Is it really that hard to get into college?

[Anonymous]

They won’t get into your alma maters. The 70s had done of the lowest birth years ever. It was much easier to get into too colleges back then.

[Anonymous]

Big state schools are a tad easier because they have more space; everything else with acceptance rates below 30% are a lottery. Especially if you want OOS or a small school, fall in love with schools outside the top 50.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The number of schools that serve top kids well has drastically increased. There are plenty of seats at those schools for top kids. However, parents who are obsessed with their kids attending schools that are not only top now but were also top 30 years ago, are often shocked.

Your kids will do fine.

Answer of the year here - bravo! This needs to be shouted from the hilltops until it sticks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Assuming you're not a troll, yes, it is hard to get into highly rejective colleges. Especially if you are from a competitive area where your kid is competing against 30 other high stats kids from their class.

My kid with competitive (99%) stats and ECs is going to a T50 school. A very good school, but not what we had expected some 4 years ago at the start of high school. Certainly did not expect the rejections from the competitive colleges that spouse and I went to. Nor some of the schools we might once have considered a safety school.

So it's not that your kids are screwed. They'll get into a good college, and chances are it's even going to be a great college. Just don't expect the T10 colleges to be matches.

Also if your kids are better at networking and doing the sorts of things that bring attention to themselves, like emailing school representatives, then that helps.

I am not a troll. Our kids are at a well regarded public school. They have so many smart friends that sound identical to one another on paper. One kid may run track and another May play tennis but none are THAT good to be an athletic recruit.

Hope this is not a completely stupid question but do hobbies help? My kids love to ski, boat and fish. They will never be on a ski team but my son has been skiing on black since he was 9. We also go on tons of fishing trips.

Your kid is not getting into a T10/T20 school with that profile.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Common Op. don't be ridiculous. Thousands of colleges out there.

Most of which are not worth going to if you are from an UMC family with a long history of attending top colleges and certain expectations, like coming from a top private school. Those of you who keep posting this flip can let your kids to no name and mediocre schools but for some people that’s just not acceptable.

Those schools you are poo-pooing are filled with kids just like yours. They are now no different in student body or course selection from whatever college you attended. You won't realize it until your kids goes through the process, but your college mindset is stuck in decades past. The "prestige whores" are using very old photos in their dusty memories to limit the number of "acceptable colleges" to the ones grandpa attended.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They won’t get into your alma maters. The 70s had done of the lowest birth years ever. It was much easier to get into too colleges back then.

They won't get into your alma maters, and they probably also won't get into the schools you applied to as back-ups. They won't get into the good-but-not-Top 20 school that your neighbor's kid got into 5 years ago. It is a totally different world today than 30 years ago - and a totally different world from pre-pandemic times.

If you want to get a sense of how the odds have shifted for a specific school (or a specific region or type of school) take a look at this blog post: https://www.highereddatastories.com/2022/01/yes-your-yield-rate-is-still-falling-v.html You can enter a school name and it will show you the admit rate (and other data) for every year between 2001 and 2020. Note that for many many many schools, the admit rates have gotten much lower since 2020.

Fwiw my wonderful but non-spectacular kid got into a great school this year. We were very strategic in helping him figure out where to apply. But it might also just have been dumb luck.

[Anonymous]

They could get in as legacy admits. Are you involved with your alma maters? Do you show interest? Donate?

[Anonymous]

Do your schools favor legacy kids? That might help.

Also, the youth population has been increasing but will likely be on the decline when your kids are applying. That may make a difference.

But, overall, to gain admission to top schools, kids need to stand out -- grades, tests are only the beginning. They need awards, leadership, great writing, targeting supplemental essays, unique talents. Mine was in, but she worked like crazy for all of that. She also found lots to like at state flagship and mid-tier LAC, both of which would have served her well.

There will be options, but don't base everything on status. Even if your kid does "all the things,"top ranked admission may not happen. But, good thing there are a LOT of terrific schools out there that will educate your kid well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I discovered this forum last week. Dh and I attended T20 schools and T10 grad schools in the 90s. Oldest is in middle school. I stumbled upon this forum and it sounds insanely competitive to get into college. My kids are well rounded but not super stars at anything. They like to ski, fish, golf, play soccer, tennis, basketball and go boating. They do some academic extracurriculars but aren’t the best at anything.

Are my kids totally screwed because they are too cookie cutter UMC?

They don’t do anything that stands out. I am sure or hope my kids will get good grades in high school and have a good SAT score but it seems everyone does.

It’s not hard at all to get into college. Just focus on fit and not rankings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do your schools favor legacy kids? That might help.

Also, the youth population has been increasing but will likely be on the decline when your kids are applying. That may make a difference.

