<p>Hm, a lot of people who end up going to schools like Pingry or PDS (which are in NJ so I know about them) would've probably been close to valedictorian in their own public schools and would've had a good change to get into HYP anyways. However, you still need to be in like the top 10% of the private school class to get into HYP. It doesn't seem worth it to me.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Bush had a 566 verbal?
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Considering a 566 verbal does not exist, I wouldn't know if this article is to be trusted.</p>
<p>Perhaps it existed once? </p>
<p>Of course, I don't know the old system.</p>
<p>An acquaintance at my school applied to all the ivies, Williams, and Amherst. She heard back from Berkeley in mid-March and spent the entire month telling everyone who would listen (and especially kids whose first choice was cal...) that she didn't really want to go, that it was just her safety, and that she was going to Yale. But she, um, didn't get in anywhere. She and I have never gotten along so I suspected it to be some kind of mild vindication but honestly I just feel bad. We have pretty comparable grades and test scores (my SAT bests hers by 100; she has two more A's than I do) and I was admitted to 8 of my 11 schools, and waitlisted at one, most being (in my opinion) really excellent institutions. She's pretty crushed; she keeps telling everyone that she always saw herself as an "ivy league student" not a "uc student..."</p>
<p>I don't know if it's a broken system, but there are definitely some broken people involved.</p>
<p>Hm, one other thing: I think that my experience and hers really emphasizes how important it is to apply to a wide variety of schools. I applied to high reaches, reaches, matches, and an easy match, but they were all schools I could see myself at and which I really wanted to attend! Even at the end, I have had to genuinely compare my easy match and my no. 1 school, because I liked them both so much. I was fortunate and am happy, whereas my classmate talked herself into despising her easy match school.</p>
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[quote]
She's pretty crushed; she keeps telling everyone that she always saw herself as an "ivy league student" not a "uc student..."
[/quote]
I feel really bad for ppl like that as well ='(</p>
<p>I think she's sending a lot of supplemental material into UPenn, which she was waitlisted from--she still won't commit to Berkeley. I don't know if I could do that. I'd feel pretty...I dunno...crummy if I were only willing to go to a school that didn't really want me, if I wouldn't consider anything else.</p>
<p>too much prestige-whoring, but it's very unlikely she'll get off the waitlist and will be very depressed at Berkeley if she doesn't open her mind fast</p>
<p>Yeaahh. :-/</p>
<p>Any updates?</p>
<p>
[quote]
I'm glad that she has a back-up school that fits her now, but she still insists on complaining that the people who got accepted into the Ivies got in because of affirmative action or something similar (at this point, I sort of treat her like the crazy old uncle in the corner who yacks quite a bit). I think she is pretty happy though; she did get into one Ivy.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I think people that whine like that are just jealous. =/ And I don't think getting into one Ivy is going to help her if she's not even going there.</p>
<p>"Considering a 566 verbal does not exist, I wouldn't know if this article is to be trusted."</p>
<p>In the old days when parents like me were taking the SATs, you could get scores like that.</p>
<p>About the public schools in MA: Probably not in Newton, but Boston Latin School had 23 students get into Harvard this year I believe, and it's like that every year, from what I have heard. But BLS is a selective school itself, even though it's public. That is the only public school in MA that I know of that fits the description given.</p>