Anonymous
11/11/2025 13:34
Subject: Brown's 25% SAT scores fall after going test mandatory
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I personally know 3 UVA kids who turned down Ivies and similar for in-state tuition at UVA.
-Princeton and Duke
-Columbia
-Vanderbilt and Chicago
This is quite hard to believe. Vandy and Chicago are both ED or bust schools. Plus who would go through so much trouble to apply to these schools with their gazillion supplemental essays just to go to UVA when they could have been one and done by Dec?
It absolutely happened-I have no reason to make this up. Kids do get into Vandy and Chicago RD and many do not know where they want to go by the ED1 or ED deadlines. My own kid got into Vandy RD and also turned it down.
To be fair - test OPTIONAL Vandy and Chicago are nowhere near as hard admits and they have multiple ED rounds. We had 18 U chi admits at a pretty small HS.
+1
Anonymous
11/11/2025 13:33
Subject: Brown's 25% SAT scores fall after going test mandatory
Pre-covid, our feederish private gave 1450 as the minimum bar for unhooked at Brown, Dartmouth and Cornell to be considered. Other ivies they said aim for 1500 minimum to be in serious consideration . This was for the high school classes of 2020 and 2021 as advised by parents meetings end of summer 2019. Vanderbilt they always said loves scores, aim for 1530. Duke was 1500. Northwestern and Chicago 1450. I kept notes. Post -TO the schools will slide back to previous ranges. Brown as pointed out had a 25%ile of 1440. Brown has never been on par with the top 4 ivies
Anonymous
11/11/2025 13:31
Subject: Re:Brown's 25% SAT scores fall after going test mandatory
I get the crazy APS mom. My kid went through APS. There are these bulldozer, snowflake parents that kumon’d the hell out of their kids, challenged every grade, lobbied for GT designations that then finally hit the wall at college admissions. They can’t will their way in or plow their kid through anymore and test prep can only raise a kids score so far—some will never meet the threshold even with the doctor’s note they got someone to write for extra time on these tests. It’s no wonder they lash out at rationale people and facts.
Anonymous
11/11/2025 13:27
Subject: Re:Brown's 25% SAT scores fall after going test mandatory
What I love are the parents whose kids never would get in to these places assuming they would and it was their choice not to attend. I crack up every time I hear about how Sophia would have gotten in but she chose (insert test optional large school). No, she would not have had that choice. lol
Anonymous
11/11/2025 13:26
Subject: Brown's 25% SAT scores fall after going test mandatory
Anonymous wrote:The Yale admissions podcast comes out and says what one poster above said: once a kid crosses a threshold--I think it was 710 or 720 per section--they are done with the SAT portion and don't think about it anymore. The quality of everything else in the app is what matters after that. I think a lot of people here are trying to make a 1590 matter a lot more than it actually does relative to low 1500s.
1420 and 1590 are very different. 1530 is what you need to be minimum unhooked.
Anonymous
11/11/2025 13:24
Subject: Brown's 25% SAT scores fall after going test mandatory
Anonymous wrote:The Yale admissions podcast comes out and says what one poster above said: once a kid crosses a threshold--I think it was 710 or 720 per section--they are done with the SAT portion and don't think about it anymore. The quality of everything else in the app is what matters after that. I think a lot of people here are trying to make a 1590 matter a lot more than it actually does relative to low 1500s.
Here’s the thing (and it’s what we told our kids): if you are unhooked- 25%-threshold is not going to get you in. You need to be 75% minimum. That’s reality. They will say holistic blah blah—-but that’s not for UMC or wealthy kids. Those kids have to be on the tippy tippy top on scores and grades. You re-take to get above the 34, etc. People will tell you it’s not needed- but you need to control what you can control.
Anonymous
11/11/2025 13:22
Subject: Re:Brown's 25% SAT scores fall after going test mandatory
Yep- 0 to 1 kid in entire county is not because they are turning them down. Some of the T20s at our HS had 15-20 admits and about half matriculating. And the Ivies have the best financial aid in the country.
