How do brilliant but non pointy kids do?

[Anonymous]

IMO your student will do very well. Letters of rec and essay will of course be important.
Best piece of advice is to construct a thoughtfully balanced list. Sounds simple but that will make all the difference.
No dream school.
Apply EA where possible.
And breathe!
Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am so reluctant to be one of those people that jumps on op, and yet…get it together op!


Your kid sounds very smart and like a great kid. No, that doesn’t mean he has great chances for an ivy bc there aren’t enough seats for anyone save kushners to have a “great chance.”

Yes, pointy-ness may be a deciding factor for a tiny fraction of the pointy kids who apply but it’s not some unfair advantage-the schools from whatever reason have decided they want more rodeo clowns and hot air balloon pilots, that’s their call.

Your son is smart enough to have a chance and the ability to do well there probably-that means he will do great wherever he lands.

You need to get your head out of your A ss and stop focusing on highly rejective schools before you infect your son with your prestige fixated nonsense. Seriously-do better.

Then why do it. Why show your ass to the world like that?

If your kid isn't competitive for those "highly rejective schools" then just move along, this conversation isn't for you.

My kid has stats like OP’s kid but I have a better understanding of how good that makes her odds (possible but not likely) whereas OP seems to think her kid is tragically at bring overlooked for “pointy” kids. It comes across as entitled.

For whatever reason she has not taken on board that there are simply too many qualified students who want to go to certain schools than there are spaces. She would be doing herself and her kid a favor to try to take that to heart. (And that doesn’t mean her kid won’t be admitted! He definitely has a chance.)

[Anonymous]

This has been extensively discussed in many threads. Private school non-pointy unhooked kids do very well in college admission.
https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/105/1255948.page
https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1274393.page

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m so tired of hearing the word “pointy.” My kid is a kind person with terrific all-around grades 3.95 unweighted from an elite private with top scores 1580 SAT and five AP 5s going into senior year, with another 4 APs by the end of senior year.

Lots of interesting extracurriculars including leadership positions but no national level awards and no specialized research. nothing that makes him pointy.

Any parents of non pointy kids out there who can share how their kids did? Are Ivies out of reach for him?

Are you asserting that your kid is ‘brilliant’ ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Elite private + excellent grades + scores - all set. It's only lowly public school kids who need a spike.

Take a look at some of these private HS kids:

https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/s/8UqXHSuGjM

https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/s/lnzGAcrjM8

https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/s/HVbI16YaSa

https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/s/kF6oJotAFc

These profiles are refreshing. Not overdone.
Is it that bc they are private school kids? Is private school a hook now?

[Anonymous]

Your kid will do great regardless and will need to focus on putting together some kind of narrative around interests and write interesting essays.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What elite private has that many APs?

Lots

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Look at it this way OP - your kid has as good a chance as any top student, but the odds are still low because of the number of applicants. Your kid will get a good look and that's better than most can expect.

This. He's earned the right to apply, but so did the other 95% who get rejected.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m so tired of hearing the word “pointy.” My kid is a kind person with terrific all-around grades 3.95 unweighted from an elite private with top scores 1580 SAT and five AP 5s going into senior year, with another 4 APs by the end of senior year.

Lots of interesting extracurriculars including leadership positions but no national level awards and no specialized research. nothing that makes him pointy.

Any parents of non pointy kids out there who can share how their kids did? Are Ivies out of reach for him?

What is his narrative? Interests? Major?

[Anonymous]

Exhausting UK boosters would say applying through UCAS is the solution 😆

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look at it this way OP - your kid has as good a chance as any top student, but the odds are still low because of the number of applicants. Your kid will get a good look and that's better than most can expect.

This. He's earned the right to apply, but so did the other 95% who get rejected.

... and those other 95% are present at other schools, along with thousands of brilliant kids who didn't apply to Ivy, so don't fear that your kid will be the "only smart kid" at his college. That's ignorant and sets him up for failure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am so reluctant to be one of those people that jumps on op, and yet…get it together op!


Your kid sounds very smart and like a great kid. No, that doesn’t mean he has great chances for an ivy bc there aren’t enough seats for anyone save kushners to have a “great chance.”

Yes, pointy-ness may be a deciding factor for a tiny fraction of the pointy kids who apply but it’s not some unfair advantage-the schools from whatever reason have decided they want more rodeo clowns and hot air balloon pilots, that’s their call.

Your son is smart enough to have a chance and the ability to do well there probably-that means he will do great wherever he lands.

You need to get your head out of your A ss and stop focusing on highly rejective schools before you infect your son with your prestige fixated nonsense. Seriously-do better.

The quality of the private school matters.
At most privates you don’t need to be that pointy. Just have a defined interest and show (minor) alignment with major.

Your arrogance is palpable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am so reluctant to be one of those people that jumps on op, and yet…get it together op!


Your kid sounds very smart and like a great kid. No, that doesn’t mean he has great chances for an ivy bc there aren’t enough seats for anyone save kushners to have a “great chance.”

Yes, pointy-ness may be a deciding factor for a tiny fraction of the pointy kids who apply but it’s not some unfair advantage-the schools from whatever reason have decided they want more rodeo clowns and hot air balloon pilots, that’s their call.

Your son is smart enough to have a chance and the ability to do well there probably-that means he will do great wherever he lands.

You need to get your head out of your A ss and stop focusing on highly rejective schools before you infect your son with your prestige fixated nonsense. Seriously-do better.

The quality of the private school matters.
At most privates you don’t need to be that pointy. Just have a defined interest and show (minor) alignment with major.

Your arrogance is palpable.

I don’t think it’s arrogant. I think it’s true. Not all private schools are the same. They have their own matriculation trends.

Read the “levels” thread and the other private/public thread linked for Peet’s sake.
If a 3.5uw from an elite NY private gets you into Vanderbilt ED, the “quality” of that private is determinative in T20 outcomes.

[Anonymous]

What’s their IQ? The 150+ kids tend to do really well.

[Anonymous]

Pointy is such an old old metric.

That went away.

Do what you love, dabble if you have to. Be authentic.

My 2024 was well rounded. Played a sport, had a summer job, did some community service, was a member of a club….routine

He got into 2 Ivies, 2 10s and several T20s. He also didn’t use an essay coach or private counselor.

Be authentic