VA Tech Releasing Some Decisions at 5 pm Today

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They have inflated grades and curated applications from expensive college counselors.

But inflated standardized test scores from expensive tutors are different...RIGHT?

Very few kids do that. The group least likely to use test prep is surprisingly white kids. Asians prep the most, followed by black kids, then Hispanics.

I'd love to see stats to back this assertion up.

Asians, I get since test prep is ingrained in the culture and is a lucrative industry in home countries. Whites have more access to tools, especially via paid means to test prep.

Standardized testing in the U.S. was designed to exclude blacks from certain institutions, educational or otherwise.

Some ( namely UMC whites who use paid test prep) tout Khan Academy via pull-yourself-from-bootstraps speak, but the digital divide is real in America: many blacks, Hispanics, and poor whites ( think Appalachia) don't have high speed internet access at home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is always an undercurrent of spite or something about VT here. Admission is not guaranteed for anyone.

Yes! Like clockwork, every year, the tantrum-throwing parents of applicants throw their fits. While VT accepts a lot of high-stats kids, they are under NO obligation to accept all of them. They can pick and choose whomever they want, just like any other school. Some students have more compelling applications than others, just like any other school.

And people: NO ONE has received a rejection yet, correct? Looks like they're simply sending out acceptances as they get to them, and they haven't even done all of those yet. Everyone needs to relax.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think VTech should have been clear who the initial letter (letting people know that some acceptances would be sent at 5) was sent to. If it was emailed to ALL EA applicants everyone would feel better. It sounds like that email may NOT have gone to EA applicants, which of course makes those who didn't get a 5 pm notice assume their application HAS been reviewed and put in a reject or defer pile.

Also, the letter was poorly written. Not impressed. And I noted that the letter said that accepted students shouldn't expect their packet in the mail until LATE February? WTH? Is VTech known to have a poorly run Admissions Dept?

Yes VT is known to have a poorly run admissions department. Who could forget the over enrollment a few years ago and Tech absolutely does yield protect. They are terrible at figuring out their yield. It’s a known thing in the college counseling circles.

This early release is very odd and if my kid had applied, they’d feel pretty put off by it.

DP. What a truly silly post. They are not known for the bolded, and they do not yield protect. I predicted a few weeks ago that we'd see posts just like yours once VT decisions started coming out and you did not disappoint.

They are definitely known for a poorly run admissions office. Did you miss the mess they created a few years ago when they admitted way too many and had to buy hotels for housing and scramble to have enough classes in the schedule to accommodate? Now they suddenly decide to do some odd form of rolling admissions in the middle of the process. Not to mention the late change away from ED. Truly sloppy administration.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is always an undercurrent of spite or something about VT here. Admission is not guaranteed for anyone.

+1 I think the difficult thing with VT is they used to be very predictable and now they are not. Yes, they seem to yield-protect with high stats students but lots of high-stats kids do get in. I would assume their short-answer questions are the difference maker there. They are very clear that those questions are important. So it's not necessarily rejecting students because they don't think you'll come but rejecting because they don't see you as a fit.

This early release sounds to me a lot like W&M's "cipher cards" where they tell a subset of students that they are going to get good news without actually releasing a decision. Not getting a cipher doesn't mean you aren't in and it's the same situation here.

PRECISELY!! And we don't see parents getting upset about not getting cipher cards ahead of decisions. This is very much the same situation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People love to bash VT and then act surprised when they don’t get in.

+100
Makes me kind of glad they don't get in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think VTech should have been clear who the initial letter (letting people know that some acceptances would be sent at 5) was sent to. If it was emailed to ALL EA applicants everyone would feel better. It sounds like that email may NOT have gone to EA applicants, which of course makes those who didn't get a 5 pm notice assume their application HAS been reviewed and put in a reject or defer pile.

Also, the letter was poorly written. Not impressed. And I noted that the letter said that accepted students shouldn't expect their packet in the mail until LATE February? WTH? Is VTech known to have a poorly run Admissions Dept?

Yes VT is known to have a poorly run admissions department. Who could forget the over enrollment a few years ago and Tech absolutely does yield protect. They are terrible at figuring out their yield. It’s a known thing in the college counseling circles.

This early release is very odd and if my kid had applied, they’d feel pretty put off by it.

DP. What a truly silly post. They are not known for the bolded, and they do not yield protect. I predicted a few weeks ago that we'd see posts just like yours once VT decisions started coming out and you did not disappoint.

They are definitely known for a poorly run admissions office. Did you miss the mess they created a few years ago when they admitted way too many and had to buy hotels for housing and scramble to have enough classes in the schedule to accommodate? Now they suddenly decide to do some odd form of rolling admissions in the middle of the process. Not to mention the late change away from ED. Truly sloppy administration.

