Virginia Tech

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New poster here. Let’s be fair and rational about this. Yes, there are students at the very top of the class in FCPS who choose VT. But there are many more who choose UVA, William & Mary, OOS flagships, and top privates. Tech is not a typical destination for very top students - except maybe engineering.

How do you know who is very top? How do you know colleges agree with your assessment of who is very top?

DP. Please, let’s not pretend that any competitive college does not consider top students based on grades, test scores and ECs.

Ive had three kids graduate from a large NOVA public high school in the last five years and another from a private school in DC and it’s relatively easy to guess who’s considered a top student, both by the HS and by colleges. For one thing, we’ve got access to Naviance and that is a pretty accurate indication of the grades and test scores of whose getting in where. And if you, as a parent are involved at the HS and your kid’s life, you have a decent sense of who the student leaders are in various activities and who earns what awards at assemblies. And then there is the fact that every quarter the public school posts on a bulletin board by the main entrance who made principal’s list and honor roll by grade and the private school posts the rankings of the top 20% at the end of every semester by its main office. No, I wasn’t obsessed and tracking each student’s successes or grades or college admissions and I’m sure I don’t know who all the top students are but it’s not that difficult to know who most are. And, yes, in my very recent experience with four kids in private and public HS, the majority of top students are picking UVA over Tech if deciding between the two. My kids had/have plenty of very smart friends at Tech but the vast majority who also applied to UVA were either rejected or waitlisted by UVA.

Of course this is what colleges consider. The point is no matter how many anecdotes parents observe, they have not reviewed the applications. The key word here is "guess."

Except here all of the relevant metrics - admission rate, yield, grades and test scores - are all published by the state and are easily accessible to anyone interested. And they leave no doubt that UVA attracts and enrolls way more top students than VT. It’s not even debatable.

You know for a fact that every kid that applied to VT also applied to UVA? You know for a fact that every kid that got in at UVA was also accepted at VT?

It’s impossible to reason with someone so stubborn and illogical. You are never going to be convinced. Willful blindness.

The process is far more nuanced and cannot be simplified to anecdotes and limited data.

+100
Checking a list by the front office doesn’t tell you who is involved in a very selective activity outside of school. It doesn’t tell you about the countless hours spent doing that activity, or the awards won because of it. It doesn’t describe anything at all about a student, other than a grade. That’s it. It’s amusing that the PP thinks she actually knows who is doing what, beyond basic grades. She doesn’t have a clue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New poster here. Let’s be fair and rational about this. Yes, there are students at the very top of the class in FCPS who choose VT. But there are many more who choose UVA, William & Mary, OOS flagships, and top privates. Tech is not a typical destination for very top students - except maybe engineering.

How do you know who is very top? How do you know colleges agree with your assessment of who is very top?

DP. Please, let’s not pretend that any competitive college does not consider top students based on grades, test scores and ECs.

Ive had three kids graduate from a large NOVA public high school in the last five years and another from a private school in DC and it’s relatively easy to guess who’s considered a top student, both by the HS and by colleges. For one thing, we’ve got access to Naviance and that is a pretty accurate indication of the grades and test scores of whose getting in where. And if you, as a parent are involved at the HS and your kid’s life, you have a decent sense of who the student leaders are in various activities and who earns what awards at assemblies. And then there is the fact that every quarter the public school posts on a bulletin board by the main entrance who made principal’s list and honor roll by grade and the private school posts the rankings of the top 20% at the end of every semester by its main office. No, I wasn’t obsessed and tracking each student’s successes or grades or college admissions and I’m sure I don’t know who all the top students are but it’s not that difficult to know who most are. And, yes, in my very recent experience with four kids in private and public HS, the majority of top students are picking UVA over Tech if deciding between the two. My kids had/have plenty of very smart friends at Tech but the vast majority who also applied to UVA were either rejected or waitlisted by UVA.

Of course this is what colleges consider. The point is no matter how many anecdotes parents observe, they have not reviewed the applications. The key word here is "guess."

Except here all of the relevant metrics - admission rate, yield, grades and test scores - are all published by the state and are easily accessible to anyone interested. And they leave no doubt that UVA attracts and enrolls way more top students than VT. It’s not even debatable.

