It’s easier for average kids

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yield protection is real though for 1550+ Kids

Or it's a way for some people to feel better when they don't get in.

My 1580, 4.0UW DC has gotten in everywhere so far except for a reach ED Ivy and Hopkins. Got into Case Western, Carnegie Mellon, Northeastern EA, UMichigan EA, Pitt, Vermont, Macalester, Wisconsin, Penn State, OSU, Loyola, and Depaul.

These are all schools DC really really liked so demonstrated interest. When there were supplemental essays, they put a lot of time into them.

I think "yield protection" may exist a little bit but it's not the "you get thrown out if you're high stats." Rather "if you're high stats and you treat us like a safety don't count on us." And that is how it should be.

Congrats to your DC! Where would they choose out of the ones they've already been accepted to??

Leaning towards Northeastern right now (LOVED the experiential learning/Co-op program, location, and got some merit $).

[Anonymous]

I think a big part of the problem is that people look at their kids scores/grades and if they are in the "top quartile" for the a given school (based on recent data) they assume they have a "good shot."

Maybe they do have a "good shot"- if "good shot" means better than the overall rate for that school. But that is not the same as thinking it's good enough to make it a target or safety school.

Suppose a school has an 15 percent acceptance rate, what does having a "good shot" mean? Well, that 15 percent rate is a total rate--maybe it's 40 percent for ED and 8 percent for EA/RD. If your kid applied EA/RD, now you're upper quartile kid is looking at maybe a 10 percent shot?

Anyone who gets denied facing a predicted 10 percent acceptance rate and cries "yield protection" really isn't being honest with themselves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yield protection is real though for 1550+ Kids

Or it's a way for some people to feel better when they don't get in.

My 1580, 4.0UW DC has gotten in everywhere so far except for a reach ED Ivy and Hopkins. Got into Case Western, Carnegie Mellon, Northeastern EA, UMichigan EA, Pitt, Vermont, Macalester, Wisconsin, Penn State, OSU, Loyola, and Depaul.

These are all schools DC really really liked so demonstrated interest. When there were supplemental essays, they put a lot of time into them.

I think "yield protection" may exist a little bit but it's not the "you get thrown out if you're high stats." Rather "if you're high stats and you treat us like a safety don't count on us." And that is how it should be.

Congrats to your DC! Where would they choose out of the ones they've already been accepted to??

Leaning towards Northeastern right now (LOVED the experiential learning/Co-op program, location, and got some merit $).

Awesome!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the piece of OP’s post that people are ignoring is that kids with very high stats are not getting into schools that you would expect they would because of yield protection. Schools assume the stats are high, the kid will have other options, so the kid does not get into the school where they are at or above the 75% level. Meanwhile, the same kid is also rejected from all the “lottery” schools, so is left with few options. A different kid with stats at the 50% level for the school May actually be in a better position, because the school won’t yield protect that kid. With respect to that point, OP makes sense.

I think the “yield protection” happens because the kids do not demonstrate interest to the schools and probably write supplemental essays that are wel because they aren’t really interested. It’s just a safety. I have a high stats kid that got into the more “safety” LACs because they picked all schools where they felt they could be happy and showed the same love to the safeties as the reaches.

+10000

I am so tired of people griping about the "highest stats" kids at my kids school being "yield protected" because they were deferred at their "safeties". Do you know what their safeties were? University of Michigan, Northeastern, UVA. These schools are extremely difficult to get into (acceptance <20 percent last year and probably much lower this year) and these kids treated the schools like safeties--did not visit, did not attend the sessions when the regional reps came to the school, etc. Now they are pissed off because other kids--who are also high achievers but "lower ranked" got in. However, these kids showed put in the time to learn about the school and demonstrated that they actually want to go there.

I hate a lot of the factors that colleges use in admissions (athletics, legacy in particular) and everyone should realize that there is a lot of randomness in who ultimately gets in. But the fact that colleges care that kids demonstrate interest? That is 100 percent appropriate.

.

+1000 BINGO! Michigan, NEU, UVA are NOT safeties for anyone! And in today's environment, even when you have selected a true safety, your kid must show interest! Or schools might think they are not going to attend and not admit them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the piece of OP’s post that people are ignoring is that kids with very high stats are not getting into schools that you would expect they would because of yield protection. Schools assume the stats are high, the kid will have other options, so the kid does not get into the school where they are at or above the 75% level. Meanwhile, the same kid is also rejected from all the “lottery” schools, so is left with few options. A different kid with stats at the 50% level for the school May actually be in a better position, because the school won’t yield protect that kid. With respect to that point, OP makes sense.

I think the “yield protection” happens because the kids do not demonstrate interest to the schools and probably write supplemental essays that are wel because they aren’t really interested. It’s just a safety. I have a high stats kid that got into the more “safety” LACs because they picked all schools where they felt they could be happy and showed the same love to the safeties as the reaches.

