When Things Appear to Just Easily Work Out

[Anonymous]

A 3.75 is not equal at all schools. I saw someone with a 3.7x get into HYPS but was top 3-4% at their large public HS with really strong leadership and ECs. With grade inflation today, a 3.7 would put many kids out of the top 10%.

I also find DCUM parents to be unwilling to accept how holistic the admissions game really is. High GPA/scores just invites you to the discussion table and this gets obviously lost when people are not submitting sub 1530 scores vice finding other areas of the app to strengthen (essays, for one).

[Anonymous]

Where do you “keep hearing” this? You have no idea what these kids’ scores actually are or what their applications look like. Admissions officers compare students’ scores and grades to other kids from the same school. Grades across schools are not a good comparison because grade inflation/deflation makes the comparison meaningless. A 3.75 at one school is not the same as a 3.75 at another school, although both kids are A students. A 33 is a strong enough score that it won’t hurt a student with other attributes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where do you “keep hearing” this? You have no idea what these kids’ scores actually are or what their applications look like. Admissions officers compare students’ scores and grades to other kids from the same school. Grades across schools are not a good comparison because grade inflation/deflation makes the comparison meaningless. A 3.75 at one school is not the same as a 3.75 at another school, although both kids are A students. A 33 is a strong enough score that it won’t hurt a student with other attributes.

THIS!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have you seen selective college admissions “just work out” where it appears to happen by luck or easily for an apparently underwhelming candidate?

I keep hearing stories of lower Ivy admits (and other private T25) for seniors who had meh grades (3.75-3.85uw) and so-so scores (33-34) ending up at places like Cornell, WashU, Vanderbilt, Rice, Emory, USC - from private high schools.

How does this happen unexpectedly? Is the kid just a stealth achiever? Or did a pricey admissions counselor manufacture a story? Or a secret VIP?

Truly curious.

Those schools aren't as selective as you imagine they are.

No — they are infinitely more so. When less than 15% of applicants get in, admissions are uber competitive. For every seemingly low stats student admitted, there are 19 other candidates with perfect or near perfect stats that are rejected. I was shocked at who didn’t get in to schools this year. Don’t kid yourself; this process is brutal.

Not that brutal for over a 3.75 from a top private school, which was your example. It’s under 3.75 where things get crazy.

Where do the under 3.75uw private school kids go?

Syracuse, Kenyon, UVT, UConn, Penn State, Fairfield….tons of great options of all sizes. The obsession with top schools is out of control around here. There are many great colleges out there and MOST are not Ivy League!

[Anonymous]

I have always suspected that LORs are a big part of any admission story. They tend to get forgotten or pushed aside a bit when parents consider who is getting admitted where. The thing to keep in mind is that LORs are just about the only thing that can not be fudged or massaged for elaborated. Students (and parents) do not get to see these recommendations so they should carry more weight with admissions offices.

With so many students have strong stats and aiming for similar schools, LORs can be the very thing that pushes one applicant over the line into the "accepted" pile over another.

[Anonymous]

^^^And the counselor letter too-that is the real meat of the application and it’s a total mystery as to what goes in it! I suspect students are indeed ranked in some fashion and that the counselors do give their opinion on who would thrive where.

I think it’s a good idea for your kid to take a look at their admission file, which many colleges allow in the fall and report back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have you seen selective college admissions “just work out” where it appears to happen by luck or easily for an apparently underwhelming candidate?

I keep hearing stories of lower Ivy admits (and other private T25) for seniors who had meh grades (3.75-3.85uw) and so-so scores (33-34) ending up at places like Cornell, WashU, Vanderbilt, Rice, Emory, USC - from private high schools.

How does this happen unexpectedly? Is the kid just a stealth achiever? Or did a pricey admissions counselor manufacture a story? Or a secret VIP?

Truly curious.

Those schools aren't as selective as you imagine they are.

No — they are infinitely more so. When less than 15% of applicants get in, admissions are uber competitive. For every seemingly low stats student admitted, there are 19 other candidates with perfect or near perfect stats that are rejected. I was shocked at who didn’t get in to schools this year. Don’t kid yourself; this process is brutal.

Not that brutal for over a 3.75 from a top private school, which was your example. It’s under 3.75 where things get crazy.

Where do the under 3.75uw private school kids go?

Syracuse, Kenyon, UVT, UConn, Penn State, Fairfield….tons of great options of all sizes. The obsession with top schools is out of control around here. There are many great colleges out there and MOST are not Ivy League!

3.7-3.8uw from our private would get into Case; Lehigh; Bucknell; Colgate; NYU; etc

3.5-3.7uw would be SMU; Fordham; Syracuse; Penn State; Miami-Ohio; etc….

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People who can afford it apply ED, and the barriers to admission are lower.

