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soozievt · 01-06-2007, 09:01 AM

I agree with bruno. There are no hard and fast rules and cut offs and the entire application is reviewed. That said, an applicant needs to pay attention to the MID 50% range of ACCEPTED students to that university or the school within the university. Like Bruno indicates, 75% of those accepted have a combined CR/M score above 1200. So, 25% of accepted students had an SAT below 1200, so some do get in. However, as he says, their chances of admission are lower, that's all. And of course the admissions office is going to look at their entire package of GPA, level of rigor of HS course load, grades, class rank, essays, recs, extracurriculars, etc. It is not like some state university that uses a formula for numbers. A high GPA and rank might compensate for a lower than average SAT for that university. However, somone with a combined CR/M SAT of lower than 1200 has a lower rate of admissions to that school than someone with a higher SAT. The facts speak for themselves. Don't use 1200 as a cut off to get in but if you have below 1200, your odds are lower; it's a fact. So, when so few applicants get into the BFA in the first place and it comes down to selecting those few, it does help to have a stronger OVERALL academic/application package in terms of the odds of being chosen over someone with a weaker package. If it comes down to two people being recommended after artistic review and one person has 1350 SAT, a GPA of 3.9, a class rank in the top 10% of the class, took the most rigorous HS curriculum offered at their HS, and has significant experiences and accomplishments outside the classrooom, good essays and recs....they are going to look more favorable than someone with an 1170 SAT, a GPA of 3.5, a class rank in the top 30% of the class, a less demanding curriculum, some ECs with no achievements or leadership of note, and so so essays or recs. That's just how it is. Applying to colleges, even BFA schools, involves selecting schools where one's "stats" fall in the ballpark of admitted students to that school, as well as evaluating the rate of admission at that school in terms of selectivity. A low rate of admissions decreases the odds in and of itself. When there is a low rate of admission, it sure helps to have stats in at least the mid range of previously accepted students to that college. There are exceptions, and kids with lower than mid range stats for that school do get in, but they are admitted at an even LOWER rate. Remember that someone who may have gotten in with a 1180 SAT may have had very strong stats and qualifications other than the SAT score itself, to compensate. You can't just go by person X had this SAT score and got in and so I can too because I also have a lower than 1200 SAT. That person may have been one of the few accepted with a lower SAT and had things to override that. It is not just a numbers thing at a school like CMU. For every person you know who got in with lower than 1200, there are likely three people who got in with substantially higher SATs. My own kid was on the Priority Waitlist there and her SATS are higher than any of the numbers bruno posted....in other words, higher than the mid range of accepted students. When a school takes so few for the BFA and there are more talented kids than they can accept, you can bet that a strong academic package will be an asset.

01-06-2007, 09:01 AM	#8
soozievt CC College Counselor/Musical Theater Counselor Join Date: Aug 2004 Threads: 137 Posts: 10,685	I agree with bruno. There are no hard and fast rules and cut offs and the entire application is reviewed. That said, an applicant needs to pay attention to the MID 50% range of ACCEPTED students to that university or the school within the university. Like Bruno indicates, 75% of those accepted have a combined CR/M score above 1200. So, 25% of accepted students had an SAT below 1200, so some do get in. However, as he says, their chances of admission are lower, that's all. And of course the admissions office is going to look at their entire package of GPA, level of rigor of HS course load, grades, class rank, essays, recs, extracurriculars, etc. It is not like some state university that uses a formula for numbers. A high GPA and rank might compensate for a lower than average SAT for that university. However, somone with a combined CR/M SAT of lower than 1200 has a lower rate of admissions to that school than someone with a higher SAT. The facts speak for themselves. Don't use 1200 as a cut off to get in but if you have below 1200, your odds are lower; it's a fact. So, when so few applicants get into the BFA in the first place and it comes down to selecting those few, it does help to have a stronger OVERALL academic/application package in terms of the odds of being chosen over someone with a weaker package. If it comes down to two people being recommended after artistic review and one person has 1350 SAT, a GPA of 3.9, a class rank in the top 10% of the class, took the most rigorous HS curriculum offered at their HS, and has significant experiences and accomplishments outside the classrooom, good essays and recs....they are going to look more favorable than someone with an 1170 SAT, a GPA of 3.5, a class rank in the top 30% of the class, a less demanding curriculum, some ECs with no achievements or leadership of note, and so so essays or recs. That's just how it is. Applying to colleges, even BFA schools, involves selecting schools where one's "stats" fall in the ballpark of admitted students to that school, as well as evaluating the rate of admission at that school in terms of selectivity. A low rate of admissions decreases the odds in and of itself. When there is a low rate of admission, it sure helps to have stats in at least the mid range of previously accepted students to that college. There are exceptions, and kids with lower than mid range stats for that school do get in, but they are admitted at an even LOWER rate. Remember that someone who may have gotten in with a 1180 SAT may have had very strong stats and qualifications other than the SAT score itself, to compensate. You can't just go by person X had this SAT score and got in and so I can too because I also have a lower than 1200 SAT. That person may have been one of the few accepted with a lower SAT and had things to override that. It is not just a numbers thing at a school like CMU. For every person you know who got in with lower than 1200, there are likely three people who got in with substantially higher SATs. My own kid was on the Priority Waitlist there and her SATS are higher than any of the numbers bruno posted....in other words, higher than the mid range of accepted students. When a school takes so few for the BFA and there are more talented kids than they can accept, you can bet that a strong academic package will be an asset.