You know for a fact that every kid that applied to VT also applied to UVA? You know for a fact that every kid that got in at UVA was also accepted at VT?

It’s impossible to reason with someone so stubborn and illogical. You are never going to be convinced. Willful blindness.

The process is far more nuanced and cannot be simplified to anecdotes and limited data.

+100
Checking a list by the front office doesn’t tell you who is involved in a very selective activity outside of school. It doesn’t tell you about the countless hours spent doing that activity, or the awards won because of it. It doesn’t describe anything at all about a student, other than a grade. That’s it. It’s amusing that the PP thinks she actually knows who is doing what, beyond basic grades. She doesn’t have a clue.

You know nothing about college admissions. Sure, a “very selective” activity looks good on an application and can make a real difference when choosing between that applicant and another applicant with similar numbers who doesn’t have that or another activity - but unless the applicant is being recruited for the activity it won’t take the place of grades and (to a lesser extent) test scores.

The state doesn’t publish a list of extracurricular activities for a reason: they don’t matter nearly as much. In fact, if anything they matter LESS at VT than UVA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New poster here. Let’s be fair and rational about this. Yes, there are students at the very top of the class in FCPS who choose VT. But there are many more who choose UVA, William & Mary, OOS flagships, and top privates. Tech is not a typical destination for very top students - except maybe engineering.

How do you know who is very top? How do you know colleges agree with your assessment of who is very top?

DP. Please, let’s not pretend that any competitive college does not consider top students based on grades, test scores and ECs.

Ive had three kids graduate from a large NOVA public high school in the last five years and another from a private school in DC and it’s relatively easy to guess who’s considered a top student, both by the HS and by colleges. For one thing, we’ve got access to Naviance and that is a pretty accurate indication of the grades and test scores of whose getting in where. And if you, as a parent are involved at the HS and your kid’s life, you have a decent sense of who the student leaders are in various activities and who earns what awards at assemblies. And then there is the fact that every quarter the public school posts on a bulletin board by the main entrance who made principal’s list and honor roll by grade and the private school posts the rankings of the top 20% at the end of every semester by its main office. No, I wasn’t obsessed and tracking each student’s successes or grades or college admissions and I’m sure I don’t know who all the top students are but it’s not that difficult to know who most are. And, yes, in my very recent experience with four kids in private and public HS, the majority of top students are picking UVA over Tech if deciding between the two. My kids had/have plenty of very smart friends at Tech but the vast majority who also applied to UVA were either rejected or waitlisted by UVA.

Of course this is what colleges consider. The point is no matter how many anecdotes parents observe, they have not reviewed the applications. The key word here is "guess."

Except here all of the relevant metrics - admission rate, yield, grades and test scores - are all published by the state and are easily accessible to anyone interested. And they leave no doubt that UVA attracts and enrolls way more top students than VT. It’s not even debatable.

You know for a fact that every kid that applied to VT also applied to UVA? You know for a fact that every kid that got in at UVA was also accepted at VT?

It’s impossible to reason with someone so stubborn and illogical. You are never going to be convinced. Willful blindness.

The process is far more nuanced and cannot be simplified to anecdotes and limited data.

+100
Checking a list by the front office doesn’t tell you who is involved in a very selective activity outside of school. It doesn’t tell you about the countless hours spent doing that activity, or the awards won because of it. It doesn’t describe anything at all about a student, other than a grade. That’s it. It’s amusing that the PP thinks she actually knows who is doing what, beyond basic grades. She doesn’t have a clue.

You know nothing about college admissions. Sure, a “very selective” activity looks good on an application and can make a real difference when choosing between that applicant and another applicant with similar numbers who doesn’t have that or another activity - but unless the applicant is being recruited for the activity it won’t take the place of grades and (to a lesser extent) test scores.

The state doesn’t publish a list of extracurricular activities for a reason: they don’t matter nearly as much. In fact, if anything they matter LESS at VT than UVA.

How do you know?

[Anonymous]

LOL Certain folks going on irrational tirades and MY posts get blocked. 🤣 That's good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps we ought to discuss why UVA is allowed to have a 24% admission rate as a state-funded PUBLIC university. It shouldn't receive state funding with such a low admission rate, since it is not really serving enough Virginia students.

