My advice for high stats kids.

7-8 maybe maybe maybe schools
2-3 yep.

For your yep schools, find a couple you actually love and maybe would give you money: Scripps, Rhodes, Mac, Smith, Pitt, Wisconsin, W&M, St Andrews. Look at your own Naviance. (I love Scripps fwiw)

Then pick out the other sub 15% acceptance rate schools. I think high stats kids often do better at the top school during RD rounds. The schools that don't fill half their class during ED or yield protect. If she LOVES one, SCEA/ED there.

Then spend a ton of time - months - writing 10ish killer apps.

Do NOT waste a ton of time doing apps on more safeties than you really need. It takes up time she could be spending on her other apps.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If Rice is a Reach, Why wouldn't Emory, Vandy, WashU be a target?

They all have an admit rate below 12%; Vanderbilt has an admit rate even lower than Rice.

But they are all TO. So, if kid has a lower ACT or SAT can apply TO and may not be a reach if everything looks good. This is not a thing with test required schools. So, the test required schools with already lower admit percentages would be more of a reach

Highly selective TO schools are even reach-ier applying TO than applying with test scores in range. Depends on the percent of students submitting scores. If most are submitting, not submitting scores hurts your chances.

Vandy may have a lower percent submitting compared to other schools of similar selectivity, so TO may be somewhat more viable at Vandy than at similarly-ranked schools that have a higher percent submitting.

Nah..most are like around 30 percent admitted plus TO. That means at least 30 percent low test scores are being admitted. So, the point again, a student with lower test scores perhaps these schools will be less of a reach if the the rest of the application looks great. On the other hand, these same students would have a less chance if they say applied OOS to say a top public with single digit OOS acceptance rates that require test scores.

Vanderbilt is 50%

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, my 3.98/1560 kid (OOS) was not admitted to UCSD last year. Maybe your high school has a better track record there, but I think categorizing it as a safety is a stretch.

For targets, look for large publics where the out of state acceptance rate is 25-50%. Maybe Wisconsin?

Did you DC apply to Comp Sci or Engineering? Our school has a 100% acceptance record to UCSD for applicants with 3.8+ and 1500+

But what’s the sample size? This seems like saying “I have four daughters so I think it’s likely you’ll have a daughter.” Unless you have a large enough sample size, statistics are just random chance. Also, the California system is on a pendulum — it swings either the political winds so past years often don’t have much to do with current situation. I think this is more true in califormula that anywhere.

Purdue is a target school or reach with good GPA, SAT and ECs. How hard it is to get into Purdue.

Case Western
U Rochester
Lehigh
V Tech

Yup. And W&M, Wisconsin, Macalester. Smith. Oh, maybe Brandeis.

I also agree with the poster that said "for kids who are credible Ivy applicants, there are no targets. There are just "reaches for all" and then straight to likelies."

I agree with William and Mary. I would also suggest Wake as a target. My kid had a similar profile…

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If Rice is a Reach, Why wouldn't Emory, Vandy, WashU be a target?

They all have an admit rate below 12%; Vanderbilt has an admit rate even lower than Rice.

But they are all TO. So, if kid has a lower ACT or SAT can apply TO and may not be a reach if everything looks good. This is not a thing with test required schools. So, the test required schools with already lower admit percentages would be more of a reach

Highly selective TO schools are even reach-ier applying TO than applying with test scores in range. Depends on the percent of students submitting scores. If most are submitting, not submitting scores hurts your chances.

Vandy may have a lower percent submitting compared to other schools of similar selectivity, so TO may be somewhat more viable at Vandy than at similarly-ranked schools that have a higher percent submitting.

Nah..most are like around 30 percent admitted plus TO. That means at least 30 percent low test scores are being admitted. So, the point again, a student with lower test scores perhaps these schools will be less of a reach if the the rest of the application looks great. On the other hand, these same students would have a less chance if they say applied OOS to say a top public with single digit OOS acceptance rates that require test scores.

There is a bit of enrollment management going on here too that makes going test optional hard. Test optional kids yield at a much higher rate to top 20 schools than high test score submitters, so this is a part of the algorithm. This makes it harder to get a TO spot because they admit fewer because the yield is so much higher than a kid with a 1550 or 35 that Vanderbilt knows will have other top options from test required schools.

"On average, 25% of admitted applicants submit SAT scores to Vanderbilt University. In comparison, 26% submit ACT scores, while 49% opt not to submit standardized test scores"

https://nextadmit.com/blog/vanderbilt-sat-scores/

NP. The above link to a third party website is quoting the CDS data, but the CDS data on percent submitting is for enrolled students, not admitted students. This is a very important distinction and surprising that the third party site authors didn't understand that.

What does the CDS data say is the admitted percentage which is test optional?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If Rice is a Reach, Why wouldn't Emory, Vandy, WashU be a target?

They all have an admit rate below 12%; Vanderbilt has an admit rate even lower than Rice.

But they are all TO. So, if kid has a lower ACT or SAT can apply TO and may not be a reach if everything looks good. This is not a thing with test required schools. So, the test required schools with already lower admit percentages would be more of a reach

Highly selective TO schools are even reach-ier applying TO than applying with test scores in range. Depends on the percent of students submitting scores. If most are submitting, not submitting scores hurts your chances.

Vandy may have a lower percent submitting compared to other schools of similar selectivity, so TO may be somewhat more viable at Vandy than at similarly-ranked schools that have a higher percent submitting.

Nah..most are like around 30 percent admitted plus TO. That means at least 30 percent low test scores are being admitted. So, the point again, a student with lower test scores perhaps these schools will be less of a reach if the the rest of the application looks great. On the other hand, these same students would have a less chance if they say applied OOS to say a top public with single digit OOS acceptance rates that require test scores.

