Acceptance to more selective schools based on merit at T40-T50 schools

[Anonymous]

Anxiety level is getting high as decisions are out in the next two weeks. Just wait and you will find out soon. At least you have a couple anchors. To your question, the answer is there is real hope for higher ups, but do not plan around it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think better off indication is from EA out of state public’s. GT, UT Austin, uiuc, Michigan, etc which all have sub 10% acceptance.

I think her question was: Does getting merit from top 40-50 predict acceptance to the bunch of schools you just just listed?

The answer is no.

[Anonymous]

I think major matters a lot at the top Flagship schools. Especially later on in the process. There isn’t much Room for stem left, but there is a lot of room for humanities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:T40-T50 are safeties. Generally not predictive for highly selective schools (sub 15%).

Merit at these schools is means to attract students they think who are likely to attend, not a great correlation with acceptance to reach schools. The underlying logic for reach is different from that of merit at safeties.

Reasonable to assume at least one target (15-20%).

Such as…?

Wake Forest? BU BC
Liberal arts Carleton? Colorado Richmond

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:T40-T50 are safeties. Generally not predictive for highly selective schools (sub 15%).

Merit at these schools is means to attract students they think who are likely to attend, not a great correlation with acceptance to reach schools. The underlying logic for reach is different from that of merit at safeties.

Reasonable to assume at least one target (15-20%).

Such as…?

Wake Forest? BU BC
Liberal arts Carleton? Colorado Richmond

That’s depressing. Half of the above are worse than T50!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think major matters a lot at the top Flagship schools. Especially later on in the process. There isn’t much Room for stem left, but there is a lot of room for humanities.

Not just flagships, but true everywhere in T25.

If you are not the very top of your cohort (and I mean the very top) & an oversubscribed field, RD is not happening. Expect a lot of waitlists. Start working on those LOCI letters now and figure out where if anywhere, your college counseling office has clout.

[Anonymous]

Last year (2025)
Generous merit (max available at each school): Georgia, Vermont, Clemson, Pittsburgh,
In (no merit): Wisconsin, Michigan, UVA, UNC, UCLA, Columbia, Middlebury
Terminally waitlisted: Notre Dame, Boston College, Bowdoin, Dartmouth, Emory
Rejected: Stanford, Cornell, Vanderbilt, Northwestern, Brown, Berkeley

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Last year (2025)
Generous merit (max available at each school): Georgia, Vermont, Clemson, Pittsburgh,
In (no merit): Wisconsin, Michigan, UVA, UNC, UCLA, Columbia, Middlebury
Terminally waitlisted: Notre Dame, Boston College, Bowdoin, Dartmouth, Emory
Rejected: Stanford, Cornell, Vanderbilt, Northwestern, Brown, Berkeley

Columbia? Wow …

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Last year (2025)
Generous merit (max available at each school): Georgia, Vermont, Clemson, Pittsburgh,
In (no merit): Wisconsin, Michigan, UVA, UNC, UCLA, Columbia, Middlebury
Terminally waitlisted:

Columbia? Wow …

RD is REALLY hard. It's a total crapshoot. Vanderbilt is down to 2% chance. Boston College would have been s shoe-in for ED but kid was waitlisted RD (classmates with a GPA many tenths of a point lower were admitted earlier ED1 or ED2).

Moral of the story: do not count on RD. It's a crapshoot. Maybe you'll win, likely you won't. Good luck!

These schools were all RD:
Terminally waitlisted: Notre Dame, Boston College, Bowdoin, Dartmouth, Emory
Rejected: Stanford, Cornell, Vanderbilt, Northwestern, Brown, Berkeley

The only RD admits were Columbia and Middlebury.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Last year (2025)
Generous merit (max available at each school): Georgia, Vermont, Clemson, Pittsburgh,
In (no merit): Wisconsin, Michigan, UVA, UNC, UCLA, Columbia, Middlebury
Terminally waitlisted: Notre Dame, Boston College, Bowdoin, Dartmouth, Emory
Rejected: Stanford, Cornell, Vanderbilt, Northwestern, Brown, Berkeley

Major?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Last year (2025)
Generous merit (max available at each school): Georgia, Vermont, Clemson, Pittsburgh,
In (no merit): Wisconsin, Michigan, UVA, UNC, UCLA, Columbia, Middlebury
Terminally waitlisted: Notre Dame, Boston College, Bowdoin, Dartmouth, Emory
Rejected: Stanford, Cornell, Vanderbilt, Northwestern, Brown, Berkeley

Major?

generally anthropology or sociology. Public health for a few schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Last year (2025)
Generous merit (max available at each school): Georgia, Vermont, Clemson, Pittsburgh,
In (no merit): Wisconsin, Michigan, UVA, UNC, UCLA, Columbia, Middlebury
Terminally waitlisted: Notre Dame, Boston College, Bowdoin, Dartmouth, Emory
Rejected: Stanford, Cornell, Vanderbilt, Northwestern, Brown, Berkeley

Major?

generally anthropology or sociology. Public health for a few schools.

Public or private HS? Female? Premed plans?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Last year (2025)
Generous merit (max available at each school): Georgia, Vermont, Clemson, Pittsburgh,
In (no merit): Wisconsin, Michigan, UVA, UNC, UCLA, Columbia, Middlebury
Terminally waitlisted:

Columbia? Wow …

RD is REALLY hard. It's a total crapshoot. Vanderbilt is down to 2% chance. Boston College would have been s shoe-in for ED but kid was waitlisted RD (classmates with a GPA many tenths of a point lower were admitted earlier ED1 or ED2).

Moral of the story: do not count on RD. It's a crapshoot. Maybe you'll win, likely you won't. Good luck!

These schools were all RD:
Terminally waitlisted: Notre Dame, Boston College, Bowdoin, Dartmouth, Emory
Rejected: Stanford, Cornell, Vanderbilt, Northwestern, Brown, Berkeley

The only RD admits were Columbia and Middlebury.

UCLA?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Last year (2025)
Generous merit (max available at each school): Georgia, Vermont, Clemson, Pittsburgh,
In (no merit): Wisconsin, Michigan, UVA, UNC, UCLA, Columbia, Middlebury
Terminally waitlisted: Notre Dame, Boston College, Bowdoin, Dartmouth, Emory
Rejected: Stanford, Cornell, Vanderbilt, Northwestern, Brown, Berkeley

This is a GREAT outcome!!! Congratulations!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Last year (2025)
Generous merit (max available at each school): Georgia, Vermont, Clemson, Pittsburgh,
In (no merit): Wisconsin, Michigan, UVA, UNC, UCLA, Columbia, Middlebury
Terminally waitlisted: Notre Dame, Boston College, Bowdoin, Dartmouth, Emory
Rejected: Stanford, Cornell, Vanderbilt, Northwestern, Brown, Berkeley

This is a GREAT outcome!!! Congratulations!!

1 T15, 2 T20, 3 T30, 1 Top lac.
AMAZING outcome.