I can play this game, too.

Sorry, but it’s no more selective than Virginia Tech. We have no idea what you’re talking about.

Sorry, you can’t have it both ways.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps we ought to discuss why UVA is allowed to have a 24% admission rate as a state-funded PUBLIC university. It shouldn't receive state funding with such a low admission rate, since it is not really serving enough Virginia students.

I can play this game, too.

Sorry, but it’s no more selective than Virginia Tech. We have no idea what you’re talking about.

Huh? Virginia Tech has an acceptance rate of more than twice as much and the accepted students have lower academic profiles.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New poster here. Let’s be fair and rational about this. Yes, there are students at the very top of the class in FCPS who choose VT. But there are many more who choose UVA, William & Mary, OOS flagships, and top privates. Tech is not a typical destination for very top students - except maybe engineering.

How do you know who is very top? How do you know colleges agree with your assessment of who is very top?

DP. Please, let’s not pretend that any competitive college does not consider top students based on grades, test scores and ECs.

Ive had three kids graduate from a large NOVA public high school in the last five years and another from a private school in DC and it’s relatively easy to guess who’s considered a top student, both by the HS and by colleges. For one thing, we’ve got access to Naviance and that is a pretty accurate indication of the grades and test scores of whose getting in where. And if you, as a parent are involved at the HS and your kid’s life, you have a decent sense of who the student leaders are in various activities and who earns what awards at assemblies. And then there is the fact that every quarter the public school posts on a bulletin board by the main entrance who made principal’s list and honor roll by grade and the private school posts the rankings of the top 20% at the end of every semester by its main office. No, I wasn’t obsessed and tracking each student’s successes or grades or college admissions and I’m sure I don’t know who all the top students are but it’s not that difficult to know who most are. And, yes, in my very recent experience with four kids in private and public HS, the majority of top students are picking UVA over Tech if deciding between the two. My kids had/have plenty of very smart friends at Tech but the vast majority who also applied to UVA were either rejected or waitlisted by UVA.

Of course this is what colleges consider. The point is no matter how many anecdotes parents observe, they have not reviewed the applications. The key word here is "guess."

Except here all of the relevant metrics - admission rate, yield, grades and test scores - are all published by the state and are easily accessible to anyone interested. And they leave no doubt that UVA attracts and enrolls way more top students than VT. It’s not even debatable.

You know for a fact that every kid that applied to VT also applied to UVA? You know for a fact that every kid that got in at UVA was also accepted at VT?

It’s impossible to reason with someone so stubborn and illogical. You are never going to be convinced. Willful blindness.

The process is far more nuanced and cannot be simplified to anecdotes and limited data.

+100
Checking a list by the front office doesn’t tell you who is involved in a very selective activity outside of school. It doesn’t tell you about the countless hours spent doing that activity, or the awards won because of it. It doesn’t describe anything at all about a student, other than a grade. That’s it. It’s amusing that the PP thinks she actually knows who is doing what, beyond basic grades. She doesn’t have a clue.

You know nothing about college admissions. Sure, a “very selective” activity looks good on an application and can make a real difference when choosing between that applicant and another applicant with similar numbers who doesn’t have that or another activity - but unless the applicant is being recruited for the activity it won’t take the place of grades and (to a lesser extent) test scores.

The state doesn’t publish a list of extracurricular activities for a reason: they don’t matter nearly as much. In fact, if anything they matter LESS at VT than UVA.

I’m sorry, but you are absolutely wrong about this. Some activities aren’t “recruitable,” they are simply proof of an applicant’s deep knowledge base and commitment. It sounds as if you don’t know anything about either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New poster here. Let’s be fair and rational about this. Yes, there are students at the very top of the class in FCPS who choose VT. But there are many more who choose UVA, William & Mary, OOS flagships, and top privates. Tech is not a typical destination for very top students - except maybe engineering.

I'm sorry, but you are really out of touch if this is what you actually believe. VT has been the top in-state destination for many of our high school's most accomplished students for some time now. And not necessarily for engineering.

