I posted earlier. I don’t have an athlete. I have a kid at one of the still TO schools mentioned here (my kid submitted scores). They wanted a “rah rah” fun but top tier academic environment. Big sports and social culture. Turned down Ivies and higher ranked schools for it. Don’t assume to know what makes a top school attractive for kids different than yours. Very happy there. I’m glad the school can attract athletes who contribute to that energy. It changes a college completely, and leads to increased parent and alumni donations. Win-win for all. It shouldn’t really matter to any of you anyway? |
The athletes at Vandy, Duke etc are 920-1000 at best. Not 1200/1300. |
The college counselors at our school advise not submitting to test optional schools unless you are at or above their median score. As a Princeton alum tho I can tell you that with that score, your child would need major other factors to overcome the gate keeping. The first gate is overall GPA adjusted for high school rigor and standardized test scores. With a 1490 your kid would not go past the first gate. Keep in mind Princeton could fill their incoming class 3x over with kids with perfect GPAs and test scores. For kids with weaker GPAs and test scores, it takes exceptional talents or achievements for them to take a second look. My kid has a 3.9 unweighted GPA, 1600 SATs, and is an alumni child with impressive ECs coming from a well-known, rigorous high school. Still no guarantee he’ll be admitted. A couple decades ago when I was admitted, I had a 4.0, 1560 SAT, and much less impressive ECs. My fellow alums and I frequently acknowledge that many of us would not have been admitted today. |
Princeton can draw athletes from kids in the mid-1400+ range. They will not dip too low on grades and test scores because they don’t have to. Classes are not adjusted in difficulty for athletes and the last few years, they’ve had problems with kids admitted under the test optional regime not being able to handle the work. Princeton does want an ongoing rise in attrition. Significant donors can afford to tutor and prep their kids to decent grades and test scores. |
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makes sense.
more will follow. |
Agree. And the concentration has been growing. How many Americans think $1M homes are normal? Arlington and Bethesda used to be for more typical households. I can remember my bus to Robert Frost stopping at a road with shack-looking houses. There were cattle grazing across the road from my newish-build Westleigh house in the early '80s. We live somewhere else now and that Westleigh house is worth at least 3x my parents' current house value. For equal size. That goes along with more NMSFs per school. |
This is only in reference to top schools that want to keep academic cred. Fine if they want to be known for sports only, stay TO and be known as jock central. |
We don’t care about Princeton. |
Agree with this. For the first time in the modern era, Vanderbilt has a competitive nationally ranked football team in the SEC. Their quarterback is a Heisman contender!!! It happened in the test optional era only. Why do we think that is? Some of the comments in this thread are laughable. People have no idea how T25 schools use test optional. It helps them fulfill their institutional priorities. It is never an institutional priority to just have more high stats kids. |
Eh, I don't think a 1490 would keep a kid out if they had extraordinary ECs (national level awards) or fit an institutional priority (FGLI, donor, child of someone very famous). And unless the kid has one of those hooks, they wouldn't get into Princeton with a 1590 either. If kid does have an extraordinary hook, I'd say submit the 1490. DC's friend (with national literary award) was accepted with a 1500. If you don't submit, I think AOs assume a score much lower than 1490, and that might hurt you. |
Watching college football with my Ivy kid home for the weekend. Lots of regrets about not having “that” college experience. Think this is only a thing in the fall? I’m sure they get over that fomo in the winter. What I’ve noticed today: The decent schools have to be TO to compete with these state school powerhouses. Tonight’s game: Michigan vs USC (USC winning!!!) UCLA on a crazy streak! Northwestern beat a state school - Penn State (how? lol!) Notre Dame (no surprise) Vanderbilt off this week? There’s no way smart schools could even come close if they were TR. |
What? It has nothing to do with TOTR. Stanford has a strong team that beats UCB all the time. If you want football why stop at Vandy? Go to Harvard of Okalahoma. |
Stanford? Wut? Ma’am - this is bowl eligible talk. What are you talking about? They are the worst. Stanford? ROTFL. You people ….. |
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So maybe school systems shoukd start teaching to SATs (rather than state SOLs).
Seems like a better strategy . |