Parent of Junior here - Is this year extra bad or is this how it is?

[Anonymous]

It's just how it is. The process sucks for these kids. It's really stressful and seemingly random. The best thing you can do for your kid is to help them find a number of schools where they would be happy v. putting all their hopes into a couple. Definitely ED and EA if they can but understand that especially with the state schools it's not a guarantee you will know. A number of schools including UNC, UVA and I believe VT have moved to admit/deny/waitlist for EA and UVA for both ED and EA. A bunch of others defer many of the out of state applicants to the regular admissions cycle.

[Anonymous]

This year is as "bad" as it has been for several years now. Which is to say, the same number of kids are getting into each school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's just how it is. The process sucks for these kids. It's really stressful and seemingly random. The best thing you can do for your kid is to help them find a number of schools where they would be happy v. putting all their hopes into a couple. Definitely ED and EA if they can but understand that especially with the state schools it's not a guarantee you will know. A number of schools including UNC, UVA and I believe VT have moved to admit/deny/waitlist for EA and UVA for both ED and EA. A bunch of others defer many of the out of state applicants to the regular admissions cycle.

Just know that for most OOS flagships it’s a simple math formula based on GPA for EA/ED; so that there are no surprises.
Good CCO should tell you, but most don’t.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Will ypur kid have 5 total classes with flex period or 6? If 6 total and 5 APs, I wouldn't sweat it. I don't think the flex period will show up (I'm in MCPS, so may be different for you). I do think fewer tha 6 classes total might be noticeable.

My senior has 7 (no flex), but 2 classes are light classes. 3 AP + MVC & DE. It's been fine. Jr. year classes were harder. Admitted early to everywhere they applied, including Ivy.

My '22 took a study hall spring semester of sr year. Should have taken one fall, it was too stressful with 8 classes (different magnet school), sport and college apps. Worked out with great college choices, though. I don't think the amount of classes made a difference, but some of the ones they might have dropped did help "tell the story" for this kid.

There are 7 periods in APS, but AP Science is 2 periods. So, that leaves one elective. I'm not saying AP Gov would put my kid over the top, but I'm just wondering if it makes a difference or if taking regular gov actually puts a non-gov major at a disadvantage. THe advice seems to be to take APs that interest them, but it doesn't seem anyone actually follows that. The norm, at least what I'm hearing form DC's fellow overachieving friends, is take all the APs you can fit in your schedule (who cares about sleep). For sure, the flex period is out. I hate that it's this way for our kids.

Hm. Since he already has a double period, I wouldn't do the flex. That would give him only 5 classes (the double is essentially a class plus flex). If he had a choice between AP Gov and something that really interested him, I'd say go for the latter. He doesn't need 5 APs for AP 's sake (caveat, that I am in MD, so don't know fine print of UVA). But, if the choice is AP Gov or regular Gov, I'd say just do the AP. It's not a hard class in the scheme of things, and the test performance won't matter in terms of admissions. Any other AP he could swap out for something more interesting to him?

This is good advice. I know a lot of kids who substitute AP Stats, AP Psychology, AP Comps Sci, AP Environmental,or AP Macro/Micro Economics for AP Gov

Is AP Economics considered a history core class for 12th grade for UVA? Will it check the “history” box like AP Gov will?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Will ypur kid have 5 total classes with flex period or 6? If 6 total and 5 APs, I wouldn't sweat it. I don't think the flex period will show up (I'm in MCPS, so may be different for you). I do think fewer tha 6 classes total might be noticeable.

My senior has 7 (no flex), but 2 classes are light classes. 3 AP + MVC & DE. It's been fine. Jr. year classes were harder. Admitted early to everywhere they applied, including Ivy.

My '22 took a study hall spring semester of sr year. Should have taken one fall, it was too stressful with 8 classes (different magnet school), sport and college apps. Worked out with great college choices, though. I don't think the amount of classes made a difference, but some of the ones they might have dropped did help "tell the story" for this kid.

There are 7 periods in APS, but AP Science is 2 periods. So, that leaves one elective. I'm not saying AP Gov would put my kid over the top, but I'm just wondering if it makes a difference or if taking regular gov actually puts a non-gov major at a disadvantage. THe advice seems to be to take APs that interest them, but it doesn't seem anyone actually follows that. The norm, at least what I'm hearing form DC's fellow overachieving friends, is take all the APs you can fit in your schedule (who cares about sleep). For sure, the flex period is out. I hate that it's this way for our kids.

Hm. Since he already has a double period, I wouldn't do the flex. That would give him only 5 classes (the double is essentially a class plus flex). If he had a choice between AP Gov and something that really interested him, I'd say go for the latter. He doesn't need 5 APs for AP 's sake (caveat, that I am in MD, so don't know fine print of UVA). But, if the choice is AP Gov or regular Gov, I'd say just do the AP. It's not a hard class in the scheme of things, and the test performance won't matter in terms of admissions. Any other AP he could swap out for something more interesting to him?

