Medium to Large Southern Schools
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Anonymous
Same PP here. I did not realize UGA and UF are not test optional. OK then OP, you should encourage your son to focus on either state schools that aren't AS competitive -- our neighbor LOVE U. of South Carolina, for example -- or focus on private smaller schools. But you have to be able to put together a good story for the more competitive private schools, ranging from Duke to University of Charleston and everything in between. Clemson, Furman, Rhodes, U. of Tennessee is fun, SMU will accept him for sure. Anyone posting on here who says you have no chance at a Wake or a Vanderbilt does not understand the power of a Central American Eagle Scout who interned with a member of Congress and has solid (if not "top") stats. They missed the key features of your son. Also -- for private schools -- make SURE he writes a cohesive essay telling them 'who he is'. Too many kids blow this off. It doesn't matter to a Michigan or a Texas but it can make the difference at a Wake. |
Anonymous
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University of Florida and FSU have gotten really competitive! For both in state and out of state students, although I believe OOS is more competitive at both schools. With the Bright Futures scholarship, good students can go to FL state schools tuition free. As private college tuition rises, this means that a lot of kids who would probably otherwise consider private or out of state schools end up at UF or FSU…because hey, free tuition at two perfectly good schools vs. paying $60k+ to go elsewhere?! Choice is easy for a lot of folks. Georgia has a similar program with the HOPE scholarship so their two main state schools (UGA and Georgia Tech) have gotten very very competitive as well.
I went to UF as an out of state student in the 90s. Graduated from HS in 1993—was NOT some amazing student (I’ll be the first to admit it!)— I think I had somewhere around a 3.5 GPA and scored 27ish on the ACT. My daughter IS a pretty darn good student (4.2 weighted GPA, 31 ACT) who will apply this fall, but we are considering it a definite reach for her and she’s not getting her hopes up. Also remember that Florida (and Texas) have very high Hispanic populations and there are plenty of high achieving Hispanic students in those states…while other universities might be more “lenient” with their admissions in order to increase diversity FL doesn’t really need to do that so I wouldn’t count on URM being a significant bump. And the big state schools are very stats driven...which, I hate to say it, does not appear to be an area of strength for your son. I would focus on private schools that are test optional, that look to increase their diversity, and where your son can use his ECs to craft a narrative/good essays/LORs that will actually be read. Or public schools with lower stat requirements- U of SC, Tennessee, Bama, Ole Miss, Auburn, etc. |
Anonymous
| Hispanic, congressional intern, Eagle Scout? He could 100% get into Duke, Wake or Vanderbilt. I would add Virginia Tech to the list. What about Tulane? |
Anonymous
I'm glad your DC was admitted to such a great school - congratulations! But if your DC had applied to UGA early decision (as they did for the top 10 private), that may very well have made a difference. I'd also note that the UGA website makes it crystal clear that increasing diversity among its students/entering classes is VERY important to the school and that they have policies and practices in place to help make this happen, so UGA obviously cares about more than just stats. Plus, Duke's SAT and ACT mid-ranges (1510-1560 and 34-36) are notably higher than UGA's and its acceptance rate (16.7%) is much lower than UGA's (39%). |
Anonymous
Wow, you folks are amazing. OP, apply if you want but don't listen to this drivel, they are reaches but good luck. |
Anonymous
| Look at College of Charleston and U of South Carolina |
Anonymous
| Miami or Tampa |
Anonymous
how would they have done that, uga doesn't have early decision and never has |
Anonymous
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OP. I do not think DS can get into a Duke, Vanderbilt or WF with his grades based on data we have read. Of the 8, he has taken 4 APs so far and has done well and the next four APs are senior year. They are core APs not fluff classes and we will send in updated grades. Still, he gets As and Bs, hence the 4.0 weighted. Not even sure what UW is as it is difficult to calculate - he is in FCPS. He is going to retake the ACT to see if he can get it higher.
The challenge is as some have pointed out, he has some good things to tell about himself but the big schools may not care care let alone ever find out. There is not even a chance for interviews. Some schools do have regional admissions directors that you can contact and we are thinking about how to approach that. He likes the feel of the larger schools which makes this difficult. We will share with him the potential admission benefits of a smaller school. Finally, while out of state schools are more expensive - up to 50k - they are no where near private schools which are more like 70-80k. We have saved for a long time but private tuition just seems too much for people in the middle who won’t get need aid or upper who can afford it. Thankfully our DS doesn’t like most of the private schools which are smaller anyway. Appreciate all the feedback. |
Anonymous
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I think OP's son has a realistic shot at UVA since he's in state and can apply test optional. His grades are on the low end but he has a solid course load and very impressive extracurriculars. I don't think being second generation latino from an UMC family is going to help him as much as others assume it will. It will help on the margins, though.
OP's son doesn't have a chance at Duke, Vandy, UNC, or UF. Maybe UGA. If I were OP, I'd push JMU a little harder. It's a good fit and a good price. |
Anonymous
Stop, it's a reach and OP knows it, she has already stated such. |
Anonymous
Came here to say this. Eagle Scout, Congressional intern and URM will get into a lot of reaches. If he weren’t determined to go south, I’d recommend test prep and apply to Yale. |
Anonymous
The point is that a school is more likely to admit an applicant if they have a guaranteed lock on her/him via ED. The top 10 private did, and UGA didn't (not offering ED doesn't obviate the point). If the DC had applied to the top 10 private without ED, they could very well have been in the same boat as UGA. |
Anonymous
Yale, yeah, that's totally realistic for a non-first generation Hispanic kid from a MC/UMC household in the DMV with several B grades. Eagle Scout is NOT that uncommon and answering constituent mail on the Hill isn't really that impressive. But then again, you were kidding, right? |
Anonymous
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The post was for medium to large southern schools easier than UGA. U of South Carolina, Auburn, Clemson, Baylor, TCU, Ole Miss.
Wake is big on ED. With ED and interest in political science as major (not pre med or business which WF gets a lot of) there might be a chance with demonstrated interest and entire application considered. |