这么优秀只能上ASU Kaitlyn Younger has been an academic standout since she started studying algebra in third grade. She took her first advanced-placement course as a freshman, scored 1550 on her SATs as a junior at McKinney High School near Dallas and will graduate this spring with an unweighted 3.95 grade-point average and as the founder of the school’s accounting club. Along the way she performed in and directed about 30 plays, sang in the school choir, scored top marks on the tests she has so far taken for 11 advanced-placement classes, helped run a summer camp and held down a part-time job. “She is extraordinary,” said Jeff Cranmore, her guidance counselor at McKinney High School. Ms. Younger, 18 years old, was cautiously optimistic when she applied to top U.S. colleges last fall. Responses came this month: Stanford, Harvard, Yale, Brown, Cornell, University of Pennsylvania, University of Southern California, University of California, Berkeley, and Northwestern all rejected her. “I expected a bunch wouldn’t accept me,” she said. “I didn’t expect it to be this bad.” The responses are part of a wave of rejections swamping top students who applied to many highly selective schools during the most competitive year on record. Now, students have until May 1 to let schools know where they will attend. At Harvard University, the latest acceptance rate is 3.2%. PHOTO: ADAM GLANZMAN/BLOOMBERG NEWS Harvard received a record 61,220 applications during the current admissions year and accepted 1,954 (3.2%). Brown received a record 50,649 applications and offered admission to 2,546 (5%). Yale received 50,015 applications and admitted 2,234 (4.5%). University of California, Los Angeles, received a record 149,700 applications, 10,000 more than last year; the school’s acceptance rate wasn’t available. A reason applications were so inflated is because more than three-quarters of colleges and universities have stopped mandating entrance exams. With that barrier removed, more students tried their luck at selective schools that placed greater emphasis on grades, academic rigor and racial and socio-economic diversity. NEWSLETTER SIGN-UP Education Select coverage from the WSJ's education bureau on the state of schools and learning, curated by bureau chief Chastity Pratt and sent to you via email. Preview
Subscribe The result is that while many less prestigious schools are struggling to fill their classes, the most selective U.S. schools are drawing from a broader applicant pool—and that is driving the bar for admission higher than in past years. High volume means admissions officers at some elite colleges spend just a few minutes reviewing individual applications. This places enormous pressure on students to stand out, and not just among their own high-school classmates. Nearly 55,000 students applied to the University of Pennsylvania—about 15,000 more than applied two years ago. Many applications contained “national and international accolades for research that is already pushing the boundaries of academic discovery,” wrote Whitney Soule, vice provost and dean of admissions on the school’s website. For students such as Ms. Younger, the odds are particularly long. She is a middle-class white female from a public high school in Texas who wants to study business. Each characteristic places her in an overrepresented group, said Sara Harberson, a former admission officer at University of Pennsylvania and now a private college-admissions counselor. Kaitlyn Younger applied her stage makeup before rehearsing 'Sweeney Todd' in Plano, Texas. Nearly half of white students admitted to Harvard between 2009 and 2014 were recruited athletes, legacy students, children of faculty and staff, or on the dean’s interest list—applicants whose parents or relatives have donated to Harvard, according to a 2019 study published in the National Bureau of Economic Research. At Harvard, low-income students with top academic scores had an admit rate of 24% compared to 15% for all other applicants, according to a 2013 study by the school. Harvard has said it believes enrolling a diverse student body is important because the school wants students to learn to work with people from different backgrounds. “The middle class tends to get a little bit neglected,” said Hafeez Lakhani, a private college counselor in New York who charges $1,200 an hour. “Twenty years ago, Ms. Younger would have had a good shot at an Ivy League school.” Ms. Younger’s father attended the University of Oklahoma and her mother went to Montclair State University in New Jersey. She has no connection to the faculty or alumni at any elite school, nor did she hire a test-preparation coach or a private college counselor. Wealthy Private Universities Dominate WSJ Rankings, Again YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
