Chance at Amherst? 3.83uw GPA and 34 ACT

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So DD is coming from a Big 3 with ACT scores at the upper end of the range and grades in line with the average student. Apply ED and her odds are probably good, even better than normal for 2021.

A 3.83 unweighted from a top private is not average esp if OP's kid has taken a rigorous course load. Ask your college counselor. That's going to be much more useful than random parents telling you what happened with their kids who applied from public schools.

Not sure why you're quoting me as if you disagreed with my statement. I highlighted her DD's attendance at a Big 3 for a reason.

Anyway, its a shame that a PP won't allow their kid to even apply to Amherst.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I have to say as well, I don't have the context of your child's extracurricular, but I struggle to think of one that isn't attractive to colleges if sold in the right way (especially if your child is genuinely passionate about it). Universities have become very suspicious (and rightfully so) of having a glut of extracurriculars (implying that the student isn't really serious about any of them) or of having 'paid for' extracurriculars (essentially those that only the wealthiest can afford).

Op here again. Thank you for all your responses, the different perspectives are quite helpful. DD has an extracurricular that she has been involved in for over a decade, but is a prohibitively expensive one, which is why I think it is unattractive for admission. The extracurricular is not a varsity sport at Amherst, but there is a club.

Original responder here. If it is something like dressage/polo/sailing I wouldn't lose any sleep over it. It can still be made into a really effective essay. I should clarify my original statement regarding 'paid for' activities: here I don't mean genuine extracurriculars that are prohibitively expensive, but rather ones that parents basically buy and the child doesn't work for at all. For a few years, there were a huge number of parents paying for their children to go to cultural or academic immersion camps that were meant to be a boon during admissions. It's not to say that you shouldn't send your children to these sorts of things as good ones can be hugely valuable, but admissions committees are aware that these (often eye-watteringly) expensive 1-2 week trips are solely a way to pad out applications. If it's an EC that a student is working on over a number of years, it's viewed quite differently.

[Anonymous]

You'd be much better served asking this question of your college counselor at your school and seeing the Naviance stats for similar applicants than asking on this forum. No one on this forum, present company included, knows anything about college admissions from your school.

[Anonymous]

My child graduated last year from a Big 3. There were definitely kids who got into Amherst with an UW GPA around 3.5 and ACT scores of 32. While the majority of acceptances were with stats higher than the ones I mentioned, there were a couple of admissions at these stats. And no they were not recruited athletes.

OP - I think your DD should apply especially if she can do ED. Only 10% of Amherst applicants apply ED so that has to be a hook.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So DD is coming from a Big 3 with ACT scores at the upper end of the range and grades in line with the average student. Apply ED and her odds are probably good, even better than normal for 2021.

Why do you say odds are better than normal for class of 2021?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So DD is coming from a Big 3 with ACT scores at the upper end of the range and grades in line with the average student. Apply ED and her odds are probably good, even better than normal for 2021.

Why do you say odds are better than normal for class of 2021?

DP. DC attended several online college sessions. Last night Amherst along with five other schools had one. One student asked the impact of bigger than usual deferral this year on 2021 admission. I was very surprised to hear that they would possibly offer fewer waitlist for 2021. It sounds to me it will be more difficult for the class of 2021. Every other schools had said no impact when a similar question was asked. Perhaps Amherst and other SLACs did give out significantly more deferrals this year than other schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So DD is coming from a Big 3 with ACT scores at the upper end of the range and grades in line with the average student. Apply ED and her odds are probably good, even better than normal for 2021.

Why do you say odds are better than normal for class of 2021?

DP. DC attended several online college sessions. Last night Amherst along with five other schools had one. One student asked the impact of bigger than usual deferral this year on 2021 admission. I was very surprised to hear that they would possibly offer fewer waitlist for 2021. It sounds to me it will be more difficult for the class of 2021. Every other schools had said no impact when a similar question was asked. Perhaps Amherst and other SLACs did give out significantly more deferrals this year than other schools.

+1. This. It will be more difficult for 2031. 20 percent of Harvard’s 2020 class is deferring, leaving fewer slots for 2021.