+10000

I am so tired of people griping about the "highest stats" kids at my kids school being "yield protected" because they were deferred at their "safeties". Do you know what their safeties were? University of Michigan, Northeastern, UVA. These schools are extremely difficult to get into (acceptance <20 percent last year and probably much lower this year) and these kids treated the schools like safeties--did not visit, did not attend the sessions when the regional reps came to the school, etc. Now they are pissed off because other kids--who are also high achievers but "lower ranked" got in. However, these kids showed put in the time to learn about the school and demonstrated that they actually want to go there.

I hate a lot of the factors that colleges use in admissions (athletics, legacy in particular) and everyone should realize that there is a lot of randomness in who ultimately gets in. But the fact that colleges care that kids demonstrate interest? That is 100 percent appropriate.

.

+1000 BINGO! Michigan, NEU, UVA are NOT safeties for anyone! And in today's environment, even when you have selected a true safety, your kid must show interest! Or schools might think they are not going to attend and not admit them.

''True safety'' in my eyes is a school that most kids tend to get into.

[Anonymous]

FFS!! 1350 is not average!! It’s above average. DCUM-land can be very out of touch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FFS!! 1350 is not average!! It’s above average. DCUM-land can be very out of touch.

It's well below average for just about every school discussed on this board.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FFS!! 1350 is not average!! It’s above average. DCUM-land can be very out of touch.

PP here. Glad to see others echoed this!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FFS!! 1350 is not average!! It’s above average. DCUM-land can be very out of touch.

It's well below average for just about every school discussed on this board.

Which is exactly the problem. Everyone is chasing the same name brand schools. Even if you have 4.0 UW and 1550 SAT/35 ACT, if your not hooked, I’d say your chances at a top 20 are still 1 in 3, or lower. It’s a terrible bet for most people, yet no one gives up the dream. Why? Social status is the primary reason.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FFS!! 1350 is not average!! It’s above average. DCUM-land can be very out of touch.

It's well below average for just about every school discussed on this board.

Which is exactly the problem. Everyone is chasing the same name brand schools. Even if you have 4.0 UW and 1550 SAT/35 ACT, if your not hooked, I’d say your chances at a top 20 are still 1 in 3, or lower. It’s a terrible bet for most people, yet no one gives up the dream. Why? Social status is the primary reason.

Your chances for the next 30 are great with a 1550 and even then 1350 will be below average for OOS at most.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FFS!! 1350 is not average!! It’s above average. DCUM-land can be very out of touch.

IN DCUM LAND 1600 IS GIFTED, 1500 IS TALENTED, 1400 IS AVERAGE, 1300 IS MARGINAL, 1200 IS STRUGGLING, 1100 IS COMMUNITY COLLEGE WAIT LIST MATERIAL, AND 1000 OR BELOW IS RETARDED!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FFS!! 1350 is not average!! It’s above average. DCUM-land can be very out of touch.

IN DCUM LAND 1600 IS GIFTED, 1500 IS TALENTED, 1400 IS AVERAGE, 1300 IS MARGINAL, 1200 IS STRUGGLING, 1100 IS COMMUNITY COLLEGE WAIT LIST MATERIAL, AND 1000 OR BELOW IS RETARDED!

I laughed because it's accurate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FFS!! 1350 is not average!! It’s above average. DCUM-land can be very out of touch.

It's well below average for just about every school discussed on this board.

Which is exactly the problem. Everyone is chasing the same name brand schools. Even if you have 4.0 UW and 1550 SAT/35 ACT, if your not hooked, I’d say your chances at a top 20 are still 1 in 3, or lower. It’s a terrible bet for most people, yet no one gives up the dream. Why? Social status is the primary reason.

Your chances for the next 30 are great with a 1550 and even then 1350 will be below average for OOS at most.

I’ll take your word for it, but how many are making UNC-CH and GATech and BU and the like their ED school? It sounds like people are really wanting a top 20 and treating the second 30 like safeties and relegating them to RD, and the schools react accordingly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Average income people have it so much easier than high income. I mean, high income have to hire accountants to shield their taxes and wealth managers to help them beat the markets. It takes a lot to manage both a winter home AND a summer home. Have some sympathy. Average income people don’t have these kinds of problems.

You get a standing ovation. Best comment on this forum in a while.

Hear, hear.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Same ole' hand-wringing and angst-ridden posts every years. You can buy a tropical vacation, unique summer internships, infinite SAT prep sessions.....but you can't simply buy your way into T10 schools. The rest of us know this and aren't whining about it. Deal. With. It.

I think you’ve hit the nail on the head. There seems to be a sense that there is one desirable outcome (a top ranked school) and that there is one formula to getting there (attending a top high school, doing very well in said school, having a certain academic profile and “stellar” activities).

I’m happy to have an “average” kid with 3.7w gpa and 22 ACT which we did not submit. Kid did sports, activities, job she wanted to do, took the classes she wanted to take, and we researched carefully for schools where she could pursue her intended major and had good chance of being accepted. She got in everywhere including Virginia Tech and JMU, which we thought would be her biggest reaches.

I think there’s something to be said for just being yourself and the school will either want it or they won’t. I’m sure her profile was not typical for other kids coming from competitive nova public.