Then why do apply or care what VT does? Seriously. If they are so bad, why are you invested when your kid can go somewhere else?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The point is that VT has created all this speculation. Ok, so they send 25% acceptances during the 'EA' round. But why send an email to others and no email to others. My DS got an email and no acceptance and it's so unnerving and leading to all this speculation to calm ourselves down. Why not just tell us straight up?!

Would you prefer no email at all? They're being transparent by keeping you abreast of the situation. Chill out.

Their communication was awful.

If they sent out a note last week that they are reviewing applications based on when they were received and will be communicating on batches, fine. But they just “suprised” people by posting some acceptances, emailing others that some would be notified and not notifying others. Poorly thought out when they initially said EA decisions would go out in February.

OMG. So you're saying if they had just sent an email one week earlier, explaining exactly what they explained in the actual email, you'd be content? And you'd prefer that they had just waited until February to release all decisions? I bet the batch who was notified yesterday is thrilled that they didn't have to wait.

Honestly, they should just return to ED next year to bypass all this ridiculous complaining. Of course, some of you would complain about that, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People love to bash VT and then act surprised when they don’t get in.

Huh? What would bashing VT have anything to do with admittance?

I think he means that some people like to claim VT isn't that great a school and some people are surprised when they don't get in. He's only wrong in believing that the two groups are the same people. He's not very bright.

Word salad.
DP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think Va Tech might have alienated a lot of kids and parents who thought they had a good shot at getting admitted with this pre-Christmas "soft rejection." Why send the notification to everyone? I'm the parent of a Va resident applicant with 1510 SAT, 4.3 GPA and completed/taking 12 AP courses (only courses left in the school for them to take that build on previous STEM courses) with 5 x AP test 4s and 5s (none lower) including a 5 on AP Calc. Not admitted yesterday although two friends from another HS with lower SAT/ACT scores were, and now wondering what they're looking for as a STEM candidate. Just a very unpleasant surprise for all of us.

You sound entitled. Admission to any college isn't guaranteed.

You're also sucked into the false narrative that SAT/ACT scores are determining factors. They are not.

ACT and SAT scores really should matter most at an engineering school.

Test optional does not help smart poor kids.

+1 Agree

Test optional helps rich and upper middle class kids with mediocre test scores and likely hurts smart and brilliant poor kids, who don't have access to expensive college counselors and who don't have the money and leisure time to pursue expensive extracurricular activities to pad their applications.

If the upper middle class and rich kids have mediocre grades they’re not getting in. Activities don’t matter much. Expensive test prep does, and poor kids don’t have that.

They have inflated grades and curated applications from expensive college counselors.

Going test optional removes the one impartial equalizer available for poor smart kids, and raises opportunities for wealthy and upper middle class kids.

DP. Maybe take up your grudge with the 99% of other colleges that are also test optional.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The point is that VT has created all this speculation. Ok, so they send 25% acceptances during the 'EA' round. But why send an email to others and no email to others. My DS got an email and no acceptance and it's so unnerving and leading to all this speculation to calm ourselves down. Why not just tell us straight up?!

Would you prefer no email at all? They're being transparent by keeping you abreast of the situation. Chill out.

Yes.

Or a differently worded email that went out to everyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The point is that VT has created all this speculation. Ok, so they send 25% acceptances during the 'EA' round. But why send an email to others and no email to others. My DS got an email and no acceptance and it's so unnerving and leading to all this speculation to calm ourselves down. Why not just tell us straight up?!

Would you prefer no email at all? They're being transparent by keeping you abreast of the situation. Chill out.

Their communication was awful.

If they sent out a note last week that they are reviewing applications based on when they were received and will be communicating on batches, fine. But they just “suprised” people by posting some acceptances, emailing others that some would be notified and not notifying others. Poorly thought out when they initially said EA decisions would go out in February.

OMG. So you're saying if they had just sent an email one week earlier, explaining exactly what they explained in the actual email, you'd be content? And you'd prefer that they had just waited until February to release all decisions? I bet the batch who was notified yesterday is thrilled that they didn't have to wait.

Honestly, they should just return to ED next year to bypass all this ridiculous complaining. Of course, some of you would complain about that, too.

No, they shouldn’t change the process midstream. Not now and not one week ago. They should know upfront how they handle admissions, inform students and then do it. They’re really unprofessional.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think VTech should have been clear who the initial letter (letting people know that some acceptances would be sent at 5) was sent to. If it was emailed to ALL EA applicants everyone would feel better. It sounds like that email may NOT have gone to EA applicants, which of course makes those who didn't get a 5 pm notice assume their application HAS been reviewed and put in a reject or defer pile.

Also, the letter was poorly written. Not impressed. And I noted that the letter said that accepted students shouldn't expect their packet in the mail until LATE February? WTH? Is VTech known to have a poorly run Admissions Dept?

Yes VT is known to have a poorly run admissions department. Who could forget the over enrollment a few years ago and Tech absolutely does yield protect. They are terrible at figuring out their yield. It’s a known thing in the college counseling circles.

This early release is very odd and if my kid had applied, they’d feel pretty put off by it.

