College admissions from low SES

[Anonymous]

Is it true that it’s easier to get admitted from the low SES high schools? We are hearing it’s a way for colleges to diversify their class. Would anyone move their kid out of McLean and Langley and over to Herndon or something like that if it helps get in UVA and VT?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is it true that it’s easier to get admitted from the low SES high schools? We are hearing it’s a way for colleges to diversify their class. Would anyone move their kid out of McLean and Langley and over to Herndon or something like that if it helps get in UVA and VT?

This idea comes up occasionally but parents don't actually arbitrage schools like this.

[Anonymous]

They prefer kids from low SES families.

[Anonymous]

UVA can find poor kids from Richmond and Newport News. They don't need Herndon kids to fill that niche.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UVA can find poor kids from Richmond and Newport News. They don't need Herndon kids to fill that niche.

Richmond and Tidewater also have rich kids. Plus it’s easier to stand out at a FCPS poor high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UVA can find poor kids from Richmond and Newport News. They don't need Herndon kids to fill that niche.

Richmond and Tidewater also have rich kids. Plus it’s easier to stand out at a FCPS poor high school.

Nah, plenty of poor kids in FCPS but most aren't UVA/VT material.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UVA can find poor kids from Richmond and Newport News. They don't need Herndon kids to fill that niche.

Richmond and Tidewater also have rich kids. Plus it’s easier to stand out at a FCPS poor high school.

Nah, plenty of poor kids in FCPS but most aren't UVA/VT material.

The way to cheat was to intentionally enroll an upper middle income kid into a school with a lot of poor kids, so that the UMI kid stands out and fill the admission statistics of low SES schools. So it doesn't matter whether poor kids in those schools are "UVA/VT material". Because the approach is only about the UMI kid.

I don't believe this tactics work WITHIN FCPS, but it is possible for it to work when you move an UMI kid from NOVA to a poor school such as <insert rural VA place here>. But that's kind of desperate to just get in UVA/VT. Usually people do that for getting into Ivy League. I read many years ago about an article about people in California do it by moving to Nevada for the senior year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UVA can find poor kids from Richmond and Newport News. They don't need Herndon kids to fill that niche.

Richmond and Tidewater also have rich kids. Plus it’s easier to stand out at a FCPS poor high school.

Nah, plenty of poor kids in FCPS but most aren't UVA/VT material.

There are plenty of low income kids who are just as capable as, if not more capable than, higher-income kids. If they can get merit-based and income-based aid/scholarships, there is no reason they "aren't UVA/VT material."

One's family income is unrelated to aptitude or work ethic. While some kids may have the economic advantage of more prep classes, that doesn't mean they are intellectually superior in any way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UVA can find poor kids from Richmond and Newport News. They don't need Herndon kids to fill that niche.

Richmond and Tidewater also have rich kids. Plus it’s easier to stand out at a FCPS poor high school.

Nah, plenty of poor kids in FCPS but most aren't UVA/VT material.

There are plenty of low income kids who are just as capable as, if not more capable than, higher-income kids. If they can get merit-based and income-based aid/scholarships, there is no reason they "aren't UVA/VT material."

One's family income is unrelated to aptitude or work ethic. While some kids may have the economic advantage of more prep classes, that doesn't mean they are intellectually superior in any way.

Assuming that’s true, most of the kids from lower-income families who fit that profile will still end up at a GMU or VCU, not UVA or VT.

UMC parents know the advantages (academic and social) of sending their kids to top K-12 schools generally outweigh the purported advantage of being a “bigger fish in a smaller pond.” Claims to the contrary are wishful thinking that align with neither human behavior nor recent history (just look at the boundary study just conducted by our 100% Democratic School Board that moved no UMC neighborhoods to poorer schools).

[Anonymous]

Some of it is that kids from higher SES families have greater expectations of attending college. They have had opportunities to travel away from home without parents and are likely to be more comfortable with living away from home. There is also the real possibility that the older child in a lower SES family is balancing school and helping the family so they have an incentive to attend college closer to home to help watch siblings. They may be accepted at UVA and choose GMU because it is easier to help the family.

There are programs in place starting in ES in order to try and help lower income kids or first generation to college kids stay on track to be able to attend college and succeed when they go to college. There is all sorts of data that show that it is a big jump for kids to make and that many struggle with getting to college and then staying in college.

I don't think that most of the people who have grown up understanding that college was the path they were expected to take understand how hard it is to get on that path if you don't come from a background where that is the norm. Or how overwhelming it is to go away to college and not have support at home who understands the demands at college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UVA can find poor kids from Richmond and Newport News. They don't need Herndon kids to fill that niche.

Richmond and Tidewater also have rich kids. Plus it’s easier to stand out at a FCPS poor high school.

