College Admissions: Inside the Decision Room

As high school seniors begin to receive their letters of admission to U.S. colleges, Bloomberg was invited to Amherst College for an inside look at how the admissions committee comes to a decision on who to admit and who to defer.
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[@nathancharles1573]

"There are times honestly where I'm not sure why I put my hand up..." sounds kinda flawed to me

[@viz4884]

bunch of douchebags

[@dathunderman4]

Yeah that's scary... couldn't imagine being that student where he "forgot" to raise his hand

[@fatimazehra6876]

Nathan Charles ashram

[@fatimazehra6876]

Nathan Charles.aajtek Aajta((

[@TraceLight]

Tretch Lmao now THAT would suck. Don’t jinx it now. What if you catch these guys in a bad mood when they read your app? You are fucked.

[@JordanBarclay]

The funniest part is that they tried to make this look fair and reasonable. 😂 4 years of agonizing stress in high school = 4 minutes of people raising hands

[@hellstormbishop2165]

4 min is too much

[@kaitlynang]

It's honestly just 4 seconds

[@coffee4148]

omg this is so tru...

[@jennydeng593]

Not even 4 minutes

[@blurblurry3262]

its def the same as athletes competing in olympics

[@coolstorybitch4]

your gut? wtf students put their life into it

[@gufran619]

Fr

[@charliewarlie31415]

I want to die

[@shenazpatel6150]

The guy feeling is developed with experience. don't criticize unnecessarily

[@roughsharkangular2034]

Shenaz Patel I would criticize necessarily. If hes in a bad day such as having a stomach or head aches, his whole feeling/gut process would be completely compromised.

[@ivi122]

Totally ridiculous

[@Sodapop-gi4bu]

“She has all A’s, who would like to admit?” *4 Raises Hand* “She goes to waitlist” Well that wasn’t horrifying at all

[@erickrahi9765]

I'm like 500

[@akutenshi6946]

Either have a sob story or be insanely rich

[@melissarodriguez21]

@@akutenshi6946 well they also look at financial statements so they typically want to pick economically diverse students

[@TomCook1993]

She probably applied late

[@willyj3321]

It’s not about academics anymore- it’s about making them pity you or having a different color skin.

[@alanamcconnell2977]

Our fate is in the hands of these people....

[@michaelyim3119]

+Alana McConnell YES LMAO

[@kevinpham7380]

+Alana McConnell rip

[@kevinpham7380]

how did u do lol

[@coucou5861]

+blue sweater did you make it?

[@amphiumaiii7058]

Don't worry, you're more likely to be successful in life if you go to a less selective school.

[@SoSezTheDude]

What I took from this is that good grades come second to sob stories.

[@rickytaulker4244]

+SoSezTheDude Accomplishing educational feats under tough circumstances is much more admirable than accomplishing the same feats coming from an easy life. They're not sob stories, they're reality. And unless you've come from a tough background, I wouldn't expect you to understand that. I'd take someone coming from a tough background over someone coming from an easy life any day, the best types of people are the ones who learn from hard experiences young.

[@angryhijabiofficial]

+SoSezTheDude were you not paying attention? literally the first thing they did is sort out all the candidates with exceptional academic achievements. they said it in the beginning of the video.

[@Hfajardo97]

+SoSezTheDude All of these people had exceptional grades as it is. The fact they did this with a bad home situation is even more impressive. The kid who has legacy in Harvard also got in and honestly legacy helps out so much more.

[@alexknight2738]

Honestly, there are thousands of kids with perfect GPAs of 4.0 or above. So of course they're gonna have to use metrics other than that to determine who gets admitted.

[@amphiumaiii7058]

If you'd watch any Disney movie you would know that you can't be successful without losing a parent.

[@argentiskyblau159]

I was born with glass bones and paper skin. Every morning I break my legs, and every afternoon I break my arms. At night, I lie awake in agony until my heart attacks put me to sleep

[@manuelkivie4488]

Argentiskyblau 15 that was actually kind of scary

[@tiffanyotero3475]

Yo thank you so much for this comment 😂

[@savannahlynch1829]

Manuel Kivie it’s a quote from spongebob

[@miaa1762]

I love you for this 😳

[@zephaniahlangley8832]

Admissions: Admitted

[@mrbetone7868]

Admissions: “His cat is missing for a week now” Admissions: “Admit “

[@deleted.4123]

😂😂😂

[@tlanmawiakhiangte]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@d.9872]

lmao

[@audreyandremington5265]

Made me giggle out loud. Thanks

[@srihanreddy9997]

😂😂😂😂

[@rachellllhines]

So basically if you havent been through horrible stuff yet, you're screwed

[@robertwilsoniii2048]

Well this isn't an average college. Average people don't have to go to the 4th best LAC in the US. C'mon. That's the whole point... It's special because it's special. The moment they start admitting non special people the school isn't special anymore. They'd never do that; it'd ruin the entire college.

[@DT-rd5fc]

Rachel H ikkkw

[@platinumpineapple9943]

Rachel H you can just make it up

[@esa2236]

So how does that relate to how well a student can compete in his/her major? Nowadays, Professors and teachers just give poor students higher grades and grade their tests a lot more leniently because of their financial conditions. You do realize that teachers and Professors have access to information about students' home locations right?

[@Pcarnevaaa]

You will Be soon enough if you don’t get in lol

[@jaxsonmishler4225]

“With a 23 year old prostitute” “Admit?” *all raise hands*

[@Verynicepet]

Lucas unfortunately no

[@Abcdefg-fl9td]

Hahahahahahaha

[@jonalderson5571]

Reminds me of the Key and Peele where Joseph is a contestant in So You Think You Can Dance

[@qingwestgate]

As a non-native English speaker, I initially thought that they all "admit" they had committed such an affair.

