<p>Controlling for the quality of applicants, lower admissions rate means more selectivity.</p>
<p>A college that accepts 15% of applicants from a pool with average SAT score of 1500 (out of 1600) is mre selective than a 10% acceptance rate from a pool with avergae SAT score of 1400.</p>
<p>collegedata.com provides good information on the applicant pool for many colleges.</p>
<p>Duke’s applicant pool for class 2014 is better than Penn’s. The fact that Duke has a slightly higher acceptance rate than Penn does not mean Duke is less selctive than Penn.</p>
<p>Penn’s Class 2014 applicants (sample from collegedata.com)</p>
<p>360 Admissions Profiles Found
SUMMARY
GPA SAT ACT
UW W Math CReading Writing ACT
Average 3.79 4.25 709 687 691 31
Low 2.39 2.39 430 460 450 23
High 4.00 5.00 800 800 800 36 </p>
<p>Here is Duke’s Class 2014 applicants
283 Admissions Profiles Found
SUMMARY
GPA SAT ACT
UW W M CR W
Average 3.80 4.34 716 689 703 31
Low 2.60 2.94 400 460 410 23
High 4.00 5.00 800 800 800 36 </p>
<p>On average Duke applicants has 20 points higher SAT score than Penn’s.</p>
<p>A college that tries to appeal to many not-qualified students and thus to minimize its acceptance rate does not necessarily improve the quality of its students. Penn is a good example.</p>
<p>Its an interesting analysis but I’d be hard-pressed to consider collegedata.com a viable source for a representative sample of the 2014 applicants.</p>
<p>I can see what Y7 is getting at, and it’s an interesting hypothesis–one that I’d particularly like to test on Brown’s 30,000-strong applicant pool (which I suspect is now 22,000 considerable applicants and 8,000 Emma Watson stalkers).</p>
<p>However we’d need a statistically valid sample to test the hypothesis, and collegedata.com ain’t it, for any number of sampling biases…</p>
<p>Y7’s pathological obsession with Penn is fascinating, though…</p>
<p>Penn is very ambiguous about its SAT statistics.</p>
<p>The SAT score for accepted students does not equal to SAT score for enrolled students. What matters is the SAT score of the enrolled students. For a bottom Ivy like Penn, the SAT score of its accepted students is much higher than that of its enrolled students. Top students who are accepted by Penn will most likely to choose HYPSM, Columbia, or Dartmouth.</p>
<p>An average Duke applicant has a 20-point edge in SAT score than a Penn’s applicant.</p>
<p>collegedata.com provides a random sample. 300 observations, although small relative Penn’s total number of applicants, gives much information as to the quality of applicants.</p>
HYPSM: perhaps (although many choose Wharton over those schools). Columbia or Dartmouth: not necessarily.</p>
<p>You need to ask yourself why you’re so obsessed with trying to tear down Penn. It really isn’t healthy. I suspect it has something to do with Penn’s rejection of your friends, and perhaps its rejection of you. You need to get on with your life and let go of this negative obsession, because it really makes you look foolish, or even worse.</p>
<p>A little information for Y7, regarding selectivity - and, as an added bonus, LSAT info for graduating seniors:
Penn:
ACT: 32.5
SAT: 1440
LSAT: 163</p>
<h1>in top decile: 99%</h1>
<p>Brown:
ACT: 30.5
SAT: 1430
LSAT: 163</p>
<h1>in top decile: 94%</h1>
<p>Columbia:
ACT: 32.5
SAT: 1475
LSAT: 163</p>
<h1>in top decile: 93%</h1>
<p>Dartmouth:
ACT: 32
SAT:1450
LSAT: 163</p>
<h1>in top decile: 91.2%</h1>
<p>Duke:
ACT: 31.5
SAT: 1440
LSAT: 163</p>
<h1>in top decile: Could not find statistic (should be in US News)</h1>
<p>Conclusion:
Brown = Dartmouth = Penn = Columbia = Duke, with perhaps slight gradations based on perception (for example: Duke, for probably arbitrary reasons, loses most of its cross admits to the other 4, Columbia, Penn and Dartmouth are essentially deadlocked, and Brown often wins overall).</p>
<p>Penn’s yield (enrolled/accepted) is 61% vs Duke’s 41%. This frankly is surprising given Penn has more regional competition than Duke and Penn has a larger class to fill than Duke.</p>