Once I faced up to the reality that an Ivy League school or elite university wasn’t a real possibility for my kids based on the chances of being admitted to an elite college, the price of an elite education (and location – they are all far away for us), and other information I gathered, I still needed to know what was really required to get accepted at a “good” college.
What is really required to get into a “good” college?
I did a lot of searching around on the internet, talked with the principal and guidance counselors at our high school, and called college admissions departments. I still just heard that same message — challenge yourself. Take as many AP classes as you can.
When you look at universities’ individual websites, you won’t find the minimal requirements that would get most kids into their university. And if they mention AP classes, you’ll still see the standard advice to challenge yourself and to take as many classes as you possibly can. You’ll also see the standard line that they care about “the rigor of your courses.”
For lots of different issues of convenience we had the opportunity for our son to take a summer Engineering tour at my alma mater. I also had a contact there in the engineering department who’d done some research into the incoming qualifications for successful engineering majors.
After talking to some professors and admissions, here’s what the picture looks like.
They don’t really care how many AP classes you take.
According to the admissions counselor, look at the average qualifications for the university. And if you’re above the average statistics for the last incoming freshman class, you’re good. For this university, if your student is in the top 25% of their class, has an SAT score of 1220 or ACT score of 27, and an unweighted GPA of 3.0 you’re fine. After that, they’re looking at your interests, your essay, and your interest in their university. Most students get in at early admission. So to improve your odds, be sure to apply at the earlier date.
Can you get in with qualifications lower than that?
Yes.
That’s the average requirements. Some kids will have more. Some will have less.
Do they want to see some AP classes on there?
Of course, but you don’t have to have every AP class your school offers. As long as you meet the average requirements, you’re sitting in a good position. Don’t stress about taking all the APs and being at the top.
I don’t know why I wasn’t looking at average freshman admissions statistics that way, but I wasn’t.
You can look at individual university webpages, but if you need a more general location, try collegetoolkit.com and search by state to start to get a general idea.
Choose a school, then click on the “admissions” tab to look up the average data for incoming freshmen.
For example, let’s look at a couple of the top public universities in Texas.
For Texas A&M University, 86% of the incoming freshmen are in the top 25% of their class.
The SAT/ACT score half-way in between the score of the top 75% and the bottom 25% is 1190/26 (math: [{560+520} + {670+630}]/2) = 1190 and ({23+29}/2 = 26)
So for A&M to play it safe it would be nice to be in the top 25% of your class and have an SAT or ACT score above 1190 or 26.
At the University of Texas at Austin, 75% are in the top 10%, and the mid-SAT/ACT score is 1230/27.
Remember, that’s just playing it safe. We’re talking about “average” here, so kids will be admitted with lower statistics.
If you don’t already know your kid’s class rank, you’ll have to do some questioning and figuring with your school’s counselor to get a feel for the number of AP classes your kid needs to take. As a starting point, even at our moderately competitive high school, to get those numbers you don’t have to take every AP and preAP class that’s offered to be in the top 25% of the class, although you do have to take almost all the AP classes to be in the top 5%. (Just for the record, my kids are not in the top 5% of the class.)
I have heard that some of the Ivy League schools (in particular Stanford) do have the school counselor fill out a school application that includes the numbers of AP classes that are offered. But for the non-Ivies, it’s probably a non-issue. Check at a couple of universities you think might be possibilities. Call and talk to someone in admissions or ask on a campus visit. Ask about the average SAT/ACT score, GPA, and class rank of admitted freshmen. Then ask if they count the number of AP classes that you take. You might have to get pretty direct with your question and ask it a couple of different ways. You might have to talk to a second person who understands what you’re asking, knows more about admissions than the standard line they were taught, and the really understands why you’re asking the question. If your student doesn’t yet have an opinion on where they want to go to school, start with your alma mater. Or try one of the top ranked state schools near you.
This is vastly different from the mindset that if you have a heavy AP class load and awe-inspiring extra-curricular involvement you’re still in danger of not getting into a “good” school. Instead of panicking with the rest of the parents and gathering as many accolades as possible, ask yourself: Is my child really going to attend an Ivy League school or super-elite college? What type of university are they likely to want to attend? And what are their – not the Ivy League – requirements?
Still think a ton of AP classes are a good idea? Check out this post. I wish it were an exaggeration, but from my kids’ experiences with just a few AP classes, it’s not. My favorite is “You Are The Human Version Of Hermione’s Time Turner.” Remember, magic always has a price!
What do you think? How many AP classes are you taking a year? How much sleep do you get? How much free time do you have?