Where do unconnected, top academic kids from a feeder private go to college?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Based on what I read have heard/read in terms of campus culture and academic focus, I think she may be a good fit at schools like Rice, Brown, Pomona/Harvey Mudd. Are those realistic reaches?

Yes. Also look at Carnegie Mellon University and Cornell.

What does she want to study ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know where connected/legacy/big donors’ kids go. How about academic superstars who are unconnected and full pay with top teachers’ recs? This is a kid loved by teachers in the toughest most advanced subjects, asked to be TA where 95% of classes don’t have a student TA, who has 3.9 GPA where no one gets a 4.0. Otherwise unconnected, no sport, not URM, nothing special ECs (head of robotics club, part-time job type stuff). We know it won’t be Ivies, Stanford, MIT, but where? School sends at least 20% to top 10 schools each year, 50% to top 25; we imagine they are mostly legacy.

Sounds like stem (robotics)? If so, that will make it harder - but aim for an ED to a Northwestern/JHU/Brown/Cornell level school.
ED2 UChicago or top SLAC?

Apply where others aren’t.
Highlight that part-time job if long term.
Assume some volunteering? If not, do something robotic/volunteering with peers/younger kids this summer (good for essays too).
Outside hobbies/interests?

Not planning to apply to Engineering. Most likely will major in chemistry or biochemistry or applied math with an English minor (a great writer)

Depending on where your private high feeds, Penn and Duke are the best fit for this kid. JHU is another option, being very strong in English and Bio.

Thanks. I thought Penn and Duke are for future wall streets/ captain of industries type kids? For this reason we’re not focused on HYPMS; she genuinely has a love for science, research, writing but is not the kind of kids with plan to conquer the world, become a partner at Goldman Sachs or launch an IPO. She wants to solve problems with science but doesn’t care about getting rich

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Based on what I read have heard/read in terms of campus culture and academic focus, I think she may be a good fit at schools like Rice, Brown, Pomona/Harvey Mudd. Are those realistic reaches?

Rice is most likely of those. Should get in if apply ED

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Based on what I read have heard/read in terms of campus culture and academic focus, I think she may be a good fit at schools like Rice, Brown, Pomona/Harvey Mudd. Are those realistic reaches?

Rice and Pomona are small schools, which makes it more unpredictable. Brown has more female applicants than male applicants, presenting another challenge. But all three are realistic reaches.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Based on what I read have heard/read in terms of campus culture and academic focus, I think she may be a good fit at schools like Rice, Brown, Pomona/Harvey Mudd. Are those realistic reaches?

Yes. Also look at Carnegie Mellon University and Cornell.

What does she want to study ?

Wants to study chemistry or biochemistry and minor in English. Also interested in neuroscience and AI (but doesn’t have a Silicon Valley type personality). She wants to help people, e.g. use language model to help disabled people or do Alzheimer research

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know where connected/legacy/big donors’ kids go. How about academic superstars who are unconnected and full pay with top teachers’ recs? This is a kid loved by teachers in the toughest most advanced subjects, asked to be TA where 95% of classes don’t have a student TA, who has 3.9 GPA where no one gets a 4.0. Otherwise unconnected, no sport, not URM, nothing special ECs (head of robotics club, part-time job type stuff). We know it won’t be Ivies, Stanford, MIT, but where? School sends at least 20% to top 10 schools each year, 50% to top 25; we imagine they are mostly legacy.

Sounds like stem (robotics)? If so, that will make it harder - but aim for an ED to a Northwestern/JHU/Brown/Cornell level school.
ED2 UChicago or top SLAC?

Apply where others aren’t.
Highlight that part-time job if long term.
Assume some volunteering? If not, do something robotic/volunteering with peers/younger kids this summer (good for essays too).
Outside hobbies/interests?

Not planning to apply to Engineering. Most likely will major in chemistry or biochemistry or applied math with an English minor (a great writer)

Depending on where your private high feeds, Penn and Duke are the best fit for this kid. JHU is another option, being very strong in English and Bio.

Thanks. I thought Penn and Duke are for future wall streets/ captain of industries type kids? For this reason we’re not focused on HYPMS; she genuinely has a love for science, research, writing but is not the kind of kids with plan to conquer the world, become a partner at Goldman Sachs or launch an IPO. She wants to solve problems with science but doesn’t care about getting rich

Duke and Penn? Nah. Wharton is for wall street, CAS is very very strong in bio research. Same with Duke, with lots of premed students but also strong in bio/chem research.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Based on what I read have heard/read in terms of campus culture and academic focus, I think she may be a good fit at schools like Rice, Brown, Pomona/Harvey Mudd. Are those realistic reaches?

