how do you feel when other kids getting in to better schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:GPA, Course Rigor, SAT/ACT(although supposedly optional) are the most imortant stat.
Let's not kid about it. These can be known among friends.
Also you can see their ECs and stuff faily easily.

But you don’t know what the college is looking for and values. Do they have too many STEM kids and need more humanities? Too many women? Too many tuba players?

Maybe the other kid’s essays were fantastic. Maybe some teacher wrote an amazing recommendation. You have no idea what is in the application!!!

All of the stats are probably roughly similar. An AO told us at an admissions session that a 1450 is just as good to schools as a 1600. They don’t make the fine distinctions parents do.

It’s fine and time to move on.

This is the key point. GPA, course rigor and SAT matter most, but that doesn't mean that once you have a high enough GPA/SAT/Course rigor combo that the kid with 20 point higher SAT or .3 higher GPA or who took Calculus BC or whatever is better than the one who didn't. Both made it passed that first most important hurdle. In schools that are not as highly selective and popular this might be the only hurdle.

But for highly selective schools, the next hurdle is something else entirely and the game starts over. It's the essays, the particular extracurriculars, the teacher recommendations, the honors and awards, and how the particular applicant compares on these with the rest of the people who made it through the first hurdle. But the thing is for many schools there's no difference in being the kid who made it over the first hurdle with a 1550 vs the kid who barely scraped over with the 1440 (or whatever). They are both in a new competition now. And maybe the kid with the slightly lower GPA and SATs shines more here--or fits a particular gap in the school (e.g., they have a lot of theater kids who are graduating and want people to keep the plays going so being in plays each year stands out more to them than the robotics team for which they have more people than they can accommodate at this point--or vice versa).

[Anonymous]

Just like I don't count other people's money, I don't track other kids stats. Heck, I barely track my own kids stats. I'm happy for everyone who gets in where they want to go or where they'll thrive. I am not a jealous person. And I'm certainly not jealous on my child's behalf, which is what you're describing, OP.

[Anonymous]

I look at the Harvard Law School list of colleges for newly admitted students. Take a look at the variety on that list.

It might be better to be a star at one school versus a dime a dozen at what you call a “better” school. 😊

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I look at the Harvard Law School list of colleges for newly admitted students. Take a look at the variety on that list.

It might be better to be a star at one school versus a dime a dozen at what you call a “better” school. 😊

Also, I don’t believe a highly rejective school means it is better. Graduates of Ivies were my professors. People from my Big U transferred to Ivies. What do numbers mean here? I remain skeptical as to what is a “better” school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:GPA, Course Rigor, SAT/ACT(although supposedly optional) are the most imortant stat.
Let's not kid about it. These can be known among friends.
Also you can see their ECs and stuff faily easily.

I disagree. Just like the saying, "you can't know what goes on behind closed doors", you can not know what a student has accomplished and put on their college applications.
My DS is extremely private about his extracurricular research work. He has progressively done more and more each year and finally some research his senior year of high school at a local university. His science work is impressive but I would guess that most of his classmates do not know about it. Or if they do have a sense, they do not realize to the extent that it has become. There are thousands of kids and examples just like this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:GPA, Course Rigor, SAT/ACT(although supposedly optional) are the most imortant stat.
Let's not kid about it. These can be known among friends.
Also you can see their ECs and stuff faily easily.

But you don’t know what the college is looking for and values. Do they have too many STEM kids and need more humanities? Too many women? Too many tuba players?

Maybe the other kid’s essays were fantastic. Maybe some teacher wrote an amazing recommendation. You have no idea what is in the application!!!

All of the stats are probably roughly similar. An AO told us at an admissions session that a 1450 is just as good to schools as a 1600. They don’t make the fine distinctions parents do.

It’s fine and time to move on.

What's wrong with 1440

Nothing. The point is that most schools just want to see that you did well enough to suggest you can handle college material. Ours told us that once you get over 700 on both sections, taking it again is a waste of time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:GPA, Course Rigor, SAT/ACT(although supposedly optional) are the most imortant stat.
Let's not kid about it. These can be known among friends.
Also you can see their ECs and stuff faily easily.

But you don’t know what the college is looking for and values. Do they have too many STEM kids and need more humanities? Too many women? Too many tuba players?

Maybe the other kid’s essays were fantastic. Maybe some teacher wrote an amazing recommendation. You have no idea what is in the application!!!

All of the stats are probably roughly similar. An AO told us at an admissions session that a 1450 is just as good to schools as a 1600. They don’t make the fine distinctions parents do.

It’s fine and time to move on.

This is the key point. GPA, course rigor and SAT matter most, but that doesn't mean that once you have a high enough GPA/SAT/Course rigor combo that the kid with 20 point higher SAT or .3 higher GPA or who took Calculus BC or whatever is better than the one who didn't. Both made it passed that first most important hurdle. In schools that are not as highly selective and popular this might be the only hurdle.

