s/o Reach/Target/Likely list for junior

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another spinoff post for an unhooked junior. We did not do our undergraduate degrees in the US, so this whole process is a bit foreign to us!

We are trying to plan our spring break visits and would like to refine our lists before making travel plans. DS is a junior in DCPS. Unweighted GPA is 4.0, 11 APs and 2 DE classes (both in math) so far with a couple more APs and DEs senior year. Probably in the top 5 of his class.

DS is interested in math or a math adjacent field but also plays a musical instrument at a high level, which makes a minor in music (or a double major) a strong consideration. Strong ECs (mostly math or music related -- competitions [AMO/MOP], tutoring, jazz ensemble, playing at senior living facilities) and 1560 SAT.

I'd love to know if there are other schools that should be on our list based on these schools. We especially need "likely" schools as the list is essentially all reaches and targets. So far DS is not interested in LACs (Oberlin, St. Olaf) but might include them on our list depending on music offerings. We may not be able to visit whatever is feasible.

Reach:
MIT (near impossible but hey, one can dream)
Northwestern
Hopkins
Chicago
UMD
UCLA

Target:
University of Pittsburgh
University of Washington (excellent applied math program)
Indiana (excellent music program)

Likely:
Rochester

flip Rochester and Pitt

Agreed

[Anonymous]

The stats look great. I think they would be competitive just about anywhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Case Western might be a good likely. Strong in math and a decent music program too.

Oberlin, as you mentioned, very strong in music and students can do both music and academics.

+1 for Case western. He could receive a nice merit scholarship. Demonstrated interest is VERY important!

How does one do that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If going to trouble of completing the UC app, why not also add Berkeley and SD? It adds little work to buy those extra lottery tickets.

+2 Plus, Cal is better for math than UCLA.

I mean for math, either works.

[Anonymous]

UT? strong compsci and math and also music school. Plus Austin a great town. it's gotten harder for out of staters but with those stats PP should still be very competitive

[Anonymous]

As an FYI, my brother-in-law went to Oberlin for piano performance and econ and Indiana for his doctorate in piano performance. He was happy with that path.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think your list looks good!

Make sure your kid takes AP exams and gets 5's on as many of them as he can. DCPS is known for insane grade inflation and lack of rigor and colleges go through cycles with how much they can trust them. Last year was a terrible year for JR kids who had 4.0's but no/poor standardized testing to legitimize their GPAs. The dual enrollment and the 1560 will help. Kids get in trouble when they have a 4.0UW from DCPS and a 1400 SAT.

🙄

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think your list looks good!

Make sure your kid takes AP exams and gets 5's on as many of them as he can. DCPS is known for insane grade inflation and lack of rigor and colleges go through cycles with how much they can trust them. Last year was a terrible year for JR kids who had 4.0's but no/poor standardized testing to legitimize their GPAs. The dual enrollment and the 1560 will help. Kids get in trouble when they have a 4.0UW from DCPS and a 1400 SAT.

🙄

NP. I’m so sick of people talking about last year’s class like they were disappointments because (relatively) few went to highly ranked private schools compared with prior years. (Also, PP has no idea about enough kids grades and test scores to make the assertion they did. They should stop talking sh*t about a bunch of kids. And, no, I didn’t have a kid in that class.) Naviance indicates that far fewer class of 2025 kids applied to Ivy League schools than class of 2024 (and that those numbers have bounced back up in 2026). Who knows why? But it seems like last year’s class wasn’t seeking out those schools in the usual numbers.

To the extent that it matters (it doesn’t), class of 2026 already has multiple Ivy admits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another spinoff post for an unhooked junior. We did not do our undergraduate degrees in the US, so this whole process is a bit foreign to us!

We are trying to plan our spring break visits and would like to refine our lists before making travel plans. DS is a junior in DCPS. Unweighted GPA is 4.0, 11 APs and 2 DE classes (both in math) so far with a couple more APs and DEs senior year. Probably in the top 5 of his class.

DS is interested in math or a math adjacent field but also plays a musical instrument at a high level, which makes a minor in music (or a double major) a strong consideration. Strong ECs (mostly math or music related -- competitions [AMO/MOP], tutoring, jazz ensemble, playing at senior living facilities) and 1560 SAT.

I'd love to know if there are other schools that should be on our list based on these schools. We especially need "likely" schools as the list is essentially all reaches and targets. So far DS is not interested in LACs (Oberlin, St. Olaf) but might include them on our list depending on music offerings. We may not be able to visit whatever is feasible.

