Asking AOs for advice

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Application Nation advice: depends on school, major and transcript/rigor profile

Sara H generally says if more than 40% of last class admitted TO, then if you are a majority candidate, only submit if over the 50%.

But you are STEM, analysis might be more complicated: you may have to submit though bc those candidates held to higher standard (given how much competition there is), esp if the SAT score discrepancy shows an extraordinarily strong math score.

But even this guidance isn't really that helpful...suppose you are a majority candidate, applying to a school where about 40% of admitted students applied to, and not a STEM major but maybe public health...and your score is in the 25th-50th range. This is my kids profile, by the way. High rigor, 4.0uw/4.4 w, urban public school, top 5%.

What does her guidance suggest doing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Application Nation advice: depends on school, major and transcript/rigor profile

Sara H generally says if more than 40% of last class admitted TO, then if you are a majority candidate, only submit if over the 50%.

But you are STEM, analysis might be more complicated: you may have to submit though bc those candidates held to higher standard (given how much competition there is), esp if the SAT score discrepancy shows an extraordinarily strong math score.

She has also successfully encouraged some clients not to submit a 34, bc averages moved up.

At a true TO school, Admissions officers don’t assume a “low score”, unless the rest of the application is weak - in which case your score was never going to help you anyway

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t have any answers but I really feel for kids who have strong test scores for the schools they are applying to if they look at pre-TO scores

Bingo. My DD's score is in the high 1400s, which puts her in the 50-75th range pre-TO for a top choice....but the range has moved about 70 points since then...which puts it at the 25th percentile. The advice they are currently getting from their (private) counselor is to not submit but she is concerned they will assume it is lower.

She should submit

[Anonymous]

This is why sitting for the SATs has become a joke, and I will absolute advise my younger kid not to even bother. You get an excellent score, high 1400s, and the advice is to not submit? It seems like a waste of money and time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is why sitting for the SATs has become a joke, and I will absolute advise my younger kid not to even bother. You get an excellent score, high 1400s, and the advice is to not submit? It seems like a waste of money and time.

[Anonymous]

If you're asking, it might be best to go TO.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Application Nation advice: depends on school, major and transcript/rigor profile

Sara H generally says if more than 40% of last class admitted TO, then if you are a majority candidate, only submit if over the 50%.

But you are STEM, analysis might be more complicated: you may have to submit though bc those candidates held to higher standard (given how much competition there is), esp if the SAT score discrepancy shows an extraordinarily strong math score.

But even this guidance isn't really that helpful...suppose you are a majority candidate, applying to a school where about 40% of admitted students applied to, and not a STEM major but maybe public health...and your score is in the 25th-50th range. This is my kids profile, by the way. High rigor, 4.0uw/4.4 w, urban public school, top 5%.

What does her guidance suggest doing?

how are the AP scores?

[Anonymous]

To be fair, my kid was not applying to highly selective schools. She had gotten conflicting advice about a 1280, emailed one AO, and got an immediate, encouraging note back. It made us feel like the school had a nice, personal touch.

[Anonymous]

Schools should not be allowed to report SAT scores “ranges” unless they require _everyone_ to take them. This is just ridiculous. Shame on the college board and shame on these colleges for perpetuating this massive fraud.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Application Nation advice: depends on school, major and transcript/rigor profile

Sara H generally says if more than 40% of last class admitted TO, then if you are a majority candidate, only submit if over the 50%.

But you are STEM, analysis might be more complicated: you may have to submit though bc those candidates held to higher standard (given how much competition there is), esp if the SAT score discrepancy shows an extraordinarily strong math score.

I think this advice works for schools that are ranked 20-50.

but for a t20 school, if you have a 1530, lower than 50%, but you're a humanities major and the breakdown is 780 in verbal and 750 in math, you should submit. or you're an engineering major and breakdown is 800 in math and 730 in verbal, submit. Or you're an interesting pointy kid with 760/760, submit!

I think this is why yale is going back to test-ish required. you probably are good enough, so prove it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Application Nation advice: depends on school, major and transcript/rigor profile

Sara H generally says if more than 40% of last class admitted TO, then if you are a majority candidate, only submit if over the 50%.

But you are STEM, analysis might be more complicated: you may have to submit though bc those candidates held to higher standard (given how much competition there is), esp if the SAT score discrepancy shows an extraordinarily strong math score.

