How do brilliant but non pointy kids do?

[Anonymous]

I’m so tired of hearing the word “pointy.” My kid is a kind person with terrific all-around grades 3.95 unweighted from an elite private with top scores 1580 SAT and five AP 5s going into senior year, with another 4 APs by the end of senior year.

Lots of interesting extracurriculars including leadership positions but no national level awards and no specialized research. nothing that makes him pointy.

Any parents of non pointy kids out there who can share how their kids did? Are Ivies out of reach for him?

[Anonymous]

What elite private has that many APs?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What elite private has that many APs?

Plenty in CA

[Anonymous]

Private is good. Will help a lot.
Look at your naviance.
Our kids like this get into T15/20 with this profile from private.

See the links and post to saint anns’s school in NY matriculation as an example!

[Anonymous]

I am so reluctant to be one of those people that jumps on op, and yet…get it together op!


Your kid sounds very smart and like a great kid. No, that doesn’t mean he has great chances for an ivy bc there aren’t enough seats for anyone save kushners to have a “great chance.”

Yes, pointy-ness may be a deciding factor for a tiny fraction of the pointy kids who apply but it’s not some unfair advantage-the schools from whatever reason have decided they want more rodeo clowns and hot air balloon pilots, that’s their call.

Your son is smart enough to have a chance and the ability to do well there probably-that means he will do great wherever he lands.

You need to get your head out of your A ss and stop focusing on highly rejective schools before you infect your son with your prestige fixated nonsense. Seriously-do better.

[Anonymous]

What the heck is a pointy kid?

[Anonymous]

what a devastating scenario indeed

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What the heck is a pointy kid?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eAbFAwTnqw

from this family

[Anonymous]

My not-pointy kid with slightly lower test scores (low 1500’s) and grades (3.8 UW), good-but-not-unique EC’s from a solid-but-not-so-elite private had several waitlists in the T-25, one rejection in the T-10. Multiple acceptances in the T30-T75, some with generous merit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What the heck is a pointy kid?

Big spike. National awards. Prestigeous summer programs.

[Anonymous]

Kids don’t need to be “pointy” to get into T10 or ivy. Most likely the non pointy kids described above didn’t have good essays. DC was not pointy but got into t10 , ivy, etc from public.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kids don’t need to be “pointy” to get into T10 or ivy. Most likely the non pointy kids described above didn’t have good essays. DC was not pointy but got into t10 , ivy, etc from public.

Kids don’t need to be “pointy” to get in, and yes, a good essay helps, but there are so many things we don’t know about the kids described above- recommendations, life experiences, geography, whether FGLI, etc.

[Anonymous]

Look at Naviance. For your kids SAT/GPA it is possibly a 20% probability at the lower Ivies. That is still a 1 in 5 chance. Plan your strategy accordingly.

Other than Ivies, add top public universities and top LACS to the list. Have your kid start researching these colleges and understand fit. For example my kid with similar performance was against Colombia (too competitive vs collaborative) and Cornell (pressure cooker), liked Dartmouth, did not apply to HYPS. Liked two of the WASP LACs, and a bunch of publics. Decided to ED to a WASP and EA to others. Got the ED. Very happy there.

As you start researching the universities you realize how many great universities there are, and how successful people come from everywhere not just Ivies. Your kid will be fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am so reluctant to be one of those people that jumps on op, and yet…get it together op!


Your kid sounds very smart and like a great kid. No, that doesn’t mean he has great chances for an ivy bc there aren’t enough seats for anyone save kushners to have a “great chance.”

Yes, pointy-ness may be a deciding factor for a tiny fraction of the pointy kids who apply but it’s not some unfair advantage-the schools from whatever reason have decided they want more rodeo clowns and hot air balloon pilots, that’s their call.

Your son is smart enough to have a chance and the ability to do well there probably-that means he will do great wherever he lands.

You need to get your head out of your A ss and stop focusing on highly rejective schools before you infect your son with your prestige fixated nonsense. Seriously-do better.

The quality of the private school matters.
At most privates you don’t need to be that pointy. Just have a defined interest and show (minor) alignment with major.

[Anonymous]

If your kid goes to a private school, the answer is always “ask your school counselor.”