Big 3 Nightmare

[Anonymous]

Should have applied to one of those reaches ED (Barnard, Davidson, Wash U) instead of to HYP SCEA or Brown ED. The UC schools aren't taking hardly any out of state students any more - someone should've told her that.

Top 20%/1500 isn't all that great, sorry.

[Anonymous]

My child attends a university ranked between 240 and 255 in USWNR national universities. It is instate for us, $10k/year tuition, and our DC is majoring nursing which the school is strong in. It is in an awesome college town. The school went from being ranked in regional universities to national universities during the time my DC has been a student there. They are very happy.

All that is to say, keep an open mind. This was not dc’s first choice but they feel things worked out.

[Anonymous]

Really sorry for your niece. That is really hard and a cautionary tale for us all. Top 20 percent and those grades is really impressive at a Big 3. Thanks for sharing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Should have applied to one of those reaches ED (Barnard, Davidson, Wash U) instead of to HYP SCEA or Brown ED. The UC schools aren't taking hardly any out of state students any more - someone should've told her that.

Top 20%/1500 isn't all that great, sorry.

Only in your mind is this not great.

[Anonymous]

Our unhooked DC with 1500 is crushing it in their first year at an Ivy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Should have applied to one of those reaches ED (Barnard, Davidson, Wash U) instead of to HYP SCEA or Brown ED. The UC schools aren't taking hardly any out of state students any more - someone should've told her that.

Top 20%/1500 isn't all that great, sorry.

Only in your mind is this not great.

In public school you have to be top 5% to have a shot at top schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child attends a university ranked between 240 and 255 in USWNR national universities. It is instate for us, $10k/year tuition, and our DC is majoring nursing which the school is strong in. It is in an awesome college town. The school went from being ranked in regional universities to national universities during the time my DC has been a student there. They are very happy.

All that is to say, keep an open mind. This was not dc’s first choice but they feel things worked out.

Smart on your part. Especially for nursing where it literally does NOT matter where you go, beyond a school with a high NCLEX rate and good clinical opportunities. If they teach you the material, and majority pass the NCLEX, you will be one of those that becomes a nurse. Your DC is going to have no to minimal debt and be a nurse, that's the goal

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Big 3 senior parent. Hearing many RD bloodbath stories. Like zeroed out on targets and certainly reaches. I’m counting WL as a zero.

Have heard 5 or 6 of these just since last night.

RD was a waste this year. ED I and ED II are the only way now for a high/high middle stats kid who is unhooked or only hook is legacy. Legacy alone days are done. Legacy kids need a double hook and ED.

RD is not just a lottery but powerball lottery odds

I’m sure many here will troll this post.

What kind of schools are you talking about? Where will these kids end up attending?

All these dramatic posts are useless without actual college examples. We don't know if you're talking about top 20% kids getting shut out of Ivies or getting shut out of every top 50 school they applied to. Or worse-getting shut out period. These posts could literally mean any of the above. I'm a Big3 parent of a 10tb grader and I'd love to know what is actually meant (with examples)

OK, I'll bite. Here are some of the schools that said "Nope!" to my niece who attends either Sidwell or NCS: UCSB. UCSD. Wash U. Barnard. BU. Davidson. UVA.

This is a young woman in the top 20% or so, highest math/science track, 1500 SAT and killer ECs. White. Not VIP.

They have 2 options in the USNWR ~200 range, and one of those scammy options where you get the name of the school on your diploma but never attend class at the main campus, because you're in Amsterdam or something for $100k a year

She's going to a school ranked at 200? like the University of Detroit?

She took BC calc, physics C in 11th grade?

-and she's going to someplace like University of Detroit or Robert Morris University?

I'm sorry.

Oh FFS, there are plenty of good schools in the top 400!! There are 4,000 colleges and universities in the US!

Those are just examples of schools ranked near 200. the poster said her niece only had options ranked at 200. I just thought it extremely unbelievable that a kid would have no options between top 30 schools and the University of Detroit.

DP: It's not as if every kid is applying to every school on the list. You take a shot at a few top schools, and a sprinkling of schools in other ranges down the line, as she clearly did, and you hope someone bites. Those mid range schools didn't work out -- she wasn't rejected from all of the schools between 30 and 200 -- no one can apply to all of them and it isn't a forced rank system. It's all a gamble.

