Schools padding their stats?

[LateBloomer88]

Saw this notion on another thread - basically that a school will outright reject/ignore your app if they don't think you're going to go there. Maybe your stats are too high so they're afraid when they issue that acceptance you will turn them down?

I also wonder how this may impact people from states with a good public dental school(s). If you're from Texas with good stats are other schools going to ignore you for fear you won't accept and make their acceptance rate low?

Is this why some schools actually ask you how many other schools you applied to?

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[caffeine jitters]

I don't think anyone is getting rejected for being too good of an applicant. The fact of the matter is that all applications have strong and weak points - it just depends on how each school values those strong and weak points.

 

[aj30]

I've heard of this as well and I'm convinced it is true. Without a doubt, that's why some, especially less competitive schools, ask you where else you applied, while some, especially more competitive schools, don't, because they know you're more likely to come to them over other schools. I even think I experienced this myself at a school I was warned about it in regards to-NYU. I had very high stats and got interviews in most places I applied to but originally not from NYU. Last minute, right before December, I was worried about the schools I interviewed at not accepting me (I thought I didn't do so well at my first choice interview) so I sent out a letter of interest to NYU and received an interview invite within a day or 2. In the end I was accepted on December 1 to the places I interviewed at, including my first choice, my state school, so I dropped the NYU interview.
(Honestly, even had NYU been the only school I'd gotten into I'm not sure I would've gone-I'm a big believer in the "don't go to NYU" (or other obscenely expensive schools) mantra. My doubt was because I had a significant amount of promised parental support-without, I wouldn't have even applied. But, I digress...)

So, in short, I've heard about it from others, my own experience seems to confirm it, and it definitely makes sense, so I think it is true.

The only thing you can do to counter it is to write a letter of interest to the schools you're afraid this might happen to you in (if you really are interested), as I did.

 

[FeralisExtremum]

I don't believe schools would ever reject an applicant for being 'too good'. Just because the numbers meet or exceed their average matriculant doesn't mean an applicant can't be lacking in some other factor (volunteering, research, long-term goals, hobbies) that a school considers important.

 

[aj30]

I don't believe schools would ever reject an applicant for being 'too good'. Just because the numbers meet or exceed their average matriculant doesn't mean an applicant can't be lacking in some other factor (volunteering, research, long-term goals, hobbies) that a school considers important.

ADCOMS are not gods. The selection process is not an absolutely perfect standard of meritocracy but is tainted by all the ills of human error, judgement, and bias. Schools want to accept the best candidates who will take them up on their offers of admission. So I find it well within reason to believe, that, for example, a 4.0 GPA, 26 DAT NY resident will be ignored (not so much turned down) by NYU because they know full well that guy has better options for half the price.

 

[FeralisExtremum]

ADCOMS are not gods. The selection process is not an absolutely perfect standard of meritocracy but is tainted by all the ills of human error, judgement, and bias. Schools want to accept the best candidates who will take them up on their offers of admission. So I find it well within reason to believe, that, for example, a 4.0 GPA, 26 DAT NY resident will be ignored (not so much turned down) by NYU because they know full well that guy has better options for half the price.

Why would they turn down that applicant when they can simply offer them admission on the off chance they'll take it, and fill the seat just as easily if they turn it down? It costs the adcoms next to nothing (an interview?) to follow through with these candidates.

A school isn't just going to assume you won't accept their offer of admission. Plenty of people with amazing stats go to a variety of different schools for different reasons (cost, staying close to home, remaining close to their SO, etc.) and adcoms are aware of this.

 

[aj30]

Why would they turn down that applicant when they can simply offer them admission on the off chance they'll take it, and fill the seat just as easily if they turn it down? It costs the adcoms next to nothing (an interview?) to follow through with these candidates.

A school isn't just going to assume you won't accept their offer of admission. Plenty of people with amazing stats go to a variety of different schools for different reasons (cost, staying close to home, remaining close to their SO, etc.) and adcoms are aware of this.

Because the selection and interview process takes time, money, and effort (on the part of the school), and schools have a limited amount of resources, so they want to use them as efficiently as possible.
And while it's true that my example of the 4.0 GPA 26 DAT guy may go to NYU, the school knows he's unlikely to.