College counselor aiming too high

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ask your school counselor where the last 5 valedictorian and salutatorians have gone. Your school will have better data than the private counselor.

That, although adjust for extra curriculars. My child is also valedictorian and was rejected from some top 10 schools his classmates - who were more active outside of school - got into.

[Anonymous]

Why did you hire this particular college counselor? Any particular reasons to believe they do or do not know their stuff?

[Anonymous]

I assume he's a junior, right?

If so, he still has time to improve the "lackluster EC" part.

Why not help him find something really interesting to do this summer that he can write about in his supplemental essays?

If you share his intended major and more about his personality, I'm guessing people on here would have some good ideas for you.

For example, a 20 hour a week volunteer gig for 6 weeks this summer could do wonders for his profile, his applications, and him as a person, too!

120 hours of hands-on volunteering in a relatively compressed period of time is likely to lead to a genuine experience - something that impacts/changes him personally and gives him something real to reflect on while also helping others. There's something about going in day after day - rather than just popping in for an hour or two when convenient. Whether it's to haul/fill boxes for a non-profit food org, clean cages at a pet shelter, answer phones for a busy direct-service nonprofit, support an organization that is out in the community educating people about immigration and what to do if ICE shows up etc., these are win/win in terms of college apps and being a good person in the world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ask your local message board. We don't care.

Don't be a dickwad....your kid went to Towson yet you sit here all day pretending that they're at a top school. STRFU and let people try to help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ask your local message board. We don't care.

If you can't say anything nice . . . .

[Anonymous]

So damned weird that these people have to come to a DMV website for college admissions advice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I assume he's a junior, right?

If so, he still has time to improve the "lackluster EC" part.

Why not help him find something really interesting to do this summer that he can write about in his supplemental essays?

If you share his intended major and more about his personality, I'm guessing people on here would have some good ideas for you.

For example, a 20 hour a week volunteer gig for 6 weeks this summer could do wonders for his profile, his applications, and him as a person, too!

120 hours of hands-on volunteering in a relatively compressed period of time is likely to lead to a genuine experience - something that impacts/changes him personally and gives him something real to reflect on while also helping others. There's something about going in day after day - rather than just popping in for an hour or two when convenient. Whether it's to haul/fill boxes for a non-profit food org, clean cages at a pet shelter, answer phones for a busy direct-service nonprofit, support an organization that is out in the community educating people about immigration and what to do if ICE shows up etc., these are win/win in terms of college apps and being a good person in the world.

Really? A thing thrown in one year before senior year? I mean that could help but it could also do nothing. It would depend on leadership, impact, etc. I just don't see it moving a needle in those areas in 6 weeks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So damned weird that these people have to come to a DMV website for college admissions advice.

We're spoiled here in the DMV! These kinds of spaces are rare in 2026.
Jeff doing the lord's work lol

[Anonymous]

One summer before senior year... not one year...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a big believer in shooting for the stars. That being said, he will not get into Stanford, Harvard, or MIT with "lackluster ECs." He should apply broadly and I see no reason why he can't get into a top 25 if he has excellent grades and test scores and writes compelling essays. I would not recommend he ED to a school like Tufts if he does not absolutely love it.

WashU ED1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a big believer in shooting for the stars. That being said, he will not get into Stanford, Harvard, or MIT with "lackluster ECs." He should apply broadly and I see no reason why he can't get into a top 25 if he has excellent grades and test scores and writes compelling essays. I would not recommend he ED to a school like Tufts if he does not absolutely love it.

WashU ED1

If you check the CDS for those where ECs are only considered, I think WashU ED works here......or UChicago ED1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is a DMV-centered website. We don't know shit about suburban Boston public high schools. How are we supposed to know?

You're paying some dude to advise you. Listen to him. Not us.

You seem nice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DS is going to be valedictorian or salutatorian at his competitive public high school in suburban Boston. After hearing horror stories from others, I have been prepping him to use ED wisely, not aim mit etc, and expect to not even get into t20 or most t40 schools rd. We just hired a college counselor who recommending keeping Harvard and Stanford on our teach list. Now he likely won’t Ed to a school like tufts thinking those schools could be possible. He is a full pay white boy and has no hook and lackluster ecs without leadership. Are these schools possible? Is this college counselor leading us to disappointment?

Harvard favors Boston area publics, just as Penn favors Philly kids and Yale favors New Haven publics. Look at the school's Scoir data. That should tell you. Val/Sal is not nearly as important as being the student with the top rigor. Best is to have both. Lackluster ECs will hurt slightly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DS is going to be valedictorian or salutatorian at his competitive public high school in suburban Boston. After hearing horror stories from others, I have been prepping him to use ED wisely, not aim mit etc, and expect to not even get into t20 or most t40 schools rd. We just hired a college counselor who recommending keeping Harvard and Stanford on our teach list. Now he likely won’t Ed to a school like tufts thinking those schools could be possible. He is a full pay white boy and has no hook and lackluster ecs without leadership. Are these schools possible? Is this college counselor leading us to disappointment?

BOY VAL is almost a hook these days at the top schools: 60% of the app pool is female at T10/ivy yet they balance for gender thus better odds for boys, especially top boys. As long as coursework was max across all 5 core areas.

[Anonymous]

I mean, you can manufacture an entire linguistics or Latin Am studies or classics major (depending on language taken) in 6 months.....
Just give us intel. We can tell you what to do.