This is not what the data suggests.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New poster here. Let’s be fair and rational about this. Yes, there are students at the very top of the class in FCPS who choose VT. But there are many more who choose UVA, William & Mary, OOS flagships, and top privates. Tech is not a typical destination for very top students - except maybe engineering.

How do you know who is very top? How do you know colleges agree with your assessment of who is very top?

DP. Please, let’s not pretend that any competitive college does not consider top students based on grades, test scores and ECs.

Ive had three kids graduate from a large NOVA public high school in the last five years and another from a private school in DC and it’s relatively easy to guess who’s considered a top student, both by the HS and by colleges. For one thing, we’ve got access to Naviance and that is a pretty accurate indication of the grades and test scores of whose getting in where. And if you, as a parent are involved at the HS and your kid’s life, you have a decent sense of who the student leaders are in various activities and who earns what awards at assemblies. And then there is the fact that every quarter the public school posts on a bulletin board by the main entrance who made principal’s list and honor roll by grade and the private school posts the rankings of the top 20% at the end of every semester by its main office. No, I wasn’t obsessed and tracking each student’s successes or grades or college admissions and I’m sure I don’t know who all the top students are but it’s not that difficult to know who most are. And, yes, in my very recent experience with four kids in private and public HS, the majority of top students are picking UVA over Tech if deciding between the two. My kids had/have plenty of very smart friends at Tech but the vast majority who also applied to UVA were either rejected or waitlisted by UVA.

Of course this is what colleges consider. The point is no matter how many anecdotes parents observe, they have not reviewed the applications. The key word here is "guess."

Except here all of the relevant metrics - admission rate, yield, grades and test scores - are all published by the state and are easily accessible to anyone interested. And they leave no doubt that UVA attracts and enrolls way more top students than VT. It’s not even debatable.

You know for a fact that every kid that applied to VT also applied to UVA? You know for a fact that every kid that got in at UVA was also accepted at VT?

It’s impossible to reason with someone so stubborn and illogical. You are never going to be convinced. Willful blindness.

The process is far more nuanced and cannot be simplified to anecdotes and limited data.

+100
Checking a list by the front office doesn’t tell you who is involved in a very selective activity outside of school. It doesn’t tell you about the countless hours spent doing that activity, or the awards won because of it. It doesn’t describe anything at all about a student, other than a grade. That’s it. It’s amusing that the PP thinks she actually knows who is doing what, beyond basic grades. She doesn’t have a clue.

You know nothing about college admissions. Sure, a “very selective” activity looks good on an application and can make a real difference when choosing between that applicant and another applicant with similar numbers who doesn’t have that or another activity - but unless the applicant is being recruited for the activity it won’t take the place of grades and (to a lesser extent) test scores.

The state doesn’t publish a list of extracurricular activities for a reason: they don’t matter nearly as much. In fact, if anything they matter LESS at VT than UVA.

I’m sorry, but you are absolutely wrong about this. Some activities aren’t “recruitable,” they are simply proof of an applicant’s deep knowledge base and commitment. It sounds as if you don’t know anything about either.

VT makes clear on it’s Common Data Set that while class rigor, grades, state residency, first generation, geographic location and other factors are “important” factors considered when reviewing the application, a student’s extracurricular activity are not. They are merely “considered.” Evidence of a student’s “deep commitment” to an extracurricular, to use your words, doesn’t mean squat if the grades and classes aren’t up to bar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New poster here. Let’s be fair and rational about this. Yes, there are students at the very top of the class in FCPS who choose VT. But there are many more who choose UVA, William & Mary, OOS flagships, and top privates. Tech is not a typical destination for very top students - except maybe engineering.

I'm sorry, but you are really out of touch if this is what you actually believe. VT has been the top in-state destination for many of our high school's most accomplished students for some time now. And not necessarily for engineering.

This is not what the data suggests.

UVA and William & Mary are a harder admit overall. But it’s not just engineering at VT that’s difficult these days. Last year instate acceptance rate for Pamplin School of Business was 39% (and def lower for nova schools) I agree not quite the same as uva, but it’s still a tough admit (especially from Nova). At our school overall VT acceptance rate 22/23 school year was 35%, UVA 22%, W&M 20%

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New poster here. Let’s be fair and rational about this. Yes, there are students at the very top of the class in FCPS who choose VT. But there are many more who choose UVA, William & Mary, OOS flagships, and top privates. Tech is not a typical destination for very top students - except maybe engineering.

