Compared Against Peers - T20 Admissions

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It sure would be nice if the CC at our top DMV private would give kids an idea where they stand relative to their peers for specific colleges. This is where college counseling at a school could really make a difference in outcomes. Ours just makes sure you have a safety on your list and that’s the extent of it!!

Do you get access to the stats from last year?

Yes but it’s not showing me who is alumni, URM or 1st GEN….

How big is your DC’s class size? If a private, this should be relatively easy to do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They definitely compare kids from one school. I was looking through the SCIOR data for my kid's school and I think it's best for everyone when the academic outliers ED successfully.

In several recent years an academic superstar (4.0 or a hair below) has run the table during regular decision and basically shut everyone else out. The schools don't have quotas per say but an exceptionally strong kid can seemingly hurt the chances of the 3.8s or low 3.9s.

Especially true if non-White and non-Asian…

yep. One top 3.98 kid can literally take every top spot in RD. From all the Ivies to Duke and Rice and Hopkins. All in one fell swoop. And they can shut out the entire rest of the class with their lower 3.9s in the process.
Ask me how I know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They definitely compare kids from one school. I was looking through the SCIOR data for my kid's school and I think it's best for everyone when the academic outliers ED successfully.

In several recent years an academic superstar (4.0 or a hair below) has run the table during regular decision and basically shut everyone else out. The schools don't have quotas per say but an exceptionally strong kid can seemingly hurt the chances of the 3.8s or low 3.9s.

So the kid didn’t ED?

[Anonymous]

If you have a good student with an interesting story, and kid is at a small private school, keep your kid’s college choices close to the vest. Also, try not to go to the same eight or nine schools.

There are plenty of other good schools in the top 25 that are often overlooked with only one or two applicants from the class….find them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you have a good student with an interesting story, and kid is at a small private school, keep your kid’s college choices close to the vest. Also, try not to go to the same eight or nine schools.

There are plenty of other good schools in the top 25 that are often overlooked with only one or two applicants from the class….find them.

How’d it work out for your kid?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They definitely compare kids from one school. I was looking through the SCIOR data for my kid's school and I think it's best for everyone when the academic outliers ED successfully.

In several recent years an academic superstar (4.0 or a hair below) has run the table during regular decision and basically shut everyone else out. The schools don't have quotas per say but an exceptionally strong kid can seemingly hurt the chances of the 3.8s or low 3.9s.

So the kid didn’t ED?

In both cases no. I'm not sure why--I didn't know the kids. Either the kids wanted to maximize their options or college counseling advised them too. If it's the later that's not good college advising. You really hurt your other strong but not perfect applicants by suggesting this. When the privates have years when "only one non-hooked kid got an Ivy spot!" this is often a contributing factor. There ARE unhooked spots being offered---they're just all going to one superstar kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They definitely compare kids from one school. I was looking through the SCIOR data for my kid's school and I think it's best for everyone when the academic outliers ED successfully.

In several recent years an academic superstar (4.0 or a hair below) has run the table during regular decision and basically shut everyone else out. The schools don't have quotas per say but an exceptionally strong kid can seemingly hurt the chances of the 3.8s or low 3.9s.

I’ve heard this story….

Especially true if non-White and non-Asian…

yep. One top 3.98 kid can literally take every top spot in RD. From all the Ivies to Duke and Rice and Hopkins. All in one fell swoop. And they can shut out the entire rest of the class with their lower 3.9s in the process.
Ask me how I know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They definitely compare kids from one school. I was looking through the SCIOR data for my kid's school and I think it's best for everyone when the academic outliers ED successfully.

In several recent years an academic superstar (4.0 or a hair below) has run the table during regular decision and basically shut everyone else out. The schools don't have quotas per say but an exceptionally strong kid can seemingly hurt the chances of the 3.8s or low 3.9s.

I’ve heard this story….

Especially true if non-White and non-Asian…

yep. One top 3.98 kid can literally take every top spot in RD. From all the Ivies to Duke and Rice and Hopkins. All in one fell swoop. And they can shut out the entire rest of the class with their lower 3.9s in the process.
Ask me how I know.

I think I've heard the story you're referring to and I'm actually talking about another school (race not involved). I really don't think it's uncommon at the Big3 and similar. If you have a few 3.98 kids who apply broadly they can really shut out the rest of the unhooked in the class from top 20 schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They definitely compare kids from one school. I was looking through the SCIOR data for my kid's school and I think it's best for everyone when the academic outliers ED successfully.