The niece only applied to 2 outside the T30 it seems. That's the problem. You can't have only 2 "targets" and no safeties. In fact, we don't even know if those were true targets---Acceptance rates higher than 25%. Niece may have applied to all Reaches and that is where the issue is. You do that, you run the risk of disappointment come March. Kids need to learn to apply to 3-4 true targets and 3-4 true safeties/likelies. Not just 10-12 hard reaches.
5 years ago that was not a good idea, and it certainly is not a good idea now.

Those of us who have a balanced list for our kids tend to do better. My kid got into all their targets and safeties. Only got denied/WL/Go abroad freshman year at their 4 reaches and even then only outright denied at 1 school (WL/go abroad at the other 3). Nothing special, just a well curated list of true targets and safeties, including schools they would be thrilled to attend. SO much that my kid had their top safety on the final list of 3 schools and revisited them in April. Only ditched that school for real reasons---a 7 week quarter system that might not be the best environment for someone who is a chronic procrastinator. otherwise they were seriously considering turning down 2 T30 schools and going to their safety.

I'm the PP with a niece. If she wasn't so disappointed in her options, your confidence that I/we are trolls would be funny. Remember this is a thread about Sidwell, STA/NCS, GDS. We are lamenting that these schools maybe aren't having the results that they expect. It sounds like the PPs calling me a liar don't have kids there.

Today I'm working with niece to write an I Love You letter to my alma mater where she was waitlisted. Here is her complete list and outcomes. The bolded are accepts, everything else is reject/wl. I also added USNWR rankings. Recall niece is top 20% of class, highest math-science, beautiful ECs, white non-VIP.

The original point of my post is that the results below don't resemble the sort of results a kid like this could expect a decade ago. My own kids did "better" coming from the same school a few years ago pre-pandemic.


OK, I'll bite. Here are some of the schools that said "Nope!" to my niece who attends either Sidwell or NCS:

UCSB (32). UCSD (34) . Wash U (15). Barnard (18th LAC). BU (41) Davidson (15th LAC) . UVA (25)

flagship state school (50s)

a private university (40s)

regional university (not even nationally ranked)

an LAC (30s of all LACs)

a private university (20s)

a private university (60s)

** full pay, SAT submitted 1500.

If she was rejected by even a non-nationally ranked university, I wonder if there is an issue with recs or her essays. Maybe she accidentally wrote something offensive or humor that fell flat.

Other question is whether she demonstrated interest at these places.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Should have applied to one of those reaches ED (Barnard, Davidson, Wash U) instead of to HYP SCEA or Brown ED. The UC schools aren't taking hardly any out of state students any more - someone should've told her that.

Top 20%/1500 isn't all that great, sorry.

Only in your mind is this not great.

I know what I'm talking about. Our unhooked DD had a 3.9+/1570 at a Big 3 school and was told that HYP was unlikely so the better play was to apply ED to another top school because RD is a crapshoot.

I'm not saying the kid isn't great, but the stats aren't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Big 3 senior parent. Hearing many RD bloodbath stories. Like zeroed out on targets and certainly reaches. I’m counting WL as a zero.

Have heard 5 or 6 of these just since last night.

RD was a waste this year. ED I and ED II are the only way now for a high/high middle stats kid who is unhooked or only hook is legacy. Legacy alone days are done. Legacy kids need a double hook and ED.

RD is not just a lottery but powerball lottery odds

I’m sure many here will troll this post.

What kind of schools are you talking about? Where will these kids end up attending?

All these dramatic posts are useless without actual college examples. We don't know if you're talking about top 20% kids getting shut out of Ivies or getting shut out of every top 50 school they applied to. Or worse-getting shut out period. These posts could literally mean any of the above. I'm a Big3 parent of a 10tb grader and I'd love to know what is actually meant (with examples)

OK, I'll bite. Here are some of the schools that said "Nope!" to my niece who attends either Sidwell or NCS: UCSB. UCSD. Wash U. Barnard. BU. Davidson. UVA.

This is a young woman in the top 20% or so, highest math/science track, 1500 SAT and killer ECs. White. Not VIP.

They have 2 options in the USNWR ~200 range, and one of those scammy options where you get the name of the school on your diploma but never attend class at the main campus, because you're in Amsterdam or something for $100k a year

I am sorry that your niece is unhappy. That stinks. Is she really top 15 kids (20%)? Because you are correct, those results would be out of sync with other local privates. Kids with those stats at my kid’s HS are generally into top 20, or at least top 40 with options like UVA and UNC.

