Then vs Now, admissions edition

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hmmm, this is a fun exercise but aren't we comparing apples and oranges when looking back at the 80s or 90s?

I don't remember GPA or any exact numbers but I had very high rigor classes and was ranked 2nd at an extremely competitive HS. I had 5s on maybe 8 APs, which was a lot back then. I also had a lot of Achievements/SAT IIs, all high 700s or 800s. I remember worrying that my SAT was very low at 1350, no tutoring, one attempt. I think it was low for my college's average. I was extremely strong in my humanities field of interest and still did well in my weaker subjects (Calculus junior year, all the years of science). I was captain of two sports and all that.

Would that get me in to HYP today? I mean, it is a crapshoot now but I am guessing that the number 2 at my HS still gets into HYP. I didn't start any businesses or run a non-profit but ... that wasn't really on the table back then. I assume I would have done whatever it took.

What I can say is that I definitely studied more than any of my kids. My most ambitious kid knows FAR more about his academic interest than I could ever hope to know, but day in and day out, all I did was study, sports, socialize on weekends. Period. My kids waste A LOT more time. If I had "free" time (on vacations and so on), I read novels. Also, my HS classes required so much more reading and writing than my kids' classes do.

Yes, it is harder to tell kids apart nowadays but part of that is grade inflation, test prep, and super scoring. I don't buy that overall kids are more high achieving. That isn't what I see anyway.

Where did you go to high school? My top public high school in the late 90s/early 2000s only offered a handful of AP classes, definitely less than 8

I went to a New England prep school. A lot of the classes were not considered AP classes (like English and History) but most kids took the tests. I also took a couple AP tests on my own.

[Anonymous]

Mid 80's
1300
B- student at a "big 3" type school

State flagship as an OOS applicant.

Would not get into it today.

[Anonymous]

Early '90s - Didn't break 1000 on the SATs, had one or two good Achievements (Spanish and History), gpa was 3.3ish (we didn't have weighted), some ECs, some community service

Got in:
Villanova
Fairfield
Providence
BC
State U - went here, wanted bigger school from catholic prep school

[Anonymous]

MCPS HS, 1540 SAT/3.9 GPA. Got into Georgetown, Vanderbilt, Cornell, Barnard, UVA, UMD. Rejected by Yale and waitlisted at Columbia. Went to Georgetown.

I participate in the alumni interviewing program (all Georgetown undergrad applicants do an interview with an alum as part of the application), and while I’m not given access to their numbers, they are so much more impressive than I was. I do get to see what their admissions outcome was, and many who I have strongly recommended are ultimately rejected. I don’t know who gets in these days.

[Anonymous]

Mid 90's. 1260 SAT, 3.7 ish GPA, but I won a national musical competition. Double major music and english.

In everywhere I applied, including Northwestern, Columbia, Oberlin, and Rice, all with big merit scholarships. Strong enough musically that I would probably still get in to those schools, but not as a double major.

Went to Rice. Wish I had chosen Northwestern and hooked up with Seth Meyers.

[Anonymous]

3.5 weighted, 1250 SAT (old version)... accepted to Virginia Tech, JMU and a few small safeties

late 90s

Going Out of state was not common at my NOVA high school.

LOL no way would I get in now.

[Anonymous]

I posted my own info earlier, but reading other posts reminded me how much easier acceptance was across the board in the early ‘90s:

FCPS public, and not one of the “good ones”
2 Harvard
3 Duke
2 Cornell
1 Brown
1 Dartmouth
1 USNA
1 West Point
~25 UVA

This was all just my class.

[Anonymous]

I do not remember my stats from high school at all, but I got into CMU for CS. I do remember that I chose the AB track instead of the BC track for math. That probably would't fly today.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:3.5 weighted, 1250 SAT (old version)... accepted to Virginia Tech, JMU and a few small safeties

late 90s

Going Out of state was not common at my NOVA high school.

LOL no way would I get in now.

You would still get into JMU just like 80% of people who apply, the majority of whom have SAT scores lower than yours were (even though they're taking the new, easier version).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1995

4.0 unweighted gpa. 1320 SAT. Varsity athlete, all state musician.

Engineering at Virginia tech. I would still get in today.

First choice was Rice. Didn't get in then and definitely wouldn't get in now

That is definitely not a given.

Seriously! I had to read that twice. Very doubtful the PP would get in nowadays.
DP

Guys, VT is harder than it was, but is not impossible. My DC has lower stats and got in this year.

[Anonymous]

Gen Xer. FCPS top HS, class of ‘88. Huge graduating class.

Highest math class taken: Algebra 2
Highest science: biology
AP English and Govt senior year
3.0 GPA (brought down by C/D-/F math and science grades)
Activities: student leadership, peer counseling, service club
SAT - took once only, maybe 1020.
Counselor said re SAT: “had your math score matched your verbal, we’d be having a different conversation”

Diagnosed with a math learning disability freshman year and parents refused all services and available resources- they were ashamed. My older sibling was in GT program. So I struggled and they paid for a peer tutor I saw once a week. Tutor helped me to not fail and at least pass with D- or sometimes a C.

Rejected from usual VA colleges. My parents were again ashamed.

Embarrassing to admit now, but only got into Radford University. I wasn’t sure that I could handle the academic rigor of college and so went reluctantly.

Yes, I’m positive I’d get into Radford again today! I’d write a compelling essay explaining my struggles and outline my path for future success.

[Anonymous]

This thread is really interesting! A couple of observations:

1.) The number of high-stats people on this board is certainly disproportionate to the overall population.

2.) The number of people who went to Top 20 schools is equally disproportionate.

So I wonder if these old late '80s/'90s expectations are ratcheting up the stress we feel for our 2020s kids?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MCPS HS, 1540 SAT/3.9 GPA. Got into Georgetown, Vanderbilt, Cornell, Barnard, UVA, UMD. Rejected by Yale and waitlisted at Columbia. Went to Georgetown.

I participate in the alumni interviewing program (all Georgetown undergrad applicants do an interview with an alum as part of the application), and while I’m not given access to their numbers, they are so much more impressive than I was. I do get to see what their admissions outcome was, and many who I have strongly recommended are ultimately rejected. I don’t know who gets in these days.

On that note, do you think that interviews are more to keep the alum involved? Or to rule out the applicants that don't present well (or another reason)? Or something else?

[Anonymous]

Mid 1970s, 1150 SAT, 2.5 GPA at mediocre public high school in suburban Boston. Was terribly lazy & had no guidance at all in high school.

Went to a private junior college in Massachusetts. Got a 3.3 my first semester, so decided to transfer before my bad habits returned. Got in BC & LSU, rejected by Bates. Graduated from BC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:SAT scores today are highly inflated vs scores on the old test . Comparing the two without adjusting would be senseless.

The first re-centering adjusted SAT scores upward about 100 points and there were minor adjustments upward after. There is a huge difference between old and new scores.

In addition, there has been major high school grade inflation, particularly at affluent public schools.

You cannot compare old stats to new without doing major adjustments.