<p>Congrats MTnest!!!</p>
<p>cromette: I am really psyched about your d’s AP Calc grade!!! Wahooooo. Hope that we follow suit! Congratulations!</p>
<p>I just had an epiphany today! I am reading A is for Admission by Michele Hernandez. Assuming these HMFRs are Ivy League schools, you can actually do the math and find out your kids’ Academic Index (AI) to see realistically what their chances are for these super reach schools. At about $100 per application, it might be worth it financially if you do the math and realize that HMFR is more MF than you actually thought! If your kid was planning on applying to four of them, but you realize that there is absolutely no chance, then you can save yourself $400! It might also be a way to have a conversation with your kids about being realistic. Or you might try it and realize that your kid is pretty darn close. Of course nothing is a 100% guarantee.</p>
<p>There are tables in the book to look up a scoring index, so unfortunately it’s not just a formula that I can post for you to use. The most amazing thing that I have learned from this book is that no matter what most schools say, the test scores (SAT/ACT & subject tests) account for 2/3 of the weight of the AI. Grades only make up 1/3. I didn’t realize how significant SAT subject tests were until I read this book! It will also make you question the way your school reports rankings! It’s all very fascinating.</p>
<p>I know about AI’s from recruiting, but do you think they are used for regular admission purposes? I thought they just computed them so that they could compare the recruited athletes to the rest of the students admitted?</p>
<p>GreekMana–what page is the table on? You can “read instantly” on Barnes and Noble website …</p>
<p>Nevermind—the whole book isn’t on read instantly like most of theirs are, shoot. Do they have Notre Dame as one of the schools you can check in the book?</p>
<p>Thanks Greekmana, I hope she keeps up the good work - and I hope y’all follow suit too!</p>
<p>This AI is only for Ivy League. The book says that the index was originally used to compare athletes and the league is bound by certain rules & regulations regarding athletes and their AI, BUT it says they use the index for all applicants.</p>
<p>The book (which is a few yeas old) lists the cutoff and the average AI for all students at Dartmouth in a given year. The author used to work in the Dartmouth OA, so most of the examples are from Dartmouth, BUT apparently this is a formula used by ALL Ivy schools. She says that’s why if a student gets accepted to one, they often get accepted to all and vise versa because they all use the same formula. Obviously different schools have different cutoffs.</p>
<p>Thanks GreekMana.</p>
<p>Ok, just got an email for DD–she was awarded a $28,000 scholarship for one school we visited. She has not applied to that school and was only vaguely considering applying…I think she needs to apply, like now. That one scholarship brings the COA down to about $7500, without her athletic award…</p>
<p>OK, on a second look–this is a school we DID not visit but has the same name as a school we did visit–off to research…she did get some feelers from a coach at this school so maybe that is where this started.</p>
<p>Now I’m a bit annoyed. S tried to submit his transcript request and was told that since it’s so early, they are still organizing things and to come back 10/1. The paperwork they gave at Back to School night gives 10/1 as the DEADLINE to request transcripts for RA and EA/ED schools with an 11/1 deadline.</p>
<p>reeinaz—I already finished my drink over GC frustrations or I would join you in one:D. Did your DS point that out to them??</p>
<p>ree, I’m right there with you - same thing at D’s school. In her case, that’s all she needed to procrastinate, since she knows that nothing will go out before then.</p>
<p>The AI - used for Ivy and NESCAC schools, I think? You can find calculators on line, but I don’t know if you can find specific school scores via google…</p>
<p>anniezz, you’re right! Here’s a link for an AI calculator:
[Academic</a> Index (AI) Calculator](<a href=“http://www.satscores.us/MyChances/AI_Calculator.asp]Academic”>http://www.satscores.us/MyChances/AI_Calculator.asp)</p>
<p>Wow - this thread has been moving today.</p>
<p>Welcome everyone new.</p>
<p>Congrats for MTNest and the other Pitt acceptance recipient. </p>
<p>Steve, we got a call from a school last night that offered $18,000 with out an application. This is just strange. I don’t see them on the guarenteed scholarship school thread.</p>
<p>Here’s one of my issues with AI: Hernandez says in part of the book that a higher AP score in a subject will trump a lower SATII score in the same subject, since one is a 1 hour multiple choice test (sat) vs the other test being a combo multiple choice, essay & analysis of a year long course (act.) plus most online calculators won’t work unless you plug in your “highest 3 scores.” if you’ve only taken 2, they don’t work right. Add in a “higher” ap score to the mix, which can’t be plugged into the formula and I think the AI score can come in lower than an adcom would really assign.</p>
<p>Can’t edit from my dang phone but I meant ap not act! Although aren’t there ivys that will take act with writing vs sat + SATII 's? How would you plug that in the calculator?</p>
<p>Congrats on the scholarship offer SteveMA. </p>
<p>S sent off another application today to a branch campus of Penn State. He didn’t bother completing the optional activities and essay sections. His test scores are in the upper 25% but his gpa puts him solidly in the middle 50%. I hope that doesn’t bite him in the butt. That makes 4 applications and $83 so far, Penn State was a big chunk of that $50 + $11 for scores. I’m holding off as long as feasable for some, hoping that a fee waiver shows up in the mail. I cringe when I see the ones that say sorry if you’ve already applied and paid. No refunds. </p>
<p>Oh and another CA tip, make sure you check if schools have a delay in posting application fees. One college on my son’s list states in their payment section that they have a 1-2 day delay and applications are not considered complete until the fee has been applied. Paying close to a deadline can cause the application to miss that deadline even if it the application was submitted way in advance.</p>
<p>Wow Steve…that’s Great…that is a huge chunk of change!!!
Congradts…:)</p>
<p>I’m not that familiar with all this athletic recruiting…but…I know a girl…recruited last fall to Dartmouth…she is in the class of 2013…her SAT score was a 1900 and NO SAT tests…when she did take them she got in the low 600’s and she Doesn’t take the most rigorous classes and only 1 AP… grades…average …was told she had to keep a B average…and got a C…and she’s going…full ride…
go figure…her parents are Rich…and she’ll get a full ride to an Ivy…
WTH…</p>
<p>Congrats on all the acceptances!
SteveMA – Financial aid is a partial concern to my family. I was told by the admissions counselor today that my top choice would award me the same amount of aid even if it was a regular decision application. There’s a college fair at the local state college next week that I might go to with my dad, so he can ask some questions about that. First things first, telling my family I want to apply ED to a school eight hours away!</p>
<p>RobD-- to use the ACT they convert the score to the equivalent SAT and then use it twice or three times. </p>
<p>This actually makes my question about taking a 4th subject test very interesting. If they don’t do as well, it just wouldn’t be used, because they already have 3 high subject scores. If for any reason they did something miraculous and got a great score on the 4th subject test, then it would replace their 3rd highest score.</p>