Finding the right balance of colleges to apply to

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think, OP, that you may think your DD is a match if your DD's stats fall within certain peramaters of the schools. But you need to think of it this way: (and I'll make up numbers to make it easy)

These schools only have room for 200 incoming students. Let's say 8,000 apply. Of those 8,000, 700 have exactly the stats of your DD. So 500 totally qualified kids, for sure are going to be rejected.

But it will actually be more, because the school may take kids that are not as high on the stats as your DD because there may be some kids that are legacy, or recruited for a sport....schools like to do things like have at least one kid from each state, so they can say, 'we have kids from all 50 states..."

It's like this, OP: Your kid may be great and play the trumpet, but while last year the school had a graduating trumpet player and so needed a trumpet player, this year their trumpet player is just going into her sophomore year. But the cello player is graduating, so this year it's the cello player they need. Make sense?

Regardless of whether the OP is a troll, this is a great post. You’d think all parents of advanced students would understand the landscape, but a large percentage really are making judgements based on their memories from 30+ years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is no universe where UChicago is a "match" for any student. Schools with single digit admission rates are a reach for all applicants, unless a recruited athlete or double legacy, high donors.

Especially Chicago, because the scattergram is batty, at least at TJ. They want “that kid” who has a quirky genius something that comes through in the “where is Walsh, really?” Essays.

And speaking of which, if by “quite good” you mean almost perfect SATs and top 10% at TJ with prestigious research experience and engineering track, then your list would still freak the counselors out. Your “matches” are still high matches. And your “safeties” are genuine to low matches. You would stand a great chance of UVA in state, but your kid would still be pushed to find true safeties.

If your kid isn’t to of the class TJ, then UVA could be a match for top 5-10%, strong NOVA HS. But a match isn’t a safety. You have none of those.

[Anonymous]

This list is all reaches for anyone...even if your DD got a perfect score on the ACT/SAT. She can apply to all of these, but she definitely needs to add two or three safeties at the very least. Safeties need to have your daughter plotted on the scattergram solidly among those accepted, i.e. no way she would be denied. In reality, she should pick a couple of schools that are slightly below your existing matches as matches. I am sure your daughter's counselor will not approve of this list.

[Anonymous]

Eh, OP’s kid could be a URM and then magically she doesn’t seem that delusional.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This has got to be a joke post.

This. I'm embarrassed for all of you for falling for it. So obviously trying to stir the pot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:the Op's kid can't be a recruited athlete, they've all committed already

No they haven’t.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Eh, OP’s kid could be a URM and then magically she doesn’t seem that delusional.

Yeah Op’s Kid might be God

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD is a rising senior and planning which colleges to apply to. I've seen horror stories about students applying to 30+ colleges and she definitely doesn't to be one of those. Plan is to apply to 6 schools that she's really researched and has every intention of attending each school. Her academics and ECs are quite strong so we're not too worried about those boxes, but we believe her demonstrated interest in each school will come through the essays and put her over the top. VA resident fyi.

2 reaches - Yale, UChicago

2 matches - Cornell, Duke

2 safeties - UVA, Michigan

Is this a good list? Any risks to this plan? Please keep feedback constructive.

Four reaches: Yale, Chicago, Cornell and Duke. Two matches: Michigan and UVA. You need some real safeties.

My DC had excellent ECs, All A’s with tons of APs (all high math and science) and all 5s, father was alumni and he still got waitlisted to Cornell.

Look at other out of state flagships: Wisconsin, UIUC are good choices.

[Anonymous]

My DD applied to and got accepted to 3 of the 6 schools on your list. I would only consider UVA a safety if your DD is nominated for the Jefferson scholarship. Regardless, I strongly advocate for a safety that gives your DD a decision in December so that she has time to reevaluate her list if She doesn’t get accepted to her SCEA/ED school. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Great list, OP! And I'm sure your daughter's essay on having parents who were kidnapped by aliens from Planet Xeno ca. 1975 and then returned to live in NOVA in the 21st Century will make her admission to all these schools a cinch!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DD applied to and got accepted to 3 of the 6 schools on your list. I would only consider UVA a safety if your DD is nominated for the Jefferson scholarship. Regardless, I strongly advocate for a safety that gives your DD a decision in December so that she has time to reevaluate her list if She doesn’t get accepted to her SCEA/ED school. Good luck!

Is OP a Virginia resident? If not, UVA is either a reach or match.

Signed, mom of kid with 36 ACT who was rejected from UVA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD is a rising senior and planning which colleges to apply to. I've seen horror stories about students applying to 30+ colleges and she definitely doesn't to be one of those. Plan is to apply to 6 schools that she's really researched and has every intention of attending each school. Her academics and ECs are quite strong so we're not too worried about those boxes, but we believe her demonstrated interest in each school will come through the essays and put her over the top. VA resident fyi.

2 reaches - Yale, UChicago

2 matches - Cornell, Duke

2 safeties - UVA, Michigan

Is this a good list? Any risks to this plan? Please keep feedback constructive.

I’d consider adding respectable, not-very-selective flagship universities in the Midwest, like the University of Minnesota, University of Iowa and Indiana University, as near safeties. They’re usually in cute towns, are big enough to offer a wide variety of classes and students, use honors programs to meet the needs of high-stats kids, and probably look only half a step worse to grad schools than UVA.

The grad schools can probably can see as well as we can that undergraduate admissions in a mess and will take that into account when looking at applications.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:the Op's kid can't be a recruited athlete, they've all committed already

They have not all committed yet. Sure a good number are set but there are spots open. NCAA division 1 signing day is not until mid November. Many kids visit Sept/early Oct of senior year and then commit. For example, a friends daughter is a swimmer and rising senior. She went to junior days last spring and has official visits set up with 2 colleges in Sept. This is with 2 US News top 30 colleges, one an Ivy the other a public flagship.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Eh, OP’s kid could be a URM and then magically she doesn’t seem that delusional.

Yeah Op’s Kid might be God

maybe the kid won the intersectionality lottery and is URM, a recruited athlete and a first gen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD is a rising senior and planning which colleges to apply to. I've seen horror stories about students applying to 30+ colleges and she definitely doesn't to be one of those. Plan is to apply to 6 schools that she's really researched and has every intention of attending each school. Her academics and ECs are quite strong so we're not too worried about those boxes, but we believe her demonstrated interest in each school will come through the essays and put her over the top. VA resident fyi.

2 reaches - Yale, UChicago

2 matches - Cornell, Duke

2 safeties - UVA, Michigan

Is this a good list? Any risks to this plan? Please keep feedback constructive.

I’d consider adding respectable, not-very-selective flagship universities in the Midwest, like the University of Minnesota, University of Iowa and Indiana University, as near safeties. They’re usually in cute towns, are big enough to offer a wide variety of classes and students, use honors programs to meet the needs of high-stats kids, and probably look only half a step worse to grad schools than UVA.

The grad schools can probably can see as well as we can that undergraduate admissions in a mess and will take that into account when looking at applications.

And grad school at all these schools is knowable. Most schools public a general profile of where grads end up. If your kid has a specific idea, you can literally ask admissions the number of kids attending law school within three years of graduation, and for a breakdown of which schools. Or where the class of 2015 Bio majors are three years out, or whatever. They all collect and breakdown this data. You just need to ask for it.

And it’s a good idea, BTW. I went to a T25 college and graduated summa. Could not get into a top PhD program, because the kids in my major always went pre-professional. And the whole school was geared as pre-professional at the My college just didn’t place or have the reputation for placing PhD candidates. It would have been nice to know upfront.