So Many Posts with “My High STAT …”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parents of high stat kids have a lot of anxiety because their kids have worked hard for 3 years and have a lottery ticket, but no assurance of anything.

I agree. My kid was the next tier down (think lower 1400s) and it was much easier. ED’d into a good slac, where the high stats kids ended up at RD after not getting into T20s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parents of high stat kids have a lot of anxiety because their kids have worked hard for 3 years and have a lottery ticket, but no assurance of anything.

I agree. My kid was the next tier down (think lower 1400s) and it was much easier. ED’d into a good slac, where the high stats kids ended up at RD after not getting into T20s.

Mine might be a tad lower. He got into our local state school where half of this forum is applying to as a safety.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parents of high stat kids have a lot of anxiety because their kids have worked hard for 3 years and have a lottery ticket, but no assurance of anything.

This
So much of this

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parents of high stat kids have a lot of anxiety because their kids have worked hard for 3 years and have a lottery ticket, but no assurance of anything.

Yes. They technically - on paper--have the stats for anywhere---but because of admission rates the T10s-20s are reaches solely due to number of other Applicants w/ high stats too.

These kids usually apply to more schools for this reason as well. They also tend to be really motivated and did the work and want the reward (in their heads high ranked school). It induces a lot of anxiety.

I have always downplayed by nature, set expectations very low but always hoped for the best . I told my kid he wouldn't get into UVA because I had seen 'high stats' get rejected. I pretty much didn't even think (even with a perfect record, scores, ECs, etc) T10s would ever materialize. But, he is at an Ivy and got into many T10/15/20s last year. No idea why. Essays? Recs? No hooks. Who knows. I do know he had a lot of friends that were very similar and did not. You can't figure it out.

So--now we have a current Junior with an almost identical record/transcript, etc. and I know admissions change so much year to year I'm not confident he will have the same success.

[Anonymous]

Grade inflation sure. But you kind of know where your kid truly falls. To me my high stats kids were not superior but it was a way of figuring out how to identify a balanced list of safeties, targets and reaches. All kids of all levels will do well to carefully identify what those schools are, for them. And in the end, it’s hard work wherever they go, that will set them up for success (in whatever way they define it, not me)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seems like every kid here is a high stats kid. Grade inflation? Noticed at in Montgomery county public schools the grading system is so generous. There are no pluses or minuses. So if kid gets a 90 it is an A… not A- also if kid gets A for quarter 1 and a B for quarter 2, the semester grade is an A. Grade inflation!!!

Technically if you get 89.5 and 79.5, equates to an A. Hmmmmm

Oh wow, I thought MCPS was just like DCPS but apparently not. We do have the rounding factor, but also +/- grades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Seems like every kid here is a high stats kid. Grade inflation? Noticed at in Montgomery county public schools the grading system is so generous. There are no pluses or minuses. So if kid gets a 90 it is an A… not A- also if kid gets A for quarter 1 and a B for quarter 2, the semester grade is an A. Grade inflation!!!

Technically if you get 89.5 and 79.5, equates to an A. Hmmmmm

Oh wow, I thought MCPS was just like DCPS but apparently not. We do have the rounding factor, but also +/- grades.

Yes, MCPS really lost the plot. It is fairly easy to get the As. Just by being strategic with the quarter grades. Turn a first quarter B into an A second quarter and it's an A for the semester.

But it doesn't make things easier for the high performing MCPS students. They are overloading on APs and being strategic with how they use their time. It is pretty common to roll with 3 Bs and 4 As one quarter. And then switch it the next. The Bs become As. And the semester grades are straight As.

It makes it so much more difficult for bright kids to differentiate themselves. They're all getting straight As. But they are slamming for those grades because they are taking a gazillion APs. Multivariable is going to be Multivariable everywhere. But it also denies them the opportunity to really settle into a passion topic and have some space to be challenged and linger on a topic. Time management is everything with these kids.

It's not good. I wish MCPS would change. They are not doing anyone any favors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This board is self-perpetuating. If someone came on posted about where their 2.3 gpa/1050 SAT kid should apply, poster here would be like sharks scenting blood in the water. The answers would be about how their kid is only fit for trade school or community college (as if those are bad options), “are you sure your child is ready for college?” There are 4000+ colleges and a student with those stats can get in to and succeed at and go on to do well from plenty of them, but the poster wouldn’t get that advice here because DCUM folks either scoff at those schools or have never heard of them.

DCUM colleges section is for T20 or bust elitists. You know that. 🙂

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parents of high stat kids have a lot of anxiety because their kids have worked hard for 3 years and have a lottery ticket, but no assurance of anything.

Yes. They technically - on paper--have the stats for anywhere---but because of admission rates the T10s-20s are reaches solely due to number of other Applicants w/ high stats too.

These kids usually apply to more schools for this reason as well. They also tend to be really motivated and did the work and want the reward (in their heads high ranked school). It induces a lot of anxiety.

I have always downplayed by nature, set expectations very low but always hoped for the best . I told my kid he wouldn't get into UVA because I had seen 'high stats' get rejected. I pretty much didn't even think (even with a perfect record, scores, ECs, etc) T10s would ever materialize. But, he is at an Ivy and got into many T10/15/20s last year. No idea why. Essays? Recs? No hooks. Who knows. I do know he had a lot of friends that were very similar and did not. You can't figure it out.

So--now we have a current Junior with an almost identical record/transcript, etc. and I know admissions change so much year to year I'm not confident he will have the same success.

What was the major? Any national level awards? What types of ECs?

[Anonymous]

Personally, I would never post about "my high stats DC". I might say they are within the grade/test score parameters of the school with enough activities to fill up the Common App activity list. I think this is what is normally meant by "high stats" but I find the phrase oddly boastful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parents of high stat kids have a lot of anxiety because their kids have worked hard for 3 years and have a lottery ticket, but no assurance of anything.

That's why you have matches and safeties. My 1560 applied to 12 school. Denied by 2 reaches and waitlisted at 2 hard targets. 8 great schools to choose from.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parents of high stat kids have a lot of anxiety because their kids have worked hard for 3 years and have a lottery ticket, but no assurance of anything.

I agree. My kid was the next tier down (think lower 1400s) and it was much easier. ED’d into a good slac, where the high stats kids ended up at RD after not getting into T20s.

which SLAC?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parents of high stat kids have a lot of anxiety because their kids have worked hard for 3 years and have a lottery ticket, but no assurance of anything.

That's why you have matches and safeties. My 1560 applied to 12 school. Denied by 2 reaches and waitlisted at 2 hard targets. 8 great schools to choose from.

I am one of these anxious parents, and worried about yield protection, too!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parents of high stat kids have a lot of anxiety because their kids have worked hard for 3 years and have a lottery ticket, but no assurance of anything.

That's why you have matches and safeties. My 1560 applied to 12 school. Denied by 2 reaches and waitlisted at 2 hard targets. 8 great schools to choose from.

I am one of these anxious parents, and worried about yield protection, too!

PP. The only "potential" yield protection my kid received were deferrals EA to RD. Wouldn't categorize kid's denials or waitlists as yield protection.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Public school grade inflation is definitely a thing. Also SAT superscoring makes standardized testing a little more achievable and less stressful

Not in our fcps

Don't you have retakes up to a 100%?

Mine didn’t. FCPS - after lower test score, teacher would offer a retake but require significant assignments be completed first - hours of work. Then one retake only, and score was capped at a B (college freshman now, so I don’t remember if it was capped at 84 or what).

But absolutely not retakes up to 100, WTF.

Retakes up to a 100% is current FCPS policy.

At FCPS. Certainly not in any of my son’s classes.