WSJ’s rankings of the top colleges in the U.S. shows that schools with deep pockets were best able to ride out the pandemic and perform in key categories. WSJ’s Doug Belkin explains the methodology of this year’s report and its highlights. Photo: Philip Keith for The Wall Street Journal Her school serves McKinney, Texas, a fast-growing suburb 30 miles outside of Dallas. In a given year, about half of the school’s graduates enroll at four-year colleges; most attend public universities in Texas, Dr. Cranmore said. He recalls two McKinney graduates enrolling at Yale and one at Princeton over the past decade. “I don’t know what else she could have done,” he said. Ms. Younger was exceptionally focused and competitive from an early age, said her mother, Debra Younger. She is also a self-described perfectionist. At age 7, she began taking medication to calm her anxiety, she said. In middle school, she was the only girl in her advanced math classes. That isolation led to bullying, she added. A library at the University of Pennsylvania. Nearly 55,000 students applied to the school during the current admissions cycle. PHOTO: HANNAH BEIER FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL During her sophomore year, joint pain and depression exacerbated her anxiety. She enrolled in a two-month, outpatient mental-health program that limited her academic work to two hours a day. Her grades in English and AP World History fell to an 88 and 89, respectively, because she didn’t have time to finish the assigned reading, she said. COURSE LOADS AND DEBT LOADS The WSJ Guide to Student Loans: Navigating the Myths and Misunderstandings About College Debt (March 18) She was working to improve her marks when the pandemic arrived and the school froze grades during the second semester. She received her first (and only) B’s. They pulled down her GPA. She is now ranked 23rd out of 668, or in the third percentile, she said. Ms. Younger wrote in the applications about her history of depression and anxiety to explain the two B’s she earned during her sophomore year. College rejection letters don’t come with a detailed explanation. Schools typically don’t discuss their decisions on individual applications because of privacy rules. The schools that rejected Ms. Younger declined to comment on her application, and most declined to comment on their acceptance rate. Jon Burdick, vice provost for enrollment at Cornell, said the school is working to increase its undergraduate population by 1,000, but still doesn’t have enough slots for all the qualified students who apply. “In the end we know that most of those we couldn’t admit would have been capable of achieving excellence at Cornell, and we regret having to disappoint them,” Mr. Burdick said. Ms. Younger said she doesn’t know why she was rejected but thinks her two B’s during sophomore year were problematic, along with her demographic profile. Kaitlyn Younger studied for an advanced-placement class in costume last week, as she took a rehearsal break at a theater in Plano, Texas. Gender also matters. Women now apply to college in much larger numbers than men. Schools seek to maintain gender parity in enrollment, which means young women often face higher standards and greater competition. Ms. Harberson said Ms. Younger’s accomplishments on the stage at her high school and with her community theater troupe—as well as for the accounting club—were impressive but wouldn’t stand out among Ivy League applicants. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS How has the college application process gone for students in your life? Join the conversation below. Of the 12 schools to which Ms. Younger applied, she was wait-listed at Rice University and accepted at the University of Texas, Austin—but not to the business school. She plans on attending Arizona State University to study business on an academic scholarship. The acceptance rate there last year was 88%. If she had to do high school all over again, Ms. Younger said she would still set high standards for herself and work hard but would try not to stress herself out so much. “I used to be the kind of person who, if I got a low A, anything lower than a 95, I would be upset with myself because I thought that was the standard for the types of institutions I wanted to attend,” she said. “All that stress was not worth it. I want to do the best I can, but in a way that does not deteriorate my mental health if I struggle.”
