What kind of schools is your humanities kid….

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s not an either/or question. They can “reach big” as long as they identify targets and safeties that they also like.

My humanities kid has a 4.0 uw with 10 APs, top 7% of class, TO. Has gotten into a top 30 LAC (target) with top merit and a few 50%+ admit rate state schools with top merit or honors. Rejected from two top 25 universities, still waiting on a few top 20 SLACs (all of them varying degrees of reaches).

I am new to this with a junior as well. Wouldn’t 4.0 uw mean top 1% of class and valedictorian? I mean, there is no better gpa than perfect.

No, weighted GPA tied to rigor of classes considered. 7% sounds about right for 10 APs. My kid has a 4.95 weighted GPA and is not in the top 1% of his class. 3-5% probably.

4.95 is not the top 1%? Wow. I didn’t even know gpas went that high!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s not an either/or question. They can “reach big” as long as they identify targets and safeties that they also like.

My humanities kid has a 4.0 uw with 10 APs, top 7% of class, TO. Has gotten into a top 30 LAC (target) with top merit and a few 50%+ admit rate state schools with top merit or honors. Rejected from two top 25 universities, still waiting on a few top 20 SLACs (all of them varying degrees of reaches).

I am new to this with a junior as well. Wouldn’t 4.0 uw mean top 1% of class and valedictorian? I mean, there is no better gpa than perfect.

No, weighted GPA tied to rigor of classes considered. 7% sounds about right for 10 APs. My kid has a 4.95 weighted GPA and is not in the top 1% of his class. 3-5% probably.

4.95 is not the top 1%? Wow. I didn’t even know gpas went that high!

It depends on the grading system your student is in. I know someone who had a GPA of over 6.0 but he had taken only college courses from end of sophomore year only through the Va Governor's schools. He entered UVA as a sophomore and graduated in only 3 years.

[Anonymous]

2 Humanities kids with similar stats. One is at an OOS flagship with merit aid, the other at a private $$$ with no aid.

Your kid should be making decisions, start by taking them to a rural school (Penn State) and an urban school (Pitt) - any two, but these are drivable - and see it they are leaning in one direction or the other. Then discuss large schools (all the state flagships) and small schools (think New England SLACs). If they know what they want, search for those majors, if not, look for a wide variety, so that if they change their mind, they have options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have two similar kids. Both went to big state Us . One on a full ride.

Where did your kid get a full ride? We are just starting to look.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s not an either/or question. They can “reach big” as long as they identify targets and safeties that they also like.

My humanities kid has a 4.0 uw with 10 APs, top 7% of class, TO. Has gotten into a top 30 LAC (target) with top merit and a few 50%+ admit rate state schools with top merit or honors. Rejected from two top 25 universities, still waiting on a few top 20 SLACs (all of them varying degrees of reaches).

Any chance you might reveal the Top 30 LAC?

I have a likely TO kid (ADHD with no accommodations makes standardized testing hit or miss) with a great GPA (3.9+/4.8+) and aiming for an IB diploma, and I still have no idea how much merit she might get from LACs.

We could probably afford all but the priciest schools if she got a good chunk of merit, but DCUM seems to insist that TO students only get merit at middling and below. Wondering how true that is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have two similar kids. Both went to big state Us . One on a full ride.

Wow that’s impressive. What school was the full ride ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Last year, my history-loving kid with 4.6 wgpa, 12 APs, 35 ACT but weak on ECs, wanted an international affairs major and his top 3 choices were:

1. Georgetown School of Foreign Service (did not get in).
2. International affairs major in the Dual Degree Programme offered by W&M and St Andrews in Scotland (got in, but declined).
3. George Washington Elliott School of International Affairs (got in, loved it, is attending).

He was accepted at others (McGill, UMD, St John's College in Annapolis) and got in, but they were not specialized in his major, so they were safeties of sorts.

He worked really hard on his essays, BTW. I feel that for a Humanities major, that's a must. The Dual Degree Programme required a separate 1500 word essay on an international affairs topic.

Thanks, GW and W&M are definitely on his radar. Same major.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If I had a kid interested in the humanities with those grades, I would really push them to consider a top SLAC. If in Virginia, you should also add W&M to the list.

OP here and I agree, but he does seem to prefer the mid-size to large universities.

[Anonymous]

My 2022 grad had similar stats - 3.9+ uw, 36 act, 14 APs (all 5s at the time he applied), decent but not special ec’s, and strong essays that showed his personality.

He applied to Brown (rejected), Penn (rejected), Williams (rejected), Middlebury (rejected), W&M (accepted), Tufts (accepted), Macalester (accepted), UMD (accepted).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s not an either/or question. They can “reach big” as long as they identify targets and safeties that they also like.

My humanities kid has a 4.0 uw with 10 APs, top 7% of class, TO. Has gotten into a top 30 LAC (target) with top merit and a few 50%+ admit rate state schools with top merit or honors. Rejected from two top 25 universities, still waiting on a few top 20 SLACs (all of them varying degrees of reaches).

Any chance you might reveal the Top 30 LAC?

