“Why didn’t I get into my top choice school when my stats met the qualifications?”
This is frequently a big question this time of year and can be extremely frustrating for many students. Oftentimes, the decision has less to do with you or your qualifications, assuming you are in the school’s range, and more to do with the mix of student profiles they are looking for to create a diverse and balanced incoming class. Diversity in student profiles for a freshman class is extremely important; SES, first-generation college graduates, legacy students, athletes, geographic region or underrepresented minorities are all factors that are considered by admission counselors to balance out their student profiles. Very often, there are more qualified applicants than spaces.
