't seen what these other fine institutions have. Hmmm?</p>
<p>Bottom-line: Don't buy into the hype people ... these schools play numbers games with students as (largely) interchangeable cogs. If you understand this, your mental health is rarely compromised.</p>