Reach:
MIT (near impossible but hey, one can dream)
Northwestern
Hopkins
Chicago
UMD
UCLA

Target:
University of Pittsburgh
University of Washington (excellent applied math program)
Indiana (excellent music program)

Likely:
Rochester

flip Rochester and Pitt

They’re both likelies for this kid. UMD is a target, assuming the kid applies EA.

Agree with others to add Michigan to reach (could be a target, based on historical Naviance data, but need to see how this year’s JR admissions pan out after all of the ED deferrals).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think your list looks good!

Make sure your kid takes AP exams and gets 5's on as many of them as he can. DCPS is known for insane grade inflation and lack of rigor and colleges go through cycles with how much they can trust them. Last year was a terrible year for JR kids who had 4.0's but no/poor standardized testing to legitimize their GPAs. The dual enrollment and the 1560 will help. Kids get in trouble when they have a 4.0UW from DCPS and a 1400 SAT.

🙄

NP. I’m so sick of people talking about last year’s class like they were disappointments because (relatively) few went to highly ranked private schools compared with prior years. (Also, PP has no idea about enough kids grades and test scores to make the assertion they did. They should stop talking sh*t about a bunch of kids. And, no, I didn’t have a kid in that class.) Naviance indicates that far fewer class of 2025 kids applied to Ivy League schools than class of 2024 (and that those numbers have bounced back up in 2026). Who knows why? But it seems like last year’s class wasn’t seeking out those schools in the usual numbers.

To the extent that it matters (it doesn’t), class of 2026 already has multiple Ivy admits.

I did have a kid in the class and there were a lot of disappointed kids who had high (if not perfect) GPAs, applied all over and had pretty terrible results. It's frankly disrespectful of you to deny this, especially since you weren't involved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another spinoff post for an unhooked junior. We did not do our undergraduate degrees in the US, so this whole process is a bit foreign to us!

We are trying to plan our spring break visits and would like to refine our lists before making travel plans. DS is a junior in DCPS. Unweighted GPA is 4.0, 11 APs and 2 DE classes (both in math) so far with a couple more APs and DEs senior year. Probably in the top 5 of his class.

DS is interested in math or a math adjacent field but also plays a musical instrument at a high level, which makes a minor in music (or a double major) a strong consideration. Strong ECs (mostly math or music related -- competitions [AMO/MOP], tutoring, jazz ensemble, playing at senior living facilities) and 1560 SAT.

I'd love to know if there are other schools that should be on our list based on these schools. We especially need "likely" schools as the list is essentially all reaches and targets. So far DS is not interested in LACs (Oberlin, St. Olaf) but might include them on our list depending on music offerings. We may not be able to visit whatever is feasible.

Reach:
MIT (near impossible but hey, one can dream)
Northwestern
Hopkins
Chicago
UMD
UCLA

Target:
University of Pittsburgh
University of Washington (excellent applied math program)
Indiana (excellent music program)

Likely:
Rochester

He is in good shape for elite schools (add stanford and some ivies good in math/stem- harvard, penn, princeton, columbia) provided he really is top 5 (you should ask the counselor directly), and the DE are in classes not offered as AP, in other words multivariate calculus or linear algebra or differentials, then it is ok. DE for calculus instead of BC calculus in the high school is seen as a big red flag for top students at our school.
Also, those 11APs should include the most difficult offered at the school, across disciplines: AP chem, physics C, Literature, AP US or European history, and foreign language.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think your list looks good!

Make sure your kid takes AP exams and gets 5's on as many of them as he can. DCPS is known for insane grade inflation and lack of rigor and colleges go through cycles with how much they can trust them. Last year was a terrible year for JR kids who had 4.0's but no/poor standardized testing to legitimize their GPAs. The dual enrollment and the 1560 will help. Kids get in trouble when they have a 4.0UW from DCPS and a 1400 SAT.

🙄

NP. I’m so sick of people talking about last year’s class like they were disappointments because (relatively) few went to highly ranked private schools compared with prior years. (Also, PP has no idea about enough kids grades and test scores to make the assertion they did. They should stop talking sh*t about a bunch of kids. And, no, I didn’t have a kid in that class.) Naviance indicates that far fewer class of 2025 kids applied to Ivy League schools than class of 2024 (and that those numbers have bounced back up in 2026). Who knows why? But it seems like last year’s class wasn’t seeking out those schools in the usual numbers.

To the extent that it matters (it doesn’t), class of 2026 already has multiple Ivy admits.

I did have a kid in the class and there were a lot of disappointed kids who had high (if not perfect) GPAs, applied all over and had pretty terrible results. It's frankly disrespectful of you to deny this, especially since you weren't involved.

Disrespectful. LOL.

