Answers I liked

[Portia]

Two solid answers on PTSD. From the tenor of the question, I wonder if the traumatizing event was rape. Just one of many reasons I think that the current approach to women's sexuality both in and out of the Church is problematic. Elizabeth Smart had some good comments about this (which was from her schoolteacher, but here in SLC, so the mores still apply).

And whatever it was - fighting in a warzone (seriously, we have a huge "shellshock" problem 100 years later from these men and women serving 4, 5, 6 tours and being seriously underserved by the system), losing a family member, just a generally crappy childhood - I hope he or she can both improve and also not feel she has to downplay whatever happened.

[vorpal blade]

Just out of curiosity, Portia, what do you believe is "the current approach to women's sexuality?"

[Katya]

http://theboard.byu.edu/questions/77460/

I read an article in the Universe recently that said BYU has reached its record all-time rate of rejected applicants because so many more people are applying to come here than ever before.

Applications may also have been up because it was rumored that BYU would be lowering their admissions criteria because of all of the students who left on missions.

[Portia]

http://theboard.byu.edu/questions/77460/

I read an article in the Universe recently that said BYU has reached its record all-time rate of rejected applicants because so many more people are applying to come here than ever before.

Applications may also have been up because it was rumored that BYU would be lowering their admissions criteria because of all of the students who left on missions.

Was that just a rumor? Percent admits have always been artificially low because of self-selection.

[the anglophile]

Not going to lie this question has me really worried I'm not going to get into BYU next year...

[Katya]

http://theboard.byu.edu/questions/77460/

I read an article in the Universe recently that said BYU has reached its record all-time rate of rejected applicants because so many more people are applying to come here than ever before.

Applications may also have been up because it was rumored that BYU would be lowering their admissions criteria because of all of the students who left on missions.

Was that just a rumor?

They explicitly told us that they weren't loosening the admissions criteria during the age change, because all of the extra students who were deferring were expected to come back, so it's not like there would be room for more students in the long run.

Percent admits have always been artificially low because of self-selection.

I don't understand what you mean here. (Wouldn't admission percentages be higher because of self-selection?)

[Marduk]

I know that it is pretty common practice for universities to artificially construe the acceptance rates to appear lower than they actually are, because high rates of rejections is one of the primary criterion in evaluating the quality of a school.

Things like counting partially filled applications as rejections, counting students that aren't matriculated that semester (for example, deferrals) etc. are common practice. The latter would be especially relevant at BYU.

[Portia]

Yes, I misspoke ... I meant higher admission rates because of self-selection. I've read that the Common App has made applying to 12, 15, even 20 schools not uncommon, so admission rates go lower and lower, which raises their prestige, and tuition keeps going up ... a vicious cycle.

I never thought of BYU as particularly hard to get into. It was my "safety" school. I suppose being in the era of The Matrix helped.

[Violet]

Oh the matrix. I took the ACT once as a sophomore, knew I was a point off full-ride, and took it once more as a junior just to get the scholarship. The matrix definitely made my life easier. I think it also helped me feel confident applying to other schools. I mean, I got stacks of mail from all sorts of universities (thanks, PSAT), but knowing I would get a full-tuition scholarship at BYU made me more confident in applying to UC system schools from out of state.

[Katya]

Yes, I misspoke ... I meant higher admission rates because of self-selection. I've read that the Common App has made applying to 12, 15, even 20 schools not uncommon, so admission rates go lower and lower, which raises their prestige, and tuition keeps going up ... a vicious cycle.

You seem to be implying that tuition rates are increasing as a direct result of lowered admission rates, which I don't agree with (although I do agree that it's at least partially related to overall prestige). Here's a great Planet Money podcast on the phenomenon: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2014/02/ ... n-discount

[Katya]

http://theboard.byu.edu/questions/77489/

I liked Ozymandius' economics-based analysis of dating.

[Katya]

Not going to lie this question has me really worried I'm not going to get into BYU next year...

Do your best now and deal with getting in or not when the time comes. (Telling you not to worry about things out of your control makes me a huge hypocrite, but it's still good advice. )

[Amity]

http://theboard.byu.edu/questions/77489/

I liked Ozymandius' economics-based analysis of dating.

When I took a game theory class a few years ago, my classmates and I got a lot of mileage out of comparing dating to game theory: it's a non-zero-sum and hybrid cooperative game with imperfect information, incentives to misrepresent, and moral hazard, and in some cases the game is infinitely long.

[Katya]

http://theboard.byu.edu/questions/77478/

I don't think I've ever seen an entire episode of Xena, but it did give us Karl Urban, so I can't complain about that.

[the anglophile]

Oh the matrix. I took the ACT once as a sophomore, knew I was a point off full-ride, and took it once more as a junior just to get the scholarship. The matrix definitely made my life easier. I think it also helped me feel confident applying to other schools. I mean, I got stacks of mail from all sorts of universities (thanks, PSAT), but knowing I would get a full-tuition scholarship at BYU made me more confident in applying to UC system schools from out of state.

So you definitely don't have to answer this, but what did you have that was a point off full-ride (and what did you get after that)? I have a 34 and I'm worried that's not good enough... I'm kind of a worrier haha...

[Marduk]

Wait, you have a 34 on the ACT and you're worried about not getting IN to BYU?

I don't know about scholarships, but a 34 puts you among the top students accepted. 31 would put you into the 75th percentile of incoming freshmen.

[Portia]

I had full-tuition (not a full ride as my mother often reminded me, which would include books and housing. Shoulda played football, I guess) with a 33 ACT, 34 SAT equivalent, and a 3.98. This was almost a decade (!) ago. I tutored a girl who had a 33, I believe, which wasn't high enough for the same benefits any longer.

[the anglophile]

Does BYU do full ride? I thought they only did full-tuition...

[Indefinite Integral]

Does BYU do full ride? I thought they only did full-tuition...

They don't do full ride, however they do have the Monson Scholarship (aka presidential scholarship, it was Hinckley when I was applying) that gives 150% tuition. That means you get 50% of tuition back to use on books, rent, etc. My sister had that scholarship. I didn't get it though. I think they award it to 50 people - 25 girls and 25 guys each year.

When I was applying it was a separate application from the standard scholarship application and you had to have at least a 33 on the ACT and 3.85 GPA to be able to apply.

[Portia]

I also think certain athletes get more than tuition. My second cousin was a nursing student who had an additional stipend, as well.