S/O - Arlington Magazine 2022 acceptances

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow. Too depressing to even say underwhelming. Speechless.

There is no way that some of these numbers are even close to being accurate. A a few weeks ago at a preparing for college night for the parents of seniors at our FCPS high school, the counseling division handed out a sheet with the number of applications and admissions to many colleges for last year's graduating class. Those numbers are far different, even though our high school likely isn't that different demographically than Yorktown High School. For example, the linked article shows that only 10 of 19 Yorktown applicants got into Longwood, while 31 of 32 of our high school's applicants did. Similarly, the linked article states that only 56 of 103 Yorktown applicants got into VCU, whereas 111 of 116 applicants from our high school did. I could cite plenty more examples of big differences.

Can you post the sheet? It would be nice if FCPS had something similar. I know Naviance has our school, but it would be nice to see the other surrounding schools as well.

[Anonymous]

Seeing only 5 accepted to DC's favorite school is so hard to digest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seeing only 5 accepted to DC's favorite school is so hard to digest.

Why be so coy? Name the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow. Too depressing to even say underwhelming. Speechless.

There is no way that some of these numbers are even close to being accurate. A a few weeks ago at a preparing for college night for the parents of seniors at our FCPS high school, the counseling division handed out a sheet with the number of applications and admissions to many colleges for last year's graduating class. Those numbers are far different, even though our high school likely isn't that different demographically than Yorktown High School. For example, the linked article shows that only 10 of 19 Yorktown applicants got into Longwood, while 31 of 32 of our high school's applicants did. Similarly, the linked article states that only 56 of 103 Yorktown applicants got into VCU, whereas 111 of 116 applicants from our high school did. I could cite plenty more examples of big differences.

Can you post the sheet? It would be nice if FCPS had something similar. I know Naviance has our school, but it would be nice to see the other surrounding schools as well.

Again, can’t you just name your high school? You’re not outing anything or anyone and it would be good to know. Also how can you be so sure that the numbers the high school handed out are any more accurate? Not sure where they got their info.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kinda dispels the myth about NOVA schools sending "dozens" to UVA doesn't it? Yes they might technically have dozens ut they are huge schools of 500+ kids in the senior class. People accused me of lying when I said my kids school only had about 10 accepted, but we have a population of less than 400.

Washington Liberty for instance according to the school profile has 577 seniors and had 47 accepted, that's 8%, which again means you have to be well under the 10% threshold alot of folks bandy about on this website. Yorktown also only 8% of the population got in.

At W-L, 208 applied and 47 got accepted to UVa. That’s not at all bad. W&M had a similar %, though lower absolute numbers. VT was an even higher rate. The real problem here is the number of kids applying to extremely rejective schools. 33 kids thought they had a realistic chance at Brown? 31 to Harvard? 35 to Duke? 37 to Penn? 45 to UNC OOS? 62 to Mich OOS? Kids are taking a flyer on a wing a prayer.

[Anonymous]

Wow, it is crazy to compare these acceptance rates to the MoCo schools. So much lower.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow. Too depressing to even say underwhelming. Speechless.

There is no way that some of these numbers are even close to being accurate. A a few weeks ago at a preparing for college night for the parents of seniors at our FCPS high school, the counseling division handed out a sheet with the number of applications and admissions to many colleges for last year's graduating class. Those numbers are far different, even though our high school likely isn't that different demographically than Yorktown High School. For example, the linked article shows that only 10 of 19 Yorktown applicants got into Longwood, while 31 of 32 of our high school's applicants did. Similarly, the linked article states that only 56 of 103 Yorktown applicants got into VCU, whereas 111 of 116 applicants from our high school did. I could cite plenty more examples of big differences.

Can you post the sheet? It would be nice if FCPS had something similar. I know Naviance has our school, but it would be nice to see the other surrounding schools as well.

Again, can’t you just name your high school? You’re not outing anything or anyone and it would be good to know. Also how can you be so sure that the numbers the high school handed out are any more accurate? Not sure where they got their info.

Madison high school. I can't guarantee the handout sheet numbers are more accurate, but they are certainly more in line with the overall acceptance rates for the colleges in questions (and SCHEV data for Fairfax county applicants to Virginia colleges).