THe PP made these facts up---absolutely no way a kid from Sidwell (or the like) in top 20% with those stats would not get into most schools ranked 50-200. Step outside the top50 and they would be getting into most places. I call BS

It's fiction. My kid goes to a public high school in the Midwest, has a 3.0 GPA and 1520 SAT. They got into a bunch of schools in the 50-100 range. This kid would get into everything in that range and probably a bunch of schools in the 20-50 range as well.

The issue is with being from certain high SES schools. Midwest is a plus for East Coast colleges. The DMV is not.

[Anonymous]

Here’s a thread aunt posting here should look at

Especially post showing a Big 3 kid actual acceptances / WL / rejects by acceptance rate last published.

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/0/1123361.page#24693019

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Big 3 senior parent. Hearing many RD bloodbath stories. Like zeroed out on targets and certainly reaches. I’m counting WL as a zero.

Have heard 5 or 6 of these just since last night.

RD was a waste this year. ED I and ED II are the only way now for a high/high middle stats kid who is unhooked or only hook is legacy. Legacy alone days are done. Legacy kids need a double hook and ED.

RD is not just a lottery but powerball lottery odds

I’m sure many here will troll this post.

What kind of schools are you talking about? Where will these kids end up attending?

All these dramatic posts are useless without actual college examples. We don't know if you're talking about top 20% kids getting shut out of Ivies or getting shut out of every top 50 school they applied to. Or worse-getting shut out period. These posts could literally mean any of the above. I'm a Big3 parent of a 10tb grader and I'd love to know what is actually meant (with examples)

OK, I'll bite. Here are some of the schools that said "Nope!" to my niece who attends either Sidwell or NCS: UCSB. UCSD. Wash U. Barnard. BU. Davidson. UVA.

This is a young woman in the top 20% or so, highest math/science track, 1500 SAT and killer ECs. White. Not VIP.

They have 2 options in the USNWR ~200 range, and one of those scammy options where you get the name of the school on your diploma but never attend class at the main campus, because you're in Amsterdam or something for $100k a year

I am sorry that your niece is unhappy. That stinks. Is she really top 15 kids (20%)? Because you are correct, those results would be out of sync with other local privates. Kids with those stats at my kid’s HS are generally into top 20, or at least top 40 with options like UVA and UNC.

THe PP made these facts up---absolutely no way a kid from Sidwell (or the like) in top 20% with those stats would not get into most schools ranked 50-200. Step outside the top50 and they would be getting into most places. I call BS

It's fiction. My kid goes to a public high school in the Midwest, has a 3.0 GPA and 1520 SAT. They got into a bunch of schools in the 50-100 range. This kid would get into everything in that range and probably a bunch of schools in the 20-50 range as well.

The issue is with being from certain high SES schools. Midwest is a plus for East Coast colleges. The DMV is not.

Depends on where in Midwest. The kid applying from New Trier or John Borroughs probably isn’t getting any geographic diversity points.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Big 3 senior parent. Hearing many RD bloodbath stories. Like zeroed out on targets and certainly reaches. I’m counting WL as a zero.

Have heard 5 or 6 of these just since last night.

RD was a waste this year. ED I and ED II are the only way now for a high/high middle stats kid who is unhooked or only hook is legacy. Legacy alone days are done. Legacy kids need a double hook and ED.

RD is not just a lottery but powerball lottery odds

I’m sure many here will troll this post.

What kind of schools are you talking about? Where will these kids end up attending?

All these dramatic posts are useless without actual college examples. We don't know if you're talking about top 20% kids getting shut out of Ivies or getting shut out of every top 50 school they applied to. Or worse-getting shut out period. These posts could literally mean any of the above. I'm a Big3 parent of a 10tb grader and I'd love to know what is actually meant (with examples)

OK, I'll bite. Here are some of the schools that said "Nope!" to my niece who attends either Sidwell or NCS: UCSB. UCSD. Wash U. Barnard. BU. Davidson. UVA.

This is a young woman in the top 20% or so, highest math/science track, 1500 SAT and killer ECs. White. Not VIP.

They have 2 options in the USNWR ~200 range, and one of those scammy options where you get the name of the school on your diploma but never attend class at the main campus, because you're in Amsterdam or something for $100k a year

She's going to a school ranked at 200? like the University of Detroit?

She took BC calc, physics C in 11th grade?

-and she's going to someplace like University of Detroit or Robert Morris University?

