Improbable acceptances

[Anonymous]

I was accepted to StonyBrook with a 990 SAT and a 2.6 GPA. I only lasted 3 semesters.

People very surprised I got in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, but mostly attributable to legacy /donor status in ED. A lot of admits that made you scratch your head.

This ^^

Most of the time somebody rises up to a stellar college acceptance despite never being on the same academic radar as the high achievers at school - it's a legacy/donor/VIP situation. There are also the strong URMs who get into top schools - and while they may not be in the tippy top of the class, they are still very solid students (and there are some legacy like that too). But the total head scratcher cases have always ended up being kids with a VIP parent + legacy other parent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, but mostly attributable to legacy /donor status in ED. A lot of admits that made you scratch your head.

This ^^

Most of the time somebody rises up to a stellar college acceptance despite never being on the same academic radar as the high achievers at school - it's a legacy/donor/VIP situation. There are also the strong URMs who get into top schools - and while they may not be in the tippy top of the class, they are still very solid students (and there are some legacy like that too). But the total head scratcher cases have always ended up being kids with a VIP parent + legacy other parent.

Or 2+ on the Coalition App.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Know a few.

Accepted to Princeton, but rejected by all other T20 Univ & T 15 SLACs. no safety college!

Another, only got into Middleburry and 2 safeties. Rejected from all other LACs

On the other hand, kid’s classmate rejected Middlebury ED1, accepted Amherst, Bowdoin. WL at Dartmouth. Very unpredictable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, but mostly attributable to legacy /donor status in ED. A lot of admits that made you scratch your head.

This ^^

Most of the time somebody rises up to a stellar college acceptance despite never being on the same academic radar as the high achievers at school - it's a legacy/donor/VIP situation. There are also the strong URMs who get into top schools - and while they may not be in the tippy top of the class, they are still very solid students (and there are some legacy like that too). But the total head scratcher cases have always ended up being kids with a VIP parent + legacy other parent.

what types of college acceptance? Ivy? Or down a tier (WashU/Vanderbilt/Emory etc)?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a grown woman I've met plenty of people who I've considered total idiots, only to find they once attended a very prestigious college - Columbia / Oxford etc.
Does that count?

I suspect Columbia in particular, and also many other ivy/elite universities, are turning out a disproportionately high number of useful idiots right now compared to state universities, with no critical thinking skills, intellectual honesty, respect for free discourse, or understanding of history beyond what tiktok tells them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They’re incorrectly identifying themselves as Native Americans in their application.

What?? Really????

Elizabeth Warner used that technique.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wondering if anyone has stories of improbable acceptances:

Kids admitted to 5% admit rate schools that are “super reaches” when they are not the absolute top of the class/stats (but no ALDC hook)?

If so, which schools and why do you think kid was admitted? Major? Talent? Something else?

I’d imagine this is quite common statistically I don’t know if this is the place to get the information though.
And if this is already covered in another post, please let me know.

I feel like you asked this before but tried to target URM. What's the purpose of this other than to try create some narrative on your notion of "merit."
If someone has a talent or something noteworthy, is it really that improbable?
So tired of this question and its kin.