[@The4Tifier]

“His two parents went to Harvard, and three of his siblings went to Harvard...” So why the heck is he applying to Amherst College?

[@thenomad9963]

probably a safety school for him ahaha

[@GreekOrthodox7]

4Tifier my question exactly

[@lizettewanzer8650]

Smaller school, different setting, better fit, getting out from under the older siblings' shadows, being an independent thinker, not feeling the groove with Harvard, not liking Cambridge...etc. etc.

[@hydranation5668]

Yeah can we say waitlist?

[@rayzhang9453]

Well he can’t just apply to Harvard

[@stellahenry5760]

This disgusts me on so many levels

[@DEFIB7]

Why? What’s wrong with it? They analyzed grades and qualifications and it seemed fine to me

[@leminhkien191]

@Ben I think you jumped to the conclusion too fast, it's unclear from the video whether the student with a sob story did not also get all A's or not. Furthermore, from my experience, people who get straight A's often did not get the most out of the school they attend, so admission isn't just about which student is better but also about who the school can support wholeheartedly.

[@georgepolychronopoulos647]

Ben my guy Ben, the first thing they did was sort people out by grades and the only ones that were being discusses were applicants qualified grade and test score wise. Then when selecting among those students, seeing kids that did it in tougher circumstances says a lot about their character and their drive to succeed. Some people that have it easy don’t have that Same drive. So when looking for kids that will actually graduate college they look for people with deep motivation to make it.

[@leminhkien191]

​@Ben Did you even read his comment? His point was literally about schools should admit people who have the motivation and effort to finish the curriculum. This is Amherst, they have a ~10% admittance rate so they have to sort out the people who got A's because they cared about school and wanted to change their lives, not those people who got A's because they were already privileged.

[@mariamm7695]

Ben they were all sorted by grades at first. So something else apart from that needs to set people apart. So the person with a sob story also has extremely high academic achievements and did well despite adversity, whereas the other students who also have high grades but had an easy life didn’t have to work as hard to get there. It shows a higher work ethic, that despite a sob story, academically students could still do well

[@robicano123]

"I'm kind of going with my gut here"... that's nice to hear

[@popap1995]

Preach.

[@johndou423]

I mean, yeah, how else am I gonna get chosen without pure randomness

[@MP-ef9yo]

if hes going with his gut, there must be alot of pigs cows and chickens at that school

[@xXLeAkErXx]

they are exactly how I pictured them to be.

[@TraceLight]

Dana White Pretty stupid and subjective as it gets. I mean really? Your application gets read when one of them is having a bad day, you are done.

[@johannesmohner8695]

@@TraceLight fuck them.

[@jonathanalmaraz191]

All white exactly

[@tacobell2732]

white

[@niaroach3396]

@@tacobell2732 there was a black woman there lol

[@sarahholland5980]

These admissions officers honestly don't seem very intellectual. This is quite terrifying, to be completely honest. I guess a good thing to take from this is remembering that these admissions officers are real people, not robots, and half of what they're doing is based off of their own emotional state as well.

[@kkknotcool]

that seems like the terrifying thing. It should be based on grades. It just seem superficial the way they are doing it.

[@sarahholland5980]

I totally agree. One admissions officer may "see" something in an applicant that another officer doesn't. Half of this is pure luck.

[@alexknight2738]

It can't be based off grades, because everyone is getting 4.0s or above. That's why colleges look at extra-curriculars, because they're not gonna be interested if you just have a 4.5 GPA, but nothing else and they're gonna turn to the 4.0 GPA guy who is the captain of the Football team and is a volunteer at a homeless shelter.

[@011azr]

Sarah Holland The sad thing is that Amherst College is among the top universities in the world with acceptance rate of only 14%. I really wish that they'd have put more thought on their decision instead of choosing the candidates based on their gut and immediate subjective judgment. This system just looks so flawed and fucked up.

[@robertwilsoniii2048]

My goodness. See my other responses, but I completely disagree with you 100%. Your notion of entitlement is way off base.

[@trevorspinosa3846]

The fact that I couldn’t tell if this was a joke or not is sad

[@danielhe9131]

trevor spinosa well is it? I can’t tell either. Some of those stories and interviews were laughable

[@saketnaik1]

@@danielhe9131 I'm guessing it is, kinda late for an April fools joke, don't ya think?

[@ingridm4910]

how do you get a 6.4... on a 4.0 scale...

[@AndImTheBlondie]

AP classes!

[@ingridm4910]

AndImTheBlondie the highest you could get taking all AP's and getting A's is a 5.0!

[@akibnizamify]

LIES!!!

[@nancyxu7566]

+AkibNizamify the highest you could get on your IB's is 7..

[@akibnizamify]

Nancy Xu They said, he got 6.4 on a 4 scale. Get it?

[@MaddieFishblob]

4 varsity sports, 6.4 GPA, 5s in 4 AP tests?! Dang these kids are literally insane - I’m screwed 😀

[@shhhyourtooloud257]

The sports one literally make no sense 😭 where do you find the time?

[@MrSatchelpack]

I'm not defending these people, but please realize that this segment was heavily edited. Look at the sob story and immediately after everyone is raising their hands to "admit". Everyone was sitting in a different position with different facial expressions and they aren't even holding the same colored papers. That music in the background is typical of garbage reality television. This program was molded to sway the public towards a particular opinion. Wouldn't be surprised if some of the editors from MTV Real World were just picking up another gig. I want uncut footage of something as important as college admission.

