I think even the thickest admissions office can look at an out of state kid with no demonstrated interest and the extraordinary stats and ECs needed to get into a service academy and decide “yeah this kid is very unlikely to come here.” OP didn’t do anything wrong, they just assumed that their very strong candidate kid would surely be accepted at what seemed to be a middle of the pack state school. Those schools now realize those kids aren’t coming and they applied to 20 schools and they will pick the highest rank one they got into. Which is exactly what OP’s kid did. |
And how was it that the school knew that the student had been admitted to the US Coast Guard Academy? |
OP here. Two things: One, the service academy stats are actually pretty middling. Not downplaying the achievement at all, but extraordinary is the wrong word as far as hard numbers go. There's no way an Auburn AO looked at his package and said, "Yes, he'll get accepted to a service academy." Objectively, he's a state school kid like his parents! Two, if the SEC is trying to become more selective like PP's have claimed, surely he's the kind of student they would want? (And in his defense, he by no means picked the highest rank school because of it's rank. It's been his dream for years.) |
This is another way PP's argument falls apart. In fact he was deferred first. Decisions came out something like two months apart. |
Nobody said that. Auburn doesn’t have to know where else he got in. They have years of data of whether people just like him enrolled or not. “Service academies aren’t that impressive and the kids are actually average” is pure DCUM insanity. Their successful applicants are very strong and well rounded. Downgrading YOUR OWN CHILD’S ACCOMPLISHMENT makes me lose any sympathy I might have had for you. Again, Auburn looks at the application and says “applicants who look like this guy don’t close”. Because they don’t. They are always looking for the better option. He’s competing against the guy actually from Alabama with similar stats who lives and dies WAR EAGLE and writes in his essay about Tim Cook, now that guy closes. Instant admit. |
Yield prediction algorithms. They don’t know where else you got offers but they know how people like you behave historically. That’s why “nobody from my High School went to this school lately” can be a handicap. People like you don’t go there. They want yield, it’s less risky to offer admission to people who are a safer bet. |
in = accepted for Fall '24 |
How on earth does Harvard know they lose people to Stanford and Princeton? They must be psychic. |
Holy intentional misinterpreting! I'm not downplaying! His stats are above average for the service academies, and I'm incredibly proud of his achievement. But on AVERAGE, the HARD NUMBERS are not what DCUM considers fantastic (ex: West Point SAT 1230-1430). Auburn's numbers are 1240-1370. |
|
OP, this thread should probably be done. From what I can tell, you are looking for a brag list for your DC, even if they are not.
It's always risky if a college admission is conditioned on physical health, whether it is a service academy or a sports team. Sounds like your DC has options if they are no longer able to enroll in a service academy. Astute parents and college counselors ask student athletes, "if you are no longer on the team, would you still want to attend this college?" If the answer is no, then kid needs to plan accordingly. Again, it sounds like your DC has options if they do not attend the academy. If they do not like the state school, then they can work hard and transfer. Maybe even to Auburn. |
I don't see how they could possibly know that. And for whatever it's worth, DS also applied to Annapolis. He'll turn it down if he's accepted, and yes, I can hear DCUM screeching about that through my computer. You absolutely cannot predict what human beings will do, even if your yield protection calculator says you can. |
I said multiple times I'm not looking for a brag list, or to rag on Auburn for being "inferior yet rejecting him." I'm concerned something will happen physically to him between now and June, and as of right now, he has no other acceptances. Sure, he's not worried, but that's because he's an optimist. |
Because there’s nothing to worry about. If he somehow fails the physical he can take a gap year or go to George Mason for a year while he figures out the next step. |
|
OP, please read the following article:
Algorithms for College Admissions: What to Know College applicants should understand how schools use predictive analytics and what it means for admissions decisions https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/how-admissions-algorithms-could-affect-your-college-acceptance |
You're right. I'm sorry. I thought the EA announcement would alleviate the anxiety, but I'm afraid it only made it worse. |