Nah, plenty of poor kids in FCPS but most aren't UVA/VT material.

There are plenty of low income kids who are just as capable as, if not more capable than, higher-income kids. If they can get merit-based and income-based aid/scholarships, there is no reason they "aren't UVA/VT material."

One's family income is unrelated to aptitude or work ethic. While some kids may have the economic advantage of more prep classes, that doesn't mean they are intellectually superior in any way.

Assuming that’s true, most of the kids from lower-income families who fit that profile will still end up at a GMU or VCU, not UVA or VT.

UMC parents know the advantages (academic and social) of sending their kids to top K-12 schools generally outweigh the purported advantage of being a “bigger fish in a smaller pond.” Claims to the contrary are wishful thinking that align with neither human behavior nor recent history (just look at the boundary study just conducted by our 100% Democratic School Board that moved no UMC neighborhoods to poorer schools).

Why will the low income kid still end up at VCU even if UVA material? What are these advantages at top k12 schools that UMC knows about?

[Anonymous]

There's no back door to the ultra selective schools. It's not "easy" for anyone to get in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UVA can find poor kids from Richmond and Newport News. They don't need Herndon kids to fill that niche.

Richmond and Tidewater also have rich kids. Plus it’s easier to stand out at a FCPS poor high school.

Nah, plenty of poor kids in FCPS but most aren't UVA/VT material.

There are plenty of low income kids who are just as capable as, if not more capable than, higher-income kids. If they can get merit-based and income-based aid/scholarships, there is no reason they "aren't UVA/VT material."

One's family income is unrelated to aptitude or work ethic. While some kids may have the economic advantage of more prep classes, that doesn't mean they are intellectually superior in any way.

Assuming that’s true, most of the kids from lower-income families who fit that profile will still end up at a GMU or VCU, not UVA or VT.

UMC parents know the advantages (academic and social) of sending their kids to top K-12 schools generally outweigh the purported advantage of being a “bigger fish in a smaller pond.” Claims to the contrary are wishful thinking that align with neither human behavior nor recent history (just look at the boundary study just conducted by our 100% Democratic School Board that moved no UMC neighborhoods to poorer schools).

Why will the low income kid still end up at VCU even if UVA material? What are these advantages at top k12 schools that UMC knows about?

Kids from poorer families attending schools with less advanced peer groups typically end up with lower test scores and less impressive academic profiles even if they have the same innate intelligence.

Most parents understand this. But if you think you can game the system by sending your kid to a school with few high performing kids, however, no one will stop you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is it true that it’s easier to get admitted from the low SES high schools? We are hearing it’s a way for colleges to diversify their class. Would anyone move their kid out of McLean and Langley and over to Herndon or something like that if it helps get in UVA and VT?

Former admissions officer, yes, it is true to some extent. As long as your kid is a top performer at that school. If McLean has 20 identical kids on paper a top school is going to take two of them. Attend a low SES school and now there are 2 of those same kids on paper. They both get in. No University is going to take 20, 30, 40, etc. kids from HS in one State/County.

Now parents will not generally do this because of prestige. But it works. Most HS regardless have a cadre of top performers at them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UVA can find poor kids from Richmond and Newport News. They don't need Herndon kids to fill that niche.

Richmond and Tidewater also have rich kids. Plus it’s easier to stand out at a FCPS poor high school.

Nah, plenty of poor kids in FCPS but most aren't UVA/VT material.

There are plenty of low income kids who are just as capable as, if not more capable than, higher-income kids. If they can get merit-based and income-based aid/scholarships, there is no reason they "aren't UVA/VT material."

One's family income is unrelated to aptitude or work ethic. While some kids may have the economic advantage of more prep classes, that doesn't mean they are intellectually superior in any way.

Assuming that’s true, most of the kids from lower-income families who fit that profile will still end up at a GMU or VCU, not UVA or VT.

UMC parents know the advantages (academic and social) of sending their kids to top K-12 schools generally outweigh the purported advantage of being a “bigger fish in a smaller pond.” Claims to the contrary are wishful thinking that align with neither human behavior nor recent history (just look at the boundary study just conducted by our 100% Democratic School Board that moved no UMC neighborhoods to poorer schools).

Why will the low income kid still end up at VCU even if UVA material? What are these advantages at top k12 schools that UMC knows about?

Kids from poorer families attending schools with less advanced peer groups typically end up with lower test scores and less impressive academic profiles even if they have the same innate intelligence.

Most parents understand this. But if you think you can game the system by sending your kid to a school with few high performing kids, however, no one will stop you.

Poor kids end up with lesser credentials because of less wealth. A wealthy kid would have the same stats and credentials at Justice as they would at Langley. It’s not the school, it’s wealth.