[@Mailisa98]

could you tell me what videos those are? or where i could watch them

[@CABubb88]

+Elisa Flores Stanford (and such schools) also use homisitc admissions but have a different set of policies and priorities from Amherst (and schools like Amherst). And one thing that will keep you out of any of them is applying to a school where your "fit" is bad (regardless of your GPA) Carefully research the schools you want to go to, and find where your best fits are... that will help you more than researching "how to get in."

[@robertwilsoniii2048]

Super good advice. Your personality will get you accepted. Your fit constitutes this x factor. Admissions committees want people who "fit" into this "x factor." If you have a "y factor" and the school is looking for an "x factor" then you probably don't quite fit what they want, so it'd be good if you didn't apply to only schools looking for the "x factor" when you have the "y factor" but this shouldn't stop you from applying anyway if you really want to try and get into a particular school -- just don't go around applying only to schools looking for an "x factor" and potentially get rejected everywhere.

[@CABubb88]

And - to follow up on what Robert is saying... you need to really understand the school to know if you FIT there. Do you care about what they care about? Do you like the way they do things (classes? majors? distribution "requirements" ...btw Amherst has none... housing? clubs? foreign study? traditions? student reputation? Do you find the school interesting and engaging? Why does that school "fit" who you are and where you want to go in life? and How? )

[@eatmyshortsss4755]

MrSatchelpack 8

[@chirubear8261]

How to make college admissions more fun: Apply to a college with a 100% acceptance rate and write "You want a personal statement? I lost my virginity to a vacuum cleaner!" When the admission rate drops to 99%, congratulate yourself. You made a difference.

[@lukabilbao5098]

+Chiru Bear and then you can write an essay about that to better schools

[@2FINE4YOUBABYGIRL]

Lmaooo 😂

[@BJ-no2oe]

WRITE THAT TO HARVARD!!!!

[@legolasgreenleaf2389]

+Chiru Bear I've seen this comment before

[@donedumi-leslie5304]

Why do you comment this everywhere?

[@UndefinedUser]

"I found a cure for cancer, have a 9999 GPA, speak 10 languages, and met the president" *Denied* "When I was born, I was 12 years old" *Accepted, full scholarship*

[@nazomius7033]

“I saved the world from Thanos by bringing half of the universe back to life.” *Denied* “I lik pizza and chiken nugets” *Accepted*

[@UndefinedUser]

@@nazomius7033 facts

[@NotBot0251]

Still better than corporate hiring processes

[@nickgerr1991]

tbf, GPA shows youre a try hard. It dosnt show intelligence, merely, that youre able to regurgitate info. I had plenty of kids in my highschool have over a 4 gpa, only one of those people had about an average intelligence, everyone else had a really low IQ but did their homework on time etc.

[@pep590]

Classic!!!

[@mistyeyes101]

Well, this was terrifying...

[@mistyeyes101]

Prany Vadaplly If they really do that, I'm screwed. D:

[@tfriddo]

Hahaha I know right!

[@TraceLight]

Weebona id day revealing. Come on, we all saw this a long time coming. Of course applications are passed on the mood of these twats.

[@TraceLight]

Prany Vadaplly 20? Nah go with 25. That extra 5 can save your life

[@97Thekitkat]

That sucks. So you basically have an advantage for having a "pity story"

[@joshgooch4471]

damn right and donchu forget it!!

[@ayesha36]

Josh Gooch Objection!

[@KK-fw4zq]

but that school is a very good school and very difficult to get into. Kids with a harsh life with a 4.0 Gpa and a high SAT score, gives a little plus factor than Rich kids who get tutors and everything.

[@kaylarosolare9842]

That's what privileged people say who didn't have the brains to work just as hard

[@CaliforniaArchitect]

I agree. The last thing I want is to buy a product engineered by someone who got into college because of some sob story. Just admit the smartest and hardest working students.

[@brayan9645]

Is funny how a long and arduous high school career is only met with how many people put their hands up to admit a particular student. All those years of work just to get four or five hands up that will ultimately determine your fate when it comes to being admitted to a particular college, how "incredible" is that?

[@SurvivingAnotherDay]

read em and weep

[@GillAgainsIsland12]

True. That's why you must apply to as many universities as you can. And don't put your hopes up too high on any particular one. In the end, it's what you DO in college that is far more important than which college you went to.

[@MrJayAlonzo]

Well they are going through over thousands of applicants so it’s understandable...

[@johnherrera01]

*He has a 4.0 GPA and impressive SAT scores. How many would like to admit?* _(Students goes on the waitlist)_ *He ordered a Happy Meal but never got his toy. How many would like to admit?* _(They all raise their hands)_

[@danielhobbyist]

ikr

[@outrun9951]

700 likes

[@comamiday462]

AHAAH

[@copperkipper1]

Never let an education establishment determine what you can achieve in life. They need you, you don't need them.

[@copperkipper1]

@rerunturbografx More now than ever they are even more desperate for that tuition fee. Education isn't what it used to be.

[@jackandrews7878]

Nah, you need them if you want a career that requires a degree. So your statement is BS

[@papaboi9983]

@@jackandrews7878 u can be self employed lol and self study too....how did u think our early ancestors thrived

[@todoldtrafford]

Most people don’t even use their degree. It’s better to get a job and use tuition reimbursement once you know what you want.

[@Tips_Blackpink]

@@jackandrews7878 There's way too many jobs that pay the same annual income without requiring any degree, now that there's covid, all that degree wouldn't matter when the wages are much stronger compare to other countries, be greatful that you're given many options whether to get a job at an early age or get an education. At this time, that degree won't matter anymore if you choose to work full time jobs after high school and save money in those 4 years, those who graduated are just starting to work to pay with their living AND students debts, while you worked your way in those 4 years with so much money you saved AND get promoted for having many experiences.