Anonymous
11/11/2025 13:22
Subject: Brown's 25% SAT scores fall after going test mandatory
The Yale admissions podcast comes out and says what one poster above said: once a kid crosses a threshold--I think it was 710 or 720 per section--they are done with the SAT portion and don't think about it anymore. The quality of everything else in the app is what matters after that. I think a lot of people here are trying to make a 1590 matter a lot more than it actually does relative to low 1500s.
Anonymous
11/11/2025 13:20
Subject: Brown's 25% SAT scores fall after going test mandatory
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:NP. PP considered only Yale, not all Ivies, so both of you are correct.
Look at Arlington County publics. Arlington Magazine. Out of 4 high schools - 2,000 seniors only 0-2 total students are admitted to one of the Ivies, Duke, etc any give year.
Here’s the link:
https://www.arlingtonmagazine.com/ivy-league-elite-college-admissions/
I can’t believe this actually needs to be said, but…
Arlington Magazine doesn’t report ALL admissions (or matriculations).
It’s self-reported data.
This. I don’t understand others not understanding this.
Do you really think there are all of these Ivy acceptances that didn’t get reported?
Bless her heart
This. People turn down ivies for full rides elsewhere or better programs for their major (cmu for cs over an ivy).
Yes it’s why nobody from APS went to Princeton last year. Which has the best need based blind aid in the US
Need based…yes…but donut hole families don’t qualify for that…but they do at top 20s that offer free rides. You are making things up. I know families who have turned ivies down for free rides elsewhere. Smart
Merit based free ride at T20 is extremely rare.
Need based discount, sure. First Gen, maybe.
For others, maybe half tuition.
My kid is at a top 20. Several friends turned down ivies for free rides. They offer huge incentives beyond just tuition. These kids are wooed away from ivies. You’re kidding yourself if you think otherwise. But I am not arguing with someone who uses a belief to make a statement like it’s a fact.
My kids are both at non-Ivy T20 schools. Most of the non-Ivies do offer some merit scholarships, but they are incredibly difficult to get. But all of these students have incredible options. Any MC or UMC student getting into these schools usually has a gazillion options - including free rides for four years at the state flagship. And obviously a lot of talented students are going to choose that option or a merit scholarship at a non-Ivy rather than pay $400,000 for Brown.
At this price point - a $100,000 per year - nearly every family is looking at all the options. And if Brown doesn't offer merit for talented students or is not great with FA, well, yeah, there are going to be a lot of smart students that choose elsewhere.
To be real- most kids do t have that option. We didn’t get a single kid in at our HS that does track every student and follows up through SCOIR. People just are t realistic thinking there are all these admits turning down offers. Usually it’s the kid that got into Harvard or MIT turning down these schools. The acceptances are often split between 1 or 2 kids.
Anonymous
11/11/2025 13:17
Subject: Brown's 25% SAT scores fall after going test mandatory
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I personally know 3 UVA kids who turned down Ivies and similar for in-state tuition at UVA.
-Princeton and Duke
-Columbia
-Vanderbilt and Chicago
This is quite hard to believe. Vandy and Chicago are both ED or bust schools. Plus who would go through so much trouble to apply to these schools with their gazillion supplemental essays just to go to UVA when they could have been one and done by Dec?
It absolutely happened-I have no reason to make this up. Kids do get into Vandy and Chicago RD and many do not know where they want to go by the ED1 or ED deadlines. My own kid got into Vandy RD and also turned it down.
To be fair - test OPTIONAL Vandy and Chicago are nowhere near as hard admits and they have multiple ED rounds. We had 18 U chi admits at a pretty small HS.