Rice is most likely of those. Should get in if apply ED

Base on everything I have researched, Rice feels like the perfect school for her if it wasn’t in Texas (she is very upset about fetal personhood laws and guns). But we know Rice is not typical Texas so may still encourage her to ED. Couple kids from her school got into Rice ED last year and scattergram looks like their GPA and SAT are slightly lower (3.7, 1530-1550)

[Anonymous]

Sounds like Pomona would be a great fit if she can get in-my DC majoring in science there and loving it! Early opportunities for research too!

[Anonymous]

If she attends a school like Sidwell, NCS, STA or GDS and she is truly in the top 10 students in the class and has decent rigor and resume then any school is possible. If she is top 5 at one of these high schools then HYPMS is almost probable if she has half way decent extracurriculars.

These schools differ than public because the kids are really stratified by grading (there is no bunching at the top). There may be one kid with a 3.95 And then 5 with grades above a 3.9. So when you are in those top kids you are highly desirable to elite colleges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Based on what I read have heard/read in terms of campus culture and academic focus, I think she may be a good fit at schools like Rice, Brown, Pomona/Harvey Mudd. Are those realistic reaches?

Rice is most likely of those. Should get in if apply ED

Base on everything I have researched, Rice feels like the perfect school for her if it wasn’t in Texas (she is very upset about fetal personhood laws and guns). But we know Rice is not typical Texas so may still encourage her to ED. Couple kids from her school got into Rice ED last year and scattergram looks like their GPA and SAT are slightly lower (3.7, 1530-1550)

Large cities in Texas vote blue.

Earlier I suggested adding Cornell & CMU. Since biochem is an interest, consider WashUStL.

[Anonymous]

Is she at all interested in SLACs? They would seem likely a good option if she were.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like Pomona would be a great fit if she can get in-my DC majoring in science there and loving it! Early opportunities for research too!

Yeah it sounds like a great fit for her academically and culturally. Too bad it’s so small/such a long shot. Did you DC get in through ED or RD? From California or somewhere else? Thx

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If she attends a school like Sidwell, NCS, STA or GDS and she is truly in the top 10 students in the class and has decent rigor and resume then any school is possible. If she is top 5 at one of these high schools then HYPMS is almost probable if she has half way decent extracurriculars.

These schools differ than public because the kids are really stratified by grading (there is no bunching at the top). There may be one kid with a 3.95 And then 5 with grades above a 3.9. So when you are in those top kids you are highly desirable to elite colleges.

She is in a school like Sidwell in another state. It’s a very known school to all the top colleges. No grade inflation. She is definitely top 10 academically, possibly top 5.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Based on what I read have heard/read in terms of campus culture and academic focus, I think she may be a good fit at schools like Rice, Brown, Pomona/Harvey Mudd. Are those realistic reaches?

Rice is most likely of those. Should get in if apply ED

Base on everything I have researched, Rice feels like the perfect school for her if it wasn’t in Texas (she is very upset about fetal personhood laws and guns). But we know Rice is not typical Texas so may still encourage her to ED. Couple kids from her school got into Rice ED last year and scattergram looks like their GPA and SAT are slightly lower (3.7, 1530-1550)

Based on your description of the high school and the kid, I would not settle for Rice-she doesn't even like it so much.
If Rice is not her dream school, don't ED there.
If your description of the high school and the kid are all true, this kid can get in T10. Particularly when ED.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Based on what I read have heard/read in terms of campus culture and academic focus, I think she may be a good fit at schools like Rice, Brown, Pomona/Harvey Mudd. Are those realistic reaches?

Rice is most likely of those. Should get in if apply ED

Base on everything I have researched, Rice feels like the perfect school for her if it wasn’t in Texas (she is very upset about fetal personhood laws and guns). But we know Rice is not typical Texas so may still encourage her to ED. Couple kids from her school got into Rice ED last year and scattergram looks like their GPA and SAT are slightly lower (3.7, 1530-1550)

Have any of these 16 or 17 year olds that are anti-southern states ever actually been to the south? It is such intellectual arrogance to assume that people in southern states are somehow less than or anti-intellectual. Guess what? There are all kinds of political leanings in every state and college towns universally lean left. Get out a little more.