<p>It’s complete bull how the Ivies use Class Rank to determine who they accept.</p>
<p>For instance, I know of a school where the median SAT scores are 730 CR, 735 math, 720 writing.</p>
<p>It is virtually impossible to be in the top 10 percent of a school this competitive (class size is around 150), and an average student here would be valedictorian at many public high schools. </p>
<p>This is ridiculous. Ivies need to take into account the competitiveness of the high school the applicant comes from when they decide if he should be accepted.</p>
<p>The complaint is complete bull, because all Ivy League admission officers mention that they look at the specific characteristics of the high school when comparing applicants’ high school records.</p>
<p>What are some good schools with open curriculum policies?</p>
<p>I hate math, science (except paleontology and astronomy), and foreign language study, and if I go to a school with an open curriculum, I’ll be done with those subjects forever.</p>
<p>In the Ivy League, Brown doesn’t require you to take anything. Some strong state universities have a special degree in “elective studies” or some such title as that, where you take the courses you like.</p>
<p>jmanco49: rather than worry about if Ivy league admissions officers are so thick as to not take into account deeper metrics besides class rank, you might want to consider that your “I hate X, Y, and Z” attitude will likely seriously hinder you relative to your peers who are applying to ultra selective colleges that value hungry learners. Good luck to you nonetheless.</p>
<p>Our high school doesn’t rank, and still sends a number of kids to Ivies every year. Many schools don’t rank, and more and more are eliminating rank. Yet their students also go to Ivies.</p>
<p>Well…yeah…the schools do take into account the competitiveness of the school…but…I have to say that it’s my observation that they don’t take as many kids from some top high schools as they could.</p>
<p>Right. Because they’re looking for – drum roll – d i v e r s i t y.</p>
<p>And diversity means people from different schools, different parts of the country, different parts of the world, as well as race, religion, and gender.</p>
<p>But it makes some kids face a decision that is unfortunate: go to a magnet high school (or top private school) for the challenge, or stay in the “home” high school to shoot for better college admissions. I know people who have made this calculation, and I think it’s too bad.</p>
<p>“But it makes some kids face a decision that is unfortunate: go to a magnet high school (or top private school) for the challenge, or stay in the “home” high school to shoot for better college admissions. I know people who have made this calculation, and I think it’s too bad.”</p>
<p>You are right that it is too bad. But as long as some parents, and consequently some of their children, are so hopelessly focused on Ivy-type institutions as being the only possible worthwhile place for those children to study, we will be stuck with this kind of nonsense. High schools and high school experiences in general should not be chosen because they are “more likely” to get you into an Ivy, they should be chosen because they are the BEST FIT RIGHT NOW for the student in question.</p>
<p>The future has an odd way of taking care of itself if we just let it do so.</p>
<p>The point is that if you have a 3.3 and are in the top 10% then you’re equal to the kid with a 3.7 in the top half. Once again you’re making problems out of nothing. Colleges do take into account difficult of school, rigor of course, etc.</p>
<p>If you “hate” math, science and foreign language you do not belong at an Ivy - those schools are meant for all-around intellectually vibrant students, not those who pick and choose their likes and “hates.”</p>
<p>No kidding! And there’s no guarantee either that you’d get into other, “good” open curriculum schools that tokenadult didn’t mention.</p>
<p>And your OP post is fragmented in argument. What’s up with bringing the average SAT score of a school? To show how pathetic the SAT scores (730ish is bad?) are because Ivys apparently only take rank into consideration?</p>
<p>If you think it’s “bull” that Ivys really care about rank but don’t know each high school enough, don’t apply to them. And if you want to go to an institution that doesn’t care about your rank no matter where you’ve come from, there’s community college. Don’t try to bash the culture that you want to buy into.</p>
<p>You’re wrong to make sweeping generalizations like this.
If my high school were to rank, the top 10 percent of my class would consist of 14 people. However, forty some odd people were offered admission to an Ivy League university this year.</p>
<p>And, I myself, if I were to be ranked, would barely break the 50th percentile: I will be attending the best LAC in the country.</p>
<p>Rank is not especially important. It is important in the same mysterious and unusual way that SATs are important.</p>
Don’t try to bash the culture that you want to buy into.</p>