There is a bit of enrollment management going on here too that makes going test optional hard. Test optional kids yield at a much higher rate to top 20 schools than high test score submitters, so this is a part of the algorithm. This makes it harder to get a TO spot because they admit fewer because the yield is so much higher than a kid with a 1550 or 35 that Vanderbilt knows will have other top options from test required schools.

"On average, 25% of admitted applicants submit SAT scores to Vanderbilt University. In comparison, 26% submit ACT scores, while 49% opt not to submit standardized test scores"

https://nextadmit.com/blog/vanderbilt-sat-scores/

NP. The above link to a third party website is quoting the CDS data, but the CDS data on percent submitting is for enrolled students, not admitted students. This is a very important distinction and surprising that the third party site authors didn't understand that.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If Rice is a Reach, Why wouldn't Emory, Vandy, WashU be a target?

They all have an admit rate below 12%; Vanderbilt has an admit rate even lower than Rice.

But they are all TO. So, if kid has a lower ACT or SAT can apply TO and may not be a reach if everything looks good. This is not a thing with test required schools. So, the test required schools with already lower admit percentages would be more of a reach

Highly selective TO schools are even reach-ier applying TO than applying with test scores in range. Depends on the percent of students submitting scores. If most are submitting, not submitting scores hurts your chances.

Vandy may have a lower percent submitting compared to other schools of similar selectivity, so TO may be somewhat more viable at Vandy than at similarly-ranked schools that have a higher percent submitting.

Nah..most are like around 30 percent admitted plus TO. That means at least 30 percent low test scores are being admitted. So, the point again, a student with lower test scores perhaps these schools will be less of a reach if the the rest of the application looks great. On the other hand, these same students would have a less chance if they say applied OOS to say a top public with single digit OOS acceptance rates that require test scores.

There is a bit of enrollment management going on here too that makes going test optional hard. Test optional kids yield at a much higher rate to top 20 schools than high test score submitters, so this is a part of the algorithm. This makes it harder to get a TO spot because they admit fewer because the yield is so much higher than a kid with a 1550 or 35 that Vanderbilt knows will have other top options from test required schools.

"On average, 25% of admitted applicants submit SAT scores to Vanderbilt University. In comparison, 26% submit ACT scores, while 49% opt not to submit standardized test scores"

https://nextadmit.com/blog/vanderbilt-sat-scores/

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If Rice is a Reach, Why wouldn't Emory, Vandy, WashU be a target?

They all have an admit rate below 12%; Vanderbilt has an admit rate even lower than Rice.

But they are all TO. So, if kid has a lower ACT or SAT can apply TO and may not be a reach if everything looks good. This is not a thing with test required schools. So, the test required schools with already lower admit percentages would be more of a reach

Highly selective TO schools are even reach-ier applying TO than applying with test scores in range. Depends on the percent of students submitting scores. If most are submitting, not submitting scores hurts your chances.

Vandy may have a lower percent submitting compared to other schools of similar selectivity, so TO may be somewhat more viable at Vandy than at similarly-ranked schools that have a higher percent submitting.

Nah..most are like around 30 percent admitted plus TO. That means at least 30 percent low test scores are being admitted. So, the point again, a student with lower test scores perhaps these schools will be less of a reach if the the rest of the application looks great. On the other hand, these same students would have a less chance if they say applied OOS to say a top public with single digit OOS acceptance rates that require test scores.

There is a bit of enrollment management going on here too that makes going test optional hard. Test optional kids yield at a much higher rate to top 20 schools than high test score submitters, so this is a part of the algorithm. This makes it harder to get a TO spot because they admit fewer because the yield is so much higher than a kid with a 1550 or 35 that Vanderbilt knows will have other top options from test required schools.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If Rice is a Reach, Why wouldn't Emory, Vandy, WashU be a target?

They all have an admit rate below 12%; Vanderbilt has an admit rate even lower than Rice.

But they are all TO. So, if kid has a lower ACT or SAT can apply TO and may not be a reach if everything looks good. This is not a thing with test required schools. So, the test required schools with already lower admit percentages would be more of a reach

Highly selective TO schools are even reach-ier applying TO than applying with test scores in range. Depends on the percent of students submitting scores. If most are submitting, not submitting scores hurts your chances.

Vandy may have a lower percent submitting compared to other schools of similar selectivity, so TO may be somewhat more viable at Vandy than at similarly-ranked schools that have a higher percent submitting.

Nah..most are like around 30 percent admitted plus TO. That means at least 30 percent low test scores are being admitted. So, the point again, a student with lower test scores perhaps these schools will be less of a reach if the the rest of the application looks great. On the other hand, these same students would have a less chance if they say applied OOS to say a top public with single digit OOS acceptance rates that require test scores.

So Rice is a reach but Emory is a target?
Emory stats
https://apply.web.emory.edu/discover/about/first-year.html

You think your child is this good?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If Rice is a Reach, Why wouldn't Emory, Vandy, WashU be a target?

They all have an admit rate below 12%; Vanderbilt has an admit rate even lower than Rice.

But they are all TO. So, if kid has a lower ACT or SAT can apply TO and may not be a reach if everything looks good. This is not a thing with test required schools. So, the test required schools with already lower admit percentages would be more of a reach

Highly selective TO schools are even reach-ier applying TO than applying with test scores in range. Depends on the percent of students submitting scores. If most are submitting, not submitting scores hurts your chances.

Vandy may have a lower percent submitting compared to other schools of similar selectivity, so TO may be somewhat more viable at Vandy than at similarly-ranked schools that have a higher percent submitting.

William and Mary is a good one. What about NC State?