Worried about college for "standard strong" DS

[Anonymous]

Apologies that I am posting as a NYC parent but this group is so helpful! My 10th gr DS it a giant NYC selective public school. I feel like he's going to fall between the cracks in college admissions. Too strong for the "awesomely average" group, not strong enough for the 4.0/1500 group. Not super interested in rah-rah and I worry he'll get lost at a giant state school, but also worry he won't find his people at a tiny LAC. Very NOT quirky. Just a normal hard-working bright teenage boy who likes playing sports and "chilling" with his many friends, and likes the challenge of being surrounded by the smart kids at his school. Has a 3.7 and I'm guessing SAT will land somewhere around 1400?? At his school this is middle of the pack - about 20% of kids get into Ivy+. Best subjects are history and math, but will probably apply as a humanities major since there are so freaking many genius STEM kids. The school is so large that Naviance scattergrams look like a giant ink blot and literally everything appears to be a reach. Anyone here have a kid with a comparable profile? We will of course apply to many SUNYs, but want a solid list of privates as well. We are fortunate to be able to pay in full.

[Anonymous]

Tulane

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tulane

Thanks, that one is on my list to visit. Anything similar that is on the East Coast?

[Anonymous]

American, Richmond, Brandeis

[Anonymous]

Temple
Pitts
Hofstra
St. John's
Pace
SMU
Brandeis
Fordham

ED Northeastern

[Anonymous]

Don’t believe people on this forum - there are smart motivated students everywhere and by no means will your student mis out on being with smart peers at one of the many good private schools that would be great for them. Build a good list and look around - while your student may not be top 20 - there are excellent schools in that meet your needs in the 50-100 range (that are still the top 1-2% of all colleges in the country). And there are also great schools even lower than that!

[Anonymous]

Do you want to stick with a Northeastern/Urban/Liberal cultural orientation? If not, Washington & Lee and Davidson might be worth a look.

University of Miami is more in line with the NE/liberal vibe and may also be a good fit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don’t believe people on this forum - there are smart motivated students everywhere and by no means will your student mis out on being with smart peers at one of the many good private schools that would be great for them. Build a good list and look around - while your student may not be top 20 - there are excellent schools in that meet your needs in the 50-100 range (that are still the top 1-2% of all colleges in the country). And there are also great schools even lower than that!

T50 is not out, especially with ED.

[Anonymous]

Are you at Stuy? Have several friends there and their high-stats kids have had a rough time. It's really difficult in a way that I think has no comparison in the DMV. I suggest ED'ing somewhere very attainable. Kid can always transfer down the road.

[Anonymous]

My kid was at a DC selective public high school. Lower 1/3 of the class. Average ECs
At a SLAC but I wish he wound up at a bigger school as the social group is too small.
My DS was very similar in that he is challenged by all the smart kids around him.

Get SATs up and apply ED to Boston University
University of Rochester - go visit and see if it is a good fit
Do a summer program at University of Chicago and apply ED 0

[Anonymous]

Richmond.

[Anonymous]

My God, OP. Your poor kid. He's in 10th grade with a solid profile -- although you don't even know his test scores yet! -- and you're already freaking out about college? He's going to be just fine. As time goes on he'll see school mates getting into various colleges and things will fall into place.

Let him enjoy high school. In the meantime, take a Xanax.

[Anonymous]

Check your high school's Naviance or Scoir. 1400 is not Ivy+ territory. Ivy+ needs higher scores. And from most high schools, a higher GPA as well, though that is high school-dependent.

See where the score is at least at the 25th percentile. That would be at colleges ranked beyond T20.

[Anonymous]

I have a somewhat similar kid (also in NYC but at a private school) so thanks for bringing this up. My child was accepted to an SHSAT school but the fear of being sub-Ivy but not wanting to go to SUNY/CUNY was one of the reasons we didn't go there. We are fortunate to have the resources to pay for private HS after K-8 public.

Brandeis?
GW/American?
Richmond
Skidmore
Case Western Reserve (need to show a lot of interest)
If you are OK with Catholic then there are a bunch of options - Villanova, BC, Holy Cross, Loyola.

[Anonymous]

Why do you think he will land at 1400?

At this point, absent a spike, the test score is the best enhancer in his application. Disregard DCUM constant saying test scores are not important. 1500 vs 1400 makes a world of difference in his application.