Rejected by Dartmouth but admitted into Yale, Princeton, Brown, UPenn, Cornell, Duke, and UCLA???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dartmouth is a very good school. Admissions at the highest level is a crap shoot. I don’t understand why this is so shocking to you.

Agree it’s a bit of w crap shoot.

DD got into UCLA but not USC. Friend into USC not UCLA. It happens. Big deal. Dartmouth is very selective and smaller so needs more athletes. It’s not someone’s birthright, just because they were admitted into other schools. This seems like a troll post. DS rejected by Dartmouth; went to Duke.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is nothing. My niece was accepted at Georgetown and rejected from American University. Yield protection is real.

But like pp’s have said, Dartmouth is pretty unique amongst the Ivies. I think it’s far more likely to be about fit rather than yield protection. A kid who wants to go to Columbia isn’t going to be happy at Dartmouth.

I already talked about this.

Not every kid has the luxury to accept a school because of its location. Many kids just want to get into a college that won't leave them with massive debt.

Screening kids because you think someone who applied to Columbia won't be happy at Dartmouth is elite talk. And respectfully, BS. You think a 1st gen kid with no funds cares about that?

Were the rejected kids you’re talking about actually first generation applicants?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is this possible when Dartmouth is the least prestigious of these schools?

The same person was rejected by Harvard, Stanford, and Columbia. Is Dartmouth trying to say it is on par with these other schools? LMAO.

Surely someone admitted into Yale and Princeton should be able to get into Dartmouth easily.

Dartmouth is literally not even in the top 100 best schools like seriously.

Kudos to those that actually tried to provide a thoughtful answer, but I do wonder if threads like this are created for 'fun'. "Let me say something provocative and watch what happens..."

"Is Dartmouth trying to say it is on par with these other schools? LMAO." Uh...ok

I just thought I would find like-minded people here about Dartmouth. Seems I was wrong.

I don't think this school is on par with Harvard, Yale, Princeton or Columbia. Or Stanford. I think people admitted into these schools should have a pretty easy time getting into schools like Dartmouth. Even though it is ivy too. Makes me wonder who even got into Dartmouth if not a student who could get into Yale.

Ok. I'll bite and provide my thoughts. I think several have mentioned some likely key underlying possibilities like demonstrating an authentic desire for the schools and institutional priorities. In addition, there are ~2600 4-year institutions in the US. Dartmouth is ranked #18 by US News (never-mind the question of who/what makes US News the arbiter of a definitive ranking, but whatever). By this guide, Dartmouth is considered a T20 and thus in the top 0.8% of 4-year institutions in the US. So, what then does it mean to be "on 'par' with"? Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Columbia are VERY different institutions in their locations, majors, curricula, and campus cultures. They have different missions and institutional priorities. They look for students they see as a fit for their institution based upon these using a holistic review process. Personally, I don't understand why one would lead with an assumption that if a student gets into Princeton (for example), they should be expected to get into every other school perceived to be less prestigious by that individual. Why would your (or my) perspective/beliefs/biases have any bering on what an institution does?

Seems like the answer is Dartmouth didnt see this student as a fit for the class in question, whereas the other schools saw one. Dartmouth has been around for over 250 years. I imagine the institution is comfortable in its skin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is nothing. My niece was accepted at Georgetown and rejected from American University. Yield protection is real.

But like pp’s have said, Dartmouth is pretty unique amongst the Ivies. I think it’s far more likely to be about fit rather than yield protection. A kid who wants to go to Columbia isn’t going to be happy at Dartmouth.

I already talked about this.

Not every kid has the luxury to accept a school because of its location. Many kids just want to get into a college that won't leave them with massive debt.

Screening kids because you think someone who applied to Columbia won't be happy at Dartmouth is elite talk. And respectfully, BS. You think a 1st gen kid with no funds cares about that?

Were the rejected kids you’re talking about actually first generation applicants?