[Anonymous]

I would love to see this info for FCPS high schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is why people pay for top privates.
The DC Big3 privates (this year) sent 20% to the Ivy League and another 20% to other top 20 universities and another 20% to top 20 liberal arts colleges and another 20% to universities ranked 20-50..

Not really comparable. Private school populations are 1) already screened in for academic excellence 2) more likely to be legacies 3) more likely to be paying for the ECs and other experiences that curate a strong candidate.

Just taking a random student from a public school and dropping him into a top private is not going to magically make them a better candidate for a top university.

The outcomes are totally what I would expect for a good public school district. Most kids go to their public universities + a range of OOS and privates, mainly mid-range. Why is that surprising?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is why people pay for top privates.
The DC Big3 privates (this year) sent 20% to the Ivy League and another 20% to other top 20 universities and another 20% to top 20 liberal arts colleges and another 20% to universities ranked 20-50..

Not really comparable. Private school populations are 1) already screened in for academic excellence 2) more likely to be legacies 3) more likely to be paying for the ECs and other experiences that curate a strong candidate.

Just taking a random student from a public school and dropping him into a top private is not going to magically make them a better candidate for a top university.

The outcomes are totally what I would expect for a good public school district. Most kids go to their public universities + a range of OOS and privates, mainly mid-range. Why is that surprising?

One of my kids extremely bright and accomplished BFFs switched to a Big 3 for high school after attending Arlington public schools through Williamsburg Middle School. Had their heart set on Penn and didn’t get in. Ended up at UVA with my kid. Had that kid stayed at Yorktown I have no doubt they’d be a superstar and one of those very few top kids getting into an Ivy. I really believe that.

[Anonymous]

The numbers are, at best, mildly cringe inducing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The numbers are, at best, mildly cringe inducing.

Why? Do people really not understand the state of college admissions? At what non-magnet/not exclusively high income public school do tons of students get into super-selective colleges? Pubic school students mostly go to their public universities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As someone whose kid is a year away from starting the college application process, this is depressing as hell.

Why did so few kids apply to Georgetown compared to other area schools?

My guess - cost. And Georgetown doesn't give merit scholarships, it's all need based. So the donut hole families don't want their children taking on massive student loan debt and won't pay $80000 a year.

It looks like no students applied to GWU (George Washington U.) Their tuition is $62000 and the school doesn't have the reputation/rankings that Georgetown has.

Tuition costs for local schools:
Georgetown is $62000 -
American University is $27,000
Catholic University is $52000 - they will give generous merit aid if you have decent grades & they also have a "scholarship" for registered Catholics (those who regularly attend their home parish)
George Mason is $14000 in state
Howard is $30,000
Marymount is $34,000
Mary Washington is $14000
UMD is $40000 out of state

My mistake - I do see that students applied to GWU.

The other thing I forgot to mention is Georgetown used to have extra application requirements which might deter some students. For example, they still REQUIRED a subject test and or the essay (can't remember which one or both when my DS was considering applying) on the SAT when other schools would only consider the essay and tests if submitted. Georgetown is still requiring the SAT or ACT and most other colleges are now test optional. I don't know if they ever went test optional for the Class of '21 but I do know they were not one of the schools who announced test optional early in the fall of '20.

Georgetown requires all test scores, every test ever taken...and it's not test optional. With grade inflation, that rules out many kids with 4.0+ GPAs and very low scores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The numbers are, at best, mildly cringe inducing.

And with 200 Valedictorians in a HS graduating class

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is why people pay for top privates.
The DC Big3 privates (this year) sent 20% to the Ivy League and another 20% to other top 20 universities and another 20% to top 20 liberal arts colleges and another 20% to universities ranked 20-50..

Not really comparable. Private school populations are 1) already screened in for academic excellence 2) more likely to be legacies 3) more likely to be paying for the ECs and other experiences that curate a strong candidate.

Just taking a random student from a public school and dropping him into a top private is not going to magically make them a better candidate for a top university.

The outcomes are totally what I would expect for a good public school district. Most kids go to their public universities + a range of OOS and privates, mainly mid-range. Why is that surprising?

Top Universities know the type of student they get from the high schools (which are all familiar to them). They know which high schools prepare kids for college rigor and which ones turn out kids that can't even write a proper essay.