ED and full pay, along with very high test scores. Grades, rigor, extracurriculars and essays were all strong but not superlative.

Paid $150 K for private high school with well-connected college counselors who could pick up the phone, chat with the college AO, and make all the difference in the world.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one knows. It is a bit of a black box.

People who do and don't get into lottery schools have their theories...but I would not put much stock in them.

This. For everyone who thinks they know why their kid got in, there is another same story kid who didn't. I wish there was really a way of knowing.

There is. Your kid can FERPA their admissions file in the first year they matriculate. I believe the school the destroys the file after that first year.
In the file, they will see reader 1,2..n comments, and the committee vote. For my kid, there were a lot of codes used but you could roughly make out why (and youtube helps too)

Really? This article states otherwise.

https://www.collegeconfidential.com/articles/see-my-admissions-file-ferpa/

NP: the article doesn’t contradict what the OP wrote. The OP said you can request your file if you enroll— the article says the same thing. The article does explain that you may not be able to view recommendation letters if you waived your rights.

My child was a recruiter athlete with a high GPA in challenging courses. He took the SATs one time and scored good enough (over 700 on each section).

Anonymous wrote:He was kind of quirky and had interesting interests.

Such as?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one knows. It is a bit of a black box.

People who do and don't get into lottery schools have their theories...but I would not put much stock in them.

This. For everyone who thinks they know why their kid got in, there is another same story kid who didn't. I wish there was really a way of knowing.

There is. Your kid can FERPA their admissions file in the first year they matriculate. I believe the school the destroys the file after that first year.
In the file, they will see reader 1,2..n comments, and the committee vote. For my kid, there were a lot of codes used but you could roughly make out why (and youtube helps too)

Really? This article states otherwise.

https://www.collegeconfidential.com/articles/see-my-admissions-file-ferpa/

1. Perfect test scores and grades
2. Passion and National level recognition in a single sport

Things that didn’t help — Asian, shy kid in competitive public with lots of spunky smart and legacy kids applying to the same schools
Got into one of HYPMS (lottery/reach), Duke, and Amherst, rejected at most other top 10.

Anonymous wrote:Minority with good stats. I’m not fooling myself that the first part isn’t what helped.

Sure Jan.

Applied to 16. Strong essays, top GPA and scores submitted. 14 APs. Well rounded and flushed out ECs that supported their intended major. Strong relationships with rec letter writers. Demonstrated interest at all schools and interviewed when possible. Applied EA when possible. Did have demonstrated need. White female.
Ended up at a T20. Admitted to 3 T20, 4 more in T40 and 3 T25 LAC. Singular rejection was an Ivy.

Extra time on standardized tests.

Minority with good stats. I’m not fooling myself that the first part isn’t what helped.

1. She worked hard and did well. Challenging courses, great grades, great ECs & recs, solid test scores, etc.
2. Excellent college counseling at her high school.
3. She knew what she wanted and applied ED. She was accepted and is loving her school.

He was kind of quirky and had interesting interests.

NE SLAC -- he wrote his won essay, we did minor edits; 7 APs, ECs were ones he was truly interested (not resume builders); his authentic self came through in his application package. We also did a college visit/tour with student interview. He also hand wrote a thank you note to the admissions officer he worked with and to his student interviewer -- don't think it made a difference in his acceptance, but a nice touch. Applied regular decision

They were a great fit and able to coney that in application. Essay showed grit and ability to work through and learn from a difficult time. But probably most importantly, applied ED and full pay.