Where do unconnected, top academic kids from a feeder private go to college?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know where connected/legacy/big donors’ kids go. How about academic superstars who are unconnected and full pay with top teachers’ recs? This is a kid loved by teachers in the toughest most advanced subjects, asked to be TA where 95% of classes don’t have a student TA, who has 3.9 GPA where no one gets a 4.0. Otherwise unconnected, no sport, not URM, nothing special ECs (head of robotics club, part-time job type stuff). We know it won’t be Ivies, Stanford, MIT, but where? School sends at least 20% to top 10 schools each year, 50% to top 25; we imagine they are mostly legacy.

Sounds very much like my kid. We have a pretty strong legacy connection to an Ivy+ (parent attended, consistent donor in the $1k range, consistently involved but not at a major board level) and a weak legacy connection at another Ivy+ (one parent went undergrad, other parent went for grad, very small donations and minimal involvement) but not sure if those are the right fit so struggling between using those connections vs. a potential significant drop in the level of the school he attends. We want to play the ED game right.

In our generation he would have been a perfect fit for anywhere below HYPS. Now not so sure. Good but not TT private - a lot of the kids from the school who get into Ivy+ are hooked.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Based on what I read have heard/read in terms of campus culture and academic focus, I think she may be a good fit at schools like Rice, Brown, Pomona/Harvey Mudd. Are those realistic reaches?

Rice is most likely of those. Should get in if apply ED

Base on everything I have researched, Rice feels like the perfect school for her if it wasn’t in Texas (she is very upset about fetal personhood laws and guns). But we know Rice is not typical Texas so may still encourage her to ED. Couple kids from her school got into Rice ED last year and scattergram looks like their GPA and SAT are slightly lower (3.7, 1530-1550)

Based on your description of the high school and the kid, I would not settle for Rice-she doesn't even like it so much.
If Rice is not her dream school, don't ED there.
If your description of the high school and the kid are all true, this kid can get in T10. Particularly when ED.

Which of the T10 would fit her academic interest and personality? Again not interested in money and power. Mostly wants to have opportunities to participate in innovative research to help people

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is she at all interested in SLACs? They would seem likely a good option if she were.

The very top SLACs are almost impossible without a hook. Once they fill sports, legacies, minorities, geographic diversity, etc. there are very few seats left for smart upper middle class white kids with college educated parents from major metro areas on the east coast (assuming that is what you are). It is the law of small numbers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know where connected/legacy/big donors’ kids go. How about academic superstars who are unconnected and full pay with top teachers’ recs? This is a kid loved by teachers in the toughest most advanced subjects, asked to be TA where 95% of classes don’t have a student TA, who has 3.9 GPA where no one gets a 4.0. Otherwise unconnected, no sport, not URM, nothing special ECs (head of robotics club, part-time job type stuff). We know it won’t be Ivies, Stanford, MIT, but where? School sends at least 20% to top 10 schools each year, 50% to top 25; we imagine they are mostly legacy.

Sounds very much like my kid. We have a pretty strong legacy connection to an Ivy+ (parent attended, consistent donor in the $1k range, consistently involved but not at a major board level) and a weak legacy connection at another Ivy+ (one parent went undergrad, other parent went for grad, very small donations and minimal involvement) but not sure if those are the right fit so struggling between using those connections vs. a potential significant drop in the level of the school he attends. We want to play the ED game right.

In our generation he would have been a perfect fit for anywhere below HYPS. Now not so sure. Good but not TT private - a lot of the kids from the school who get into Ivy+ are hooked.

As far as I know, for the legacy to work, people will have to donate more, maybe like 10k-20k per year or more? Otherwise legacy has little weight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Based on what I read have heard/read in terms of campus culture and academic focus, I think she may be a good fit at schools like Rice, Brown, Pomona/Harvey Mudd. Are those realistic reaches?

Rice is most likely of those. Should get in if apply ED

Base on everything I have researched, Rice feels like the perfect school for her if it wasn’t in Texas (she is very upset about fetal personhood laws and guns). But we know Rice is not typical Texas so may still encourage her to ED. Couple kids from her school got into Rice ED last year and scattergram looks like their GPA and SAT are slightly lower (3.7, 1530-1550)

Have any of these 16 or 17 year olds that are anti-southern states ever actually been to the south? It is such intellectual arrogance to assume that people in southern states are somehow less than or anti-intellectual. Guess what? There are all kinds of political leanings in every state and college towns universally lean left. Get out a little more.

