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UPDATED College Admissions Calculator: Will You Get In?

For over two decades we have helped students and their families understand what goes on behind the closed doors of admissions offices at top tier colleges in the United States. The admissions process is anything BUT transparent, so we set out to make it more so for our clients and the thousands of you who read our blog posts. In that spirit, we will, once again, address the ranking system some schools use to quantify an applicant’s information to ferret out those students who should be examined more closely and those who will ultimately go into a different admissions pile.

Although the Ivy League schools spent many years denying they used any kind of formula, they in fact have been using a ranking formula since the 1950’s called the Academic Index, AI for short. Dr. Michele Hernandez, Co-Founder of Top Tier Admissions, in her book A is for Admission, was the first to reveal this formula to the public in 1997 with the release of the book. This was a major disruptor to the college admissions approach as finally there was proof and data to back up what seemed to be a terrible over simplification of a student’s 4 years of work.

We were the first to bring the real Academic Index Calculator to the web 15 years ago, enabling college applicants to calculate their college admission ranking online. Hundreds of others tried to replicate the formula Michele laid out so clearly in her book, but no one has updated it to what is currently in use now in Ivy League admissions offices.

college admissions calculator athletic recruit

The AI was designed originally at the Ivies specifically to regulate athletic recruitment although it was calculated for every student to ensure athletes were within a set range relative to the rest of the class. The AI is still computed now at the Ivies for all enrolled students as recruited athletes have to be within a certain standard deviation of the rest of the student body. For many years, the AI was calculated using a “Converted Rank Score” derived from a student’s rank/GPA, the average of 3 SAT subject tests, and the average SAT (or converted ACT composite), each on a scale of 80 (so 240 was the top score).

To simplify the calculation (because many high schools no longer report rank and some Ivies no longer require subject tests) and make it more favorable to recruited athletes, the Ivies changed the formula several years ago by first replacing the CRS with a simple unweighted GPA conversion called a “CGS” or Converted GPA score. Keep in mind if you are NOT a recruited athlete, you are for sure expected to take difficult classes even though the formula does not use a weighted GPA. Admissions officers always look closely at rigor of curriculum especially for NON recruited athletes.

Then, to benefit athletes and because not all Ivies REQUIRE subject tests, the formula either averages your highest SAT (or converted ACT) and your highest two SAT subject tests OR if your subject test average is lower than your SAT average or you don’t submit subject tests, it simply reuses your average SAT (or converted ACT composite) for the third component. Again, keep in mind for NON recruited athletes, colleges definitely expect high SAT subject test scores.

OUR UPDATED COLLEGE ADMISSIONS CALCULATOR

Use our updated College AI/Admissions Calculator to determine your Academic Index ranking, but if you are not a recruited athlete, please take the rating with a grain of salt as really your RANK in class is still the most important criteria followed by SAT subject tests, SAT/ACT results and AP/IB scores. The formula is slanted to help recruited athletes make the cut, but you can still get a rough idea of how you rank compared to other applicants. As we have pointed out for the past 15 years the AI has been on our website, there are many other factors that go into admissions decisions, so use this calculation as only one piece of your understanding.

An Ivy League admissions officer recently told us the following:

“The AI is convenient shorthand for an applicant’s academic numbers – test scores and grade point average. A high AI always helps students stand out in the admissions process because it underscores their great work in the classroom and their strong testing.”

Please note that this is the most updated index available and is yet another tool we offer readers. Many other non-Ivy top tier and elite colleges use a variation of this AI.

Your take away here is no different from what we advise our private and Application Boot Camp clients aiming for top tier colleges:

  1. Focus on taking the most rigorous courses offered in your high school and add depth to your academic interests by going above and beyond with your own scholarly work
  2. Ask yourself “What is it I can give vs always asking what can I get.” This way you will become high impact in your school, community, and beyond.
  3. Treat your teachers with the respect they deserve. Don’t be a grade grubber, but rather a scholar who adds vibrant intellectual dimension to class discussions. Come to class prepared. Yes, teacher recommendations are critically important now more than ever.
  4. Use your time outside of school deepening your interests in a few areas vs casting a wide net to include a little of this and a little of that.
  5. Plan your standardized testing as early as 9th grade so you have an organized approach vs trying to cram all testing into junior spring or senior year when it’s late for the early application rounds in November.

Good luck on your admissions journey and make use of the many resources here on our website and blog as we are pleased to share our experience both working in Ivy League admissions offices and working with students from around the world for 20 years.

Dr. Michele Hernandez is quoted on hundreds of sites all over the web that have used the AI from her book. But, please note, our College AI Admissions Calculator has just been updated to reflect the current AI calculation rather than the original one from 1997 onwards. This is the most recent and accurate AI calculator available on the web.

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