But for highly selective schools, the next hurdle is something else entirely and the game starts over. It's the essays, the particular extracurriculars, the teacher recommendations, the honors and awards, and how the particular applicant compares on these with the rest of the people who made it through the first hurdle. But the thing is for many schools there's no difference in being the kid who made it over the first hurdle with a 1550 vs the kid who barely scraped over with the 1440 (or whatever). They are both in a new competition now. And maybe the kid with the slightly lower GPA and SATs shines more here--or fits a particular gap in the school (e.g., they have a lot of theater kids who are graduating and want people to keep the plays going so being in plays each year stands out more to them than the robotics team for which they have more people than they can accommodate at this point--or vice versa).

DP: you really did like my hurdle analogy! 😉

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:GPA, Course Rigor, SAT/ACT(although supposedly optional) are the most imortant stat.
Let's not kid about it. These can be known among friends.
Also you can see their ECs and stuff faily easily.

I disagree. Just like the saying, "you can't know what goes on behind closed doors", you can not know what a student has accomplished and put on their college applications.
My DS is extremely private about his extracurricular research work. He has progressively done more and more each year and finally some research his senior year of high school at a local university. His science work is impressive but I would guess that most of his classmates do not know about it. Or if they do have a sense, they do not realize to the extent that it has become. There are thousands of kids and examples just like this.

Yes it’s entirely possible to have a hobby or an extracurricular that is not done through school. You don’t actually know everything about every other child’s life or activities

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:GPA, Course Rigor, SAT/ACT(although supposedly optional) are the most imortant stat.
Let's not kid about it. These can be known among friends.
Also you can see their ECs and stuff faily easily.

But you don’t know what the college is looking for and values. Do they have too many STEM kids and need more humanities? Too many women? Too many tuba players?

Maybe the other kid’s essays were fantastic. Maybe some teacher wrote an amazing recommendation. You have no idea what is in the application!!!

All of the stats are probably roughly similar. An AO told us at an admissions session that a 1450 is just as good to schools as a 1600. They don’t make the fine distinctions parents do.

It’s fine and time to move on.

This is the key point. GPA, course rigor and SAT matter most, but that doesn't mean that once you have a high enough GPA/SAT/Course rigor combo that the kid with 20 point higher SAT or .3 higher GPA or who took Calculus BC or whatever is better than the one who didn't. Both made it passed that first most important hurdle. In schools that are not as highly selective and popular this might be the only hurdle.

But for highly selective schools, the next hurdle is something else entirely and the game starts over. It's the essays, the particular extracurriculars, the teacher recommendations, the honors and awards, and how the particular applicant compares on these with the rest of the people who made it through the first hurdle. But the thing is for many schools there's no difference in being the kid who made it over the first hurdle with a 1550 vs the kid who barely scraped over with the 1440 (or whatever). They are both in a new competition now. And maybe the kid with the slightly lower GPA and SATs shines more here--or fits a particular gap in the school (e.g., they have a lot of theater kids who are graduating and want people to keep the plays going so being in plays each year stands out more to them than the robotics team for which they have more people than they can accommodate at this point--or vice versa).

DP: you really did like my hurdle analogy! 😉

I read it in a book. So maybe we both liked the same thing?

[Anonymous]

I feel a tiny bit jealous but mostly happy since they are all awesome kids.

[Anonymous]

My kid is going to Clemson for CS. They have friends going to top schools, but mostly as humanities majors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid is going to Clemson for CS. They have friends going to top schools, but mostly as humanities majors.

Major matters more than people realize. Everyone can’t have the same major. There are not enough resources.

[Anonymous]

Better school isn't even an agreed upon description! If it's a school DC applied to, got denied, and another student got in --- that's different.

[Anonymous]

and then especially if it turns out that other student decides they don't want to go there, but it was your DC's first choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:GPA, Course Rigor, SAT/ACT(although supposedly optional) are the most imortant stat.
Let's not kid about it. These can be known among friends.
Also you can see their ECs and stuff faily easily.

But you don’t know what the college is looking for and values. Do they have too many STEM kids and need more humanities? Too many women? Too many tuba players?

Maybe the other kid’s essays were fantastic. Maybe some teacher wrote an amazing recommendation. You have no idea what is in the application!!!

All of the stats are probably roughly similar. An AO told us at an admissions session that a 1450 is just as good to schools as a 1600. They don’t make the fine distinctions parents do.

It’s fine and time to move on.

What's wrong with 1440

Nothing. The point is that most schools just want to see that you did well enough to suggest you can handle college material. Ours told us that once you get over 700 on both sections, taking it again is a waste of time.

Exactly. Why prep to within an inch of your life to scrape up a few more points? To what end? After a certain threshold..move on to more important things.