Questions about College Placement

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you're considering private HS because of college placement, you are doing it wrong.

At best, private schools can help your child thrive academically - whether that means more rigor, more support, smaller class sizes, new and different clubs and ECs, etc.

And if your child reaches their academic potential, you're in the same boat as every other public and private HS parent - scrambling with an extremely dysfunctional and competitive college admissions landscape.

OP here - to clarify, we are already in a Big 3 private in 7th grade. We are weighing staying there vs moving to another private. We are not considering public.

If your goal is college placement, you need to be brutally honest with yourself and ask if your kid has what it takes to get in the top 10% of the class (preferably top 5%). Can they get a 3.9+ GPA or equivalent at Sidwell/GDS/NCS/STA? Do they have the work ethic or natural ability?

If not, then switch to an easier private with less competitive students. A 3.4-3.5 Big 3 student would almost-certainly get a 3.95+ UW at Burke, Field, SJC, etc. Top grades at a mediocre private will open far more college doors than being middle-of-the-pack in the elite private schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you're considering private HS because of college placement, you are doing it wrong.

At best, private schools can help your child thrive academically - whether that means more rigor, more support, smaller class sizes, new and different clubs and ECs, etc.

And if your child reaches their academic potential, you're in the same boat as every other public and private HS parent - scrambling with an extremely dysfunctional and competitive college admissions landscape.

OP here - to clarify, we are already in a Big 3 private in 7th grade. We are weighing staying there vs moving to another private. We are not considering public.

If your goal is college placement, you need to be brutally honest with yourself and ask if your kid has what it takes to get in the top 10% of the class (preferably top 5%). Can they get a 3.9+ GPA or equivalent at Sidwell/GDS/NCS/STA? Do they have the work ethic or natural ability?

If not, then switch to an easier private with less competitive students. A 3.4-3.5 Big 3 student would almost-certainly get a 3.95+ UW at Burke, Field, SJC, etc. Top grades at a mediocre private will open far more college doors than being middle-of-the-pack in the elite private schools.

This!!

And to do this they will need to be skilled in all subjects and near perfect through 4 years of high school. No academic hiccups or things they don't get.
Brilliant in advanced math as well as highly skilled at literary analysis. Because there will be kids who are highly gifted in one of these areas but your child (if they are to be top 5% in the Big3 class and get that unhooked Ivy spot) will have to be the best in all. And believe me, there will be kids admitted in 9th grade who are academic powerhouses (selected from across the DMV) but your child will have to be better than them as well.

It's not easy to rise to the top at these schools.

[Anonymous]

If one believes maybe half of what the College forum says is true, then college admissions right now is basically a lottery.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If one believes maybe half of what the College forum says is true, then college admissions right now is basically a lottery.

A lottery is a good analogy. A rigged lottery is even better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If one believes maybe half of what the College forum says is true, then college admissions right now is basically a lottery.

A lottery is a good analogy. A rigged lottery is even better.

It’s always been rigged. The only reason some people are squawking about it now is that they think it’s rigged against them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you're considering private HS because of college placement, you are doing it wrong.

At best, private schools can help your child thrive academically - whether that means more rigor, more support, smaller class sizes, new and different clubs and ECs, etc.

And if your child reaches their academic potential, you're in the same boat as every other public and private HS parent - scrambling with an extremely dysfunctional and competitive college admissions landscape.

OP here - to clarify, we are already in a Big 3 private in 7th grade. We are weighing staying there vs moving to another private. We are not considering public.

There is no such thing as a Big 3 private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you're considering private HS because of college placement, you are doing it wrong.

At best, private schools can help your child thrive academically - whether that means more rigor, more support, smaller class sizes, new and different clubs and ECs, etc.

And if your child reaches their academic potential, you're in the same boat as every other public and private HS parent - scrambling with an extremely dysfunctional and competitive college admissions landscape.

OP here - to clarify, we are already in a Big 3 private in 7th grade. We are weighing staying there vs moving to another private. We are not considering public.