I have a likely TO kid (ADHD with no accommodations makes standardized testing hit or miss) with a great GPA (3.9+/4.8+) and aiming for an IB diploma, and I still have no idea how much merit she might get from LACs.

We could probably afford all but the priciest schools if she got a good chunk of merit, but DCUM seems to insist that TO students only get merit at middling and below. Wondering how true that is.

Macalester

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid had very similar stats, plus five years of foreign language (AP), also a humanities kid. Wanted to major in foreign affairs, but was more interested in the intelligence gathering/analyzing aspect. Discovered the National Security and Foreign Affairs major at VT, chose that, and has been so very happy and busy there. Lots of study abroad programs to choose from, as well as complimentary minors. Highly recommend.

“Study abroad.”

lol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s not an either/or question. They can “reach big” as long as they identify targets and safeties that they also like.

My humanities kid has a 4.0 uw with 10 APs, top 7% of class, TO. Has gotten into a top 30 LAC (target) with top merit and a few 50%+ admit rate state schools with top merit or honors. Rejected from two top 25 universities, still waiting on a few top 20 SLACs (all of them varying degrees of reaches).

I am new to this with a junior as well. Wouldn’t 4.0 uw mean top 1% of class and valedictorian? I mean, there is no better gpa than perfect.

No, weighted GPA tied to rigor of classes considered. 7% sounds about right for 10 APs. My kid has a 4.95 weighted GPA and is not in the top 1% of his class. 3-5% probably.

4.95 is not the top 1%? Wow. I didn’t even know gpas went that high!

He's at a magnet, lots of 4.0 UW kids taking top-rigor curriculum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s not an either/or question. They can “reach big” as long as they identify targets and safeties that they also like.

My humanities kid has a 4.0 uw with 10 APs, top 7% of class, TO. Has gotten into a top 30 LAC (target) with top merit and a few 50%+ admit rate state schools with top merit or honors. Rejected from two top 25 universities, still waiting on a few top 20 SLACs (all of them varying degrees of reaches).

I am new to this with a junior as well. Wouldn’t 4.0 uw mean top 1% of class and valedictorian? I mean, there is no better gpa than perfect.

No, weighted GPA tied to rigor of classes considered. 7% sounds about right for 10 APs. My kid has a 4.95 weighted GPA and is not in the top 1% of his class. 3-5% probably.

4.95 is not the top 1%? Wow. I didn’t even know gpas went that high!

He's at a magnet, lots of 4.0 UW kids taking top-rigor curriculum.

Assuming MCPS magnet, how can a kid get higher than a 4.0. I thought all kids have Alg 1, Levels 1 and 2 of a language, and PE, all of which are unweighted. 4.95 would mean those 4 classes are 5% of the total, which would mean they took 80 credits. What am I missing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s not an either/or question. They can “reach big” as long as they identify targets and safeties that they also like.

My humanities kid has a 4.0 uw with 10 APs, top 7% of class, TO. Has gotten into a top 30 LAC (target) with top merit and a few 50%+ admit rate state schools with top merit or honors. Rejected from two top 25 universities, still waiting on a few top 20 SLACs (all of them varying degrees of reaches).

I am new to this with a junior as well. Wouldn’t 4.0 uw mean top 1% of class and valedictorian? I mean, there is no better gpa than perfect.

No, weighted GPA tied to rigor of classes considered. 7% sounds about right for 10 APs. My kid has a 4.95 weighted GPA and is not in the top 1% of his class. 3-5% probably.

4.95 is not the top 1%? Wow. I didn’t even know gpas went that high!

He's at a magnet, lots of 4.0 UW kids taking top-rigor curriculum.

Assuming MCPS magnet, how can a kid get higher than a 4.0. I thought all kids have Alg 1, Levels 1 and 2 of a language, and PE, all of which are unweighted. 4.95 would mean those 4 classes are 5% of the total, which would mean they took 80 credits. What am I missing?

You can take language in middle school so that when you get to 9th grade you are in level 3. I think it’s just PE which is unweighted now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Last year, my history-loving kid with 4.6 wgpa, 12 APs, 35 ACT but weak on ECs, wanted an international affairs major and his top 3 choices were:

1. Georgetown School of Foreign Service (did not get in).
2. International affairs major in the Dual Degree Programme offered by W&M and St Andrews in Scotland (got in, but declined).
3. George Washington Elliott School of International Affairs (got in, loved it, is attending).

He was accepted at others (McGill, UMD, St John's College in Annapolis) and got in, but they were not specialized in his major, so they were safeties of sorts.

He worked really hard on his essays, BTW. I feel that for a Humanities major, that's a must. The Dual Degree Programme required a separate 1500 word essay on an international affairs topic.

I also have a history loving kid with a strong interest in govt/International relations too.

I agree with the 3 listed above. My kid also was accepted to UVA which is strong in history/politics as well.

Here are the schools strong in international relations:
Georgetown, Yale, Brown, Tufts, UPenn, Hopkins, Univ SC, Stanford, GW, William & Mary. He applied to all of those except Stanford and U SC.
He added Princeton and Dartmouth.
So far he's in at Georgetown, UVA and W&M sent him the cypher card. He likes all 3 of those schools a lot. We will see...