"Of the 12 schools to which Ms. Younger applied, she was wait-listed at Rice University and accepted at the University of Texas, Austin—but not to the business school. "
"Of the 12 schools to which Ms. Younger applied, she was wait-listed at Rice University and accepted at the University of Texas, Austin—but not to the business school. " ZDI92JJ1 发表于 2022-11-03 10:53
"Of the 12 schools to which Ms. Younger applied, she was wait-listed at Rice University and accepted at the University of Texas, Austin—but not to the business school. " ZDI92JJ1 发表于 2022-11-03 10:53
回复 1楼单身男的帖子 文章内容有猫腻啊。吹这个女生三年级上algebra，为啥不接着吹高中去大学至少上了三年数学课？ 3 algebra 4 H geometry 5 algebra II 6 preCalc 7 Calc b/c 8 Multi Calc （这门和后面的数学课很多公立高中开不出来，要学生去大学上） 9 Linear algebra 10 Advanced college math #1 11 Advanced college math #2 12 Advanced college math #3
看看人家申的都是啥 Stanford, Harvard, Yale, Brown, Cornell, University of Pennsylvania, University of Southern California, University of California, Berkeley, and Northwestern all rejected her. 50朝后的学校不申请，去ASU完全是莫名其妙。 能被彭博采访倒是比去藤校都难。估计是正好找了这个奇葩例子给反AA造势吧。
Select coverage from the WSJ's education bureau on the state of schools and learning, curated by bureau chief Chastity Pratt and sent to you via email. Preview
Subscribe
The result is that while many less prestigious schools are struggling to fill their classes, the most selective U.S. schools are drawing from a broader applicant pool—and that is driving the bar for admission higher than in past years. High volume means admissions officers at some elite colleges spend just a few minutes reviewing individual applications. This places enormous pressure on students to stand out, and not just among their own high-school classmates. Nearly 55,000 students applied to the University of Pennsylvania—about 15,000 more than applied two years ago. Many applications contained “national and international accolades for research that is already pushing the boundaries of academic discovery,” wrote Whitney Soule, vice provost and dean of admissions on the school’s website.
For students such as Ms. Younger, the odds are particularly long. She is a middle-class white female from a public high school in Texas who wants to study business. Each characteristic places her in an overrepresented group, said Sara Harberson, a former admission officer at University of Pennsylvania and now a private college-admissions counselor.