I'm sorry, but you are really out of touch if this is what you actually believe. VT has been the top in-state destination for many of our high school's most accomplished students for some time now. And not necessarily for engineering.

This is not what the data suggests.

UVA and William & Mary are a harder admit overall. But it’s not just engineering at VT that’s difficult these days. Last year instate acceptance rate for Pamplin School of Business was 39% (and def lower for nova schools) I agree not quite the same as uva, but it’s still a tough admit (especially from Nova). At our school overall VT acceptance rate 22/23 school year was 35%, UVA 22%, W&M 20%

-
Also need to look at the qualifications of the students who are applying--at our FCPS high school there are a lot of green checks--meaning acceptances-- for VT in the Naviance profile with quite a bit lower GPA and SAT than either W&M or UVA. Kids with weighted 3.8/1300 SATs are still regularly getting in whereas there are 0 kids for W&M or UVA under 4.0. There are clusters of red x's for VT at the higher end of GPA and SAT-my guess is those are engineering applicants. It's a very weird distribution if you just look like it as is. It looks like it's easier to get in the lower you are (to a certain point)--but I think that's just an artifact of applicants to engineering (and maybe business like you suggest) being a harder admit than the rest of the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New poster here. Let’s be fair and rational about this. Yes, there are students at the very top of the class in FCPS who choose VT. But there are many more who choose UVA, William & Mary, OOS flagships, and top privates. Tech is not a typical destination for very top students - except maybe engineering.

How do you know who is very top? How do you know colleges agree with your assessment of who is very top?

DP. Please, let’s not pretend that any competitive college does not consider top students based on grades, test scores and ECs.

Ive had three kids graduate from a large NOVA public high school in the last five years and another from a private school in DC and it’s relatively easy to guess who’s considered a top student, both by the HS and by colleges. For one thing, we’ve got access to Naviance and that is a pretty accurate indication of the grades and test scores of whose getting in where. And if you, as a parent are involved at the HS and your kid’s life, you have a decent sense of who the student leaders are in various activities and who earns what awards at assemblies. And then there is the fact that every quarter the public school posts on a bulletin board by the main entrance who made principal’s list and honor roll by grade and the private school posts the rankings of the top 20% at the end of every semester by its main office. No, I wasn’t obsessed and tracking each student’s successes or grades or college admissions and I’m sure I don’t know who all the top students are but it’s not that difficult to know who most are. And, yes, in my very recent experience with four kids in private and public HS, the majority of top students are picking UVA over Tech if deciding between the two. My kids had/have plenty of very smart friends at Tech but the vast majority who also applied to UVA were either rejected or waitlisted by UVA.

Of course this is what colleges consider. The point is no matter how many anecdotes parents observe, they have not reviewed the applications. The key word here is "guess."

Except here all of the relevant metrics - admission rate, yield, grades and test scores - are all published by the state and are easily accessible to anyone interested. And they leave no doubt that UVA attracts and enrolls way more top students than VT. It’s not even debatable.

You know for a fact that every kid that applied to VT also applied to UVA? You know for a fact that every kid that got in at UVA was also accepted at VT?

It’s impossible to reason with someone so stubborn and illogical. You are never going to be convinced. Willful blindness.

The process is far more nuanced and cannot be simplified to anecdotes and limited data.

+100
Checking a list by the front office doesn’t tell you who is involved in a very selective activity outside of school. It doesn’t tell you about the countless hours spent doing that activity, or the awards won because of it. It doesn’t describe anything at all about a student, other than a grade. That’s it. It’s amusing that the PP thinks she actually knows who is doing what, beyond basic grades. She doesn’t have a clue.

You know nothing about college admissions. Sure, a “very selective” activity looks good on an application and can make a real difference when choosing between that applicant and another applicant with similar numbers who doesn’t have that or another activity - but unless the applicant is being recruited for the activity it won’t take the place of grades and (to a lesser extent) test scores.

The state doesn’t publish a list of extracurricular activities for a reason: they don’t matter nearly as much. In fact, if anything they matter LESS at VT than UVA.