No, this one in particular was not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dartmouth is looking for a specific kind of kid. They're not interested in the STEM bots that shot-gun all the Ivies.

This.
The OP is a bored newbie who has no idea how this works.

Sheesh.

[Anonymous]

Dartmouth likes someone who is outdoorsy and can show why Dartmouth - outside of stellar academics. So don’t talk just about classes.
The peer rec at Dartmouth can be dispositive. Also, depends on yield at your high school in last 3 years.

[Anonymous]

My high-stats, unhooked DC was admitted this year. I did a fair amount of research (in lieu of hiring a consultant). Current and former Dartmouth AOs are prolific in media--e.g., Lee Coffin's podcast (and appearances on others' podcasts), Valedictorians at the Gate (book), Inside the Admissions Office podcast, etc. Critically, there's no formula and the threshold issue is academic capability. Applicants must do very well in high school: Top 5-10% in class, many APs/IBs, high test scores, and reasonable AP test performance. But academic capability only gets one's foot in the door. Beyond that, here are some of the things that Dartmouth looks for:

Impact: This applies to all colleges, but Dartmouth likes applicants who show that they make an impact, whether it is in their classroom, community, or broader.

Demonstrated Interest: I'm not talking about tours or website visits. Dartmouth is probably the most distinct flavor of the Ivies, and it wants you to understand that distinction rather than merely applying because of its Ivy status. This means understanding that it offers a liberal arts education (broad and often interdisciplinary) and that it's rural location and tight campus community are integral to the Dartmouth experience. Applicants should show that they understand this and that it strongly appeals to them. Dartmouth likes applicants that genuinely like Dartmouth.

Benefit to the Community: As an isolated, small school with a tight community, applicants should show what they bring to that community and that they, well, aren't jerks. This doesn't require anything specific, but I think it helps if applicants can show things like they are kind, they are great teammates or friends, they inspire others, leadership, they're funny, they're quiet but profound, etc., etc. Applicants show show that they'd contribute to the community positively and, if possible, distinctly.

Intellectual Curiosity: This goes back a little to Dartmouth's liberal arts nature, but I think Dartmouth likely prefers kids who are interested in learning for learning's sake. If an applicant's application only shows myopic and pragmatic interest in, say, computer science, one has to question why that applicant is applying to Dartmouth.

Anyhow, it's a great school for the right kid.

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1206949.page

[Anonymous]

My brother was accepted to Yale and Brown in the Eighties but rejected at Oberlin. Probably they realized he had no intention of going there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is unhinged. Dartmouth is a great school and there is an element of luck in admissions.

Its good. Okay. But surely someone admitted into Princeton should get into Dartmouth without much effort.

But like…why? Dartmouth and Princeton are very different schools with pretty different emphasis. I could imagine a genius math wizz excelling at Princeton and doing alright at Dartmouth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is this possible when Dartmouth is the least prestigious of these schools?

The same person was rejected by Harvard, Stanford, and Columbia. Is Dartmouth trying to say it is on par with these other schools? LMAO.

Surely someone admitted into Yale and Princeton should be able to get into Dartmouth easily.

Dartmouth is literally not even in the top 100 best schools like seriously.

Kudos to those that actually tried to provide a thoughtful answer, but I do wonder if threads like this are created for 'fun'. "Let me say something provocative and watch what happens..."

"Is Dartmouth trying to say it is on par with these other schools? LMAO." Uh...ok

I just thought I would find like-minded people here about Dartmouth. Seems I was wrong.

I don't think this school is on par with Harvard, Yale, Princeton or Columbia. Or Stanford. I think people admitted into these schools should have a pretty easy time getting into schools like Dartmouth. Even though it is ivy too. Makes me wonder who even got into Dartmouth if not a student who could get into Yale.