Ms. Younger was exceptionally focused and competitive from an early age, said her mother, Debra Younger. She is also a self-described perfectionist. At age 7, she began taking medication to calm her anxiety, she said. In middle school, she was the only girl in her advanced math classes. That isolation led to bullying, she added.
Jon Burdick, vice provost for enrollment at Cornell, said the school is working to increase its undergraduate population by 1,000, but still doesn’t have enough slots for all the qualified students who apply. “In the end we know that most of those we couldn’t admit would have been capable of achieving excellence at Cornell, and we regret having to disappoint them,” Mr. Burdick said. Ms. Younger said she doesn’t know why she was rejected but thinks her two B’s during sophomore year were problematic, along with her demographic profile.
🔥 最新回帖
与虎谋皮。
哦，在学校的rank有点低，我儿子在top1%。还是申请策略问题吧。
🛋️ 沙发板凳
这个确实挺优秀了。孩子们真不容易。这么优秀这么拼才上个100多名的大学。服了也是。
州立挺好。学点赚钱的本事比上大藤重要。我有个朋友哈佛本科的，快四十才找到正经糊口工作。
这种孩子好大学不会喜欢的，没有一丁点成竹在胸的松弛感，只有不堪重负的沉重感，招生官只会觉得巨了do她favor, 给她松松绑。
什么叫松弛感？高中学生除非是特殊群体，谁敢松弛，还能上好学校？
拼aa不如去拼legacy。当然那就真的动了elite 蛋糕
我还有个熟人是康奈尔毕业的，Liberal Arts 专业。在政府某部门工作，年近六十，年薪八万不到。
ASU只要你在星巴克调咖啡，就可以上
三年级上algebra还不talented？
就是早学跟晚学的问题，她也没有数学竞赛成绩啊，学那么早有什么用呢？是提前毕业了，还是让她在数学方面取得什么成就了
亚裔这个成绩在加州基本被都赶出去了。
美国政府太邪恶太邪恶了
怎么整天数学竞赛数学竞赛的？正常人谁整天数学竞赛？
这个成绩不都满分了么？还能怎么样
亚裔的名字太容易看出来，你填别的也没用。。。
那还是说明他们不够牛。
这白女所有方面都不如我家孩子 咋就满分了 我家孩子还被赶出加州呢。
是啊，数学advance也没有必要非得搞竞赛啊。
确实这样。只有chinese在美国社会是真的出路不多。
正常人也不会三年级学algebra。 那网球和足球好就是赛场上见， 奥数为什么就不是呢？ 你申请大学写我三岁就会打网球也没用， 不也是看最后取得的比赛成绩吗？ 到了奥数就不行了？ 就因为中国人数学好就低别的特长一等？ 学网球那些休学打职业最后失败的还少吗？ 比如前几天父亲赛场上打孩子的新闻？ 难道数学是刷题， 球类运动训练就不是吗？
一个高中数学， 不比赛怎么看出advance的。 篮球足球网球羽毛球， 哪个不是参加比赛才能证明水平的？ 哪个不是需要大量重复训练得到提高的？ 就数学竞赛因为华人孩子好的多， 就低人一等浪费时间了？ 但是老外好的项目， 哪怕几年时间几十万砸进去最后学了也是白学那也是学得对？
不认同，亚裔小孩参加竞赛是因为目标是cs专业，而且是竞争激烈的学校。这故事里的小孩是想进商学院，完全不同的职业方向。
我个人感觉她的相关实践可能有点不够，所以她需要在申请里，要么挖掘已有的实践里能支持她的职业选择的点，加以提亮；或者解释她为什么缺乏相关的实践：比如专业目标的形成发生在高中晚期，或者如何从原本的专业目标改成了商科，或者类似的思路。
她的申请思路是典型的在逆境中前进的模式，“逆境”是很常见的申请思路和主题，写不好就是老生常谈。
三年级学代数感觉也是父母推娃很厉害，好高中里这类牛娃很多特别是亚裔，没感觉很出色。
re 三年级学代数有什么用， 大学申请前的数学水平才有用。 早都说了申请时候你坚持不到高中的才艺都没用。 三年级超前以后平平的项目根本不需要拿出来说。
华人说的所谓的“玄学”，我觉得挺贴切的
谁正常孩子三年级学algebra？
这些学生毕业了既不为自己毕业学校高兴 同时会仇恨自己的州政府
美国基本是彻底完球了
应该说是加州政府太邪恶了。别一竿子打所有。
问题是你觉得数学竞赛很重要很牛。多数美国人不觉得啊。
松弛感不是躺平哈，就是不care眼前吊着的这根胡萝卜，勤奋地干着滋养自己灵魂的事，越是这样一切都会来的。有人天生可以，有人经历磨难得到，有人一辈子都get不了，装是装不来的。
“仿藤” 是什么学校？
数学竞赛要看你到什么程度， mop 进了才算牛， 又不是三年级学了代数就牛呢。 我还可以吹我一年级学高数呢， 有什么用？ 网球羽毛球篮球是随便打打就牛了吗？ 不也都要全国前100吗前几十吗？ 难道美国人认为会打网球的都很牛还是会打网球很重要？ 你凭借一个网球或者任何球类普通高中校队的水平能进什么大学？
