<p>I think the “Tufts syndrome” thing is misconstrued by people who don’t really understand holistic admissions. </p>
<p>My daughter was accepted at Barnard, Berkeley, Chicago, NYU – wait-listed at Boston U. and Brandeis …but I don’t think that was particularly surprising. It definitely was not due to high stats-- I can hypothesize very good alternative reasons that my d. did not make the cut at those particular schools.</p>
<p>I do think that it’s valuable to pay attention to which school have need-blind admission. In general, the most elite (most selective) colleges do not consider need in their admissions decisions, but many of the schools that the high stat app might consider to be matches or safeties do. </p>