Magnet High School Junior
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Anonymous
| My DC is in an MCPS magnet school. He has many AP's (4,5), highest weighted GPA and 4.0UW, taking the most rigorous math courses ( he was done with core math requirements by 9th grade) and now taking rigorous electives from 10th grade. He has math school leadership roles as well as teaches in the community and his church. For ECA's, playing piano and won awards and performed at major events. He is very interested in the top schools such as MIT and Princeton for math. He understands and we understand that these are reach schools, but coming from a magnet school where so many kids are strong and have excellent stats, what can he do to improve his chances? As parents, we want to make sure we are doing whatever possible for him. |
Anonymous
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Is he non-hooked (ie not legacy, not URM, not recruited athlete?) and is he Asian American or White? What major? CS and Engineering is hard to get in, but if your kid is a genius in Math, I would look for CS and Engineering adjacent majors - Applied Math in MIT.
Also, look into a second major that is somewhat quirky and humanities based (and a story to match) like gender studies etc. Buzz words are equity, work place, parity, inclusiveness, creating opportunities, team building, sustainability, environment - so his community work should be reflecting these values. Academically he needs to do very well (all A's preferable but a few B's will not kill), ace SAT and PSAT, get NMS, get internships or a job in summer, work on his linked-in profile, turbo charge his ECs that he is already in, publish a paper, organize Ted-X in school, get one or two certifications from Coursera. Make sure that he gets to do some projects as an intern in some professional office (so maybe he gets to work on something in an office during summer and actually contribute either technically or on the business side) for all summers. And down the line - write a professional resume, write a detailed brag sheet, get feedback on interview skills. talk to your counselor now and ask what you need to do, talk to several teachers in both humanities and science for recommendations. Ask for feedback. Forge a relationship with your counselor. Your admission strategy should be - - Get in early with a few rolling admissions, EA/ED, ED 2, RA. Go in early for your in-state schools. - Identify and have some schools for Feb, March, April and May also just in case it is a particularly horrible year. (But if you get in rolling that is not a concern). - Lots of safeties, target, hard target, reach. T-20 is reach regardless of your stats, but if he does not apply, he will not get in. |
Anonymous
Speaking as a magnet parents, GPA is so inflated in MCPS now that 20-30% magnet kids have a 4.0 unweighted GPA. To make your DC stand out, he has to won at least one award at national level or get endorsement from a teacher, counselor, or even the principal. A kid went to Princeton two years ago publish more than one research paper. Your DC has also to learn how to present himself as a leader in his EC activities, such as “I” started this club although the club may have existed for years. (It was a lie but the AOs in college don’t have time to verify. Maybe fly an airplane to Ukraine. |
Anonymous
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https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/90/1035660.page#22008386
If he is a musician, he needs to contact the schools and establish relationships. Use his concerts to raise money for some cause. Teach music to disadvantaged kids. Play for seniors. Have a youtube presence. Get on the bandwagon of some burning cause by raising money for it but demonstrate a consistent committment - money for Afghan refugees, money for Ukraine, money for gender equality. Its a marketing game and you also have to manage perceptions, so being in magnet, doing well in school, working hard yada, yada means jackshit. Many people are inventing things out of the ether and getting in. Your kid could just lie about his motivations and accomplishments and get in, who is going to check? The best fiction writer (along with solid accomplishments) and people who the colleges want - they get in. By the way, who are the admissions committee people who are reading your magnet kids applications? Not the best and brightest for sure. These are humanities type poor kids who need their $15 bucks an hour. So your super accomplished kid can piss them off easily. So you need to come out humble, compassionate, SJW and disadvantaged. Don't talk about mental health struggles though. |
Anonymous
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Two parents on this thread and one on a different thread in the past 24 hours have indicated that it's fine to lie about extracurriculars on a college applications.
You people are horrible and what's worse, you're teaching your kids to be horrible too. I have no doubt that some students do lie on their applications. That doesn't mean you should encourage your child to do so. What sort of example are you setting for them? This ridiculous rat race for a narrow definition of "success" is turning people--parents and kids alike-- into despicable citizens. OP, your child is obviously a terrific, intelligent, hard-working student. He will get into multiple colleges and will succeed in life. Apply to a wide range of schools, be open-minded, and encourage your child to be himself. He will be OK and you both will feel better about his success than if he'd lied his way into his future. |
Anonymous
Nope. My kid did not lie to get into an elite college because he did not want to go to a nest of vipers in an HPYSM kind of place. He decided that he does not want to be a toxic environment like that. But his major is such that he does not need to depend on the top 5 colleges. Top 20 will serve him well. But, if you want to get into HPYSM or other elite colleges then your stellar academic record or even ECs are worthless. Most rich parents will pay thousands to expensive private college counselor to help your kid outright lie on their essays and spin everything. You do not have to pay for these services. You can spin and lie creatively yourself without being caught. Most of the stuff cannot be verified. The best part of the college admission process is the application because you can lie and cheat with impunity. Since this is not a meritocracy anyways, you will be silly not to lie. I mean this country will allow a person like Trump become POTUS and Kavanaugh and Clarence Thomas become become supreme court justices. All you have to do is not be emotionally weak and succumb to guilt. Morality is for middle class and it only benefits the elites. |
Anonymous
