B Students at St Albans and NCS - where end up?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look into Rice - top 20, but under the radar in this area.

No. I have a B/B+ student at a private with a similar profile who went through admissions this year. He was unhooked with a SAT well above 1500. There seemed to be a pretty hard cut off at schools with a less than 20-25% admissions rate. Schools that he hoped would be possibilities like University of Southern California and Rice were not options. His choices looked like those mentioned in 13:36. Schools where he was admitted or that were possibilities included: Michigan, UMCP, Wake Forest, Colgate, Emory, Tulane, Bucknell etc.

When you say "were not options" do you mean he applied but didn't get in, or just decided not to bother applying because he figured he wouldn't get in?

Ah, hope springs eternal, LOL.

Yes, hope was springing eternal :} DS was hoping that the rigor of his courses at a tough school plus SATs that were around the 75% or higher for USC would be enough. The college counselor made clear that Rice was so far out of the question that he didn't apply. He was not admitted to USC. FWIW, he actually worked a decent amount for his B+ GPA; it wasn't the case that he was a complete slacker. He was also in the highest level of classes in math and science. Other kids, however, were willing to work much harder. He will attend one of the more competitive schools listed above.

How about UVA? My junior DD at private has similar stats and UVA is her no. 1 choice.

[Anonymous]

I am curious about college options for a an African American B student from a well regarded private on tjis
Board. He did not ya ke the toughest courses... he is very social. An excellent athlete but probably will
Not get recruited by a Division 1 team. 30
On Act. Of course we have takes to the college counselor at his school but interested
On a second opinion

[Anonymous]

DC had a 3.7 at a comparable school, and the college counselor made it clear that Rice was a reach school. DC expressed serious interest, applied early, and got in. DC is having a fabulous time there. It's a terrific place, and definitely becoming less and less of a hidden gem in this area.

[Anonymous]

Pp how many years ago?

[Anonymous]

Last year.

[Anonymous]

A 3.7 from my HS was an A- average. Is that what we're talking about? If so, I was unhooked, but with a perfect 2400 SAT, and got into one of HYP early with that GPA (which put me at just below the top 1/3rd of my class, for context). I had other good things on my resume, obviously, but nothing that would remotely qualify as a "hook." (White female with lawyer parents from NYC.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC had a 3.7 at a comparable school, and the college counselor made it clear that Rice was a reach school. DC expressed serious interest, applied early, and got in. DC is having a fabulous time there. It's a terrific place, and definitely becoming less and less of a hidden gem in this area.

Every selective school is a reach in the sense that there is considerable randomness in the process. With a 3.7 from a school like Sidwell or NCS/STA Rice should be attainable, providing that the student expresses strong interest and applies early. Really, such a student should have a reasonable chance of getting into most schools apart from HYPS. A 3.25 or a 3.00 is an entirely different matter.

[Anonymous]

23:02: I agree. That is why DC decided to apply to Rice early. We wanted to maximize chances of getting in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A 3.7 from my HS was an A- average. Is that what we're talking about? If so, I was unhooked, but with a perfect 2400 SAT, and got into one of HYP early with that GPA (which put me at just below the top 1/3rd of my class, for context). I had other good things on my resume, obviously, but nothing that would remotely qualify as a "hook." (White female with lawyer parents from NYC.)

A 3.7, perfect Sats, no hooks won't get you into HYP today. You'd be very lucky to get into one top 10, and two or three more in the 10-25 range.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC had a 3.7 at a comparable school, and the college counselor made it clear that Rice was a reach school. DC expressed serious interest, applied early, and got in. DC is having a fabulous time there. It's a terrific place, and definitely becoming less and less of a hidden gem in this area.

Any school with acceptance rates in the 25% range and below is a reach for everyone. Unless you have a great hook. Not impossible, but that is why there are classifications for reach, match, and safety.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A 3.7 from my HS was an A- average. Is that what we're talking about? If so, I was unhooked, but with a perfect 2400 SAT, and got into one of HYP early with that GPA (which put me at just below the top 1/3rd of my class, for context). I had other good things on my resume, obviously, but nothing that would remotely qualify as a "hook." (White female with lawyer parents from NYC.)

