- that is my point. Re-read what I posted. |
DS from FCPS has similar stats and field of study, had no interest in applying to Tech for this very reason. I kept my mouth shut, but he's seen the experience of his prior classmates. Rolled the dice on UVA but honestly not expecting much. Hopefully some of the OOS schools can come up with a little merit to make it feasible. |
|
I am a URM. I can see how the college admission process does give us an advantage. I also agree that wealthy URMs most likely have the same advantages as their white and asian peers when it comes to admissions. However, when it is time to hire these graduates, it has been proven time and time again, that employers will most likely choose the white or asian applicants to fill positions over African Americans or Hispanics:
https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2021/08/18/name-discrimination-jobs AA might put a Black applicant from Cornell on similar playing field as an Asian/White person from U of Wisconsin during job interviews. I think too many are only focusing on the college admissions process. College is a means to an end. There is still a lot of discrimination going on in major corporations. |
According to this list there are about a dozen public schools offering ED and half are in Virginia. https://blog.prepscholar.com/early-decision-schools-and-colleges-complete-list None are the same caliber as UVA. VT and W&M are the most competitive schools to get into on the list after UVA. |
Given how college admissions work these days in favor of URMs it seems quite reasonable not to assume a URM from Cornell is a better candidate than a white or Asian candidate from Wisconsin. Both are good schools. |
I just realized that my son had a 4.7 GPA. I would seriously look at VCCS. You need to get at least a 3.4 GPA and then you can transfer anywhere. He may not want to hear it, but is is a great option. My son is also working at an engineering firm part time along with going to school. Not only has he not paid anything to go to school because of grants and scholarships, but he has also saved a lot of money and gotten some great work experience. I have no faith in college admissions offices in any "top tier" college in the US. They are broken. |
All this article proves is that you should not name you kid with a distinctively black name if they are applying to a job to be a cashier at Target. Economists do studies on this. If colleges lower the standards for certain minorities, then society will only assume that minority graduates are not the same. Dr. Thomas Sowell has written about the subject many times. He is a black Professor of Economics. https://www.mercurynews.com/2015/12/17/sowell-do-the-real-facts-not-matter-at-all-in-college-admissions-debate/ |
This was a BS decision made by fools and I’m sorry your kid (and your family) went through that, he sounds amazing |
Thank you. He is doing great. BTW, he actually had a 4.7 GPA. Just want to point out VCCS to people so they know about how good of a deal it is. In a lot of ways, it could be better than going direct to college, especially in his case. There are a lot of people that could avoid the mess that is the college admissions office and go where they want. |
| The people considering guaranteed transfer from NVCC need to read the agreements very carefully, because some of what's written here is inaccurate. In most of the agreements, there is a requirement that the credits be taken at VCCS AFTER graduation. Meaning AP/IB/DE credits do not count. At UVA and W&M, for example, 45 of the 60 credits toward the AA have to be taken at VCCS. So if you already have 30 or 40 credits, you will still have to take 45 more. |
My son just contacted VCCS about this. Although all the GAAs mention the 45 or 60 credits, if you get the minimum GPA and an AA, you will qualify. It really takes 3 semesters because of prerequisites for the engineering classes. My son started his first semester (summer 2022) while he was still in high school. He will be done in 1 year. |
That's interesting--so they told him the 45 credit requirement isn't real? Is it just there to discourage high achievers in HS from taking this route (because they'll presumably look at the GAA and decide not to bother)? |
| I see the appeal of the vccs route for kids who just want the degree from the top university. But many kids want a traditional college experience and are social - ie wanting to join a sorority/fraternity, value social connection and on campus experience. |
They told him that the GAA had not been updated in a long time and when his application is being reviewed, they will look at his VCCS GPA and all of the classes that he has completed. He will probably end up with 35 hours and a 4.0 GPA, which will be good enough to qualify. If an applicant has a GPA close to the minimum, I could see the 45 hour requirement being a potential problem. I do not think the GAA was written with the intention of keeping high achievers out, but just making sure that people that get through are qualified to continue at the big-boy college. |
I agree with that, but when a white, in-state kid with a 4.7 GPA (I incorrectly wrote 4.4 in my original post) doesn't get into the school he wants to go to, it is a great option. Same for people with economic factors. My son has been awarded scholarships and grants for his entire 3 semesters (summer 2022, fall 2022, spring 2023) and will show up to VT without having spent a dime on tuition. He also has been working part time. There is a good chance will spend 3 years there as he is planning on double majoring. 3 years of college is pretty good. VCCS will bypass the broken college admissions office. That is the best part. |