I’m sorry, but you are absolutely wrong about this. Some activities aren’t “recruitable,” they are simply proof of an applicant’s deep knowledge base and commitment. It sounds as if you don’t know anything about either.

VT makes clear on it’s Common Data Set that while class rigor, grades, state residency, first generation, geographic location and other factors are “important” factors considered when reviewing the application, a student’s extracurricular activity are not. They are merely “considered.” Evidence of a student’s “deep commitment” to an extracurricular, to use your words, doesn’t mean squat if the grades and classes aren’t up to bar.

True - but why would assume the grades and classes aren't up to par as well? That's what many posters are trying to tell you. You simply want to argue and keep talking about a school that isn't even the topic of this thread. Are you that insecure?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New poster here. Let’s be fair and rational about this. Yes, there are students at the very top of the class in FCPS who choose VT. But there are many more who choose UVA, William & Mary, OOS flagships, and top privates. Tech is not a typical destination for very top students - except maybe engineering.

How do you know who is very top? How do you know colleges agree with your assessment of who is very top?

DP. Please, let’s not pretend that any competitive college does not consider top students based on grades, test scores and ECs.

Ive had three kids graduate from a large NOVA public high school in the last five years and another from a private school in DC and it’s relatively easy to guess who’s considered a top student, both by the HS and by colleges. For one thing, we’ve got access to Naviance and that is a pretty accurate indication of the grades and test scores of whose getting in where. And if you, as a parent are involved at the HS and your kid’s life, you have a decent sense of who the student leaders are in various activities and who earns what awards at assemblies. And then there is the fact that every quarter the public school posts on a bulletin board by the main entrance who made principal’s list and honor roll by grade and the private school posts the rankings of the top 20% at the end of every semester by its main office. No, I wasn’t obsessed and tracking each student’s successes or grades or college admissions and I’m sure I don’t know who all the top students are but it’s not that difficult to know who most are. And, yes, in my very recent experience with four kids in private and public HS, the majority of top students are picking UVA over Tech if deciding between the two. My kids had/have plenty of very smart friends at Tech but the vast majority who also applied to UVA were either rejected or waitlisted by UVA.

Of course this is what colleges consider. The point is no matter how many anecdotes parents observe, they have not reviewed the applications. The key word here is "guess."

Except here all of the relevant metrics - admission rate, yield, grades and test scores - are all published by the state and are easily accessible to anyone interested. And they leave no doubt that UVA attracts and enrolls way more top students than VT. It’s not even debatable.

You know for a fact that every kid that applied to VT also applied to UVA? You know for a fact that every kid that got in at UVA was also accepted at VT?

It’s impossible to reason with someone so stubborn and illogical. You are never going to be convinced. Willful blindness.

The process is far more nuanced and cannot be simplified to anecdotes and limited data.

+100
Checking a list by the front office doesn’t tell you who is involved in a very selective activity outside of school. It doesn’t tell you about the countless hours spent doing that activity, or the awards won because of it. It doesn’t describe anything at all about a student, other than a grade. That’s it. It’s amusing that the PP thinks she actually knows who is doing what, beyond basic grades. She doesn’t have a clue.

You know nothing about college admissions. Sure, a “very selective” activity looks good on an application and can make a real difference when choosing between that applicant and another applicant with similar numbers who doesn’t have that or another activity - but unless the applicant is being recruited for the activity it won’t take the place of grades and (to a lesser extent) test scores.

The state doesn’t publish a list of extracurricular activities for a reason: they don’t matter nearly as much. In fact, if anything they matter LESS at VT than UVA.

I’m sorry, but you are absolutely wrong about this. Some activities aren’t “recruitable,” they are simply proof of an applicant’s deep knowledge base and commitment. It sounds as if you don’t know anything about either.

VT makes clear on it’s Common Data Set that while class rigor, grades, state residency, first generation, geographic location and other factors are “important” factors considered when reviewing the application, a student’s extracurricular activity are not. They are merely “considered.” Evidence of a student’s “deep commitment” to an extracurricular, to use your words, doesn’t mean squat if the grades and classes aren’t up to bar.