I'm sorry.

Oh FFS, there are plenty of good schools in the top 400!! There are 4,000 colleges and universities in the US!

Those are just examples of schools ranked near 200. the poster said her niece only had options ranked at 200. I just thought it extremely unbelievable that a kid would have no options between top 30 schools and the University of Detroit.

DP: It's not as if every kid is applying to every school on the list. You take a shot at a few top schools, and a sprinkling of schools in other ranges down the line, as she clearly did, and you hope someone bites. Those mid range schools didn't work out -- she wasn't rejected from all of the schools between 30 and 200 -- no one can apply to all of them and it isn't a forced rank system. It's all a gamble.

The niece only applied to 2 outside the T30 it seems. That's the problem. You can't have only 2 "targets" and no safeties. In fact, we don't even know if those were true targets---Acceptance rates higher than 25%. Niece may have applied to all Reaches and that is where the issue is. You do that, you run the risk of disappointment come March. Kids need to learn to apply to 3-4 true targets and 3-4 true safeties/likelies. Not just 10-12 hard reaches.
5 years ago that was not a good idea, and it certainly is not a good idea now.

Those of us who have a balanced list for our kids tend to do better. My kid got into all their targets and safeties. Only got denied/WL/Go abroad freshman year at their 4 reaches and even then only outright denied at 1 school (WL/go abroad at the other 3). Nothing special, just a well curated list of true targets and safeties, including schools they would be thrilled to attend. SO much that my kid had their top safety on the final list of 3 schools and revisited them in April. Only ditched that school for real reasons---a 7 week quarter system that might not be the best environment for someone who is a chronic procrastinator. otherwise they were seriously considering turning down 2 T30 schools and going to their safety.

I'm the PP with a niece. If she wasn't so disappointed in her options, your confidence that I/we are trolls would be funny. Remember this is a thread about Sidwell, STA/NCS, GDS. We are lamenting that these schools maybe aren't having the results that they expect. It sounds like the PPs calling me a liar don't have kids there.

Today I'm working with niece to write an I Love You letter to my alma mater where she was waitlisted. Here is her complete list and outcomes. The bolded are accepts, everything else is reject/wl. I also added USNWR rankings. Recall niece is top 20% of class, highest math-science, beautiful ECs, white non-VIP.

The original point of my post is that the results below don't resemble the sort of results a kid like this could expect a decade ago. My own kids did "better" coming from the same school a few years ago pre-pandemic.


OK, I'll bite. Here are some of the schools that said "Nope!" to my niece who attends either Sidwell or NCS:

UCSB (32). UCSD (34) . Wash U (15). Barnard (18th LAC). BU (41) Davidson (15th LAC) . UVA (25)

flagship state school (50s)

a private university (40s)

regional university (not even nationally ranked)

an LAC (30s of all LACs)

a private university (20s)

a private university (60s)

** full pay, SAT submitted 1500.

If she was rejected by even a non-nationally ranked university, I wonder if there is an issue with recs or her essays. Maybe she accidentally wrote something offensive or humor that fell flat.

Other question is whether she demonstrated interest at these places.

It looks like she was Accepted at the "non-nationally ranked University. She was rejected at reaches it seems and got into several Targets and some safeties. She just didn't win the lottery with the T20/reach schools. It's not that shocking, many many kids do not win the lottery despite being highly qualified candidates. There are just not enough spots.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Should have applied to one of those reaches ED (Barnard, Davidson, Wash U) instead of to HYP SCEA or Brown ED. The UC schools aren't taking hardly any out of state students any more - someone should've told her that.

Top 20%/1500 isn't all that great, sorry.

Only in your mind is this not great.

I know what I'm talking about. Our unhooked DD had a 3.9+/1570 at a Big 3 school and was told that HYP was unlikely so the better play was to apply ED to another top school because RD is a crapshoot.

I'm not saying the kid isn't great, but the stats aren't.

I think you missed the point of the advice from your counselor (which was spot-on). It's not that your kid didn't have the stats to get into HYP, they did. It's that it takes more than just great stats, e.g., great stats + a hook or something really interesting or different about the applicant, to get into the most selective schools. Your kid's stats and the top 20%/1500 stats are both good enough; there just needs to be something more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our unhooked DC with 1500 is crushing it in their first year at an Ivy.

if it’s Yale, that’s impressive, if it’s Cornell, meh

name the ivy when u make statements like this pls