[Anonymous]

Amherst is open. I was up there last week. Lots of kids on campus

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So DD is coming from a Big 3 with ACT scores at the upper end of the range and grades in line with the average student. Apply ED and her odds are probably good, even better than normal for 2021.

Why do you say odds are better than normal for class of 2021?

DP. DC attended several online college sessions. Last night Amherst along with five other schools had one. One student asked the impact of bigger than usual deferral this year on 2021 admission. I was very surprised to hear that they would possibly offer fewer waitlist for 2021. It sounds to me it will be more difficult for the class of 2021. Every other schools had said no impact when a similar question was asked. Perhaps Amherst and other SLACs did give out significantly more deferrals this year than other schools.

+1. This. It will be more difficult for 2031. 20 percent of Harvard’s 2020 class is deferring, leaving fewer slots for 2021.

It seems to be a common question for 2021. In Harvard's zoom call, they answered no impact on admission. Same for Chicago. The Amherst's rep is the first I heard who openly admitted the possibility of fewer slots for 2021. I was surprised to hear that. The impact may be a specific problem for SLACs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You used “they” throughout, I assume to disguise your child’s sex. But it matters in that a boy will have a substantially better shot at Amherst than a girl with the same stats. Apply anyway, intellectual and good writer could help.

Weird statement. Source?

Undeniably true

Troll.

Amherst admission rate is 10.8%. Evenly split between males and females (1% other). No statistically significant differences between apps from men and women.

They admit a smaller percentage of women applicants than men, according to this:

https://www.applerouth.com/blog/2017/09/12/5050-isnt-equal-when-it-comes-to-college-admissions/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So DD is coming from a Big 3 with ACT scores at the upper end of the range and grades in line with the average student. Apply ED and her odds are probably good, even better than normal for 2021.

Why do you say odds are better than normal for class of 2021?

DP. DC attended several online college sessions. Last night Amherst along with five other schools had one. One student asked the impact of bigger than usual deferral this year on 2021 admission. I was very surprised to hear that they would possibly offer fewer waitlist for 2021. It sounds to me it will be more difficult for the class of 2021. Every other schools had said no impact when a similar question was asked. Perhaps Amherst and other SLACs did give out significantly more deferrals this year than other schools.

+1. This. It will be more difficult for 2031. 20 percent of Harvard’s 2020 class is deferring, leaving fewer slots for 2021.

Where did you find this data?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You used “they” throughout, I assume to disguise your child’s sex. But it matters in that a boy will have a substantially better shot at Amherst than a girl with the same stats. Apply anyway, intellectual and good writer could help.

Weird statement. Source?

Undeniably true

Troll.

Amherst admission rate is 10.8%. Evenly split between males and females (1% other). No statistically significant differences between apps from men and women.

They admit a smaller percentage of women applicants than men, according to this:

https://www.applerouth.com/blog/2017/09/12/5050-isnt-equal-when-it-comes-to-college-admissions/

If you look at the CDS over the last five years, it is slightly easier to get in as a male, just on a percentage basis. Not sure why that's trolling. It is like that at most schools.

[Anonymous]

At LACs. Opposite is true at university engineering programs.

[Anonymous]

Amherst grad here. I don’t have any specific insight into the admissions process and stats, but will say that strong writing skills are highly prized at Amherst (and the English Department is wonderful). If the applicant has a gift for writing, she should definitely play that up and submit samples of her writing. My sense is that the applicant pool is small enough that such submissions will be read closely and could make the difference in a borderline applicant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So PPs are saying that a 4.0 UW and 36 ACT from private is somehow worth more than 4.0 UW and 36 ACT from public? WTF?

Well, they have to justify the price they pay somehow.

The “Big 3” high schools have a more competitive admissions process than most colleges. Yes, being in the top 25% of the class is worth more there than being in the top 25% at a public school where a significant percentage of the student body isn’t aiming for college.

Whether or not going to a private school is actually helpful for college admissions is another matter — I actually think it isn’t these days, since it shows privilege that the schools are trying to steer away from. However, schools do adjust their perception of grades based upon the HS in question.

(FWIW, my kids don’t go to a Big 3)

But someone has to be privileged at top private colleges because: a) they are expensive and b) they need to subsidized the nonprivileged.