I have a very high stats junior (highest rigor, all A's, probably NMF, varsity athlete, leadership and huge involvement in theater, major-specific extra curriculars) who wants to major in something very niche, so there are very few accredited options.
The school that seems to be the best for for her is a true safety. She is excited about it and likes the idea of applying early and to only one school, thus eliminating a lot of stress and freeing up a lot of time. Opting out of the admissions game is looking very appealing |
. That does not change the fact that they were NOT safeties. Some people manage to get into many of their reaches and all of their targets. But being High stats and OOS does not make Mich or UW a true safety for anyone (unless your families name is on one of the buildings on campus) |
That is awesome! Just because you are "high stats" does not mean you should attend a T25 school---you should attend a school that is a great fit for your kid. Who wants the pressure cooker of a T25 school after you went thru HS---not everyone does. Even in the 25-50 range it can be a pressure cooker. Example: my kid is at a 25-50 school. Took credit for Chem 101/102 and went straight to Org Chem (a class for freshman only who took AP/IB credit). Well there are a lot of private school kids and International students (major stem/premed school). So more than half the class had already had Orgo in HS. The average 1st midterm was over 80%, while in Regular Orgo that sophomores take, average is in the 50% (more what is typical). My kid pulled off a B in Orgo and that was impressive, since they hadn't ever taken orgo. Same thing for Calc 3---lots of kids who had it in HS but no way to "earn College credit" (no AP test for that), so the curve was terribly high because it was a repeat for many students. My kid survived both courses, but is definately happy there are not at a T25 school where every student got 5s on all their AP (8-10) courses and had 4.0UW in a rigorous HS. |
Also any kid applying with SAT II scores, as the PP says her child did, applied some time ago, likely before the pandemic, widespread test optional, and plummeting acceptance rates. The SAT II exams haven’t been offered in years. |
My 1540 STEM kid from Blair magnet didn’t get into any of his reaches and is now very happy at UMD, which was a safety for him. He was bummed at first but seems very happy now- likes his classes, professors, good social life. I’m happy for the in-state tuition! |
Same situation here. |
I’d be interested to hear more details from the last 2 Blair posters if you’re willing to share. 50 percent of Blair magnets students have a 4.0 GPA and about 1540 SAT, so it’s not surprising that most get rejected from the reach schools, even though the kid is so impressive. What other awards/ECs did your kid have and where did they apply? |
It is not ECs that separate the T20 successful 4.0/1500s Blair kids from the ones who end up at UMD: it’s course rigor. |
Kid isn't high stats for here (4.1 (6 APs and 2 DE)/captain of varsity sport/several leadership roles/4 summers of working....
Could have gone to a higher ranked school (got in) but due to finances, ended up instate (didn't get into UMD) and is in the Honors College at Towson. |
All the Blair kids- or many, anyway, have a paper with a professor about their summer internship. Mine did and it won an award. But he didn’t have a variety of extracurricular activities - some that he’s been doing for years and loves, but no big awards or anything. In fact he talked about how he kinda does them bc he loves them and not to win the awards. In high school, he refused to do even a modicum of “credentialing” and his essays were about his quirky self and his academic interests- like a deep dive. He isn’t well rounded, I guess, so the Ivies weren’t the right place for him. But he also didn’t get into MIT - one of his reaches- which may have been a decent fit. In the end, he’s happy where he’s at. He was disappointed at first, but he’s a pretty logical kid and one night just sat down and was like, well- this is the best choice. And he hasn’t looked back and he’s very happy. The whole experience took years off my life and now I look at the whole process a little differently. He deserved to put a ticket into the lottery of the reaches- he’d earned that- but he wasn’t who they wanted and he’ll be okay! My next kid teeing up to do this is a natural-born credentialer, so I imagine, maybe? but maybe not!, they’ll have a different experience. It may not be true, but I have come to the realization that kids end up where they’re supposed to. Life is long and college is just one step, esp for magnet kids who, like my kid, wants to go to grad school. Good luck, OP! |
This. Particularly for med school, higher ranked schools are not always the best option — harder to get labs, perfect grades, publications, recs. Not spending on undergrad also very smart and saving for med. |
Good catch. My kid took them eight years ago |
Agree on the essays. But, also, she had some great options -- USC, UNC, and she could have possibly gotten off a waitlist. Also wondering if she jumped to conclusions on her essays the way she did in her thoughts on campuses. Glad she is happy, but she really doesn't know what the others are like. Hoping she can ditch the chip on her shoulder and just enjoy her awesome admit. |
There was a recent college advising night through the MBHS PTA that had some interesting info. |
Can you tell us what you learned? |