网球高尔夫都有上层的象征。我们这里管几百人那个level的特别喜欢凑一起打网球。那种white boy club。普通亚裔打了也是让人暗暗耻笑。
首先三年级学代数，不是近期的事情，其次，这件事有什么提及的意义吗，除非对她产生了深远的积极影响，然而她所阐述的却是负面影响，她如何陷入焦虑，并如何在焦虑中survive，从头到尾她似乎都没有真正从焦虑中解脱出来，仍然在循环着当初的那份挣扎。
假如她切换了一个心态，不那么执念于A和B，真正享受并投入自己参与的活动，或许能体现成长和成熟。
还有一点，如果我是家长，孩子存在心理健康问题的话，我会鼓励她参加一些户外活动或者体育运动。
我们家没推网球， 就学个跳舞， 老二还没到花得多的阶段， 一年私教团体课费用加比赛去打酱油（已经节省着花， 我们同队孩子都定做服装一次比赛服大几百上千， 我们找网站100刀左右自己买），服装和旅馆两个孩子加起来两万五都打不住， 这还只是当爱好推，根本到不了大学加分的程度。要学网球估计一个孩子就要这么多钱。 中产家庭推运动就是当锻炼身体， 想改变别人的固有看法太难了。 所以还是老老实实把数理化学好， 将来能找个技术类工作就不错了， 什么leadership都是玄学， 有就是命好， 没有随缘。
这个倒是，确实得看高中后面的水平如何。
TOP 3% 其实算还不错的了。 感觉属于申请策略的问题居多。
Top 6%自动进UT Austin 啊
top 6%保证进ut 还是保证进ut austin？ut austin每年多少新生啊
放狗了、还真是保进ut austin，那不知道这文章是怎么写的，是不是只想去business别的方向不考虑
那是她没有申请？还是她主要的抱怨是TOP 30名校没有录取她的？
我自己的感觉是，白人男生女生也都还好了。没有黑莫照顾那么多，但是相比亚裔，还是好一点的。女生在同一个race里面又会比男生相对好一点。
但uc一直说减少外州及国际学生呀
"Of the 12 schools to which Ms. Younger applied, she was wait-listed at Rice University and accepted at the University of Texas, Austin—but not to the business school. "
感觉申请的很乱，没有啥阶梯。
结论是，还是白女会哭诉嗓门大
ASU挺不错的州立啊 不是十几年前那个party school了
那是没进自己想进的专业而已 rice 也不是那么好近的。她志愿报高了。profile没啥亮点。
文章内容有猫腻啊。吹这个女生三年级上algebra，为啥不接着吹高中去大学至少上了三年数学课？
3 algebra 4 H geometry 5 algebra II 6 preCalc 7 Calc b/c 8 Multi Calc （这门和后面的数学课很多公立高中开不出来，要学生去大学上） 9 Linear algebra 10 Advanced college math #1 11 Advanced college math #2 12 Advanced college math #3
装天使, 估计可以爬藤
RE
南方哈佛：duke 南方哈佛： rice 南方哈佛： vanderbilt
这些人才是反aa的主力军啊，我们得争取！
我觉得这个女生最大的问题，就是学习其实没有那么好，gpa 3.95，11门AP，如果都是简单课程，没有挑战性，好大学也不会要的 如果在essay里面再吹嘘一下三年级学algebra，那就是败笔了，好学校看到这娃没潜力了
怎么这么天真啊？白人是最反AA的，上次Student for fair admission 先是找了白人女生告德州大学，打到高院输掉了，因为根本就没有歧视。
这次抓住老中被歧视的例子来搞哈佛，利用一下。其实搞掉了AA，也拦不住哈佛AO 给华人学生打低分，或者其他的幺蛾子。咱们觉得有利可图，愿意被利用，也没什么。但别傻乎乎地不清楚背景。
这个案子的发起人Edward Blum另外的组织在打的官司是告纳斯达克对上市公司要求董事会diversity 的，就是要保持大公司董事会一水儿白男的现状。
去掉 DUKE， 加上 EMORY
能被彭博采访倒是比去藤校都难。估计是正好找了这个奇葩例子给反AA造势吧。
这个姑娘的profile, 换成加州孩子，就是藤校全据，进不了任何一所加大的计算机专业的。大把大把的。
但是，进加大其他非热门专业还是可以的。小白女被UT Austin 也录取了，只是她非要进business school, 那就相当于加州大学的计算机专业了。
Rice ED的话机会大很多。我们这边Rice的录取也没比其它学校更看学习成绩。去年这届好像有打枣的感觉，多申一些大多能捞着一两个，这孩子可能应该再多申请几个学校。
能进加大计算机系的profile都是啥样的，能简单介绍一下吗？
就是打压
啊， UC 这么不地道？ 当然比较差的UC 估计你家里也看不上
说到关键处了。
是啊，大学没有读，在walmart工作几年以后，也是管理岗。
白女真的是entitled。我觉得我肯定算特别不走运。这辈子没接触过一个白女不是满嘴谎话非常manipulative的。白男就喜欢这一号我也是无语。白男honestly有时也是满嘴放屁
华男，ABC男是最好的，特别是top 5毕业的。我现在只跟top 5的亚裔男性合作。
Re. 不用咱们操心。 我周围邻居白人好多没听过的烂学校出来了，而周围的国人哪个不是名牌大学出来的。