Every state has kids like this (i.e., incredibly smart/accomplished kids who never bother to apply to top schools out of state), but it sounds like this is more pronounced in Virginia than in, say, Pennsylvania or Maryland or South Carolina. So it sounds that APS' low acceptance rates are explained, in part, by the fact that the kids who are applying to Top 25 Universities (ex. UVa and W&M) and Top 25 liberal arts colleges may not be the very best of the graduates from APS high schools, i.e., kids whose parents may be able to afford Ivies/NESCAC, but they don't have the grades or SATs/ACTs? I would buy that. |
What is 'URM" ? |
True. I don't have a dog in the hunt, but Duke is better than half the Ivies. Harvard, Yale and Princeton are better, but it's a stretch to say that any of the other Ivies are better than Duke. |
UVa is the #3 public college/university in the country, behind only UCLA and UC Berkley, and William & Mary is #6. Naturally this makes the in-state public effect more pronounced in Virginia than in most other states. If you don't qualify for financial aid and are in-state, it's hard to beat UVa in terms of overall value. |
That may explain lower matriculation rates to HYP and Top 25s (ex. UVa, W&M), but it doesn't explain lower acceptance rates. UNLESS, admissions directors at top 25 universities and colleges KNOW that UVa and W&M are attractive alternatives and thus, pre-emptively, are more likely to reject the applicant from Virginia. Top schools don't enjoy accepting students who ultimately decide not to go to their institution. If that is the case, I would expect to see similar dynamics in North Carolina, Michigan, Texas and California -- states with in-state options within the Top 25 Universities. |
Under-represented minority. |
All good. But it's also a trap for kids who ultimately don't get into UVa or W&M. Not dissing the other state schools because I know they are solid, but it's a significant drop off after UVa and W&M in terms of national perception. |
DP. I agree that students from Virginia probably have a harder time getting into HYP than, for instance, similarly-situated students from Maryland because the schools know they are more likely to go to UVa over HYP than a Maryland student is to go to UMd over HYP. I disagree, though, that this would be the only way it affects admission rates. Students who have a chance at HYP but know they'd choose UVa instead are likely to apply to UVa early. The very top students from those schools get accepted to UVa and then never apply to HYP, and thus it wouldn't surprise me if the bulk of the HYP applications from Virginia aren't coming from the very best candidates, but rather from those a notch below the best but who still could have a shot. Of course their acceptance rates won't be as high as for the very best candidates, resulting in lower admissions rates than you see from other states, and thus giving the false impression that Virginia students are somehow sub-par. It also wouldn't surprise me if this effect is more pronounced for APS than for FCPS. Given how much more expensive housing is in APS than in FCPS, it seems seems like there are more families in APS who wouldn't qualify for financial aid but who are stretching their budgets further to pay for housing, and thus aren't able to save as much for college. That creates a lot more pressure to find lower-cost alternatives to HYP. |
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How is that a trap? The kids who don't get into UVa or W&M probably also don't have a great shot at an Ivy or Ivy-caliber school, so they're going to a school that doesn't have the same level of prestige whether they go in-state or out. At least they also have viable in-state options for students who aren't at the top of their class. |
Top 3 in the DC region? When was that!? Or do you mean top 3 in NoVa? |
Definitely region. https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/local/high-school-challenge-2017/ |
This can't be right! Where are Langley and Mclean? |
Both. |
I don't understand what this is supposed to show. If I select just region schools and sort by rank, Yorktown is the #4 public school in the list. How does this show that Yorktown isn't even close to top 3 anymore? |