Ok. I'll bite and provide my thoughts. I think several have mentioned some likely key underlying possibilities like demonstrating an authentic desire for the schools and institutional priorities. In addition, there are ~2600 4-year institutions in the US. Dartmouth is ranked #18 by US News (never-mind the question of who/what makes US News the arbiter of a definitive ranking, but whatever). By this guide, Dartmouth is considered a T20 and thus in the top 0.8% of 4-year institutions in the US. So, what then does it mean to be "on 'par' with"? Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Columbia are VERY different institutions in their locations, majors, curricula, and campus cultures. They have different missions and institutional priorities. They look for students they see as a fit for their institution based upon these using a holistic review process. Personally, I don't understand why one would lead with an assumption that if a student gets into Princeton (for example), they should be expected to get into every other school perceived to be less prestigious by that individual. Why would your (or my) perspective/beliefs/biases have any bering on what an institution does?

Seems like the answer is Dartmouth didnt see this student as a fit for the class in question, whereas the other schools saw one. Dartmouth has been around for over 250 years. I imagine the institution is comfortable in its skin.

I understand.
It's a bit strange to me, but I understand the various explanations given.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dartmouth is looking for a specific kind of kid. They're not interested in the STEM bots that shot-gun all the Ivies.

This.
The OP is a bored newbie who has no idea how this works.

Sheesh.

Of course, I have no idea how this works.

Why else would I ask these questions if I had the answers?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dartmouth is looking for a specific kind of kid. They're not interested in the STEM bots that shot-gun all the Ivies.

This.
The OP is a bored newbie who has no idea how this works.

Sheesh.

Of course, I have no idea how this works.

Why else would I ask these questions if I had the answers?

Every college is very different, and admissions is pool specific. The same student could get rejected from a school they’d be accepted to another year. It’s a bit “arbitrary” depending on competition and college needs/strategic plan

[Anonymous]

Anybody who replies to both Princeton and Dartmouth has no idea what they want

[Anonymous]

Based on the SCOIR data of our private school, the students that got into Dartmouth have higher stats than those that got into Princeton, Brown, Columbia and Penn.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My high-stats, unhooked DC was admitted this year. I did a fair amount of research (in lieu of hiring a consultant). Current and former Dartmouth AOs are prolific in media--e.g., Lee Coffin's podcast (and appearances on others' podcasts), Valedictorians at the Gate (book), Inside the Admissions Office podcast, etc. Critically, there's no formula and the threshold issue is academic capability. Applicants must do very well in high school: Top 5-10% in class, many APs/IBs, high test scores, and reasonable AP test performance. But academic capability only gets one's foot in the door. Beyond that, here are some of the things that Dartmouth looks for:

Impact: This applies to all colleges, but Dartmouth likes applicants who show that they make an impact, whether it is in their classroom, community, or broader.

Demonstrated Interest: I'm not talking about tours or website visits. Dartmouth is probably the most distinct flavor of the Ivies, and it wants you to understand that distinction rather than merely applying because of its Ivy status. This means understanding that it offers a liberal arts education (broad and often interdisciplinary) and that it's rural location and tight campus community are integral to the Dartmouth experience. Applicants should show that they understand this and that it strongly appeals to them. Dartmouth likes applicants that genuinely like Dartmouth.

Benefit to the Community: As an isolated, small school with a tight community, applicants should show what they bring to that community and that they, well, aren't jerks. This doesn't require anything specific, but I think it helps if applicants can show things like they are kind, they are great teammates or friends, they inspire others, leadership, they're funny, they're quiet but profound, etc., etc. Applicants show show that they'd contribute to the community positively and, if possible, distinctly.

Intellectual Curiosity: This goes back a little to Dartmouth's liberal arts nature, but I think Dartmouth likely prefers kids who are interested in learning for learning's sake. If an applicant's application only shows myopic and pragmatic interest in, say, computer science, one has to question why that applicant is applying to Dartmouth.

Anyhow, it's a great school for the right kid.

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1206949.page

Your thoughts were reasonable until you wrote the bolded portion.