OP here. It’s not about intellectual arrogance; that’s the last thing people who know this kid would use to describe her. She’s very humble and finds a way to like everyone. As a girl, she and her friends are afraid of what they read about places that have handsmaids tale type laws. I don’t blame them. But again, I know Rice is not like that, it will be on her short list. But that one location detail would be a factor if she ends up having other choices.

[Anonymous]

I think top state schools are a good target. Top 10 academically with almost no ecs and no leadership is not a guarantee for top 20 especially for a girl with a stem major. Competition is much tougher for girls and stem majors are the most competitive, regardless of gender.

[Anonymous]

Any Ivy, but Cornell will be tough. Too many legacy and everyone gunning for those 8. Cornell is so much larger than the other Ivies and less old school with the types at feeders. What about other SLACs?

[Anonymous]

If it's a TT NYC school, top 20 is very likely, non-HYP ivy is doable, and HYP (as always) is a big stretch but she should apply.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Based on what I read have heard/read in terms of campus culture and academic focus, I think she may be a good fit at schools like Rice, Brown, Pomona/Harvey Mudd. Are those realistic reaches?

Rice is most likely of those. Should get in if apply ED

Base on everything I have researched, Rice feels like the perfect school for her if it wasn’t in Texas (she is very upset about fetal personhood laws and guns). But we know Rice is not typical Texas so may still encourage her to ED. Couple kids from her school got into Rice ED last year and scattergram looks like their GPA and SAT are slightly lower (3.7, 1530-1550)

Based on your description of the high school and the kid, I would not settle for Rice-she doesn't even like it so much.
If Rice is not her dream school, don't ED there.
If your description of the high school and the kid are all true, this kid can get in T10. Particularly when ED.

Which of the T10 would fit her academic interest and personality? Again not interested in money and power. Mostly wants to have opportunities to participate in innovative research to help people

That's something she has to figure out, no one here can answer that question.
Schedule a meeting between your CCO and your family.
Campus visits to feel the vibes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any Ivy, but Cornell will be tough. Too many legacy and everyone gunning for those 8. Cornell is so much larger than the other Ivies and less old school with the types at feeders. What about other SLACs?

*except for Cornell

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If it's a TT NYC school, top 20 is very likely, non-HYP ivy is doable, and HYP (as always) is a big stretch but she should apply.

HYP+MS are big stretches. Other than T5, all possible. 3.9 (if unweighted) is extremely high in these private high school. We only have a handful each year, all goes to top schools with just normal ECs.

OP didn't mention her test score. A high score above 1560 or close to 1600 would also help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If it's a TT NYC school, top 20 is very likely, non-HYP ivy is doable, and HYP (as always) is a big stretch but she should apply.

HYP+MS are big stretches. Other than T5, all possible. 3.9 (if unweighted) is extremely high in these private high school. We only have a handful each year, all goes to top schools with just normal ECs.

OP didn't mention her test score. A high score above 1560 or close to 1600 would also help.

Completely agree. On specific schools, I was just including the ivies so not suggesting that MIT and Stanford weren't also big stretches. MIT and Stanford are even more difficult to get in from the NYC TTs.

[Anonymous]

UChicago. That’s where 3 out of top 10 kids went this year. All unhooked. ED1 or ED2.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know where connected/legacy/big donors’ kids go. How about academic superstars who are unconnected and full pay with top teachers’ recs? This is a kid loved by teachers in the toughest most advanced subjects, asked to be TA where 95% of classes don’t have a student TA, who has 3.9 GPA where no one gets a 4.0. Otherwise unconnected, no sport, not URM, nothing special ECs (head of robotics club, part-time job type stuff). We know it won’t be Ivies, Stanford, MIT, but where? School sends at least 20% to top 10 schools each year, 50% to top 25; we imagine they are mostly legacy.

Omg just stop

My kids unhooked from public got into Stanford, MIT, etc..

If you paid for private because of this you are fiscally irresponsible.

[Anonymous]

Look at Emory/Tufts/Wash U/Rice