True - but why would assume the grades and classes aren't up to par as well? That's what many posters are trying to tell you. You simply want to argue and keep talking about a school that isn't even the topic of this thread. Are you that insecure?

Sigh. You are impossible. I’ve already provided the state’s data showing without question that they’re not. I’m not “assuming” anything. A 4.04 is lower than a 4.40. There’s no other way to look at it!

Jesus I feel sorry for your spouse. Do you always dig in like this when you’re wrong?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New poster here. Let’s be fair and rational about this. Yes, there are students at the very top of the class in FCPS who choose VT. But there are many more who choose UVA, William & Mary, OOS flagships, and top privates. Tech is not a typical destination for very top students - except maybe engineering.

How do you know who is very top? How do you know colleges agree with your assessment of who is very top?

DP. Please, let’s not pretend that any competitive college does not consider top students based on grades, test scores and ECs.

Ive had three kids graduate from a large NOVA public high school in the last five years and another from a private school in DC and it’s relatively easy to guess who’s considered a top student, both by the HS and by colleges. For one thing, we’ve got access to Naviance and that is a pretty accurate indication of the grades and test scores of whose getting in where. And if you, as a parent are involved at the HS and your kid’s life, you have a decent sense of who the student leaders are in various activities and who earns what awards at assemblies. And then there is the fact that every quarter the public school posts on a bulletin board by the main entrance who made principal’s list and honor roll by grade and the private school posts the rankings of the top 20% at the end of every semester by its main office. No, I wasn’t obsessed and tracking each student’s successes or grades or college admissions and I’m sure I don’t know who all the top students are but it’s not that difficult to know who most are. And, yes, in my very recent experience with four kids in private and public HS, the majority of top students are picking UVA over Tech if deciding between the two. My kids had/have plenty of very smart friends at Tech but the vast majority who also applied to UVA were either rejected or waitlisted by UVA.

Of course this is what colleges consider. The point is no matter how many anecdotes parents observe, they have not reviewed the applications. The key word here is "guess."

Except here all of the relevant metrics - admission rate, yield, grades and test scores - are all published by the state and are easily accessible to anyone interested. And they leave no doubt that UVA attracts and enrolls way more top students than VT. It’s not even debatable.

You know for a fact that every kid that applied to VT also applied to UVA? You know for a fact that every kid that got in at UVA was also accepted at VT?

It’s impossible to reason with someone so stubborn and illogical. You are never going to be convinced. Willful blindness.

The process is far more nuanced and cannot be simplified to anecdotes and limited data.

+100
Checking a list by the front office doesn’t tell you who is involved in a very selective activity outside of school. It doesn’t tell you about the countless hours spent doing that activity, or the awards won because of it. It doesn’t describe anything at all about a student, other than a grade. That’s it. It’s amusing that the PP thinks she actually knows who is doing what, beyond basic grades. She doesn’t have a clue.

You know nothing about college admissions. Sure, a “very selective” activity looks good on an application and can make a real difference when choosing between that applicant and another applicant with similar numbers who doesn’t have that or another activity - but unless the applicant is being recruited for the activity it won’t take the place of grades and (to a lesser extent) test scores.

The state doesn’t publish a list of extracurricular activities for a reason: they don’t matter nearly as much. In fact, if anything they matter LESS at VT than UVA.

I’m sorry, but you are absolutely wrong about this. Some activities aren’t “recruitable,” they are simply proof of an applicant’s deep knowledge base and commitment. It sounds as if you don’t know anything about either.

VT makes clear on it’s Common Data Set that while class rigor, grades, state residency, first generation, geographic location and other factors are “important” factors considered when reviewing the application, a student’s extracurricular activity are not. They are merely “considered.” Evidence of a student’s “deep commitment” to an extracurricular, to use your words, doesn’t mean squat if the grades and classes aren’t up to bar.

True - but why would assume the grades and classes aren't up to par as well? That's what many posters are trying to tell you. You simply want to argue and keep talking about a school that isn't even the topic of this thread. Are you that insecure?

Sigh. You are impossible. I’ve already provided the state’s data showing without question that they’re not. I’m not “assuming” anything. A 4.04 is lower than a 4.40. There’s no other way to look at it!