This is good advice. I know a lot of kids who substitute AP Stats, AP Psychology, AP Comps Sci, AP Environmental,or AP Macro/Micro Economics for AP Gov

Is AP Economics considered a history core class for 12th grade for UVA? Will it check the “history” box like AP Gov will?

Both Gov and Econ (in some form) are required just for a HS diploma in our school district in VA. It's not an either/or situation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's just how it is. The process sucks for these kids. It's really stressful and seemingly random. The best thing you can do for your kid is to help them find a number of schools where they would be happy v. putting all their hopes into a couple. Definitely ED and EA if they can but understand that especially with the state schools it's not a guarantee you will know. A number of schools including UNC, UVA and I believe VT have moved to admit/deny/waitlist for EA and UVA for both ED and EA. A bunch of others defer many of the out of state applicants to the regular admissions cycle.

Just know that for most OOS flagships it’s a simple math formula based on GPA for EA/ED; so that there are no surprises.
Good CCO should tell you, but most don’t.

This may be true for some states, but it's certainly not that formulaic for the best ones. Lots of kids getting waitlisted who are more than qualified under a simple math formula.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know part of this is that my junior knows a lot more seniors this year than in years past, but it seems like schools that I would have expected to be options are rejecting a lot of kids that my kid knows. UVA, Clemson, VT, etc. were options to DC's friends who were class of 2023, but the 2024 students are not seeing the same results.

The reason why I'm thinking about this is b/c of class schedule for senior year. Several class of '23 kids, who are at competitive schools, took advantage of the Sr. Flex period (leaving early or coming in late). We've been told that's a bad idea for next year. My kid is looking at 5 AP classes and has at least one friend taking all APs and taking 2 summer courses. These are 4.0 UW students who already have several APs under their belt. If schools that used to be targets are all reaches now days, does it make sense to still take a ton of APs? Mine will have an AP in all the core subjects and FL. They have little to no interest in AP Gov, but signed up for it b/c of fear that not taking it will hurt their college chances. But, is that just listening to the noise? Does it actually matter when acceptance rates are so low that they may end up going to a school where rigor isn't as intense? I'm wondering if balance has gone out the window and I just need to accept it or if my kid is being fed a lie. What are other junior parents thinkging/hearing?

- Be realistic about school choice. Is a degree from UNC Chapel Hill or UF that much more valuable than say, a Rutgers or Penn State?
- Up your SAT scores. Trust me. Test scores matter a LOT. A lot of the kids with high GPAs do not have strong test scores, making the whole GPA suspect, IMHO.
- Apply widely. Once you get past the Top 30-40, most schools are desperate for your application and don't really want answers to stupid questions. Much easier to apply than to schools that ask pretentious questions like, "what color apple do you like and why" in 200 words or "why do you want to go to school here?"? Duh!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know part of this is that my junior knows a lot more seniors this year than in years past, but it seems like schools that I would have expected to be options are rejecting a lot of kids that my kid knows. UVA, Clemson, VT, etc. were options to DC's friends who were class of 2023, but the 2024 students are not seeing the same results.

The reason why I'm thinking about this is b/c of class schedule for senior year. Several class of '23 kids, who are at competitive schools, took advantage of the Sr. Flex period (leaving early or coming in late). We've been told that's a bad idea for next year. My kid is looking at 5 AP classes and has at least one friend taking all APs and taking 2 summer courses. These are 4.0 UW students who already have several APs under their belt. If schools that used to be targets are all reaches now days, does it make sense to still take a ton of APs? Mine will have an AP in all the core subjects and FL. They have little to no interest in AP Gov, but signed up for it b/c of fear that not taking it will hurt their college chances. But, is that just listening to the noise? Does it actually matter when acceptance rates are so low that they may end up going to a school where rigor isn't as intense? I'm wondering if balance has gone out the window and I just need to accept it or if my kid is being fed a lie. What are other junior parents thinkging/hearing?

I havent read through all the responses, but for my kid downtime is CRITICAL for his mental health. He took not one, but TWO early dismissals. The rest of his remaining 6 classes are all DE and AP. I am so so glad he scaled it back. So far he has gotten into UVA, VT and UT Austin. Apparently they did not care that he prioritizes self care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know part of this is that my junior knows a lot more seniors this year than in years past, but it seems like schools that I would have expected to be options are rejecting a lot of kids that my kid knows. UVA, Clemson, VT, etc. were options to DC's friends who were class of 2023, but the 2024 students are not seeing the same results.

