Top colleges that are actually on the table for unhooked standard strong kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What if you are 4.0 UW, 12 APs, all 5s on APs, 2 years post BC Calc, with strong ECs...what is possible...If you are saying "standard strong" is 3.85 UW, 8 APs

4.0 UW in DMV publics is the median GPA, isn't it??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What if you are 4.0 UW, 12 APs, all 5s on APs, 2 years post BC Calc, with strong ECs...what is possible...If you are saying "standard strong" is 3.85 UW, 8 APs

4.0 UW in DMV publics is the median GPA, isn't it??

No. It’s top 5% at my kid’s MCPS school. This varies though by specific school.

[Anonymous]

If DC has any talent that can contribute to the school in a significant way—such as chorus, theater, orchestra, debate, classics scholar, national academic awards—no school is off the table.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What if you are 4.0 UW, 12 APs, all 5s on APs, 2 years post BC Calc, with strong ECs...what is possible...If you are saying "standard strong" is 3.85 UW, 8 APs

That’s why it’s important to define standard strong before throwing out names. Your student is strong. Better than standard strong.

disagree. standard strong in DCUM world is 3.9 plus in a known, rigorous high school where 3.9 is top 5% of the class. AP count is rather meaningless. 8 vs 12 would have more to do with school policy of limits, etc. Test scores are 1550+. The two years post BC Calc is impressive but unusual and not more impressive than a state debate champ, which is also standard strong.

IOW, these are kids who would have had a very good chance at a top 10 uni even just pre covid.

I don’t think standard strong is a state debate champ. I thought standard strong was a really great student with high GPA, rigor, high SAT (1500) and good EC, but not a top standout?

Top standouts have a chances at top schools, and it’s at least worth apply to. Standard strong students are definitely a notch below. They don’t show exemplary interest, devotion, passion. But perhaps I’ve been misinterpreting the term! I appreciate the discussion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What if you are 4.0 UW, 12 APs, all 5s on APs, 2 years post BC Calc, with strong ECs...what is possible...If you are saying "standard strong" is 3.85 UW, 8 APs

4.0 UW in DMV publics is the median GPA, isn't it??

Thanks to grade inflation, yes it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What if you are 4.0 UW, 12 APs, all 5s on APs, 2 years post BC Calc, with strong ECs...what is possible...If you are saying "standard strong" is 3.85 UW, 8 APs

4.0 UW in DMV publics is the median GPA, isn't it??

Thanks to grade inflation, yes it is.

Oh come off it. A 4.0 UW is all As. That is not the median by any means and everyone knows it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What if you are 4.0 UW, 12 APs, all 5s on APs, 2 years post BC Calc, with strong ECs...what is possible...If you are saying "standard strong" is 3.85 UW, 8 APs

That’s why it’s important to define standard strong before throwing out names. Your student is strong. Better than standard strong.

disagree. standard strong in DCUM world is 3.9 plus in a known, rigorous high school where 3.9 is top 5% of the class. AP count is rather meaningless. 8 vs 12 would have more to do with school policy of limits, etc. Test scores are 1550+. The two years post BC Calc is impressive but unusual and not more impressive than a state debate champ, which is also standard strong.

IOW, these are kids who would have had a very good chance at a top 10 uni even just pre covid.

How about kids that are 2 years post BC calc and state debate champ (or some other activity )?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Admit rates:

UChicago - 6%
Vandy - 7%
Brown - 6%
JHU - 8%
Northwestern - 7%

I want to believe this list, but I'm struggling with why I should think these are more "on the table" than other sub-10% admit schools.

They would all need to be ED apps.

Okay, and these are more plausible for ED than other sub-10% admit schools because… ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What if you are 4.0 UW, 12 APs, all 5s on APs, 2 years post BC Calc, with strong ECs...what is possible...If you are saying "standard strong" is 3.85 UW, 8 APs

That’s why it’s important to define standard strong before throwing out names. Your student is strong. Better than standard strong.

disagree. standard strong in DCUM world is 3.9 plus in a known, rigorous high school where 3.9 is top 5% of the class. AP count is rather meaningless. 8 vs 12 would have more to do with school policy of limits, etc. Test scores are 1550+. The two years post BC Calc is impressive but unusual and not more impressive than a state debate champ, which is also standard strong.

IOW, these are kids who would have had a very good chance at a top 10 uni even just pre covid.

I don’t think standard strong is a state debate champ. I thought standard strong was a really great student with high GPA, rigor, high SAT (1500) and good EC, but not a top standout?

Top standouts have a chances at top schools, and it’s at least worth apply to. Standard strong students are definitely a notch below. They don’t show exemplary interest, devotion, passion. But perhaps I’ve been misinterpreting the term! I appreciate the discussion.

I think you've got it spot-on. Our junior is standard strong. Great kid; will be an even better adult. Hasn't yet found that calling--and so will look for it at Wisconsin (or wherever) instead of Harvard (or wherever).

[Anonymous]

Debate will help if you are good enough to make the university team, as in having a national or international achievement record. DC’s school had a number (high-single digit) of kids taking math three years post-calc. They all did well, though mostly not HYPSM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Admit rates:

UChicago - 6%
Vandy - 7%
Brown - 6%
JHU - 8%
Northwestern - 7%

I want to believe this list, but I'm struggling with why I should think these are more "on the table" than other sub-10% admit schools.

They would all need to be ED apps.

U Chicago, Northwestern, Vandy, JHU yes--must be ED. Don't know anyone who's gotten into Chicago RD in years. Brown--kids from our magnet school don't seem to get in RD or ED. Cornell yes, Brown no. JHU very tough either way.

Chicago RD - my kid. Who is good but not hooked from a public school and a UMC background.

[Anonymous]

I don't understand this post. These schools all have tiny admission rates and it all depends on who else is applying from your school's current grade. At our private one year there will be unhooked Yale and Princeton admits. The next year it will be Harvard, Duke and Northwestern who are unhooked. It all depends on who else is applying from your class and what their grades and hooks are.

Example: If there is a legacy, valedictorian with a 4.0 applying to Northwestern, the unhooked 3.85 is probably not getting in. If there are no hooked applicants and the 4.0 valedictorian does not apply to Northwestern, the 3.85 might get in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Admit rates:

UChicago - 6%
Vandy - 7%
Brown - 6%
JHU - 8%
Northwestern - 7%

I want to believe this list, but I'm struggling with why I should think these are more "on the table" than other sub-10% admit schools.

They would all need to be ED apps.

But even if they were all ED apps, chances of admit are still low.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Debate will help if you are good enough to make the university team, as in having a national or international achievement record. DC’s school had a number (high-single digit) of kids taking math three years post-calc. They all did well, though mostly not HYPSM.

So they took BC calc in 9th grade ? That’s MIT level rare

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What if you are 4.0 UW, 12 APs, all 5s on APs, 2 years post BC Calc, with strong ECs...what is possible...If you are saying "standard strong" is 3.85 UW, 8 APs

4.0 UW in DMV publics is the median GPA, isn't it??

Thanks to grade inflation, yes it is.

Oh come off it. A 4.0 UW is all As. That is not the median by any means and everyone knows it.

It is at the W schools. Retakes endless retakes and everyone knows it. If you can’t get a 4.0 in public school in Montgomery County, something is wrong.