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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I had opposite stats as this kid I got into EVERY college I applied to (including MIT) except Stanford. Why? Stanford accepted 3 boys from my high school during early binding admission so even though I had equal or better stats for at least 2 of the 3 I didn't get in because of how I applied (regular admission). I'm assuming this kid did the same and missed out for a variety of reasons including the competition at his own school. Really this isn't about race.

Maybe he did apply Regular decision instead of ED. But that is a problem with the system. Lots of kids aren't sure where they want to go by November 1st and a lot of families can't make a financial commitment because they need to compare prices.  ED is a contributing factor that results in great kids like this kid getting shut out from numerous colleges. It is  adding to the lottery like quality that admissions to top schools that now seems the   norm. The college admission system is not working![/quote]

It is working!  He got into 2 excellent schools for CS!  That is a difficult admit at most top colleges, with limited spaces. [b] You are not supposed to get into all 20 T20 schools. His rejections are all from highly rejective schools, then add in his CS major makes it even more rejective. [/b] Had he applied to more in the 25-60 range, he would have more acceptances---many excellent schools in that range that do NOT restrict majors. [/quote]
So, does that mean that he's actually not that high achieving to be rejected from T10 for CS?  Or that it was a lottery, and he lost?

I say this as a parent of a CS major at UMD who also got rejected at those same schools with incredibly high stats (higher than this kid's) from a magnet program.  [/quote]

T10 schools are a lottery for any major, then add in you want CS and your odds are even less.  
Many top schools restrict access to CS (and engineering).  So yes, if you pick a highly rejective school and a highly restricted major, you are playing a lottery you most likely will not win.  And when everyone applying to the T10 schools is applying to all of them as well as all the T25 schools, you are competing with the same people over and over.  So if your essays are not stupendous or you don't have something to catch the AO attention, you might not get in.  
So cast a wider net.  There are plenty of excellent schools that first do NOT restrict access by majors---so find 3-4 true safeties and real targets that do not restrict access by major and apply there.  There are plenty of gems out there---a kid who has their own AI business in HS should be able to excel at any of them---in fact might do better as they can more easily rise to the top in a slightly less competitive environment.

The day when people realize that the T20 schools are a lottery, and eng/CS are the next level of the lottery at those schools, and start planning a balanced list of schools is the day when people stop being disappointed.  Fact is you are not guaranteed a spot at a top university.  So why not control your destiny and pick your target and safety schools while you have the chance---the attitude that your high stats kid cannot find a safety they will love is born out of stupidity and elitism.  [/quote]

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