Chance Threads - PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING ONE

[gibby]

<p>Holistic means that your acceptance is based upon other factors besides just test scores. </p>

<p>Colleges uses test scores to gauge if you can do the work on their campus. The higher your scores, the less an Admissions Director will question how you would do if admitted. At the ivies, once your test scores are used to calculate the Academic Index (<a href=“College Search & Lists - College Confidential Forums”>http://www.collegeconfidential.com/academic_index.htm&lt;/a&gt;), other more subjective factors come into play, such as your transcript rigor, GPA, teacher recommendations, EC’s and essays.</p>

<p>Look at this recent survey of Harvard Freshman: <a href=“The Harvard Crimson | Class of 2017”>http://features.thecrimson.com/2013/frosh-survey/admissions.html&lt;/a&gt;

The average self-reported unweighted GPA on a 4.0 scale was 3.94. Fifty-four percent of students reported a perfect 4.0, and the lowest score reported was a 3.0.</p>

<p>Freshmen reported an average composite SAT score of 2237. The reported average subject score was consistent across the three sections, with an average of 748 in the math section, 746 on writing, and 744 on critical reading.

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<p>I like the scattergram as it nicely highlights how more than half the class had an unweighted 4.0 GPA at their high school regardless of test scores. To me that implies that Harvard (and thereby YP et al) put more weight – or slightly more weight, however you want to read the data – on a student’s unweighted GPA at their high school rather than test scores.</p>

<p>So, rather than worry about your test scores, be more concerned about your GPA, teacher recommendations and essays!!!</p>