Every year it’s getting BETTER.

The number of good schools increases every year. Schools like Northeastern and many state flagships used to be a total joke in many ways. Now, they’ve “gentrified.”

Anonymous wrote:I have a 2020, 2021 and 2023 grad. Honestly, each year seems a bit worse than the last. Lots of deferrals, lots of WL that don’t move and it becomes harder and harder to predict results because the application numbers rise so much each year. 2023 feels the worst to me, but 2021 was hard because my DC couldn’t visit and tour schools.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Great point about many schools going TO. That said, I'm also seeing an incredible number of students with 1400+ SAT scores. I get that I need to not draw from my experience in the 90s when it was rare to hear of someone getting such high or near perfect scores but what is up with so many high scores these days? Has the scoring changed since I remember it? Or has the test itself gotten easier? Or maybe those are the only ones we hear about on here?

SAT scores have been "recentered" a couple of times since the 90s. Subtract about 150 points for the score equivalent back then.

Anonymous wrote:EVERY YEAR IT'S GETTING WORSE! That's why the acceptance rates are dropping down so far. Yes, there is a college out there for almost every student and you need a realistic list, but it absolutely has gotten harder, year after year. It's been especially bad since 2020, pandemic grading and widespread TO. Saying otherwise makes you seem naive or out of touch.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have been lurking on this board and College Confidential since DC started freshman year in the fall and I am so shocked and sad for so many of what seem to be stellar students on paper getting deferred or even outright rejected from what used to be deemed "safety' schools. I know we're in a bit of a bubble in the DC area and it can be more competitive trying to get into certain schools from certain school systems (or at least that's what I'm told) but it seems to be especially bad this year? Do you think some of it is a result of COVID with '21 and '22 students taking gap years, and will normalize over time or do you think it will only get worse?

Parents say that every year.. this year is especially bad?? No its been like this

This. Seriously, search back.

People say this EVERY year (even pre-COVID).

It is all about your list.

Applying to a broad range of ELITE schools is not making a balanced list.

98% of the kids who are shut out are to blame (though maybe their parents played a heavy role in the debacle).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think anyone knows.
Test optional policies have increased the pool of qualified applicants to the top schools by many fold.

Also, the class applying this year had Covid-era grading for 2 years of the 3 that are considered for applications. In DCPS (for instance) the lowest grade a kid could get was a B if he/she did any work. MCPS bumped all final grades up by one letter grade. Lots of stuff like this happened all around the country in giant school districts (so hundreds of thousands of students impacted).

The class of 2025 will be the first that will have all 4 years back in a classroom with normal grading scales.

Qualified by the NEW standards. That is key. Many have test scores abysmally low for the schools and never would have applied if they actually had to submit their scores. Now you have people with a 26-27 ACT and 1050 SAT applying to Ivies and Hopkins.

Anonymous wrote:I don't think anyone knows.
Test optional policies have increased the pool of qualified applicants to the top schools by many fold.

Also, the class applying this year had Covid-era grading for 2 years of the 3 that are considered for applications. In DCPS (for instance) the lowest grade a kid could get was a B if he/she did any work. MCPS bumped all final grades up by one letter grade. Lots of stuff like this happened all around the country in giant school districts (so hundreds of thousands of students impacted).

The class of 2025 will be the first that will have all 4 years back in a classroom with normal grading scales.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ full disclosure - I am also the parent of a current senior. Is it the worst year? All I know is that the US college admission process, when you want selective schools, is very stressful compared to those in other countries.

I suppose, my friend's son had a conditional offer to Cambridge and missed his A-level offer by a letter grade. Talk about stressful! I think high education systems that depend on final cumulative exams are potentially more stressful and kids blame themselves more for missing the mark. At least you can spread achievement and extracurricular involvement over 3.5 years of HS in the US.

Anonymous wrote:OP,

here is the formula:

1. Parents of recent high school graduates: "YES, admissions have become more competitive in recent years, due to Common App, Covid and test-optional."

