Harvard-Westlake 2025 College Handbook Released, Reveals Stunning Outcomes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you talking about the private school n California? I don’t know why that would shock you, given that their admit rate is lower than many colleges.

+1. “Outcomes” implies that the school has a proprietary process to produce this matriculation list. But the list is just reflects the students who H-W accepts in the first place, most of whom would get into selective colleges no matter where they went to high school.

Unlike most of the competitive DC schools, which start in PK or elementary, H-W starts in 7th grade. They admit 200 students then and another 100 in 9th (if I’m reading their website correctly). At that point, you have real information: full transcripts, standardized test scores, sense of motivation and drive, etc. You can screen students, in a sense, for how well they’ll do in the college process – which isn’t that far in the future.

[Anonymous]

I don’t get this: if your kid is smart and supposedly then you are smart, why are you poor? All the implied complaints about “rich kids” and “rich parents” on this thread, it implies to me the complainers are losers and sore losers at that, what am I missing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:the new H-W handbook is rather shocking. There's a 50% admit rate for Vanderbilt applicants with GPAs in the 3.2-3.299 range. There's even decent chances at Stanford and Yale if your GPA is above 3.6.


https://students.hw.com/Portals/44/handbook0125.pdf?ver=mCSTXqyrt4IYDI-PvMShlQ%3d%3d

Overall Vanderbilt is 8 accepted out of 83. You would have to consider that the lower GPA accepted students are athletes or otherwise hooked.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t get this: if your kid is smart and supposedly then you are smart, why are you poor? All the implied complaints about “rich kids” and “rich parents” on this thread, it implies to me the complainers are losers and sore losers at that, what am I missing?

There's "I can afford private school, possibly with financial aid" and then there's "I have the kind of generational wealth required to get my kid into a top tier college despite less-than-perfection."

[Anonymous]

Why shout out Vanderbilt? 8 acceptances out of 83 applicants over three years from one of the most privileged and wealthy private high schools in America doesn't seem particularly noteworthy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:the new H-W handbook is rather shocking. There's a 50% admit rate for Vanderbilt applicants with GPAs in the 3.2-3.299 range. There's even decent chances at Stanford and Yale if your GPA is above 3.6.


https://students.hw.com/Portals/44/handbook0125.pdf?ver=mCSTXqyrt4IYDI-PvMShlQ%3d%3d

Overall Vanderbilt is 8 accepted out of 83. You would have to consider that the lower GPA accepted students are athletes or otherwise hooked.

Full pay and ED is enough of a hook for Vandy. Isn't Gwyneth Paltrow's kid one of these acceptances?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why shout out Vanderbilt? 8 acceptances out of 83 applicants over three years from one of the most privileged and wealthy private high schools in America doesn't seem particularly noteworthy.

Yeah...I guess OP wanted to create a stir because for some reason 50% of the applicants (3 of 6) from the bottom of the class were accepted vs. 7.5% from the top of the class (3 of 40).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you talking about the private school n California? I don’t know why that would shock you, given that their admit rate is lower than many colleges.

+1. “Outcomes” implies that the school has a proprietary process to produce this matriculation list. But the list is just reflects the students who H-W accepts in the first place, most of whom would get into selective colleges no matter where they went to high school.

Unlike most of the competitive DC schools, which start in PK or elementary, H-W starts in 7th grade. They admit 200 students then and another 100 in 9th (if I’m reading their website correctly). At that point, you have real information: full transcripts, standardized test scores, sense of motivation and drive, etc. You can screen students, in a sense, for how well they’ll do in the college process – which isn’t that far in the future.

Actually, Harvard Westlake does have an elementary campus. But here’s the thing: per capita, independent schools are far more abundant in the DMV. There are a lot of very good independent or private or parochial schools and then of course there’s the big three and all the parents who insist their school is included and that there’s really a big five or a big ten and so on and so forth. And the East Coast boarding schools are close by. And other strong, private school markets like New York City. AND there are highly regarded publics in NOVA and MOCO.
But in LA, Harvard Westlake is the unrivaled big fish of the sea, king of the jungle or whatever. Strong public options are few and far between. And there are some very nice, well-regarded private schools, serving the upper crust, Hollywood elites, with strong college outcomes, but non claiming supremacy over HW.

[Anonymous]

Fun fact: currently four MLB players from Harvard Westlake, and a fifth in the minors. They were all first round picks since 2012.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Fun fact: currently four MLB players from Harvard Westlake, and a fifth in the minors. They were all first round picks since 2012.