I’m not the one talking about a class of kids like they were failures based on anecdotal info from a few of my kids’ friends. GTFOH.

[Anonymous]

UMD is a target. Add Rochester as a target.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think your list looks good!

Make sure your kid takes AP exams and gets 5's on as many of them as he can. DCPS is known for insane grade inflation and lack of rigor and colleges go through cycles with how much they can trust them. Last year was a terrible year for JR kids who had 4.0's but no/poor standardized testing to legitimize their GPAs. The dual enrollment and the 1560 will help. Kids get in trouble when they have a 4.0UW from DCPS and a 1400 SAT.

🙄

NP. I’m so sick of people talking about last year’s class like they were disappointments because (relatively) few went to highly ranked private schools compared with prior years. (Also, PP has no idea about enough kids grades and test scores to make the assertion they did. They should stop talking sh*t about a bunch of kids. And, no, I didn’t have a kid in that class.) Naviance indicates that far fewer class of 2025 kids applied to Ivy League schools than class of 2024 (and that those numbers have bounced back up in 2026). Who knows why? But it seems like last year’s class wasn’t seeking out those schools in the usual numbers.

To the extent that it matters (it doesn’t), class of 2026 already has multiple Ivy admits.

I did have a kid in the class and there were a lot of disappointed kids who had high (if not perfect) GPAs, applied all over and had pretty terrible results. It's frankly disrespectful of you to deny this, especially since you weren't involved.

Disrespectful. LOL.

I’m not the one talking about a class of kids like they were failures based on anecdotal info from a few of my kids’ friends. GTFOH.

This is absurd. I am not being disrespectful about the kids by reporting what happened. You are by denying it.
They are great kids, they maxed out the system and are super smart. The system didn't work for them.
I didn't know every kid in the grade but I knew a who lot of disappointed kids (at least 15) in my small circle.
Kids who were shut out of Michigan, Ivies, etc despite doing the max they could academically within their school.

I haven't ever spoken of or posted about this before so if you say "you're sick of people saying this" then clearly I'm not the only one who feels this way.
You are helping no one by coming on here and denying it a year later when you weren't even in the mix last year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think your list looks good!

Make sure your kid takes AP exams and gets 5's on as many of them as he can. DCPS is known for insane grade inflation and lack of rigor and colleges go through cycles with how much they can trust them. Last year was a terrible year for JR kids who had 4.0's but no/poor standardized testing to legitimize their GPAs. The dual enrollment and the 1560 will help. Kids get in trouble when they have a 4.0UW from DCPS and a 1400 SAT.

🙄

NP. I’m so sick of people talking about last year’s class like they were disappointments because (relatively) few went to highly ranked private schools compared with prior years. (Also, PP has no idea about enough kids grades and test scores to make the assertion they did. They should stop talking sh*t about a bunch of kids. And, no, I didn’t have a kid in that class.) Naviance indicates that far fewer class of 2025 kids applied to Ivy League schools than class of 2024 (and that those numbers have bounced back up in 2026). Who knows why? But it seems like last year’s class wasn’t seeking out those schools in the usual numbers.

To the extent that it matters (it doesn’t), class of 2026 already has multiple Ivy admits.

I did have a kid in the class and there were a lot of disappointed kids who had high (if not perfect) GPAs, applied all over and had pretty terrible results. It's frankly disrespectful of you to deny this, especially since you weren't involved.

Disrespectful. LOL.

I’m not the one talking about a class of kids like they were failures based on anecdotal info from a few of my kids’ friends. GTFOH.

This is absurd. I am not being disrespectful about the kids by reporting what happened. You are by denying it.
They are great kids, they maxed out the system and are super smart. The system didn't work for them.
I didn't know every kid in the grade but I knew a who lot of disappointed kids (at least 15) in my small circle.
Kids who were shut out of Michigan, Ivies, etc despite doing the max they could academically within their school.

I haven't ever spoken of or posted about this before so if you say "you're sick of people saying this" then clearly I'm not the only one who feels this way.
You are helping no one by coming on here and denying it a year later when you weren't even in the mix last year.

You’re helping no one by extrapolating so much from a single year.

You started with this: “DCPS is known for insane grade inflation and lack of rigor,” which immediately undermines every JR student’s accomplishments—and is demonstrably not true given historical (and current) JR admissions trends. And you make that assertion based on one year where fewer kids applied to and went on to attend highly selective schools. Again, who knows why? For whatever reason, 2025 was a little different—although not for Michigan, where JR had the normal number of admissions. 2026’s results look more “normal” so far.

I’m not going to engage on this further. I hope your kid is happy wherever they landed.