Anonymous
11/11/2025 13:15
Subject: Brown's 25% SAT scores fall after going test mandatory
Anonymous wrote:For Virginia:
41 Yale
29 Harvard
27 Brown
53 Princeton
31 Dartmouth
84 Cornell
29 Columbia
46 UPenn
270 Ivy freshman from Virginia
The ENTIRE state. Richmond and VA Beach areas are loaded with well-to-do smart kids and then out of those low numbers are the rural First Gens they are seeking and athletes.
Do you know how many HS seniors are in the state of VA outside of Arlington, Loudoun and Fairfax counties? So many that these numbers are a wake up call and should re-set any intelligent person’s expectations.
Anonymous
11/11/2025 13:14
Subject: Brown's 25% SAT scores fall after going test mandatory
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I personally know 3 UVA kids who turned down Ivies and similar for in-state tuition at UVA.
-Princeton and Duke
-Columbia
-Vanderbilt and Chicago
This is quite hard to believe. Vandy and Chicago are both ED or bust schools. Plus who would go through so much trouble to apply to these schools with their gazillion supplemental essays just to go to UVA when they could have been one and done by Dec?
It absolutely happened-I have no reason to make this up. Kids do get into Vandy and Chicago RD and many do not know where they want to go by the ED1 or ED deadlines. My own kid got into Vandy RD and also turned it down.
Anonymous
11/11/2025 13:07
Subject: Brown's 25% SAT scores fall after going test mandatory
Anonymous wrote:I personally know 3 UVA kids who turned down Ivies and similar for in-state tuition at UVA.
-Princeton and Duke
-Columbia
-Vanderbilt and Chicago
This is quite hard to believe. Vandy and Chicago are both ED or bust schools. Plus who would go through so much trouble to apply to these schools with their gazillion supplemental essays just to go to UVA when they could have been one and done by Dec?
Anonymous
11/11/2025 13:03
Subject: Brown's 25% SAT scores fall after going test mandatory
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:NP. PP considered only Yale, not all Ivies, so both of you are correct.
Look at Arlington County publics. Arlington Magazine. Out of 4 high schools - 2,000 seniors only 0-2 total students are admitted to one of the Ivies, Duke, etc any give year.
Here’s the link:
https://www.arlingtonmagazine.com/ivy-league-elite-college-admissions/
I can’t believe this actually needs to be said, but…
Arlington Magazine doesn’t report ALL admissions (or matriculations).
It’s self-reported data.
This. I don’t understand others not understanding this.
Do you really think there are all of these Ivy acceptances that didn’t get reported?
Bless her heart
This. People turn down ivies for full rides elsewhere or better programs for their major (cmu for cs over an ivy).
Yes it’s why nobody from APS went to Princeton last year
Need based…yes…but donut hole families don’t qualify for that…but they do at top 20s that offer free rides. You are making things up. I know families who have turned ivies down for free rides elsewhere. Smart
Merit based free ride at T20 is extremely rare.
Need based discount, sure. First Gen, maybe.
For others, maybe half tuition.
My kid is at a top 20. Several friends turned down ivies for free rides. They offer huge incentives beyond just tuition. These kids are wooed away from ivies. You’re kidding yourself if you think otherwise. But I am not arguing with someone who uses a belief to make a statement like it’s a fact.
My kids are both at non-Ivy T20 schools. Most of the non-Ivies do offer some merit scholarships, but they are incredibly difficult to get. But all of these students have incredible options. Any MC or UMC student getting into these schools usually has a gazillion options - including free rides for four years at the state flagship. And obviously a lot of talented students are going to choose that option or a merit scholarship at a non-Ivy rather than pay $400,000 for Brown.
At this price point - a $100,000 per year - nearly every family is looking at all the options. And if Brown doesn't offer merit for talented students or is not great with FA, well, yeah, there are going to be a lot of smart students that choose elsewhere.
Anonymous
11/11/2025 12:55
Subject: Brown's 25% SAT scores fall after going test mandatory
This argument between some of you is impossible to prove or disprove because it is not possible to control for all other factors leaving SAT score as the only factor that changes. At least not with publicly available data.