Yeah, Harvard Westlake and Corona (Riverside) are baseball powerhouses.

Corona has 3 projected first round MLB draft picks playing on the team as we speak. Seems nuts to play a HS team where 1/3 of the team are the best 32 18-21 year old baseball players on the planet.

[Anonymous]

I’m sorry, is Vanderbilt now a desirable school? In the 2000s it was for dumb rich kids who couldn’t get in anywhere else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you talking about the private school n California? I don’t know why that would shock you, given that their admit rate is lower than many colleges.

+1. “Outcomes” implies that the school has a proprietary process to produce this matriculation list. But the list is just reflects the students who H-W accepts in the first place, most of whom would get into selective colleges no matter where they went to high school.

Unlike most of the competitive DC schools, which start in PK or elementary, H-W starts in 7th grade. They admit 200 students then and another 100 in 9th (if I’m reading their website correctly). At that point, you have real information: full transcripts, standardized test scores, sense of motivation and drive, etc. You can screen students, in a sense, for how well they’ll do in the college process – which isn’t that far in the future.

Actually, Harvard Westlake does have an elementary campus. But here’s the thing: per capita, independent schools are far more abundant in the DMV. There are a lot of very good independent or private or parochial schools and then of course there’s the big three and all the parents who insist their school is included and that there’s really a big five or a big ten and so on and so forth. And the East Coast boarding schools are close by. And other strong, private school markets like New York City. AND there are highly regarded publics in NOVA and MOCO.
But in LA, Harvard Westlake is the unrivaled big fish of the sea, king of the jungle or whatever. Strong public options are few and far between. And there are some very nice, well-regarded private schools, serving the upper crust, Hollywood elites, with strong college outcomes, but non claiming supremacy over HW.

It does? Every description online, including their own website, describes them as a 7th-12th grade school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:the new H-W handbook is rather shocking. There's a 50% admit rate for Vanderbilt applicants with GPAs in the 3.2-3.299 range. There's even decent chances at Stanford and Yale if your GPA is above 3.6.


https://students.hw.com/Portals/44/handbook0125.pdf?ver=mCSTXqyrt4IYDI-PvMShlQ%3d%3d

Overall Vanderbilt is 8 accepted out of 83. You would have to consider that the lower GPA accepted students are athletes or otherwise hooked.

Full pay and ED is enough of a hook for Vandy. Isn't Gwyneth Paltrow's kid one of these acceptances?

BCC has at least 6 seniors going to Vandy next year. As far as I know (and I know 4 of the kids families) none have hooks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you talking about the private school n California? I don’t know why that would shock you, given that their admit rate is lower than many colleges.

+1. “Outcomes” implies that the school has a proprietary process to produce this matriculation list. But the list is just reflects the students who H-W accepts in the first place, most of whom would get into selective colleges no matter where they went to high school.

Unlike most of the competitive DC schools, which start in PK or elementary, H-W starts in 7th grade. They admit 200 students then and another 100 in 9th (if I’m reading their website correctly). At that point, you have real information: full transcripts, standardized test scores, sense of motivation and drive, etc. You can screen students, in a sense, for how well they’ll do in the college process – which isn’t that far in the future.

Actually, Harvard Westlake does have an elementary campus. But here’s the thing: per capita, independent schools are far more abundant in the DMV. There are a lot of very good independent or private or parochial schools and then of course there’s the big three and all the parents who insist their school is included and that there’s really a big five or a big ten and so on and so forth. And the East Coast boarding schools are close by. And other strong, private school markets like New York City. AND there are highly regarded publics in NOVA and MOCO.
But in LA, Harvard Westlake is the unrivaled big fish of the sea, king of the jungle or whatever. Strong public options are few and far between. And there are some very nice, well-regarded private schools, serving the upper crust, Hollywood elites, with strong college outcomes, but non claiming supremacy over HW.

It does? Every description online, including their own website, describes them as a 7th-12th grade school.

I stand corrected. The middle school is on a separate campus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:the new H-W handbook is rather shocking. There's a 50% admit rate for Vanderbilt applicants with GPAs in the 3.2-3.299 range. There's even decent chances at Stanford and Yale if your GPA is above 3.6.


https://students.hw.com/Portals/44/handbook0125.pdf?ver=mCSTXqyrt4IYDI-PvMShlQ%3d%3d

This school has had very serious mental health issues in its community and should not be put up on a pedestal. Three suicides in 4 years. You can’t brag about great college admissions without addressing that issue.