[@sullen-girl]

This makes me want to cry

[@lStranger]

I got accepted by all the colleges I applied to, and now I'm getting ready to graduate. Seeing this sent chills down my spine anyway.

[@christianapoleon670]

How???

[@mujtabaalam5907]

​@@christianapoleon670 he applied to colleges for which he was well qualified

[@cosmic4588]

Truly shows that no matter how hard you put your work into something, at the end, you’ll always be a number on a piece of paper

[@audreyandremington5265]

My dad was eaten by a t rex then.

[@dauletakhmetgali6158]

hahahhahaah

[@Ella-gb7no]

HAHAHAHAHA

[@Alxium]

The fact they basically determine someones future with a simple hand raise make me feel a certain anger I don't know how to describe.

[@nippy7425]

If you think about their stats and the other schools they can apply to, it’s really not that significant considering their are like 20 schools just like Amherst, and they can probably get in to one of those. But I agree, raising their hands is pretty strange

[@LadyandtheStamp]

I'm with you.

[@cs128cb4]

is this a joke?

[@abdulabdul1838]

probably

[@thanasishim]

Caden Sheetz Sadly, no

[@TraceLight]

Caden Sheetz it’s as real as it gets, These buffoons are the ones doing the choosing. About as honest as a corrupt politician. Without any of the balls though.

[@michaeligbo6681]

I'm afraid not. I really can't believe these people are deciding our futures....

[@patrickkwon3351]

i wish

[@humairachoudhury7260]

Welp, I thought I had my anxiety under control. And there it goes. I feel like crying.

[@IM-yu8tw]

Well I am guessing that you either got into your dream college or not. How did it go?

[@Sh4d0wQu33n]

This is one of the most terrifying things I've ever seen. If the decisions are made as quickly as that and are as make-or-break as that, then fucking hell who on earth has a chance?

[@qais3323]

I don't like this either, but we don't know how "quickly" they make these decisions. This video is highly edited and I'm sure they cut a lot of stuff out.

[@AnimMouse]

That is why you apply to as much as many collage to lessen the risk.

[@faithzimmerman6066]

this is the scariest horror trailer ever i wonder when the movie is coming out

[@dilloncrace2132]

I just watched it today and let me tell you I CRIED 😭😞

[@ruslanzhambylov8545]

what is this nonsense? why are they only admitting "exceptionally poor" people whose "parents are having affairs", have "alcoholic muslim families"....what kind of ridiculous criteria is this for college acceptances? this is RIDICULOUS!

[@ruslanzhambylov8545]

Ruslan Zhambylov its all a matter of which applicant hires the most professional "creative" essay writer

[@ronaldfernks8623]

because achieving great things when your family can afford a private tutor is easier than making good achievements when you have little to no resources and have to work to support your family and maintain performance. Those who have overcome adversity to achieve the same accomplishments are more desirable because, quite frankly, they put forth a greater effort and were successful.

[@teddyblack2833]

I understand the poor thing, but where exactly do you put stuff like "parents having affairs" and "muslim neighbors" on your application

[@Pianolegend1921]

In you essay maybe? I really don't know.

[@teddyblack2833]

who writes that on essays, and how can they even comfirm stuff like that is even true. What if I said my neighbor abused me as a child. I just grabbed some sympothy points and they can't prove a thing

[@shinypokeAce]

I'm from a poor family, hurray.. I guess. Their reasoning is kind of ridiculous, honestly.

[@bubi2634]

Generalizing that all affluent applicants that are admitted to "elite" universities or colleges only managed to do so because their parents had money, is kind of unfairly diminishing their potential. You can never know if a person got a high SAT score because mommy and daddy hired an SAT tutor in grade 8 or if that person is just a smart dude in a rich family. Also, you are ignoring the selfish needs of colleges. Accepting more poor people means that they will probably need more people to be considered for fiancial aid. Not to mention the decreased chance of less affluent graduates to donate money. Finally, that would probably significantly increase the number of international students applying to universities because their financial situation was not as good.

[@paramdrall]

It's like AGT & BGT - " I'm poor and i was bullied " **GOLDEN BUZZER !!*

[@rppiii7814]

Can’t imagine not being accepted into your dream school after being almost flawless in your studies and in HS just be rejected because someone didn’t feel up to lifting their hand

[@kinsqinsais4920]

6.4 GPA on a 4.0 scale, WTF! That kid is lucky to be in a school that does something like that. Most schools don't even allow GPA's pass 4.0.

[@hikarii.9330]

+Kennetanno So where you live is also a part of the application... not fair eh..

[@ashleyl9923]

most IB institutions do that

[@abbyfeldman4]

my school doesn't even offer any AP courses :(

[@ultrasound914]

Kennetanno um yes they do you have if you have multiple AP/honors courses you can go past a 4.0.

[@plumeria1985]

@@ultrasound914 It depends on if the school does weighted grading. If they don't or don't offer APs , then you can't get above a 4.0

[@justarandomguyhelpingkpopg8830]

KZbin really be doing this to us like that, recommending this right during many colleges' deadlines

[@oreoakalaperoji8314]

Appeal to people's emotions and 9/10 times you'll get what you want.

[@Zhangito]

This is making me throw up

[@stanzre]

alcoholic muslim family is kinda of an oxymoron

[@TheRightGuy777]

?

[@putsomerespeckonmaname540]

lmaooo this video

[@hadysaad2157]

@@TheRightGuy777 oxymoron = two things that fundamentally are opposite of one another, or two things that because they are opposing they can't be together. Muslims are forbidden from drinking alcohol.

