What do you say to a kid who earned the max score on the ACT when they don’t get accepted to a school they want?
There are so mny more factors than just test scores, @JerseyParents. Many schools turn away perfect scores/perfect GPA. Some schools are more stats driven than others. Most are trying to make a well rounded student body. An oboe player, a field hockey player, speech and debate master, kids from RI and HI, etc. It’s hard when there are so many terrifically qualified candidates.
@JerseyParents - was it a deferral? Depending on the school, they might think applicant is overqualified and worried they are just a “safety.” One of S18s friends with a 4.0 and near perfect SAT was shocked by a deferral from a school on his list but he had very little intention of going there and already got into a higher choice on his list. I think the school could tell he had not shown much interest. Schools worry about yield.
If it’s an Ivy or other super selective school - those are a reach for everyone. Agree with @amominaz that they may just be trying to fill a slot for a diverse class. Still wishing S18 had taken up oboe…
Agree with the above. Perfect scores are just one piece of the equation and quite honestly one of the smaller pieces. A good score confirms the good grades and academic picture, but it doesn’t get you in. For example, if you have a 4.0 and a 22 ACT they may question the rigor of your school, and a 36 ACT with a 3.5 gpa may make them question the student’s work ethic. The large number of students applying means they will be turning down the majority of valedictorians and perfect test score candidates. We know so many great candidates who got deferred and rejected in the EA/ED round. I continuously feel so lucky that we are through.
I wish they would send you a note explaining why they accepted you - was it the great essays and fit? the right combo of ECs? or was it just the best numbers coming out of our area, etc. I’d love to see the rubric evaluating the application. We spent so much time strategizing it would be nice to know what actually made a difference and where we had just wasted our time!
D went 0-2 in the EA round with deferrals from MIT & UChicigo. Didn’t seem to faze her at all, so I guess maybe that 1,001’st time we discussed the reality of getting an EA acceptance must have done the trick!
None of her friends got accepted anywhere EA, with a couple of outright rejections & the overwhelming majority being deferred. We were joking that instead of calling this the EA round, they should call it the PD (probably deferred) round. 
@macmiracle, there’s a good thread about grandparents helping to pay for college. We’re lucky enough that H’s parents are planning to help us. The best strategy seems to be to have them gift us the $ and we use it to pay bills. Less affect on FA that way. That being said, it’s a confusing topic with many opinions.
@JerseyParents I assume your kid is feeling like they did everything asked of them, and are upset that they played by the rules and they didn’t get in? I think you tell your kid that the rules changed. I think perfect scores used to count for more, and there were fewer kids getting perfect scores, and also fewer kids applying for the same number of seats. What @amominaz said about holistic admissions is absolutely true. So although it really stinks that you thought you were playing by one set of rules while you were actually playing by a slightly different set, this is actually a good life lesson for your kid that you have to always be on top of rule changes and you have to be adaptable to change. And please don’t think I’m being (I can’t think of the right word, so I’ll just say sanctimonious) about this, because I have a hard time following my own advice! I hate change.
And then you let your kid know that the game isn’t over! We’re still in the first half of the game. Get those other apps in! Each school has their own institutional need, and also different needs for each individual class as their admissions is forming the Class of 2022. So what might be “meh” to one school could be “aha!” to another.
I also truly believe that former second tier schools are now filled with first tier caliber kids, so those schools aren’t second tier schools anymore.
Finally, I think a lot of us just think about the top couple of tier schools for quality education, but I have to say that I’ve been really unbelievably impressed with the quality of education of some kids I know at a couple of the directional state universities. The quality of their education in their field was very good, but the advising and internships were what I found to be so impressive. I also know some lower tier schools that are just awful and I feel like they are stealing money from the kids. So I think that’s why once you get out of the upper tier schools, doing a lot of research of individual schools programs is critical, but you might be really surprised at how truly excellent some of those programs are.
Very well said, @melvin123. I think it’s easy to get into the “only xyz school” is good. There are so many great schools which are good fits for our kids and where they will get an excellent education. The more I hear about some of these other, previously little known about schools, the more excited I get about options for my S21!
Even though it hurts and stings for your kids (and you as a parent), all is definitely not lost.
I could be mistaken but I think @JerseyParents question was some what rhetorical. The answers still apply of course!
Sorry for all the recent deferrals!
It WAS a clerical error. The school wrote back promptly this morning and said they’d fix the mistake. At least I know what the bills look like now. :-j
@DavidPuddy Yes it was Rhetorical aimed at your unfortunate situation I truly feel for your family. Wish I had something good to help parents sooth those kids who have worked so hard and still don’t hear “yes”
Great reply @melvin123 thanks for that fantastic reply Great folks here in this thread. I hope your kids all find their perfect place
@amominaz Apparently, you can’t balance out a diverse class without making some folks angry…I saw on TV last night that Harvard is being sued because they turn away too many Asian kids.
https://nypost.com/2017/11/21/doj-threatens-to-sue-harvard-over-race-based-admission-practices/
D18 got into University of San Francisco today - her current first choice. We were pretty confident she would get in but it sure feels good to have the letter (and cute poster) in hand. They gave her $25k a year in merit which is great. I still struggle with wondering if she should be reaching “higher” and trying to go to a school with a more national reputation but “fit” wise - she fell in love with USF and its philosophies and campus so I need to get over that!
For HYPSM and similar schools, I explained to my son…“if they want a (insert race, ethnicity, etc here) (insert gender here) from (enter location here), then you’re in”…I truly believe with the quality of kids these days, that it comes down to if the student fills a demographic/skill/gender they need - once you get beyond stats.
DD’18 was nominated to West Point and the Air Force Academy by our U.S. Senator. She got a letter in the mail yesterday! Nice motivation going into exams. “The waiting is the hardest part” - T. Petty
@glido Congratulations!
My nephew-in-law is a West Point grad, and I know a local girl who is at the Air Force Academy right now.
What a great opportunity - best of luck!
(And tell your daughter thank you for being willing to serve)
Good news for my D this morning - just got her acceptance to SDSU!! 
It’s a great fit for her all around and I know she would be happy there. Expect that she will get the Honors invite which is nice as it gets her the best dorm - really not many other benefits but worth it for the dorm! Thought we would hear in February so this is a welcome surprise before the holidays.
Now we wait it out until the Spring for SLO and UCLA (and McGill in Jan). Also still planning to visit FSU and Bama in February. In the back of my mind, I am thinking FSU will give SDSU some competition come May - both have some similarities and are solid fun schools.
Congrats @my2caligirls on SDSU! My Alma Mater!
@Clementine7624 - S17 is also not selecting as high a reach as he is qualified for but I am not worried. He will get a great education at a great school and the school status is really for the advanced degree in my experience!
Thanks to the Parents of the HS Class of 2018 for all the likes re SDSU and D - you are all the best!!! Lots of special and talented kids and parents here! [-(
My D also got her acceptance to SDSU today. Whew! It was her first acceptance and she has a small list of schools she’s applying to (SDSU, USC and 4 UCs) so it’s nice to know she’s got somewhere to go next year.