If your goal is college placement, you need to be brutally honest with yourself and ask if your kid has what it takes to get in the top 10% of the class (preferably top 5%). Can they get a 3.9+ GPA or equivalent at Sidwell/GDS/NCS/STA? Do they have the work ethic or natural ability?

If not, then switch to an easier private with less competitive students. A 3.4-3.5 Big 3 student would almost-certainly get a 3.95+ UW at Burke, Field, SJC, etc. Top grades at a mediocre private will open far more college doors than being middle-of-the-pack in the elite private schools.

This is all true in this moment in time. OP’s kid will be admitted to college in 5 more cycles and the rules of the game will change by then.
OP, this is a losing game. Keep the kid where they’re happy and getting a good education. Forget about college for 2 glorious years. You can go back to obsessing when they’re in high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you're considering private HS because of college placement, you are doing it wrong.

At best, private schools can help your child thrive academically - whether that means more rigor, more support, smaller class sizes, new and different clubs and ECs, etc.

And if your child reaches their academic potential, you're in the same boat as every other public and private HS parent - scrambling with an extremely dysfunctional and competitive college admissions landscape.

OP here - to clarify, we are already in a Big 3 private in 7th grade. We are weighing staying there vs moving to another private. We are not considering public.

If your goal is college placement, you need to be brutally honest with yourself and ask if your kid has what it takes to get in the top 10% of the class (preferably top 5%). Can they get a 3.9+ GPA or equivalent at Sidwell/GDS/NCS/STA? Do they have the work ethic or natural ability?

If not, then switch to an easier private with less competitive students. A 3.4-3.5 Big 3 student would almost-certainly get a 3.95+ UW at Burke, Field, SJC, etc. Top grades at a mediocre private will open far more college doors than being middle-of-the-pack in the elite private schools.

This is true. Also some top schools do not weight the grades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If one believes maybe half of what the College forum says is true, then college admissions right now is basically a lottery.

A lottery is a good analogy. A rigged lottery is even better.

It’s always been rigged. The only reason some people are squawking about it now is that they think it’s rigged against them.

One imagines wonderful things about the process and the child's future, until it is your kid's turn and you find out the truth. Then one posts "insights" about how different the process is now and your great ideas for improving the terrible system, which are identical to those posted every year that list serves have existed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you're considering private HS because of college placement, you are doing it wrong.

At best, private schools can help your child thrive academically - whether that means more rigor, more support, smaller class sizes, new and different clubs and ECs, etc.

And if your child reaches their academic potential, you're in the same boat as every other public and private HS parent - scrambling with an extremely dysfunctional and competitive college admissions landscape.

OP here - to clarify, we are already in a Big 3 private in 7th grade. We are weighing staying there vs moving to another private. We are not considering public.

If your goal is college placement, you need to be brutally honest with yourself and ask if your kid has what it takes to get in the top 10% of the class (preferably top 5%). Can they get a 3.9+ GPA or equivalent at Sidwell/GDS/NCS/STA? Do they have the work ethic or natural ability?

If not, then switch to an easier private with less competitive students. A 3.4-3.5 Big 3 student would almost-certainly get a 3.95+ UW at Burke, Field, SJC, etc. Top grades at a mediocre private will open far more college doors than being middle-of-the-pack in the elite private schools.

This is true. Also some top schools do not weight the grades.

It is not true that any kid from rich kid schools will automatically get straight As at other schools. Such hubris.

[Anonymous]

In all sincerity, I think many parents need to shift their perspective on the entire college process. Some benefits your child will get from attending a private, college prep school is that by the time they are ready to go through this process:

1) The school will know your child well
2) Your child will have access to resources (you'd likely have to pay for external to school if you were at a public school) to help find the right fit.

Going to an Ivy League school isn't the BE ALL/END ALL and isn't the sole determining factor on whether your child will lead a successful life. I went to a school that isn't even in the top 50 anymore, but I am making enough money to put me in the top 1% of income earners. I went to a "prestigious" prep school and frankly...learned more about how to navigate the world there than I did in college.

Get out of the rat race and learn about who your kids are, what THEY care about, and what school would be the best for THEM. Stop worrying about the fact that their classmate went to Stafford (because his daddy went) or that 25 kids from his class are all applying to Harvard and won't all be accepted.