[@ethnicleanserberg7975]

@@hadysaad2157 I mean yes it's forbidden. But drinking alcohol doesn't make a Muslim lose his religion. I have plenty of Muslim friends who drink.

[@oploser370]

Honestly, we can't take everyone for granted. Not all of the religious followers are necessarily devout. There are still many Muslims around the world that drink alcohol disguisedly. Some Muslim countries such as the UAE do not have strict laws on alcohol, in fact, alcohol purchasing is absolutely legitimate in Dubai. I think the issue that the story was trying to state is the fact his father got addicted to alcohol and couldn't seek withdrawal.

[@aladdin8260]

How do they know a kid who hasn't gone through such hardships isn't mature and skilled enough to excel at a university that is more suited to them than a kid who has gone through a lot but isn't as qualified.

[@morgard211]

Well, you know... they don't take maturity and skillset into acount when they read those financial states of applicants - it shouldn't even get on the list! Universities are not some charity for helping poor people. The only imporant factors are skills, talent, passion and some more, but not at all the financial state of the applicant's family nor his father's drinking problems. Why does everyone feel like saving the world nowadays?!

[@sineadm4337]

Tomáš Hauser if someone is poor or has experienced major hardships yet still maintained high averages and test scores that is way more impressive than the student who did the same yet grew up in an upper middle class family in a safe suburban neighborhood. If a person is able to take multiple AP classes and score well when they're growing up homeless I would say they are way more capable of succeeding than someone who had a perfect life and only had minutely better grades.

[@chukwudiilozue9171]

@@morgard211 most universities are legally charities or they are state organizations

[@lamiasiddiqui4693]

The well off kid had way more resources available to them to succeed

[@benmartin2404]

It seems like they only admit the people who are struggling in some way. I don't know if I would call the an admissions process because it note resembles a pity party

[@lauren.7267]

Ben Martin ikr

[@hello855]

That's one of the popular techniques used by applicants, to make them look pitiful in order to excuse their bad grades.

[@yellow8206]

Ben Martin It's kinda sad. Some people do truly amazing things that they're passionate for. Others do grandiose things that sound better than what it actually was to sound better on applicatiobs

[@morgard211]

You really hit the right note with that "pity party" lmao. It's such a disgusting play with applicants lives and fates.

[@gladiatortoast4599]

That’s just not true. Look at the demographics of Amherst. The mean demographic is rich white guys. Almost every candidate to Amherst is going to have fantastic GPAs and scores. It is a simple fact that it is more impressive to get a 1500 on the SAT and a 4.0 while you have abusivo parents and are the captain of three sports at your school than the kid who has a 1500 and a 4.0 and nothing else going for them.

[@chrisallen9509]

as 6.4 gpa on a 4 scale isn't possible

[@MyLalala9]

Weighted classes. If you take AP's Or IB HL exams your gpa can go over 4.0. Each test boosts it.

[@chrisallen9509]

Shivani Konda even with all APs and all A+'s highest is a 5.83

[@MyLalala9]

Chris Allen Then I don't know man :/

[@garyzhu5714]

how much does it boost it by? wtf in our school ap classes are just factored as a 5...

[@LuvvStrukk]

Oh it is very, very much possible. As a senior in my high school's IB Program, I currently have a weighted GPA of 6.3 on a scale of 4.0. Last year's IB valedictorian graduated with a weighted GPA of 8.1 on a 4.0 scale. She got into MIT but unfortunately, could not afford to attend. Because AP curriculum is integrated into IB curriculum, full-time IB students aren't even required to take the AP course if they take the corresponding IB course. Therefore, certain IB classes will account for regular GPA credit, AP credit, and IB credit so the student receives three factors into their GPA as opposed to just one. Moreover, students can take online AP courses that aren't provided at their school and they can take dual enrollment courses at their local community college. All of these courses factor into the weighted GPA.

[@kevindo5583]

I would like to point out that colleges aren't just admitting students that have intelligence. They're also admitting students that have astounding character. There's a difference between a whiny story and a success story. If a student was whiny, his/her application would show it. Their application would most likely be pessimistic, saying "I couldn't achieve because of my hardships." An application that shows perseverance and strength is different. If a student embraced these setbacks and used his/her inner strength to succeed, that shows immense character. If they've succeeded in the classroom and extracurriculars while also committing time to hardships they couldn't avoid(such as working an extra job to support the family), it shows their hard work and resourcefulness. Two applicants can definitely have the same exact numbers. However, which one shows the strength of character? Which will rise time and time again despite setbacks? Which do we want to be the face of our college?

[@kenli9337]

how the hell does one get a 6.5 GPA, i call bull noodles

[@lillysolomon5708]

Ken Li ikr

[@samydahman222]

I'm pretty sure it's literally not possible

[@LybaZia]

At my school gpa is out of 6 and in another school in the same district it’s out of 6.5 because it’s an IB program

[@hovhanneshovhannisyan3777]

dev wtf that’s so unfair

[@ananyaupadhya1974]

@okat wtf

[@TeeFryingPan]

I am tired of all these comments. It's very clear to me that Bloomberg has edited it to make it seem like the only admits are "special cases". That's absolutely not how admissions actually works. No one said that they let the kid in because her dad had sex with a hooker. Is it not clear that the video was cut? There was obviously much more discussion about her essays, GPA, and other extracurricular activities before they decided to admit her. And about the muslim kid? They didn't admit him because he's muslim, they admitted him because it seems like he had a powerful voice in his personal essay. If I've learned anything so far at college, it's that everyone who is a student alongside me has been admitted because they have a unique story on top of stellar academic and extracurricular records.

