Let’s say there’s student A, with only a mere few EC’s. Yeah, she wrote about her love and passion blah blah for her EC’s, and had decent scores, and was accepted to say, harvard. Never left the state in her entire high school career. Summer programs were all in-state.
Then there’s student B, the type everyone “fear-hates” with like 3 varsity sports, 5 leadership EC’s, and throw in some overstate university research programs.
B is deferred/waitlisted, A is accepted.
How come this sometimes happens? Is it just random?
<p>Only an adcom decision maker can really answer your question. The rest of us can just speculate. The bottom line seems to be how a decision maker feels at the time that an admissions decision is made.</p>
<p>That person could evaluate the same two people a week later and might come up with a different decision. We just don't know.</p>
<p>Maybe Harvard had admitted too many 'Bs' already, but 'A' was a unique candidiate this year and stood out from the pack of 'Bs'.</p>
<p>I think passion is far more important than the actual number of EC's. Student B could have done all those things for the sole purpose of having nice-looking college applications while Student A may have just focused on the things that mattered to her and said to herself "screw college admissions, I'm doing what I like" (or of course student A could be lying about being passionate...). But the Student A's who actually do believe passionately in the few things they do are likely to be much better contributors to a college than Student B's, because they're actually interested and not just trying to impress.</p>
<p>well itz a forum and unless they are not offendin anyone or goin overboadr, i think it is ok at times to post stuff and get if off ur chest, make urself feel bttr.....sometimes a perosn may not realise our pt of view untill after he or she has posted and then see things from a diff light :)</p>
<p>yes i was trying to make myself feel better. i was such an idiot to have applied to all reach schools without any safeties. and now i reap the fruits of my foolishness.</p>
<p>I didn't necessarily mean that students who show passion get into colleges more easily. Quite the contrary, in my experience. The students who sold themselves out to volunteer programs they didn't really believe in are the ones who get into the better colleges. But I did mean that students who are genuinely interested in what they do are (in my opinion) better contributors to a college than the kids who just tried to pad up their resume.</p>
<p>As others have said, it is impossible to make a judgement based on a few things about two students. However, looking at those facts, it could be that Student A does not have the economic advantages of Student B. Many students cannot afford to do overseas research or out-of-state summer programs. They may be spending the summer working to help the family or buy their school clothes. And perhaps they cannot do all the EC's because the family can't afford $100+ per sport or whatever that school charges, or because he/she needs to be home to help with younger siblings. A college will take those kind of things into consideration, as well it should.</p>
<p>As many have said, getting into a top college is a lottery drawing--some get lucky; others do not.</p>
<p>Bear in mind that with the students you've described, you're ignorant of huge parts of the application. It could be that if you saw the entire application -- especially the teacher recommendations, interview report, and essays -- the student who was so "mysteriously" admitted would turn into an obvious superstar, and the one you thought was such a great choice would look like a real dud.</p>