My Virginia kid got into UMich LSA for data science. Not a Big 3 private. 3.9/4.4 weighted. Kid needed some good news! This was a reach for kid. I did notice UMich had trouble yielding male students on its last CDS. Many more women enroll at the school, so some preferential admittance for men. |
| LACs outside the top 10 are the destination of many private school kids regardless of class rank. The LACs are still very understanding of challenging schools and accept based on more than just numbers. If you go to a good private school in DC, even if you’re in the middle 50%, the USNWR 20-40 are doable. If you’re in the bottom 25% it’s more a case by case basis on why you’re ranked so low. There are a ton of really good schools in the top 70 LAC and I’d do that before going to UMBC or GMU or something. |
| ^^Agree with the above. Applying ED also greatly improves chances, as others have noted. National universities in the 35-50 range seem possible, depending on gpa (unlikely below a ~3.3) combined with a high test score, excluding BC and Wake. Big Southern public schools are increasingly popular and tough to get into now-Clemson, Georgia, etc. |
Congrats-they have a top notch Data Science Dept-he will have a blast! |
And, tough to get into does not directly correlate to a superior education, especially for all majors. Acceptance rate is a measure of popularity, not quality. |
And don’t forget full pay and any other hooks. The LACs are always happy someone is paying full fare. |
Wake and BC are competitive. BC class of 2027 had 90 percent of class in top 10 percent of their class and their average SAT was quite high I think close to 1500. |
Class rigor? Outside activities? |
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Nowhere outside this stupid little bubble do people care/obsess more about which undergrad you attended. In my view, it’s at best a benchmark of how well you can follow directions and manage your time in HS
I am sending my kid to a Big3 to open their eyes, think critically, go live their life knowing how to advocate and think for themselves. That’s it. And I pray to god they never come back to DC to be a partner in BigLaw. I will have failed miserably. |
Everyone cared where I went to undergrad outside of the DMV until I was 5-10 years into my career. It’s an overstatement to say it doesn’t matter at all. For many careers, it closes or opens doors. Someone is immensely privileged if they have the financial security of their family to have that fall back or instead pursued a career that allows for that flexibility. |
What do you do? |
Where did you go undergrad? |
That’s great. You have that luxury. |
Um, this post is about Big3, all of which cost nearly $60k/yr (tuition, books, trips, etc). This population has that luxury. |
| Sorry to tell you this but admission at all the top 50 schools unless you are a recruited athletes is still based on who your parents are and the school’s perspective on whether you are a development candidate. |