[@linusherr8257]

+1

[@xtzyshuadog]

mike777881 Interesting. ..

[@MopTopRock]

Why is Caitlyn Jenner the dean of admissions at Amherst ?

[@jitli175]

+MopTopRock oh man that's a good one

[@michaelremp]

No

[@ernesttv9455]

😂😂😂

[@Pcarnevaaa]

Omg I died

[@wildheart8692]

Hearing this makes me want to cry.. Does this mean that all my nights of staying up anywhere from 1 to 3 am almost every night to do all my extra curricular's (music, art, Quizbowl, Internship etc), homework, tutoring jobs and my 20+ page research paper (I conducted my own study with the guidance of a professor - who I sought out and emailed on my own), studying for SAT/ACT's means nothing when I happen to have a relatively happy home life and haven't experienced a major tragedy or setback? =( My family is not poor, but by no means are we rich - especially living on right next to NYC, where the cost of living is generally the higher than basically the rest of the country. Just about the only advantage I have is that I am a first generation college student. I applied to small liberal arts schools right on par with Amherst. (Williams, Swarthmore, Wesleyan). This is really starting to scare me =(

[@armajalarue1262]

No this doesn't mean this at all! This is such a weird thing how everybody noticed the few cases of low-income and sad home life stories. When in reality, there were plenty of people who got admitted with for instance all 5s on their exams, and who were Harvard Legacies and well to do. YOU STILL HAVE A CHANCE DON'T SAY THINGS LIKE THAT!! I believe in you Wild Heart! You will succeed and go to your dream school. It's too late to regret applying, just have hope!

[@terahehigiator9493]

No. No. No. Most of the kids accepted are exactly like you. Even the kids you went through horrible things as well. The point is to see that you succeeded in the environment that you grew up in. I agree that admissions is flawed, but it does work for the most part, which is all we can expect right? Also, Williams, Amherst, and Swarthmore are all extremely competitive (

[@flipballaz93]

u an awesome prof pic with the horse!

[@shaneobrien4655]

Hey did you get in? :D

[@wildheart8692]

yiffy addict Thanks!

[@jessh2929]

This is complete crap. Yeah I have had many bad things happen in my life, but i'm not going to go write a sob story to make them feel bad for me! I'm going to focus on the positive aspects that have happened in my life, so that I can show them that I don't focus on the negative and that I continue to move forward through all of the bad times. They are the closed-minded and inside the box thinkers. They should be ashamed.

[@ketandeswal4336]

This is life honey people are still sticks to old customs and mentality. You are forgetting that they are old regular people, who doesn't have any experience at all.

[@hassanmalik9876]

Facts

[@12palmsFL]

It's important to remember that this is an edited version of what may have taken many hours of discussion.

[@ehsanhuq4605]

The audacity of that man to say that sometimes he doesn’t know why he puts his hands up really pisses me off you are deciding kids futures and that’s how you take your job seriously?

[@127138kj]

I'm a freshman at Amherst and contrary to what this video leads people to believe, not everyone here got in because they got As while living in hardship. Whether or not it's a good thing, there's actually a ton of students here who come from very privileged backgrounds. Their process isn't perfect, but when you have 8000 exceptional students vying for 800 acceptances, somewhat arbitrary decisions have to be made.

[@Bmewrite]

Should arbitrary decisions influence the course of a person's life? I don't think so.

[@waterdrinkingexpert6797]

@@Bmewrite what's the alternative according to you?

[@guilhermeluispessoa5288]

@@waterdrinkingexpert6797 harder entrance exams. Pure technical criteria. The bests get in. Not someone with a pity story to make them cry.

[@andrejackson4007]

@@guilhermeluispessoa5288 that’s such a classist response. Rich people do so much better than low income students in standardized tests. I go to williams college and could not pay tutoring or any service. I did not apply with any SAT scores since mine where around 1200 but got in compare to friends who were rich and would get 1500+ scores. It’s not about the grades( everyone has them already), it’s about how you contribute to the campus

[@Dakid015]

@@guilhermeluispessoa5288 But what about having diversity of experiences and personalities to make for a more vibrant college community. Don't think I'd want to be in a college full of dry overachieving bookworms but maybe that's just me.

[@HamperedKnave2]

I feel like you can easily get into college if you win the sympathy vote. There's other factors, but that seems like something that can easily determine whether or not you are admitted.

[@philipchen4199]

"I'm just going with my gut here" you would think there would be some more in depth analysis here

[@commonsenseking6386]

They use emotion instead of logic and facts, wow.

[@caitlingee642]

it sure is nice to hear that the people determining if you get in or not don't really know why they are or arent letting you in :)

[@TheEnderPlanet]

So if both your parents and 3 of your siblings went to Harvard you are automatically accepted?

[@popap1995]

Not necessarily. They're admitting you, not your family. Being a legacy certainly gets you noticed, though.

[@alexasears4627]

Gotta have connections

[@Am-Not-Jarvis]

Well it goes from like a 5 percent acceptance rate to a 10 percent acceptance rate at most

[@noahmartin2320]

Random kid's essay: "I hit my knee...it really hurt" Admissions: "Admit"

[@justjacqueline2004]

Even the admission staff are all of the same type so no wonder real genuine advances in life are rare.

[@TheSterny]

These comments are great. Many of you don't seem to understand that this is the final cut - those who were not academically qualified have already been eliminated. This is explained in the first 30 seconds of the video. The personal statement is the only opportunity most students have to represent themselves as unique human beings. Yes, this video focuses on some people who wrote about tragic stories which gives a skewed view of what admissions people want. You don't need to write about your alcoholic dad. You can write about your love of hats, as long as you make the reader think you're awesome.