In several recent years an academic superstar (4.0 or a hair below) has run the table during regular decision and basically shut everyone else out. The schools don't have quotas per say but an exceptionally strong kid can seemingly hurt the chances of the 3.8s or low 3.9s.

I’ve heard this story….

Especially true if non-White and non-Asian…

yep. One top 3.98 kid can literally take every top spot in RD. From all the Ivies to Duke and Rice and Hopkins. All in one fell swoop. And they can shut out the entire rest of the class with their lower 3.9s in the process.
Ask me how I know.

I think I've heard the story you're referring to and I'm actually talking about another school (race not involved). I really don't think it's uncommon at the Big3 and similar. If you have a few 3.98 kids who apply broadly they can really shut out the rest of the unhooked in the class from top 20 schools.

You can’t control what others do, but you can control what you do— did your kid apply ED to a school that’s within reach? And then ED2? That’s how you circumvent the 3.98 kid applying RD everywhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They definitely compare kids from one school. I was looking through the SCIOR data for my kid's school and I think it's best for everyone when the academic outliers ED successfully.

In several recent years an academic superstar (4.0 or a hair below) has run the table during regular decision and basically shut everyone else out. The schools don't have quotas per say but an exceptionally strong kid can seemingly hurt the chances of the 3.8s or low 3.9s.

I’ve heard this story….

Especially true if non-White and non-Asian…

yep. One top 3.98 kid can literally take every top spot in RD. From all the Ivies to Duke and Rice and Hopkins. All in one fell swoop. And they can shut out the entire rest of the class with their lower 3.9s in the process.
Ask me how I know.

I think I've heard the story you're referring to and I'm actually talking about another school (race not involved). I really don't think it's uncommon at the Big3 and similar. If you have a few 3.98 kids who apply broadly they can really shut out the rest of the unhooked in the class from top 20 schools.

You can’t control what others do, but you can control what you do— did your kid apply ED to a school that’s within reach? And then ED2? That’s how you circumvent the 3.98 kid applying RD everywhere.

yep, we did that and the stress went down 50%. It's all good. But I was just responding to OP. yes, schools compare kids to each other and it wasn't until started looking at the data from our school that I realized just how directly they do.

[Anonymous]

All the candidates from one high school are typically bundled together and discussed/compared/contrasted. If the college your kid is interested in typically takes a lot of kids from your private HS, the AO of that college will likely have a call with the HS college counsellor to discuss the candidates and who would be the best fit. Not just stats since colleges want to balance the class.

Your kid should have a meeting with their CC to discuss strategy as it's in the CC's best interest to place everyone somewhere strong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All the candidates from one high school are typically bundled together and discussed/compared/contrasted. If the college your kid is interested in typically takes a lot of kids from your private HS, the AO of that college will likely have a call with the HS college counsellor to discuss the candidates and who would be the best fit. Not just stats since colleges want to balance the class.

Your kid should have a meeting with their CC to discuss strategy as it's in the CC's best interest to place everyone somewhere strong.

All CC offices in the DMV are not this nuanced. Some clearly encourage the 5 kids to run the table and let the rest of the class scramble. Others are really good at dispersing the wealth.

I know they don't ultimately control where kid apply but I have kids at two different privates the approach (and results) are very different between schools---especially for kids outside of the very top academic kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We were at a top uni and the Dir of Admissions said explicitly that the first group of students any applicant is up against is the other applicants from their school. They will not take all 15 applicants from Big Fancy Private. You have to beat your classmates first and then the others from your region.

Which uni?

This is true, in one capacity or another, at most schools, not that it is publicized. I am always amazed how many parents on DCUM think they are owed transparency to the Nth degree. They are not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It sure would be nice if the CC at our top DMV private would give kids an idea where they stand relative to their peers for specific colleges. This is where college counseling at a school could really make a difference in outcomes. Ours just makes sure you have a safety on your list and that’s the extent of it!!

This sounds like Sidwell

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It sure would be nice if the CC at our top DMV private would give kids an idea where they stand relative to their peers for specific colleges. This is where college counseling at a school could really make a difference in outcomes. Ours just makes sure you have a safety on your list and that’s the extent of it!!

Do you get access to the stats from last year?

Yes but it’s not showing me who is alumni, URM or 1st GEN….

How big is your DC’s class size? If a private, this should be relatively easy to do.

No - this is not easy to do at a private where you entered in 9th and do not know most of the families. CCO is never going to tell you this.