Before asking the college placement office questions, ask your child what types of things they are interested in and what type of school do they see themselves in - big, small, city, rural, etc.

And then by the time you all meet with the college office, you can tell them more about what your child is looking for and they can give you some schools they think you should look at.

Also - money...scholarships are a big deal and unless you are wealthy enough that your kid will come out without debt, ask those questions...start applying for all sorts of scholarships asap because with the money that many of us spent on college loans...could have been a healthy downpayment on a house or two.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you're considering private HS because of college placement, you are doing it wrong.

At best, private schools can help your child thrive academically - whether that means more rigor, more support, smaller class sizes, new and different clubs and ECs, etc.

And if your child reaches their academic potential, you're in the same boat as every other public and private HS parent - scrambling with an extremely dysfunctional and competitive college admissions landscape.

OP here - to clarify, we are already in a Big 3 private in 7th grade. We are weighing staying there vs moving to another private. We are not considering public.

If your goal is college placement, you need to be brutally honest with yourself and ask if your kid has what it takes to get in the top 10% of the class (preferably top 5%). Can they get a 3.9+ GPA or equivalent at Sidwell/GDS/NCS/STA? Do they have the work ethic or natural ability?

If not, then switch to an easier private with less competitive students. A 3.4-3.5 Big 3 student would almost-certainly get a 3.95+ UW at Burke, Field, SJC, etc. Top grades at a mediocre private will open far more college doors than being middle-of-the-pack in the elite private schools.

The reality is that even at less rigorous privates you are competing against legacies, athletes, etc for the T20. These schools also have good students (it sounds like OP's kid is a good student but not motivated to be the "best" student). I wouldn't assume this kid will suddenly become an academic star at a "lesser" school. If your kid is happy, I wouldn't move them just to improve college admissions chances. What is true now, may not be true by the time OP's kid is heading into the admissions season.

If you are truly trying to compare college admissions offices across schools, I would ask questions about the process. When the kids start visiting with their counselor. How is time carved out of the day for kids to meet with the counselor. The less motivated the student (in the college admissions process I mean) the more "mandatory" meetings and "workshops" need to be present. Also, is it up to the kid to make all the one-on-ones with the counselor, or is there time carved out of the day for kids to meet with the counselor on a mandatory basis. Lots of folks at private schools hire private counselors in addition to the resources available at their school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your post suggests that what you want to ask is:

- Will you fudge grades so all the kids look awesome for admissions?

- If my kid gets a 3.5 or lower, do you have any magic tricks to make Harvard love him anyway?

Are you ok? Why so snarky? No, I am OP and I am worried about my child. I feel, in 7th grade, I’m starting to sense an unhealthy trend. I don’t wish Harvard for her, I want to her to end up where she belongs. Thank you for your constructive input.

What are you worried about? What is the unhealthy trend?

The only unhealthy trend I see is an inappropriate focus on college admissions too early. Your question seems to be part of that trend. If there's something else you are concerned about, you'll get better answers if you ask directly.

+1. Since OP is apparently in 7th grade with her child, at a Big 3 no less.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you're considering private HS because of college placement, you are doing it wrong.

At best, private schools can help your child thrive academically - whether that means more rigor, more support, smaller class sizes, new and different clubs and ECs, etc.

And if your child reaches their academic potential, you're in the same boat as every other public and private HS parent - scrambling with an extremely dysfunctional and competitive college admissions landscape.

OP here - to clarify, we are already in a Big 3 private in 7th grade. We are weighing staying there vs moving to another private. We are not considering public.

There is no such thing as a Big 3 private.

Yes there is. It has always been Sidwell, STA, and NCS. It is okay to not agree or think other schools are better but you can't just go and change facts.

[Anonymous]

You definitely need to be focused on college at the time the 9th grade schedule is made, so this is 8th grade. Posters above stressing how critical the GPA is are correct. Of course, if you don't care about your child attending a top college, don't worry about any of this. I think most parents feel disappointed if there child ends up in a mediocre college after spending >$200,000 on high school.