He needs to elevate these activities to do community outreach. How much money do you have? You can collaborate with other magnet parents (if your kid is in magnet STEM, you need to collaborate with a magnet Humanities parent etc, so that you are not competing for the same spots in the same university) and create a team. Make sure that you have diversity in gender etc in your team mates. Math - Teach to disadvantaged kids and their parents in USA. (Magnet honest route). Use gofundme to raise money to help the poor parents as long as their kids attend your classes. (Private counseling services add-on) - Teach to disadvantaged kids and their parents in poor countries. (Magnet honest route). You can tie giving food, microloans, cattle to parents if their children attend your classes. Heifer.org is a good organization that you can use to give livestock to needy parents. (Private counseling services add-on) - Write an multi-language app that helps students understand Math concepts and release it for free on Google Play (Magnet honest route) Can be outsourced to professionals (Private counseling services add-on). - Conduct a Mathathon in school or a Hackathon that has Math problems. (Magnet honest route) Full planning and admin can be left to professionals (Private counseling services add-on). - Create a website for Math help in different languages targeting disadvantaged kids and get your school and district to publicize it. (Magnet honest route) Can be fully outsourced to professionals - (Private counseling services add-on) - Write an independent study research paper and get it published. (Magnet honest route) Find a PhD student in HPYSM and pay them to give busy work with your kid and give them co-authorship on some paper they publish. (Private counseling services add-on) Music - Teach to disadvantage kids - Record music and make CDs to distribute to wounded soldiers in Walter Reed or Afghan Refugees. (Private counseling services add-on) - Create a website or channel that is collecting Afghan or Ukranian folk music to preserve their musical heritage ( (Private counseling services add-on) - Record music and release on TikTok or YouTube (Private counseling services add-on) - Work with a hollywood producer to produce an album (Private counseling services add-on) - Fundraiser for cause (Magnet honest route) - Conduct a Hackathon that has music problems (Magnet honest route) - Collaborate with other musicians across the globe to create music, record and release on social media. (Private counseling services add-on) You can do stuff the hard way and your kid does not have the hours in the day to do that, or you can pay professionals in other fields to do that. Very expensive counselling services are networked with these professionals and they pay them to do this work for you. You don't have to run around. OR, some of this stuff you can basically lie about. Like Aunty Becky. |
Anonymous
When he is that strong, the only thing he is lacking is legacy or a national title in STEM. That’s it, simple as that! |
Anonymous
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BTW, once you get into these elite US colleges not on your academic record but spinning...you can continue to keep these "Private Counselors" to help you with college research papers, thesis, EC activities, community outreach, MBA applications, graduate school applications, PhD thesis...and eventually, you don't have to be very good at your job in the real world.
Because isn't is amazing that colleges want your kids to be Einsteins but then when the same people enter the working world they are morons? Your HS kid is expected to do scientific research that cures cancer but CDC cannot figure out what their COVID guidelines will be. USA universities are corrupt and so USA work force is inefficient. South Koreans emphasize academic merit in college and school admissions and so they are a country that have an efficient workforce and thus can function well in a crisis. |
Anonymous
Awww...don't listen to this trickster who is pretending to be your friend. Probably a private college counselor. So if your kid does not get that National Title in STEM, he cannot get into MIT? Nope. Nope. This is misdirecting the middle class - especially the MC White and Asian-Americans. We are told merit will win and the chance of anyone winning the national title in STEM is very low. So you think only that 1 student who won the national title in STEM will get into MIT? No. MIT takes more than 1 person. You see, if you are an ORM (over represented minority) you are shown the dream and then you are told "sorry, you are not a national title holder". But they are taking mediocre and less than mediocre students left right and center. If you are really smart (your kid got the genes from you, right?) then figure out what they want. All the international students who are coming to US know how to play this game. I have a friend who pretends that she is a survivor of domestic oppression because she is a religious minority woman from a conservative religious community. Every application has references to "honor killing", "child marriages" genital mutilation. Sure, these thing are common in her community as shown on TV but not in her family. It gets her into elite colleges. Similarly, tales of sexual identity (he/she/it/their/them) is incorporated in the narrative because most people have not escaped from Syria and Afghanistan in horrific manner. But, if you don't have a tale of sorrow (and are unhooked) then you are screwed. So create that tale of sorrow or if you are wealthy, hire the stellar companies mentioned everywhere. |
Anonymous
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Does it sound grim and sad?
You just need to know what games are being played by many who get in. Yes, there are the very amazing Nathan Chens of the world but they are few and far between. Your kid is not going to become a Nathan Chen. Don't be the idealistic person who thinks that your honesty, sincerity, academic record and dedication will be rewarded and then be heartbroken. Either you play the game or you become ok about finding alternate routes to success. And yes, alternate and sane routes to success exist. You have to be ok with your kid applying to MIT and Princeton but not getting in. It is like a lottery, apply but don't be crushed if you don't get in. If you get in, be happy and hope that you will make good friends. |
Anonymous
| There are too many kids like yours OP. Unless you have very strong hooks, your kid’s chances are only as good as another perfect stat kid sitting next to her |
Anonymous
You didn't share your ethnicity.. Here's what I'd do. Research all the kids from this area that map to your DC's ethnicity/gender that got into MIT, Stanford or wherever he wants to attend. Find out what they did? Most leave an electronic trail through websites, awards, scholarships, etc. If you know any of those families, reach out to them and find out what they did. Even if you dont' know them and they are the same ethnicity, reach out to them. They may be able to help. |
Anonymous
| This thread is just horrifying. |
Anonymous
| He is fine with what he has. Just make sure he writes really good essays. And chill out!! |