But, overall, to gain admission to top schools, kids need to stand out -- grades, tests are only the beginning. They need awards, leadership, great writing, targeting supplemental essays, unique talents. Mine was in, but she worked like crazy for all of that. She also found lots to like at state flagship and mid-tier LAC, both of which would have served her well.

There will be options, but don't base everything on status. Even if your kid does "all the things,"top ranked admission may not happen. But, good thing there are a LOT of terrific schools out there that will educate your kid well.

Op here. My kids have no unique talents. Dh is successful while I am currently a SAHM.

Do Dh an I have to make opportunities for my kids to sound impressive?

Ugh I am torn on whether I should do this. I have one kid interested in becoming a doctor and one interested in business.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do your schools favor legacy kids? That might help.

Also, the youth population has been increasing but will likely be on the decline when your kids are applying. That may make a difference.

But, overall, to gain admission to top schools, kids need to stand out -- grades, tests are only the beginning. They need awards, leadership, great writing, targeting supplemental essays, unique talents. Mine was in, but she worked like crazy for all of that. She also found lots to like at state flagship and mid-tier LAC, both of which would have served her well.

There will be options, but don't base everything on status. Even if your kid does "all the things,"top ranked admission may not happen. But, good thing there are a LOT of terrific schools out there that will educate your kid well.

Op here. My kids have no unique talents. Dh is successful while I am currently a SAHM.

Do Dh an I have to make opportunities for my kids to sound impressive?

Ugh I am torn on whether I should do this. I have one kid interested in becoming a doctor and one interested in business.

No, you don't "have" to do anything. They can do what they want. I could have told my son he should try to write for the school newspaper or start a new club focused on improving the world around him, and he would have said, "No, thanks. I want to play sports and don't have time." Do they even want to go to those schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do your schools favor legacy kids? That might help.

Also, the youth population has been increasing but will likely be on the decline when your kids are applying. That may make a difference.

But, overall, to gain admission to top schools, kids need to stand out -- grades, tests are only the beginning. They need awards, leadership, great writing, targeting supplemental essays, unique talents. Mine was in, but she worked like crazy for all of that. She also found lots to like at state flagship and mid-tier LAC, both of which would have served her well.

There will be options, but don't base everything on status. Even if your kid does "all the things,"top ranked admission may not happen. But, good thing there are a LOT of terrific schools out there that will educate your kid well.

Op here. My kids have no unique talents. Dh is successful while I am currently a SAHM.

Do Dh an I have to make opportunities for my kids to sound impressive?

Ugh I am torn on whether I should do this. I have one kid interested in becoming a doctor and one interested in business.

No, you don't "have" to do anything. They can do what they want. I could have told my son he should try to write for the school newspaper or start a new club focused on improving the world around him, and he would have said, "No, thanks. I want to play sports and don't have time." Do they even want to go to those schools.

+1 The can go to medical schools or be successful in business without going to T20 or even T50 schools. They should spend time on things they actually enjoy, build good study habits so they can do well in classes that are challenge them. Then, find the schools that are a good fit for who they actually are. Forcing them to be something they are not to fit into some pre-defined box is a recipe for misery. And, most of the kids who do that still don't get into the school their parents were trying to shape them for and then they are dissatisfied with the excellent schools they are going to and angry that they nearly killed themselves in HS to end up the same place that more balanced classmates are going.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do your schools favor legacy kids? That might help.

Also, the youth population has been increasing but will likely be on the decline when your kids are applying. That may make a difference.

But, overall, to gain admission to top schools, kids need to stand out -- grades, tests are only the beginning. They need awards, leadership, great writing, targeting supplemental essays, unique talents. Mine was in, but she worked like crazy for all of that. She also found lots to like at state flagship and mid-tier LAC, both of which would have served her well.

There will be options, but don't base everything on status. Even if your kid does "all the things,"top ranked admission may not happen. But, good thing there are a LOT of terrific schools out there that will educate your kid well.

Op here. My kids have no unique talents. Dh is successful while I am currently a SAHM.

Do Dh an I have to make opportunities for my kids to sound impressive?

Ugh I am torn on whether I should do this. I have one kid interested in becoming a doctor and one interested in business.

No, you don't "have" to do anything. They can do what they want. I could have told my son he should try to write for the school newspaper or start a new club focused on improving the world around him, and he would have said, "No, thanks. I want to play sports and don't have time." Do they even want to go to those schools.

I wanted to change the world. I have two masters, one from Harvard. I was nerdy and not social.

My kids are well rounded and have a ton of friends. They have no unique talents.

[Anonymous]

Someone mentioned underrepresented states. Assuming neither MD or VA are underrepresented? We live in Loudoun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Someone mentioned underrepresented states. Assuming neither MD or VA are underrepresented? We live in Loudoun.

Underrepresented means states like MS, ND, ID, LA, SD, AK, AL, MT and perhaps a few others. NY, NJ, MA, VA, MD, CA and TX are not underrepresented.