Jesus I feel sorry for your spouse. Do you always dig in like this when you’re wrong?

You’re arguing with multiple posters. All are trying to explain to you that maybe there is more to this than you realize. Why do you refuse to acknowledge that not everyone has the same opinion? Posting SCHEV stats doesn’t make your argument bullet proof.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New poster here. Let’s be fair and rational about this. Yes, there are students at the very top of the class in FCPS who choose VT. But there are many more who choose UVA, William & Mary, OOS flagships, and top privates. Tech is not a typical destination for very top students - except maybe engineering.

How do you know who is very top? How do you know colleges agree with your assessment of who is very top?

DP. Please, let’s not pretend that any competitive college does not consider top students based on grades, test scores and ECs.

Ive had three kids graduate from a large NOVA public high school in the last five years and another from a private school in DC and it’s relatively easy to guess who’s considered a top student, both by the HS and by colleges. For one thing, we’ve got access to Naviance and that is a pretty accurate indication of the grades and test scores of whose getting in where. And if you, as a parent are involved at the HS and your kid’s life, you have a decent sense of who the student leaders are in various activities and who earns what awards at assemblies. And then there is the fact that every quarter the public school posts on a bulletin board by the main entrance who made principal’s list and honor roll by grade and the private school posts the rankings of the top 20% at the end of every semester by its main office. No, I wasn’t obsessed and tracking each student’s successes or grades or college admissions and I’m sure I don’t know who all the top students are but it’s not that difficult to know who most are. And, yes, in my very recent experience with four kids in private and public HS, the majority of top students are picking UVA over Tech if deciding between the two. My kids had/have plenty of very smart friends at Tech but the vast majority who also applied to UVA were either rejected or waitlisted by UVA.

Of course this is what colleges consider. The point is no matter how many anecdotes parents observe, they have not reviewed the applications. The key word here is "guess."

Except here all of the relevant metrics - admission rate, yield, grades and test scores - are all published by the state and are easily accessible to anyone interested. And they leave no doubt that UVA attracts and enrolls way more top students than VT. It’s not even debatable.

You know for a fact that every kid that applied to VT also applied to UVA? You know for a fact that every kid that got in at UVA was also accepted at VT?

It’s impossible to reason with someone so stubborn and illogical. You are never going to be convinced. Willful blindness.

The process is far more nuanced and cannot be simplified to anecdotes and limited data.

+100
Checking a list by the front office doesn’t tell you who is involved in a very selective activity outside of school. It doesn’t tell you about the countless hours spent doing that activity, or the awards won because of it. It doesn’t describe anything at all about a student, other than a grade. That’s it. It’s amusing that the PP thinks she actually knows who is doing what, beyond basic grades. She doesn’t have a clue.

You know nothing about college admissions. Sure, a “very selective” activity looks good on an application and can make a real difference when choosing between that applicant and another applicant with similar numbers who doesn’t have that or another activity - but unless the applicant is being recruited for the activity it won’t take the place of grades and (to a lesser extent) test scores.

The state doesn’t publish a list of extracurricular activities for a reason: they don’t matter nearly as much. In fact, if anything they matter LESS at VT than UVA.

I’m sorry, but you are absolutely wrong about this. Some activities aren’t “recruitable,” they are simply proof of an applicant’s deep knowledge base and commitment. It sounds as if you don’t know anything about either.

VT makes clear on it’s Common Data Set that while class rigor, grades, state residency, first generation, geographic location and other factors are “important” factors considered when reviewing the application, a student’s extracurricular activity are not. They are merely “considered.” Evidence of a student’s “deep commitment” to an extracurricular, to use your words, doesn’t mean squat if the grades and classes aren’t up to bar.

True - but why would assume the grades and classes aren't up to par as well? That's what many posters are trying to tell you. You simply want to argue and keep talking about a school that isn't even the topic of this thread. Are you that insecure?

Sigh. You are impossible. I’ve already provided the state’s data showing without question that they’re not. I’m not “assuming” anything. A 4.04 is lower than a 4.40. There’s no other way to look at it!

Jesus I feel sorry for your spouse. Do you always dig in like this when you’re wrong?

Oh, the irony!
DP