Worst Stats for an Admitted Legacy?

boysx3
Tue, 16 Oct 2012 16:32:00 +0000

OP, what many don’t understand is that once a certain threshold is obtained, an applicant’s stats in and of themselves are no longer really important. There is nothing really wrong with a 3.7 unweighted; it’s roughly an A- average. Was there a trend in the applicant’s grades, or is the applicant one who is maybe strong in math/science, and not so good in foreign languages? And while a 29 is not a 36, it’s not a horrible score either–it’s probably somewhere around the top 10% if I remember correctly. It’s not like this student is not going to be able to do the work.

So, what else was attractive about the applicant? Have his parents donated
time/money /been active alumni over the years? That can count for a certain amount. All things being roughly equal (ie., an applicant who can do the work), why shouldn’t a school select an applicant who is likely to be able to cope with the academics, be involved on campus during and after student years–and why upset alumni if their child is qualified if the school has that choice? It can’t admit all children of alumni, but it certainly doesn’t want to not admit any children of alumni.

Was the student involved in activities in such a way as to be perceived as an asset on campus? For example, one of my sons had grades and scores about the same as those being discussed here–and he wasn’t overly involved in school stuff because he was extraordinarily involved in a certain leadership EC outside of school–to the point that he became strongly involved on the national and international level. His interpersonal skills (and his interview skills) were off the charts. He got in to a lot of schools we never expected him to–and I think this was the reason why. And yet if you looked at the high school yearbook, and outsiders didn’t know him well outside of school, you’d think he didn’t have any ECs. He didn’t really care about Latin Club or Green Club, etc.

Once a certain academic threshold is reached, I think schools are looking for what makes an applicant different from all the others–what ingredient will an applicant add to the campus stew, as it were, to make it richer and more interesting. As another poster said above, a school isn’t looking for another 4.0 or AP star–it’s looking for a student who can thrive academically AND contribute to campus life.