[@locketofsunshine]

I hope this is a fucking joke. We're 17; not all of us have been molested, have had parents die, or have been all-star athletes or world class musicians. Jfc.

[@MidnightRambler8896]

admissions committee member: Hey get a load of this, The FBI raided his house on Christmas Eve where his dad was arrested and later convicted for being a serial killer, they called him the Butcher. On top of that, he passed his senior classes even though he was working nights as a drag queen. Who wants to admit? * All hands go up*

[@borenli1993]

Goddamn it, they use no more than 2 minutes to decide the fate of an applicant...WTF

[@tylerburney8576]

How stupid do you have to be to not realize this video is heavily edited?

[@kevinjackson976]

Tyler Burney How stupid do you have to be to say shits to other people without going through your head so that you don't look like a complete fucktard?

[@egg_003]

Kevin Jackson im sorry, what? Your comment didn’t make sense whatsoever.

[@user-qd4py9zx6v]

As a high school senior this is oddly terrifying. At least this video makes it seems that the committee decides on not performance but factors like what unique traumatizing experience they had.

[@rikupakarinen1827]

Just be poor as possible and u are accepted right away

[@johndanielson3777]

Don't forget if your black or Hispanic

[@lMP5602]

John Henderson- You do know that highly qualified Blacks and Hispanics get rejected from these institutions too, right? low-income candidates and geographic regions are considered as well. If you're of low income of any race, you'll be given priority because you're low-income and you went through significant challenges and still succeeded. They didn't allow circumstances to impede them.

[@9doggie12]

Most of Amherst is rich white kids sooooo no lol

[@huzaifa8665]

Haha no. Rich ppl are ALWAYS given preference. Unis want to stay afloat so that's understandable

[@Dazalinco]

MP5 lol no they aren’t

[@suryatejasunny]

I thought I had a pretty smooth life until I watched this video. As I now look back, I see myself struggling at every part of my life because of my financial status. I would have never put these struggles in my SOP, If I hadnt watched this. Thanks🤓

[@Cristiano_Addict1]

So bcos of this video, you lied about your application to those schools? SMH😢

[@williamnavarro507]

How do you get a 6.5 GPA out of a 4.0 scale and how do you get 5's on all AP Exams without taking AP courses? You have to be like the smartest student in the nation/world to do that hahaha.

[@ProgrammingTime]

Yeah, I didn't get that either... hahaha

[@marilynemorreira900]

right? who score all that? it depends on the State and the school for the GPA. What the flip is that sh**? I know am smart but I ain't got that lol haha

[@treadmill6089]

1) That person probably took courses at a community/state/local college. 2) Self-studying. I've been through the kind of material in AP courses, and except for english and physics/math (with certain exceptions), it is entirely possible to self-study for AP tests.

[@user-gb5tj5kj1n]

Believe it or not, ive seen it myself. There are some geniuses in this world whom the only logical explanation is they arent human

[@cyvoltage2942]

Well I completely self-studied Computer Science A for 4 months and got a 5, if you are dedicated, u can probably get a lot of self studied AP 5s in a span of 2 years.

[@sierrafarnum9689]

Everyone has a sob story but not everyone wants to tell there's. I would not want to admit someone with a sob story if I was in charge because they should rely on good scores and effort.

[@msugal]

Sierra Issecretlyacat so what ur sob story will be? Someone stole my lunch box.. stop comparing ur self with people who overcome life threatening challenges and god knows what.

[@sierrafarnum9689]

...but they should not rely on that for admission, you wouldn't give someone a job because of their difficulties in life - you'd give them a job depending on their skills and if they are qualified or not. Schools should apply people depending on if they are qualified and dedicated. Their life experiences aren't related to how well they would do in their school, so it shouldn't be taken into account.

[@msugal]

Sierra Issecretlyacat I totally agree with u, but this video was long, Bloomberg decided to reduce it to 2 minutes. I believe a lot of wealthy background students also been accepted. The point here is giving those less fortunate students who faced problems in their homes yet academically exceptional a chance to shine.

[@jewel7784]

i might just cry over this i'm getting my first ever college admissions decision in less than two days help

[@nimt782]

Did you get in? I have princeton in two days. ZOMG

[@nimt782]

Nope got deferred :/ Back to the drawing board. How'd yours go? Message me if you want.

[@nimt782]

audreymaria117 It's not too big of a deal I'm looking forward to spending my entire break doing college apps. (that was sarcasm) Do you know when UT decisions will come out?

[@nimt782]

O_o, Well I'm sure you did fine!! Good luck

[@manitsmatt]

whatever happened was supposed to happen

[@jbflynn4134]

"I have A's in 5 AP classes" Them: Eh. Waitlist "My Dad had some fun with a prosti-" Them: "YES"

[@vincentespinoza7097]

well for my next essay I'm gonna tell the story about how I got shot nine times, my mother was killed by a drunk driver on the way to the hospital and my dad left us before I was born I think that's good enough to get me admitted 😁

[@HenrySk8r]

So if our life sucks we have better chances? Sounds like a flawed system to me.

[@XRenimages]

You forgot "achieving at exceptionally high level..." part. All of these applicants scores off the the charts to begin with.

[@EMan753]

"I'm kinda going with my gut here" This man is one of those who will decide your future lol

[@bpxl53yewz29]

It's really unfortunate and unfair to put it bluntly that when an Asian does activities A, B, C with score 1600, they say "We're not impressed. We need more." But when a White student has the same activities A, B, C with much lower scores, they say "Bravo! Let him in!" Actually there was a study done on this very idea and it was really disturbing.