2. Parents of current seniors: "OMG THIS IS THE WORST YEAR!"

3. Parents of future or past grads, not in the loop: "NO, it's the same every year, whiny parents complain when it's their turn, that's all."

Of course, there will always be exceptions that prove the rules.

And here is my answer: the USA, contrary to other countries, selects with "holistic" criteria, meaning it's the least transparent system ever, that allows colleges to do what they please and pick the students they want without the slightest accountability. Whereas most other countries select purely on academic scores. Narrower criteria, sure, but at least kids know where they stand early on. They know where to apply because their grades and test scores speak for themselves. There is way less stress!!! Even in Asian countries with incredibly difficult university entrance exams, at least it's one big prep and stress the day of the test, and then you're done.

- foreigner who has spent years comparing college admissions around the world.

Anonymous wrote:^ full disclosure - I am also the parent of a current senior. Is it the worst year? All I know is that the US college admission process, when you want selective schools, is very stressful compared to those in other countries.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Great point about many schools going TO. That said, I'm also seeing an incredible number of students with 1400+ SAT scores. I get that I need to not draw from my experience in the 90s when it was rare to hear of someone getting such high or near perfect scores but what is up with so many high scores these days? Has the scoring changed since I remember it? Or has the test itself gotten easier? Or maybe those are the only ones we hear about on here?

The SAT was recentered in 1994 or 1995. Then the writing portion was added, then taken away. The general consensus is that scores are higher now than in the 1990s.

The scores may be higher now than in the 1990s, but only 7% of SAT test takers today get a 1400 or above. And only 2% get 1500 or above.

https://blog.prepscholar.com/sat-percentiles-and-score-rankings

The percentages you quoted are from ONE sitting per test year cycle. You can't use those percentages to determine how many kids are in the pool of high scorers each admissions cycle. This is a common mistake that people make on this forum. One big mistake is not accounting for people that took the test multiple times over one or two years AND superscoring.

The recent Common App report (2022) provides a better understanding of what is happening:

According to the Common App 2022 report, 76,747 applicants applied to universities/colleges with an SAT score >1500 (this includes ACT equivalent scores). 98,498 applicants applied with scores in the 1400-1499 range.

Source: https://s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ca.research.publish/Research_Briefs_2022/2022_12_09_Apps_Per_Applicant_ResearchBrief.pdf

Even so, there are more than 175,000 freshman seats at T50 schools. What makes it feel so complicated and chaotic is that to access many of those seats you have to live in the right state or play the SCEA/ED1/ED2 game correctly.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:EVERY YEAR IT'S GETTING WORSE! That's why the acceptance rates are dropping down so far. Yes, there is a college out there for almost every student and you need a realistic list, but it absolutely has gotten harder, year after year. It's been especially bad since 2020, pandemic grading and widespread TO. Saying otherwise makes you seem naive or out of touch.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have been lurking on this board and College Confidential since DC started freshman year in the fall and I am so shocked and sad for so many of what seem to be stellar students on paper getting deferred or even outright rejected from what used to be deemed "safety' schools. I know we're in a bit of a bubble in the DC area and it can be more competitive trying to get into certain schools from certain school systems (or at least that's what I'm told) but it seems to be especially bad this year? Do you think some of it is a result of COVID with '21 and '22 students taking gap years, and will normalize over time or do you think it will only get worse?

Parents say that every year.. this year is especially bad?? No its been like this

This. Seriously, search back.

People say this EVERY year (even pre-COVID).

It is all about your list.

Applying to a broad range of ELITE schools is not making a balanced list.

98% of the kids who are shut out are to blame (though maybe their parents played a heavy role in the debacle).

But they face the same playing field as others in their cohort.

It is not the same as that of their parents. Hasn't that always been the case?

Why go back and see if Abraham Lincoln had it easier?

This is the reality for kids applying to college in 2023.

They have to plan accordingly (i.e. make balanced lists), not lament why it is not like it used to be.

Seriously. it is called coping.

Anonymous wrote:^ full disclosure - I am also the parent of a current senior. Is it the worst year? All I know is that the US college admission process, when you want selective schools, is very stressful compared to those in other countries.