DP. What a truly silly post. They are not known for the bolded, and they do not yield protect. I predicted a few weeks ago that we'd see posts just like yours once VT decisions started coming out and you did not disappoint.

They are definitely known for a poorly run admissions office. Did you miss the mess they created a few years ago when they admitted way too many and had to buy hotels for housing and scramble to have enough classes in the schedule to accommodate? Now they suddenly decide to do some odd form of rolling admissions in the middle of the process. Not to mention the late change away from ED. Truly sloppy administration.

Someone is completely triggered. Yes, they had ONE year in which the yield was far greater than anticipated. So what? It hasn't happened again and all is well. Maybe take a deep breath and try and enjoy your holidays.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They have inflated grades and curated applications from expensive college counselors.

But inflated standardized test scores from expensive tutors are different...RIGHT?

Very few kids do that. The group least likely to use test prep is surprisingly white kids. Asians prep the most, followed by black kids, then Hispanics.

I'd love to see stats to back this assertion up.

Asians, I get since test prep is ingrained in the culture and is a lucrative industry in home countries. Whites have more access to tools, especially via paid means to test prep.

Standardized testing in the U.S. was designed to exclude blacks from certain institutions, educational or otherwise.

Some ( namely UMC whites who use paid test prep) tout Khan Academy via pull-yourself-from-bootstraps speak, but the digital divide is real in America: many blacks, Hispanics, and poor whites ( think Appalachia) don't have high speed internet access at home.

An average kid cannot test prep their way into a 99th percentile score, no matter how much their grades are inflated or how much they spend on tutors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think Va Tech might have alienated a lot of kids and parents who thought they had a good shot at getting admitted with this pre-Christmas "soft rejection." Why send the notification to everyone? I'm the parent of a Va resident applicant with 1510 SAT, 4.3 GPA and completed/taking 12 AP courses (only courses left in the school for them to take that build on previous STEM courses) with 5 x AP test 4s and 5s (none lower) including a 5 on AP Calc. Not admitted yesterday although two friends from another HS with lower SAT/ACT scores were, and now wondering what they're looking for as a STEM candidate. Just a very unpleasant surprise for all of us.

You sound entitled. Admission to any college isn't guaranteed.

You're also sucked into the false narrative that SAT/ACT scores are determining factors. They are not.

ACT and SAT scores really should matter most at an engineering school.

Test optional does not help smart poor kids.

+1 Agree

Test optional helps rich and upper middle class kids with mediocre test scores and likely hurts smart and brilliant poor kids, who don't have access to expensive college counselors and who don't have the money and leisure time to pursue expensive extracurricular activities to pad their applications.

If the upper middle class and rich kids have mediocre grades they’re not getting in. Activities don’t matter much. Expensive test prep does, and poor kids don’t have that.

They have inflated grades and curated applications from expensive college counselors.

Going test optional removes the one impartial equalizer available for poor smart kids, and raises opportunities for wealthy and upper middle class kids.

DP. Maybe take up your grudge with the 99% of other colleges that are also test optional.

No grudge.

2 of my kids were one and done 1500+ scores with zero prep. The other will spend hours on prep to get a 1200.

Test optional is against poor smart kids who get high schools at crappy schools with no prep, tutors or $$ college counselors

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think Va Tech might have alienated a lot of kids and parents who thought they had a good shot at getting admitted with this pre-Christmas "soft rejection." Why send the notification to everyone? I'm the parent of a Va resident applicant with 1510 SAT, 4.3 GPA and completed/taking 12 AP courses (only courses left in the school for them to take that build on previous STEM courses) with 5 x AP test 4s and 5s (none lower) including a 5 on AP Calc. Not admitted yesterday although two friends from another HS with lower SAT/ACT scores were, and now wondering what they're looking for as a STEM candidate. Just a very unpleasant surprise for all of us.

You sound entitled. Admission to any college isn't guaranteed.

You're also sucked into the false narrative that SAT/ACT scores are determining factors. They are not.

ACT and SAT scores really should matter most at an engineering school.

Test optional does not help smart poor kids.

+1 Agree

Test optional helps rich and upper middle class kids with mediocre test scores and likely hurts smart and brilliant poor kids, who don't have access to expensive college counselors and who don't have the money and leisure time to pursue expensive extracurricular activities to pad their applications.

If the upper middle class and rich kids have mediocre grades they’re not getting in. Activities don’t matter much. Expensive test prep does, and poor kids don’t have that.

They have inflated grades and curated applications from expensive college counselors.

Going test optional removes the one impartial equalizer available for poor smart kids, and raises opportunities for wealthy and upper middle class kids.

DP. Maybe take up your grudge with the 99% of other colleges that are also test optional.

No grudge.

2 of my kids were one and done 1500+ scores with zero prep. The other will spend hours on prep to get a 1200.

Test optional is against poor smart kids who get high schools at crappy schools with no prep, tutors or $$ college counselors

Cite?