[@justanotheryoutubefan8070]

This looks like such a fun job but also heartbreaking when you have to reject someone

[@vagslayer1999]

I got a requests for admissions for every college in the US without applying, then again, my gpa is at around an 8. They were all begging to have me and I said no, most of the professors committed suicide after I said that so now I'm fully booked with funerals the next month. To make it up to their families I said that I'd gift them with one month of free reddit gold. They were so happy that they said they would have rathered the reddit gold than their deceased family member alive. It's good to know that reddit is making the world a better place.

[@MrDanthewoahman]

Shit the fuck up

[@MrDanthewoahman]

I would fix it to shut but shit the fuck up sounds better

[@mikexoxxxo]

Shut the fuck up idiot nobody believes you

[@kerosine2896]

I think everyone forgot that this is a joke, and also I love your sense of humour. Me asf honestly this was hilarious XD

[@sanccx]

Haha this is funny but stupid

[@lizmarmata1834]

Where’s the part where the parents pay them

[@Hippoman141]

That Dean is great. I am glad he and they are aware of the potency of their decisions and reasoning.

[@LittleManilaBay]

So just because she is an "inside the box kind of gal", that automatically puts her on the wait list? What the actual fuck... Is this really how college acceptances really work??

[@gagahead1]

Haha! This is funny! xD College Admissions are really ridiculous to me as well

[@armajalarue1262]

Well would you want an "inside the box" kind of person? Those people are boring and don't know how to think creatively. No selective college wants an ordinary person.

[@treadmill6089]

I have to agree with Elizabeth here. It sounds as though a recommender made the assessment that the candidate was an "inside the box kind of gal". Why should she be screwed over because she misinterpreted her teacher's view of her?

[@victoriahale5254]

Elizabeth Grey well do they need 9 of the exact same person at one college?

[@slimcraft-nogieffactionser8838]

What does "inside the box kind of gal" mean?

[@misaki3009]

What they don't tell you is that some will: 1. look at the zip code and if it's not the right zip code, they'll toss it in bin. 2. Can't pronounce your name? Bin. 3. Ethnicity...shoot 🙄 bin 4. Wealth? Yeah they'll look for that too.

[@gabrielasouzadasilva7140]

Oh really? Can you give me some tips of what to do to be approved, besides being super smart and super rich? S

[@GrammeStudio]

why are they giggling when a student who went to harvard was mentioned to have 3 siblings in harvard too?

[@frankie4721]

because classic family pressure

[@dorothytinman]

What's wrong with being an "inside the box" person? If everyone you admit to your college is an "outside the box" thinker doesn't that mean that everyone thinks the same way and therefore no one is "outside the box"?

[@bpxl53yewz29]

And if they're judging "this person is inside the box and that person is not", that means they are using stereotypes. They should face their own racial biases.

[@Bigbrodonateddollarsthroughsup]

that's what I was thinking

[@ivycollegeadmit6038]

Admissions isn't perfect; it's holistic, but also evaluated by human beings at the end of the day. The question is, how do you elicit a positive, emotional response in human beings? That's the punch you want to pack into your application :)

[@dominirozzi1353]

Can anyone write my essay?

[@adeliceostendorf3580]

*essays-online.all-about.in* Finance paper was a total disaster for me before I found this website. I didn't know where to start, what to write, but they showed me everything and now I am sure that with their help I can cope with any possible assignment.

[@difjaoisdjfoaisjdfoaiogeis]

LOL ne

[@rayva1]

Domini Rozzi got the dough?

[@patrickkwon3351]

was that an ad@@adeliceostendorf3580

[@shellrox2878]

Sure: I is a moron dat kunt writ ese

[@Val-gm9xx]

Our future lives, jobs, homes are at the hands of this group of people. I'm wheezing, and crying.

[@LIVEPro3]

best part 1:22, i know its kinda sad, but its funny when they all put their hands up LOL

[@selenefae6761]

Omg what if your application is reviewed by an admissions officer and they’re having a bad day? Ouch.

[@vannakuk2305]

Goes to show u just have to paint the perfect picture that they want then you'll get in. College doesn't care if your motivated and hardworking. You just have to play your cards right. It's sort of a gamble.

[@golammorshed7260]

Sob story: u can't defeat me Grades: but he can "Donations":

[@lou603]

I ended up going to University over in the uk. The admissions process is way less stress thank god.

[@malibupromqueen]

this video just gave me paralyzing anxiety

[@SweetBoiish]

omg did she really put that on her application that her father had an affair :o. TMI.

[@KatLauraAnnPaul]

it got her in

[@gabbydiaz5459]

There’s a section that asks if there’s any special circumstances to a poor grade and that could’ve been why, it’s better to be fully detailed so they can see the intensity of your situation

[@mateoerwin9692]

Watching this made feel realize how much of a joke this stuff really is. We depend on these people we dont even know, nor do they even know us, but they judge us on our “grades” and certain aspects of our lives that they see and basically decide our fate.

[@squeakybaseball3861]

Imagine practically dedicating your entire life to your academic resume just to have some admissions "expert" go with his gut and admit or deny you?

[@giulianoaltobelli5866]

ummm are they serious... that is completely bull#$R%$, what kind of decision making is that

[@jamesbedukodjograham5508]

I applied back in 2002.Eighteen years later Amherst College is still cute. 4000 Applications but only 1400 are taken by the College. The app fee was 55 US Dollars then.

[@Syvmana]

At least I know this is what's happening behind the secenes lol. My essays and extra curriculars, I hope, will admit me into my reach schools.