<p>Hey Seahawks - UW is not a safety. I don’t know what your stats are though with that said. UW has gotten to be much more selective over the past few years.</p>
<p>Are we talking about the same UW? I am in-state for the University of Washington- Seattle. I go to one of the top public schools in the state which is a feeder for UW-Seattle, and my stats (ie. 2260 SAT) are easily good enough when all-around inferior applicants get in without difficulty as well (3.6 GPA’s, 1800 SAT, easy classes, etc.). It has gotten harder, and I don’t mean to sound conceited but when I mentioned UW as a safety to my guidance counselor he did not have a problem with it.</p>
<p>crazymomster is probably referring to the University of Washington in St. Louis (WUSTL), which is a great school and by no means a safety for all but the best of applicants. If not, I agree that UW is a safety for you Seahawks.</p>
<p>Will a 31 ACT be a deal breaker? The rest of my stats are solid, I’m just worried that my ACT could hold me back.</p>
<p>Good Luck to All!</p>
<p>^ Definitely could be.</p>
<p>31 ACT will most definitely not be a deal breaker. Middle 50% of applicants have a 30-34 ACT score. Don’t worry. :)</p>
<p>^It COULD be, but not definitely. Have you read the book by Rachel Toor about Duke admissions? The testing standards are pretty rigorous there.</p>
<p>Thanks for your honest opinions. </p>
<p>Cortana - would you mind telling me what the book mentioned about their testing standards?</p>
<p>It is a book called Admissions Confidential written 10 years ago by Rachel Toor who was with Duke Admissions for 3 years. The book pertains to ALL elite schools, not just Duke. And she also says in the book:
“Some students at the bottom of their high school classes are admitted to top schools when the valedictorians are rejected”
“Admission to a top school depends on who reads your application”
“The top of the class at a high-performing high school may end up at their second and third choice”
So do not panic about a 31 ACT. You are within the 50% range (31-34) of admitted students. And alot has changed in the past 10 years (since the book was written) in admissions.
BUT if other areas of your application are weak, then you will have a problem, but it will not only be because of the 31 ACT.</p>
<p>its 31-34 now</p>
<p>[Duke</a> University Admissions: Class of 2013 Profile](<a href=“http://www.admissions.duke.edu/jump/applying/who_2015profile.html]Duke”>http://www.admissions.duke.edu/jump/applying/who_2015profile.html)</p>
<p>^^^Thanks for the info. Collegeboard still has it as listed 30-34 (incorrectly). I corrected my above post to avoid confusion. But at any rate, the OP is still in the 50% range of 31-34. So that is good for him. :)</p>
<p>The author (rachel toor) also said that, generally the admitted students with test scores lower than the median consist of legacies, URMS, first generation college student, and athletes. </p>
<p>Lol that book surprised me a lot. I was surprised by how concise and rigid admission officers are in the students they look for, and how even 1 factor- a low test score or lack of AP classes, can automatically reject a student. Also revealed that Duke is probably more competitive than Cornell and as competitive, or close to, HYP.</p>
<p>^^^I just don’t think this is 100% accurate in this day and age. Correct me if I am wrong. But there is alot more to admissions than eliminating someone right out of the gate because they have a 30 ACT and are not a legacy, URM, athlete, etc. I think it has become much more holisitic over the years as the quality of the applicants has continued to rise.</p>
<p>Obviously a college has to protect their brand (with high stats) but alot more goes into crafting a class than test scores. Obviosuly these things are very important but so are essays, recs, course rigor, rank, etc. I just don’t think people can generalize like this anymore. And there are plenty of athletes, URM’s and legacy’s today who are not below the median. So other “unhooked” applicants are obviously below median. The days of the “dumb athlete” barely sliding through their classes is gone at these top schools.</p>
<p>Although, I do feel that you need to bring something amazing, and something they are looking for, to the table if you are below median.</p>
<p>One HYPS school said in the info session that if they could only look at one part of an application, it would hands down be the transcript. They said that a 4 year picture is a million times more telling than a 4 hour test. Another school said the essays and recs were the make it or break it factor.</p>
<p>So we just don’t know. That’s why I don’t think someone with reasonable stats should panic. :)</p>
<p>I think it raises an interesting question, though; is one below-satisfactory stat enough to get you rejected these days? It seems like they want to protect their percentages for stats so they look better, so how holistic is the admissions process actually?</p>
<p>I think if you are an amazing applicant and bring something incredible to the table that they are looking for, one stat below median 50% may be overlooked (to a certain extent). After all, you do have to be capable of handling the coursework at Duke and graduating. But if you are average in all other areas, I think it will put someone into the reject pile. But I could be wrong. :)</p>
<p>Thanks a lot for the info OhioMom and Cortana!</p>
<p>With these comments about lower/median stats for applicants, I am starting to worry a bit, lol. I have pretty solid ECs, good recs, good transcript but my school doesn’t offer AP classes, and a 31 ACT. With this average application, would the fact that I am 15 (skipped two grades) be something ‘incredible that I bring to the table?’ Or would it not matter that much?</p>
<p>…I’d think so! That’s amazing!</p>
<p>Admissions to selective schools like Duke is much more than stats. </p>
<p>As I tell my son, its about filling slots. Hundreds of valedictorians/2400 SAT’s are rejected at Duke each year. Schools are seeking candidates that 1) are academic stars, 2) have personal attributes that match the campus community, and 3) fill needed slots. </p>
<p>For example, no top school can take 1000 students interested in being an English major…no matter what their ACT score is. They want a diverse yet cohesive campus and need poets, accountants, intramural athletes, leaders, nerds, newspaper writers, international students and tuba players. BTW…they’ll know if you list yourself as an actuarial science major just to get admitted…rec’s and academic course selection in HS demonstrates your real interest.</p>
<p>The bottom line is…yes, your stats are very important. But, if you don’t get in with great stats…its not a failure. If the highest ACT score for a tuba player is a 28…and they need a tuba player…the Tuba player may well beat out an english major with a 36. (No offense to tuba players intended…I was in the band too…just making a point)</p>
<p>^But at the same time, they want to protect their stats because just like every other school, they are slaves to the USNWR rankings. I am 99% sure I am going to be rejected for no other reason than the fact that I am an unhooked applicant outside of the top-10% of my class, even though my other stats are above their average. Unfortunately for me, the % in top-10 percent stat matters for 6% of the overall score for USNWR.</p>