The reason why I'm thinking about this is b/c of class schedule for senior year. Several class of '23 kids, who are at competitive schools, took advantage of the Sr. Flex period (leaving early or coming in late). We've been told that's a bad idea for next year. My kid is looking at 5 AP classes and has at least one friend taking all APs and taking 2 summer courses. These are 4.0 UW students who already have several APs under their belt. If schools that used to be targets are all reaches now days, does it make sense to still take a ton of APs? Mine will have an AP in all the core subjects and FL. They have little to no interest in AP Gov, but signed up for it b/c of fear that not taking it will hurt their college chances. But, is that just listening to the noise? Does it actually matter when acceptance rates are so low that they may end up going to a school where rigor isn't as intense? I'm wondering if balance has gone out the window and I just need to accept it or if my kid is being fed a lie. What are other junior parents thinkging/hearing?

I havent read through all the responses, but for my kid downtime is CRITICAL for his mental health. He took not one, but TWO early dismissals. The rest of his remaining 6 classes are all DE and AP. I am so so glad he scaled it back. So far he has gotten into UVA, VT and UT Austin. Apparently they did not care that
he prioritizes self care.

What are his DE classes?

[Anonymous]

My DC took 2 independent studies senior year. Explained under additional comments that DC was burnt out and needed a reset after junior year. DC applied to 7 schools. Accepted EA to 5. Waiting on 2 RD. Schools range from T10 to T50 on EA acceptances. Also DC didn’t take every AP. Under additional comments explained no interest for AP US History etc.

[Anonymous]

I seems like every year is a little different. For my kid that graduated in 22, there was already a shift happening in the DMV popular large southern public colleges. U or Sc and Clemson were harder admits, students were accepted to UMD spring acceptance that maybe a year or two ago likely would have gotten fall, and lots of EA deferrals in general and the wait lists didn’t really move. My theory is some of this was a combination of uneven class sizes (kids taking a gap year during virtual learning) and rapid increase in applications (look at the 2019 number of applications vs 2022 etc). Last year the public colleges that were increasingly becoming more competitive to get in only continued on that path. However, I did see more waitlist movement last year to top schools.

So overall while it can feel like every year is bad with college admissions the general principles remain constant. Have a balanced list that includes several safeties that your kid would be happy to attend. Apply EA to a safety that where they will likely hear back by December - that means having the common core essay etc ready so they can start applying nlt early October since some rolling schools get increasingly more competitive the later you apply and some schools have EA deadline mid-October. Don’t ONLY apply where everyone else is applying. So if half the class is applying to Wisconsin, find the similar but a half step less competitive (as of this moment) school and consider there. So while schools that are considered a safety and schools where everyone applies will evolve the overall advice is the same.

[Anonymous]

Junior year has always been the most important. It's usually the most rigorous given the types of APs, etc.

I have a sophomore and a senior. Senior went through it last year. I let him know it would be toughest. He knew it. Having perspective helps. He's footless and fancy free now second semester of Senior year.
I told my sophomore (he's currently filling out course requests for next year)--next year is going to be rough, but then it's over. It means time management, things to reduce stress, sleeping well, etc.

Overall--junior year wasn't that bad for my oldest. It was the year he had the most studying/work by far, but he still managed to play his sport all year and have time to hang with friends, etc.

[Anonymous]

Np. Senior parent.

If you ask our private’s college counseling office, it’s no worse than last year:
Increased focus on certain demographics.
Apply very widely.
Expect heavy wait list movement again.
Focus on grades grades grades, first and foremost.
Testing is important.

This is the new normal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You have to realize that your kid looks like a million other kids from the outside. A gazillion kids are taking 5 APs, etc. They. All. Look. The. Same.

So what makes your kid different from the rest? What makes him tick as a human being? What's his thing? Who is he? And you can't mention any numbers, or stats.

But does 4 APs vs. 5 APs make a difference? If they only take 4, are they not even invited to the table? Or, do they still look the same, but one of them just had more stress senior year?

What kind of school are you aiming for? The top want to see that the student has exhausted the curriculum offered by their high school, often referred to as "most rigorous". Look here and on college confidential and you will see scores of kids with 12 APs not getting into UVA, etc., It is what it is. So, yeah, 4 versus 5 does make a different. More is even better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you raise an excellent point about whether it is worth doing this arms race if they are not going to be considered competitive anyway.

I wouldn't turn down a flex period. I don't think the colleges are even aware of it. All they are focusing on is what you are taking, and several APs is strong rigor.

Agree with this.

Clemson WAS brutal this year. There's not going to be any guarantee next year. Your kid sounds like a strong student. Just make sure he picks some safeties he really likes.

So was CU Boulder. I thought it was the only true safety for my DC. DC got in, but scores of other kids did not, including several who had it as first choice. They usually admit well over 50% of the applicants from the school, and anecdotally the vast majority were deferred. So, I think DC’s acceptance was luck. There will be a lot of movement, so we’ll see how this shakes out.