3.65 unweighted GPA and a 1580 SAT from a BIG 3 - What should realistically be on the list
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Anonymous
| So the OP is spending tens of thousands of dollars a year for one of the allegedly top private schools not only in this area but in the country, and has to go to this silly board to get recommendations for college? This is either a bizarre humble brag or that school sure is not what it’s cut out to be. |
Anonymous
Ding ding. Winner. “Oh jeepers my kid isn’t spectacular, merely great and gee can you guys tell me again how great he is? Did I mention top three?” Barf. |
Anonymous
| My kid went to a top one private and has perfect everything. What are his options? |
Anonymous
| Focus on schools who care about test scores. Wash U, Chicago, Tufts, Vanderbilt come to mind. The LACs like Amherst, Swat, Middlebury, Carleton. But surely these are on your radar already? |
Anonymous
Aren't HPYS-type schools highly unlikely for this kid regardless? If the kid has no hooks and good, but not amazing ECs (as seems to be the case if club leadership positions are the primary ones) it is not clear to me why any top 10 school would be realistic even for a kid with good grades at a top HS. There are thousands of kids across the country with almost perfect SATs or ACTs. |
Anonymous
My child with similar stats went big state U because of the free ride and personality match. Did not even try for competitive schools-went for scholarship money. We appreciated this and respect the smart decision to enter law school in a few years debt free. |
Anonymous
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What are your DC's academic strengths?
What are your DC's academic interests? Do they have a likely major (or 3?) If so, what are they? Do they like cold weather, hot weather, don't care? How far away is okay? Do they like the rural, suburban or urban feel? Do they like small or large schools or something in between? Is money a factor? Do they have a sport, instrument or club interest they want to continue in college? What are the in state options that appeal to them? |
Anonymous
My DC with 3.7 and 34 ACT from top private was rejected from UVA, UMCP and WL/rejected from Ohio State. It is really hard when you don't have the weighted GPA. They did get into all of the privates, even reaches and some big merit packages on the targets/safeties. They could have gotten full ride at some OOS, but none they were interested in. |
Anonymous
It can be hard at schools that don't have the staff to perform truly holistic admissions (see Ohio State, where they flat-out tell you that during campus visits). |
Anonymous
| Every top 20 school should be considered a "reach" --Things have changed... |
Anonymous
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"Aren't HPYS-type schools highly unlikely for this kid regardless? If the kid has no hooks and good, but not amazing ECs (as seems to be the case if club leadership positions are the primary ones) it is not clear to me why any top 10 school would be realistic even for a kid with good grades at a top HS. There are thousands of kids across the country with almost perfect SATs or ACTs."
Maybe, maybe not. One of the huge advantages of the Big 3 is that they have sent Dozens of students to HYPS. That is an advantage because if the student has totally impressed two or three teachers of those dozens then their recs can really matter. At a HS that has never sent a student to HYPS, teacher recs don't mean much because they have never seen future HYPS students. |
Anonymous
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HYSP is out unless you have hooks or legacy
If DC wants liberal alerts, I’d focus on SLACs esp. if you are full pay |
Anonymous
Any guess as to how many of those dozens had no legacy status or other hooks and non-remarkable ECs? There is probably no way to figure this out, but it sure would make the picture clearer. Certainly agree that a rave recommendation from a star teacher at a school like that gives an applicant a major boost. |
Anonymous
This is so helpful! Thanks! I have a junior at a competitive private who has a 3.7 (maybe 3.65) and a 34 ACT, so good to know. She is interested in SLACs. Glad to know she may have a chance. We were worried about the "low" GPA. She is in the highest track of math (although has not been getting A's in that track, hence the 3.7) and has taken a rigorous schedule (her school no longer offers AP because "all of their classes are rigorous"--whatever). |
Anonymous
Dozens over the past decade, maybe, but certainly not dozens per year. Not even close. |