A 3.7, perfect Sats, no hooks won't get you into HYP today. You'd be very lucky to get into one top 10, and two or three more in the 10-25 range.

I just graduated. I realize it gets harder every year, but the process has not changed entirely in 5 years. I thought I wouldn't get into HYP to be honest, but my guidance counselor approved my list of H/Y/P, H/Y/P, Brown, MIT, UChicago and Michigan without concern (we're only allowed to apply to 5 privates), so clearly didn't share your doom and gloom philosophy. I came from a very competitive HS that sends about 15-20 to HYPS every year, FWIW.

[Anonymous]

What about NESCAC schools...are these A or B students from St Albans and NCS who typically go there?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A 3.7 from my HS was an A- average. Is that what we're talking about? If so, I was unhooked, but with a perfect 2400 SAT, and got into one of HYP early with that GPA (which put me at just below the top 1/3rd of my class, for context). I had other good things on my resume, obviously, but nothing that would remotely qualify as a "hook." (White female with lawyer parents from NYC.)

A 3.7, perfect Sats, no hooks won't get you into HYP today. You'd be very lucky to get into one top 10, and two or three more in the 10-25 range.

I just graduated. I realize it gets harder every year, but the process has not changed entirely in 5 years. I thought I wouldn't get into HYP to be honest, but my guidance counselor approved my list of H/Y/P, H/Y/P, Brown, MIT, UChicago and Michigan without concern (we're only allowed to apply to 5 privates), so clearly didn't share your doom and gloom philosophy. I came from a very competitive HS that sends about 15-20 to HYPS every year, FWIW.

Which school limits your applications to only 5 private colleges?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My sense is that once one gets beyond the top 1/3 or so of the class, you see more kids attending SLAC and fewer going to large universities.

At the point it seems to depend on whether the kid has a mix of As and Bs or closer to straight Bs.

The A/B kids seem to attend many of the mid-range NEAC colleges (e.g., not Williams and Amherst or Trinity or Conn. Coll.) or Kenyon or Oberlin. If they attend a university it may be Michigan, Tulane, Boston College, Wake Forest, etc.

The straight B kids seem to attend well-regarded, but not top SLACs. Think Dickinson, Gettysburg, Trinity Connecticut College. If they attend a university, it might be BU, Wisconsin, or Northeastern. I.e., sold B students with decent scores get into solid schools.

Do your homework.... You can not get into Tulane University with a B average! 30 ACT, 3.6 GPA plus to be looked at.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look into Rice - top 20, but under the radar in this area.

No. I have a B/B+ student at a private with a similar profile who went through admissions this year. He was unhooked with a SAT well above 1500. There seemed to be a pretty hard cut off at schools with a less than 20-25% admissions rate. Schools that he hoped would be possibilities like University of Southern California and Rice were not options. His choices looked like those mentioned in 13:36. Schools where he was admitted or that were possibilities included: Michigan, UMCP, Wake Forest, Colgate, Emory, Tulane, Bucknell etc.

When you say "were not options" do you mean he applied but didn't get in, or just decided not to bother applying because he figured he wouldn't get in?

Ah, hope springs eternal, LOL.

Yes, hope was springing eternal :} DS was hoping that the rigor of his courses at a tough school plus SATs that were around the 75% or higher for USC would be enough. The college counselor made clear that Rice was so far out of the question that he didn't apply. He was not admitted to USC. FWIW, he actually worked a decent amount for his B+ GPA; it wasn't the case that he was a complete slacker. He was also in the highest level of classes in math and science. Other kids, however, were willing to work much harder. He will attend one of the more competitive schools listed above.

How about UVA? My junior DD at private has similar stats and UVA is her no. 1 choice.

MY DC at a very well respected private had better grades than OP's DC, similar test scores, in state, attended Governor's Academy last summer and other excellent ECs and was waitlisted at UVA last month. Colleges must have thought the essays and recs were good because accepted at the two top 20 SLACs applied to and W&M.