It is very clear to me after looking at college acceptances from many high schools (I don’t live in DMV) that students who have deeper pockets have all the advantage. That is not surprising and that’s the way the world works, but people should also be honest about it.

As PP said though, these aren't low stats. The barrier is where it always was.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have you seen selective college admissions “just work out” where it appears to happen by luck or easily for an apparently underwhelming candidate?

I keep hearing stories of lower Ivy admits (and other private T25) for seniors who had meh grades (3.75-3.85uw) and so-so scores (33-34) ending up at places like Cornell, WashU, Vanderbilt, Rice, Emory, USC - from private high schools.

How does this happen unexpectedly? Is the kid just a stealth achiever? Or did a pricey admissions counselor manufacture a story? Or a secret VIP?

Truly curious.

Those schools aren't as selective as you imagine they are.

No — they are infinitely more so. When less than 15% of applicants get in, admissions are uber competitive. For every seemingly low stats student admitted, there are 19 other candidates with perfect or near perfect stats that are rejected. I was shocked at who didn’t get in to schools this year. Don’t kid yourself; this process is brutal.

Not that brutal for over a 3.75 from a top private school, which was your example. It’s under 3.75 where things get crazy.

Where do the under 3.75uw private school kids go?

Syracuse, Kenyon, UVT, UConn, Penn State, Fairfield….tons of great options of all sizes. The obsession with top schools is out of control around here. There are many great colleges out there and MOST are not Ivy League!

3.7-3.8uw from our private would get into Case; Lehigh; Bucknell; Colgate; NYU; etc

3.5-3.7uw would be SMU; Fordham; Syracuse; Penn State; Miami-Ohio; etc….

Depends on the school, of course. My 3.4 got into the Lehigh, NYU level schools and was told 3.7 would have put him in play for any school except Yale (which never takes kids from his school).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have you seen selective college admissions “just work out” where it appears to happen by luck or easily for an apparently underwhelming candidate?

I keep hearing stories of lower Ivy admits (and other private T25) for seniors who had meh grades (3.75-3.85uw) and so-so scores (33-34) ending up at places like Cornell, WashU, Vanderbilt, Rice, Emory, USC - from private high schools.

How does this happen unexpectedly? Is the kid just a stealth achiever? Or did a pricey admissions counselor manufacture a story? Or a secret VIP?

Truly curious.

Those schools aren't as selective as you imagine they are.

No — they are infinitely more so. When less than 15% of applicants get in, admissions are uber competitive. For every seemingly low stats student admitted, there are 19 other candidates with perfect or near perfect stats that are rejected. I was shocked at who didn’t get in to schools this year. Don’t kid yourself; this process is brutal.

Not that brutal for over a 3.75 from a top private school, which was your example. It’s under 3.75 where things get crazy.

Where do the under 3.75uw private school kids go?

SLACs, NE, Tulane, Case Western, William and Mary

[Anonymous]

Helps to know a board member or have donor connections.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^^And the counselor letter too-that is the real meat of the application and it’s a total mystery as to what goes in it! I suspect students are indeed ranked in some fashion and that the counselors do give their opinion on who would thrive where.

I think it’s a good idea for your kid to take a look at their admission file, which many colleges allow in the fall and report back.

Coming from a private with very hands on CCO. Does this mean you really should heed the advice of your CCO? Focus on fit rather than prestige. Seems like a good way to get a standout letter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^^And the counselor letter too-that is the real meat of the application and it’s a total mystery as to what goes in it! I suspect students are indeed ranked in some fashion and that the counselors do give their opinion on who would thrive where.

I think it’s a good idea for your kid to take a look at their admission file, which many colleges allow in the fall and report back.

Coming from a private with very hands on CCO. Does this mean you really should heed the advice of your CCO? Focus on fit rather than prestige. Seems like a good way to get a standout letter.

I would make sure your kid knows the counselor and the counselor knows the kid. Have the kids spend weekly regular time in the office regularly starting late in junior year and absolutely all fall of senior year.

Let them think you are not working with anyone else, even if you are. Have kid bring essays to them ask them random one off questions. Have them volunteer to help with anything they need. Basically treat college counselors as they would another class.

[Anonymous]

I thought OP was going to post something crazy like a 30 and 3.4 GPA.

A 33/34 earns the right to apply to many (all?) T30 schools. And a 3.7/3.8 uw at my kid's International Private were top students. No One had a 4.0 uw; it was a country known for grade deflation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought OP was going to post something crazy like a 30 and 3.4 GPA.

A 33/34 earns the right to apply to many (all?) T30 schools. And a 3.7/3.8 uw at my kid's International Private were top students. No One had a 4.0 uw; it was a country known for grade deflation.

OP is just being the typical DCUM a**. Perhaps their kid had higher scores and were rejected. Smells like sour grapes. Considering a 34 ACT is in the top 1% of everyone taking the test.