Anonymous wrote:The College board needs to release raw scores for the AP tests. That way MIT and Cornell can see whether your 5 on Physics EM was a 98% or a 61%.

We throw away a lot of information that could be useful for everyone in the process.

Anonymous wrote:The College board needs to release raw scores for the AP tests. That way MIT and Cornell can see whether your 5 on Physics EM was a 98% or a 61%.

We throw away a lot of information that could be useful for everyone in the process.

Anonymous wrote:The College board needs to release raw scores for the AP tests. That way MIT and Cornell can see whether your 5 on Physics EM was a 98% or a 61%.

We throw away a lot of information that could be useful for everyone in the process.

Anonymous wrote:In his Substack post "College Admissions Doesn't Need to Be So Competitive," Arjun Panickssery argues that the intense competition for admission to top U.S. universities is not inevitable.

He suggests that factors like affirmative action, legacy preferences, institutional priorities, and athletic recruitment, rather than a vast oversupply of talent, drive the "rat race."

He notes that the top 20 schools enroll about 49,000 students annually (1.3% of high school graduates), and, the talent pool with high SAT scores (e.g., 1550+) isn’t as large as perceived—there are actually not that many "high stat" kids.

He also compares US admissions to admissions abroad and that the colleges abroad make their stats and requirements clear and limit the number of colleges students can apply to which is way less stressful and is rooted in merit not holistic admissions.

https://arjunpanickssery.substack.com/p/college-admissions-doesnt-need-to

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agreed. T20 universities and T10 lacs admit too many hooked applicants. If they are admitting over 20% QuestBridge, they should increase their class proportionally.

You could look at the data and realize that Ivies have 10-20% of kids (mostly white kids) who are being admitted because they're legacies, i.e. because they had the luck to be born to a rich alum. But I guess it's more convenient to blame the poor brown kids for being undeserving.

PP here. Agreed. Legacy too. If they are admitting 10-20% legacy and over 20% QuestBridge, they should increase their class proportionally.

And don't forget the 20% internationals!

The truth is there is VERY little room at these top schools (mainly the ivies) because of legacy, athletes, quest bridge, donors and celebrities and full pay internationals. The acceptance rate for your average middle income high stat kid has to be laughably low. LOL.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sour grapes. My 1500+, full pay, high rigor, top 10% kid didn’t get into any T-25’s (waitlisted at 3, rejected at 1) and was happy with their T-30 to T-50 choices. No one is entitled to anything. The less selective schools all have labs, libraries, programs, student clubs/organizations and opportunities for involvement. It’s on the student to make the most of where they land instead of wasting time speculating on other people’s qualifications.

My 1580 SAT, 4.6 weighted, 4.0 unweighted, 15 AP, Merit Finalist can't wait to go to Penn State next fall. He applied to a few reaches but didn't really care because he was lucky enough to have fallen in love with Penn State and what he can do there since his APs transfer.

Anonymous wrote:If your whole life revolves around a “top college” maybe you need to reevaluate your priorities. Life is more than college.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agreed. T20 universities and T10 lacs admit too many hooked applicants. If they are admitting over 20% QuestBridge, they should increase their class proportionally.

You could look at the data and realize that Ivies have 10-20% of kids (mostly white kids) who are being admitted because they're legacies, i.e. because they had the luck to be born to a rich alum. But I guess it's more convenient to blame the poor brown kids for being undeserving.

PP here. Agreed. Legacy too. If they are admitting 10-20% legacy and over 20% QuestBridge, they should increase their class proportionally.

Anonymous wrote:Sour grapes. My 1500+, full pay, high rigor, top 10% kid didn’t get into any T-25’s (waitlisted at 3, rejected at 1) and was happy with their T-30 to T-50 choices. No one is entitled to anything. The less selective schools all have labs, libraries, programs, student clubs/organizations and opportunities for involvement. It’s on the student to make the most of where they land instead of wasting time speculating on other people’s qualifications.

Anonymous wrote:They need/want to round out clubs, theater, sports, etc and their admissions are geared accordingly to ensure their campuses are filled with enriching students of varying backgrounds and contributions to their communities.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agreed. T20 universities and T10 lacs admit too many hooked applicants. If they are admitting over 20% QuestBridge, they should increase their class proportionally.

You could look at the data and realize that Ivies have 10-20% of kids (mostly white kids) who are being admitted because they're legacies, i.e. because they had the luck to be born to a rich alum. But I guess it's more convenient to blame the poor brown kids for being undeserving.