<p>Received my admission decision today; got rejected.</p>
<p>School does not rank but am in the top 10%
Have a perfect GPA
Lots of extracurricular activities
Especially involved in community service
Solid recommendations
Good transcript - all As only 3 Bs</p>
<p>Downside was the SAT score 1930 (610W, 690M, 630R)</p>
<p>Also I applied for financial aid as an international student, do you think that affected the admission decision? I applied to Grinnell.... what are my chances?</p>
<p>The standards for international students, especially those needing significant financial aid, are very, very high.</p>
<p>I heard it was also incredibly hard to get into Smith this year, they accepted a ton of people early so there weren’t as many spots for RD…my friend who was absolutely qualified got waitlisted</p>
<p>how do you have a perfect GPA and 3 B’s?</p>
<p>Weighted?
but yeah, Smith was tough this year!!</p>
<p>“I applied for financial aid as an international student”</p>
<p>That probably says it all.</p>
<p>If you are an international student who needs aid, gaining admission will be extremely difficult. Have you visited the international student forum? Click on “Discussion Home” in the upper left of this screen, and then scroll down until you find it. You may find some ideas there.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Remember that they cannot accept every qualified student. There simply are not enough slots. It doesn’t mean that you aren’t an excellent candidate. It may mean only that they had tough choices to make.</p>
<p>Yeah about the Bs…They were on my O-Level exams and do not count towards the GPA (its external board) but is mentioned on the transcript. Gave two of the papers again and got As.</p>
<p>For the OP and others who are puzzled why they didn’t get accepted to a top college, this recent article looking at admissions at Amherst College and at Tufts might shed some light.</p>
<p>Looking beyond grades and scores: Students’ stories move admissions panels
Boston Globe - 22 March 2009</p>
<p>[Colleges</a> look beyond grades and test scores - The Boston Globe](<a href=“http://■■■■■■■.com/cfxwjo]Colleges”>http://■■■■■■■.com/cfxwjo)</p>
<p>And to rpo272, if your friend were “absolutely qualified,” she’d have been admitted. The college determines who is absolutely qualified, not you, not your friend, not us on this DB, and not some subjective criteria.</p>
<p>“And to rpo272, if your friend were “absolutely qualified,” she’d have been admitted.”</p>
<p>Not true. Top colleges get more applicants who are absolutely qualified than the colleges have space to accept. It’s important to realize that being qualified doesn’t mean one will be admitted to a top college.</p>
<p>It’s a subtle issue of semantics, Northstarmom. The notion of “absolutely qualified” or simply “qualified” is only defined by the college, not by the applicant or her friends. It’s their game and they make the rules. </p>
<p>I took “absolutely qualified” to mean definite admit by the adcom. </p>
<p>You make a good point that many qualified students are turned away by colleges. By the same token, many students that may not on the surface seem as qualified are accepted. Again, the college makes the rules on what defines “qualfied,” absolutely or otherwise.</p>
<p>This DB is full of kids, their friends, and their parents who claim they are absolutely without a doubt the most qualified applicant on the planet for School X and are schocked (schocked!) that they weren’t admitted. Well, guess what, they don’t decide what qualified means. The school does.</p>
<p>Everyone applying to top schools should read this:
[Colleges</a> look beyond grades and test scores - The Boston Globe](<a href=“http://www.boston.com/news/education/k_12/articles/2009/03/22/looking_beyond_grades_and_scores/]Colleges”>http://www.boston.com/news/education/k_12/articles/2009/03/22/looking_beyond_grades_and_scores/)</p>
<p>BTW Northstar mom, I generally agree with you and I think I agree with you now. As I said, it’s a semantic issue.</p>
<p>benny1, thank you for posting that Globe article. Not only was it a fun read, it also gave answers which addressed a growing frustration on this board as to the reasoning behind decisions.</p>
<p>To the OP…
In your case your international student status most likely knocked you out.
Smith isn’t even completely need blind with domestic students.
You may have a shot with the wealthier Grinnell, which has students academically much stronger than Smith. I’d say you have less than a 50% chance, but a real chance nonetheless.</p>
<p>not sure if it’s true, but my friend who got in said they told her there was a nearly 30% increase in applicants this year.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Actually, it’s not true. Applicants to Smith increased by 6% this year, not by “nearly 30%.”</p>
<p>[College</a> Admissions Feel Economic Pinch - Boston News Story - WCVB Boston](<a href=“http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/18943252/detail.html]College”>http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/18943252/detail.html)</p>
<p>my bad then.</p>
<p>Because college admissions are competitive.</p>
<p><em>shrugs</em> We can’t tell you why you were rejected. The simple answer is that they had an outstanding pool of applicants and they couldn’t choose everyone.</p>
<p>Just because you got rejected from Smith doesn’t mean you won’t be accepted to Grinnell. Grinnell is a less popular option for very top students because of its location and the lack of name recognition; they also probably have less international students and may have more of a vested interest in getting more to come, again because of its location.</p>
<p>Also, read that Globe article. This is very true especially at top liberal arts colleges. They don’t just want the students with straight As and top scores; they want interesting students who will enrich the atmosphere.</p>
<p>i some tacky girl with a 1900 who got in she’s nasty</p>
<p>your need for fin aid is the reason of the reject. Internationals I know who got accepted all have over 2200 SAT and 700 -800 SAT II. This is a tough year for people who need fin aids. Good luck!</p>
<p>from admissions article at Smith</p>
<p>“Smith also experienced a 9 percent surge in applications from international students for the Class of 2013. Several countries reflected double-digit increases: Vietnam increased by 46 percent to 50 applicants; Pakistan by 45 percent to 75 applicants; and Korea by 16 percent to 104 applicants.”</p>
<p>This might be the point of confusion</p>