But even this guidance isn't really that helpful...suppose you are a majority candidate, applying to a school where about 40% of admitted students applied to, and not a STEM major but maybe public health...and your score is in the 25th-50th range. This is my kids profile, by the way. High rigor, 4.0uw/4.4 w, urban public school, top 5%.

What does her guidance suggest doing?

how are the AP scores?

Four 4s and 2 5s...taking 5 more this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Application Nation advice: depends on school, major and transcript/rigor profile

Sara H generally says if more than 40% of last class admitted TO, then if you are a majority candidate, only submit if over the 50%.

But you are STEM, analysis might be more complicated: you may have to submit though bc those candidates held to higher standard (given how much competition there is), esp if the SAT score discrepancy shows an extraordinarily strong math score.

She has also successfully encouraged some clients not to submit a 34, bc averages moved up.

At a true TO school, Admissions officers don’t assume a “low score”, unless the rest of the application is weak - in which case your score was never going to help you anyway

+1

A lot of schools don't give equal weight to test scores and GPA. GPA (and more importantly rigor and quality of transcript) matter MUCH more than test scores. Same with quality and caliber of HS (does the college have a history of accepting kids from your HS, what GPA (and scores) did they have, what was avg freshman and overall college GPA for those kids). Colleges have SO much data on their hands. They aren't just looking at your kids info when they decide.

You have to decide if the scores make your kids application stronger or weaker in light of ALL of those other factors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Application Nation advice: depends on school, major and transcript/rigor profile

Sara H generally says if more than 40% of last class admitted TO, then if you are a majority candidate, only submit if over the 50%.

But you are STEM, analysis might be more complicated: you may have to submit though bc those candidates held to higher standard (given how much competition there is), esp if the SAT score discrepancy shows an extraordinarily strong math score.

She has also successfully encouraged some clients not to submit a 34, bc averages moved up.

At a true TO school, Admissions officers don’t assume a “low score”, unless the rest of the application is weak - in which case your score was never going to help you anyway

+1

So, if I'm understanding you correctly, you're saying that the colleges (if there's a history of kids from our HS matriculating there) know how students, say in the top 5% or top 10% of the HS class perform once they get there? And they use that data to evaluate the current applicant pool from the high school?

A lot of schools don't give equal weight to test scores and GPA. GPA (and more importantly rigor and quality of transcript) matter MUCH more than test scores. Same with quality and caliber of HS (does the college have a history of accepting kids from your HS, what GPA (and scores) did they have, what was avg freshman and overall college GPA for those kids). Colleges have SO much data on their hands. They aren't just looking at your kids info when they decide.

You have to decide if the scores make your kids application stronger or weaker in light of ALL of those other factors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Schools should not be allowed to report SAT scores “ranges” unless they require _everyone_ to take them. This is just ridiculous. Shame on the college board and shame on these colleges for perpetuating this massive fraud.

I agree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Application Nation advice: depends on school, major and transcript/rigor profile

Sara H generally says if more than 40% of last class admitted TO, then if you are a majority candidate, only submit if over the 50%.

But you are STEM, analysis might be more complicated: you may have to submit though bc those candidates held to higher standard (given how much competition there is), esp if the SAT score discrepancy shows an extraordinarily strong math score.

She has also successfully encouraged some clients not to submit a 34, bc averages moved up.

At a true TO school, Admissions officers don’t assume a “low score”, unless the rest of the application is weak - in which case your score was never going to help you anyway

+1

So, if I'm understanding you correctly, you're saying that the colleges (if there's a history of kids from our HS matriculating there) know how students, say in the top 5% or top 10% of the HS class perform once they get there? And they use that data to evaluate the current applicant pool from the high school?

A lot of schools don't give equal weight to test scores and GPA. GPA (and more importantly rigor and quality of transcript) matter MUCH more than test scores. Same with quality and caliber of HS (does the college have a history of accepting kids from your HS, what GPA (and scores) did they have, what was avg freshman and overall college GPA for those kids). Colleges have SO much data on their hands. They aren't just looking at your kids info when they decide.

You have to decide if the scores make your kids application stronger or weaker in light of ALL of those other factors.

I'm sure they have data on how kids do once they matriculate. Now how this looks or influences future admissions, who knows?
Are admissions officers told "avoid this high school" or "recruit kids from this high school?" or are they given giant spreadsheets of top performing high schools? I don't think any of us know.