Do great students sometimes get shut out?

[Anonymous]

NO never. If they are truly great - they never get shut out. Never.

[Anonymous]

“But I do think there are some very strong applicants who applied to an appropriate range of reach/target/likely schools who never dreamed they would only get into likelies and are (understandably, in my opionion) so disappointed in their choices that it feels like a shutout.”

This may be my senior this year. In at several safeties but not excited about them. Worried that the targets will yield protect. And of course the reaches are a 5% possibility, 95% chance of rejection. We feel like we should come up with more targets but it’s hard to find ones that check all the boxes in terms of size, location, offerings, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:“But I do think there are some very strong applicants who applied to an appropriate range of reach/target/likely schools who never dreamed they would only get into likelies and are (understandably, in my opionion) so disappointed in their choices that it feels like a shutout.”

This may be my senior this year. In at several safeties but not excited about them. Worried that the targets will yield protect. And of course the reaches are a 5% possibility, 95% chance of rejection. We feel like we should come up with more targets but it’s hard to find ones that check all the boxes in terms of size, location, offerings, etc.

This is the biggest problem. You need to spend just as much time finding safeties you are reasonably excited about, as your targets and reaches.

Feels like people just pick random, high acceptance in-state schools for their safeties, even though there is no real interest in attending.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DS has an EA acceptance to his top choice in hand, so this is pretty much anxiety and idle curiosity speaking. Since admissions can be holistic and somewhat capricious, what happens when a solid student (say, 4+ GPA and 1400+ SAT with great EC's) is shut out from everywhere they applied, even targets and safeties? I'm guessing this happens with a lot of safeties that have more of an 80% admit rate than higher. Do you know anyone this has happened to?

If the student applies to several TRUE safeties (versus what they think should be safeties), then no, they won't get shut out.

I keep hearing this on this board, but how does one know what a TRUE safety is? My DS had a 3.85 gpa and 1480 SAT and was shut out of JMU.

That is indeed strange -- was your DS actually rejected by JMU? Even so, it goes to show that you need to apply to several true safeties. Even if one or two reject due to yield protection, etc., you still won't get shut out.

He applied EA, was deferred, then waitlisted. It was his #1 choice. He wanted a large school that had a good program in his major. His counselor fully believed he would have no problem getting into JMU. He had no illusions of getting into more difficult schools. He ultimately accepted admission at an OOS school that gave him good merit.

I really don't understand this. Know several kids with scores in the 1100s and 1200s that were accepted at JMU. They applied OOS, so perhaps JMU gives a bump to OOS kids / figure the kid really wants to attend if applying OOS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I knew someone who was only accepted to their in-state engineering school, and one waitlist. So, no, not a shut out, but they aimed way to high and only targeted top schools with the most generous aid. In retrospect, there probably would have been a competitive offer from schools in a lower tier, because grades and scores were near perfect. But truth is he continued to be the top scorer in college, but not a star. Wasn't selected for the coop program, and didn't get internships along the way. Has no work experience but is now doing a masters at UCLA.

I mean...things could be worse.

Agree. It will all work out and it's the correct path. He's super studious and hard working, but needs the extra credential to make that clear. Just in retrospect I don't think the top schools that rejected him, got it that wrong. The HS friend who came in second on everything is the one who went to MIT.

This kid would have been fine at the top schools and is now presumably fine at a top grad school. Schools that rejected him didn’t get anything right or wrong. They selected a different kid for a limited spot. Admissions committees don’t actually know these kids or their ultimate capacity; their decisions are a reflection of the school’s agenda and not the kids.

He would have been able to hack it anywhere, and potentially would have benefited from a more sophisticated setting, but he wouldn't have added much. Admissions didn't know this, but with hindsight they didn't get it wrong. He had perfect grades and his own university, who should know him, but still didn't select him for special programs. There are plenty of people who are smart and hard working but unremarkable. He's probably a late bloomer, and the masters will be the time he needs to transition into the workplace at a level he will find rewarding. Point is mistakes were made and everything went wrong with the process. He aimed way to high, only applied to prestigious schools with engineering and generous aid. As fallback took the one available option, which was at least affordable, but now is paying for an expensive grad school and struggling a little with the transition.

[Anonymous]

Of course.

[Anonymous]

My DS had a 3.85 gpa and 1480 SAT and was shut out of JMU.

From FCPS I'm guessing. Coming from a FCPS high school is completely different. My sympathies.

[Anonymous]

If it did, it would be due to an unrealistic admissions strategy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

My DS had a 3.85 gpa and 1480 SAT and was shut out of JMU.

From FCPS I'm guessing. Coming from a FCPS high school is completely different. My sympathies.

Yes! FCPS. Thank you. He's doing really well now, kicking butt in his classes. JMU's loss!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I see this happening to a lot of ppl this year.

Primarily bc their safeties aren’t ones they would ever go to.

This is the problem. You have to spend time finding safeties you actually like. There are great programs at schools with higher acceptance rates. You have to do the research to find things to be happy with, not just look down on a school because of acceptance rate.

Both my kids are at "safeties" but these were their first-choice schools. Got some kind-of-negative "why there?" questions about DDs college, a LAC with an acceptance rate in the 70% range. Kind of funny that the same people were impressed that DS was at VT. His major at VT had a >80% acceptance rate so it was even more of a safety! Both schools were good fits for them and our budget.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If it did, it would be due to an unrealistic admissions strategy.

Yes- Our Public school tells a cautionary tale of a student back about 8 or 9 years ago that only applied to ivies and 3 other top schools and did not apply to UMD. She was a top student with good ECs and test scores and ended up with no acceptances. It happens, I think now people are a little more realistic and have a least one or two likely/safety schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If they apply to say ten, 3 reach, 3 safeties, one rolling, 3 middle/oos. They should land a place.

I've never heard anyone being rejected 100%, either they've already decided to take a gap year, community and transfer route or working.

College is a choice.

This^. Our school district only allows to apply to twelve schools, three high reach, three safeties, three reaches, three matches.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DS has an EA acceptance to his top choice in hand, so this is pretty much anxiety and idle curiosity speaking. Since admissions can be holistic and somewhat capricious, what happens when a solid student (say, 4+ GPA and 1400+ SAT with great EC's) is shut out from everywhere they applied, even targets and safeties? I'm guessing this happens with a lot of safeties that have more of an 80% admit rate than higher. Do you know anyone this has happened to?

This is my fear for my DD who has 4 unweighted, 33 ACT, good EC's and didn't get in the ED decision.

Your DD will not get shut out from safeties. Targets - maybe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:“But I do think there are some very strong applicants who applied to an appropriate range of reach/target/likely schools who never dreamed they would only get into likelies and are (understandably, in my opionion) so disappointed in their choices that it feels like a shutout.”

This may be my senior this year. In at several safeties but not excited about them. Worried that the targets will yield protect. And of course the reaches are a 5% possibility, 95% chance of rejection. We feel like we should come up with more targets but it’s hard to find ones that check all the boxes in terms of size, location, offerings, etc.

Us Too.
Straight male….
Ugh.
Fingers crossed.

[Anonymous]

No one from our school ever applies to 80 schools and earns 60 acceptances with three million In scholarships, no matter how awesome they are. It's because frivolous games aren't allowed.