3.5, sub 1k SAT: where can he get in?

[Anonymous]

My son had a 3.0 and 28 ACT he was accepted to

University of AZ
Auburn
Penn State
Ohio State
Indiana
Elon
TCU
Boulder
U of South Carolina
Miami University

Not Accepted
GA
U of Miami

White male, private suburban DC school, average ECs, full pay
This was for Fall 2020

My daughter similar private school, 3.5 UW, 31ACT
Great ECs, leadership. Dyslexic, ADHD, other LDs, hard worker. Was in life-threatening accident Junior year. She got into

Georgia
U of FL
Loyola Marymount in CA
UC Santa Barbara
University of San Diego (private)
Penn State
Boston University
Wake Forest
Kenyon

She did not get into
University of Southern CA

[Anonymous]

PP here. For DD this was for Fall 2021

[Anonymous]

A private school GPA of 3.5 weighted is very different than a Fairfax County 3.5 weighted. Our private does not weight to the level of FX.

[Anonymous]

My daughter had a 3.4 uwgpa, 3.6 wgpa, 1210 SAT

Accepted: George Mason, Syracuse,Clemson, Miami (OH), TCU

Rejected: American, Elon

[Anonymous]

DS had a 3.6 and 1120. Only got accepted to Syracuse and Arizona State

[Anonymous]

Marist

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Marist

my kid had similar stats to OP’s son (gpa 3.5, SAT 1080) and got in test optional

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A private school GPA of 3.5 weighted is very different than a Fairfax County 3.5 weighted. Our private does not weight to the level of FX.

And an FCPS weighted GPA is going to be less than a LCPS weighted GPA. But the colleges re-order these according to their own formulas. That's why it's good to know roughly where your kids fall in your hs ranking (even though technically the school's don't rank).

[Anonymous]

What about Denison?-

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Marist

my kid had similar stats to OP’s son (gpa 3.5, SAT 1080) and got in test optional

+1 same with my daughter who had uwgpa 3.3 and SAT 1120

[Anonymous]

960 is a SAT score in the range where you should *very* seriously consider not sending him to a four year college, or at the very least have something concrete and vocational in mind.

Do NOT send your child to a college where the average student has a 1050 or higher. Every course involving substantial material would be too cognitively demanding -- and this includes for kids who don't test well due to anxiety or special needs or mental quirks or whatever, because any stressors become worse in college.

Note that all the parents talking about their academic successes with a SAT of 1050 or whatever, are talking about their scores on the old SAT, which was around 150 points more difficult. So that person with a 1050 actually would've had a something more like a 1200.

If you are not going into debt for your child's education and you are pretty sure there's a practical reason to send him to college, then you need to look at colleges where somewhere close to 960 is the median. And note that many of these colleges have graduation rates under 50%, because much of their student base either can't hack it or realizes that college isn't for them.

For many of these schools with compatible SAT scores, GPA is also lower than 3.5; if your child's GPA is relatively uninflated, then hopefully it's a sign that your child's work ethic can power through and he can at least get a degree.

Schools in this range include:

SCHOOL , STATE , 6 -Year Grad Rate
Frostburg State, MD, 59.5%
Fairleigh Dickinson, NJ, 48%
UVA College at Wise,VA, 45.8%
Georgian Court, NJ, 47.7%
Longwood, VA, 68%
Wheeling Jesuit, WV, 63%,
Gardner Webb,NC, 48%
Marymount,VA, 53.5%
Barton College, NC, 51.6%
Indiana University of Pennsylvania, PA, 55.9%

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about Denison?-

That’s a reach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:960 is a SAT score in the range where you should *very* seriously consider not sending him to a four year college, or at the very least have something concrete and vocational in mind.

Do NOT send your child to a college where the average student has a 1050 or higher. Every course involving substantial material would be too cognitively demanding -- and this includes for kids who don't test well due to anxiety or special needs or mental quirks or whatever, because any stressors become worse in college.

Note that all the parents talking about their academic successes with a SAT of 1050 or whatever, are talking about their scores on the old SAT, which was around 150 points more difficult. So that person with a 1050 actually would've had a something more like a 1200.

If you are not going into debt for your child's education and you are pretty sure there's a practical reason to send him to college, then you need to look at colleges where somewhere close to 960 is the median. And note that many of these colleges have graduation rates under 50%, because much of their student base either can't hack it or realizes that college isn't for them.

For many of these schools with compatible SAT scores, GPA is also lower than 3.5; if your child's GPA is relatively uninflated, then hopefully it's a sign that your child's work ethic can power through and he can at least get a degree.

Schools in this range include:

SCHOOL , STATE , 6 -Year Grad Rate
Frostburg State, MD, 59.5%
Fairleigh Dickinson, NJ, 48%
UVA College at Wise,VA, 45.8%
Georgian Court, NJ, 47.7%
Longwood, VA, 68%
Wheeling Jesuit, WV, 63%,
Gardner Webb,NC, 48%
Marymount,VA, 53.5%
Barton College, NC, 51.6%
Indiana University of Pennsylvania, PA, 55.9%

This is absurd and elitist. People can be poor test takers for a variety of reasons. OP please do not listen this person. Can you tell us more about your son? Any learning differences? Is he a well adjusted kid? Make friends easily? Etc.

[Anonymous]

And SATs are not IQ tests btw.

[Anonymous]

The average SAT score means half are above and half are below. Your child's grades should determine whether or not they can handle a 4 yr school. None of my kids scored above a 1100 on the SATs. They earned 4 yr degrees in 4 years from good schools (Drexel, St. Mary's College in MD, Loyola in MD). Low SAT scores do not mean the kid should be headed to CC or a vocational school. That's ridiculous.