A-/B+ Student from Big 3 - Admission chances at popular state schools

[Anonymous]

If by Big 3 you mean StA/NCS, Sidwell, Potomac, GDS, Holton, or Maret, then an A-/B+ student is well positioned for those colleges. Assuming your DC took some decent academic electives, those grades are above average at those high schools. SATs matter a lot since the scores of out-of-staters pull up the college averages a lot. UCLA will be harder since the UC system has a 20% limit on nonresidents. Your list represents pretty good target schools. You are being far more realistic than the parents who think those grades are good enough to get into a top SLACs or "lower Ivy."

[Anonymous]

I don't think you need to rush to visit more colleges over Christmas break. Most admissions offices aren't open so no tours and of course there will be no students there so some of the campuses will just seem empty and depressing. Wait until spring break junior year which is plenty of time to see more schools and develop a good list. At that point she will also have a better sense of junior year grades, which are more important than the first 2 years. She may have also changed her view of what she is interested in by then - many kids do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Public Ivy is not a thing.

Take it to the other thread, will ya?

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/821873.page

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our DD is a junior at one of the Big 3 schools. After visiting colleges she is leaning heavily towards the big state universities that have strong academics and school spirit. She says she would love to attend something like UMich, UVA, UCLA, UNC Chapel Hill. There is no clear preference within that list. We are D.C. residents so no in-state preference for UVA. We would be full pay.

We will start meeting the counselors next semester and will get their feedback and naviance information. In the meantime it would be great if other parents whose kids graduated from a similar private and are attending one of the above colleges could let me know whether a solid B+ student (most grades are B+s with several As and A-s and one C) would be competitive at the public ivies. We don't have any test scores as yet but practice tests indicate that she will be in the 50th percentile for accepted student test scores. It's the GPA that concerns us because with a B+ average, her unweighted GPA is probably around 3.4.

I'm asking now because if Michigan, UCLA, UVA are out of her reach then we'd like to spend some time over Christmas exploring other options and visiting more schools.

TIA.

From OOS those universities are 1) about as expensive as privates 2) tougher admits than in state and 3) not necessarily better choices than other options you may have for undergraduate education at the same cost. Yes they are good schools, but certainly not the most undergraduate focused. I'd suggest moving ahead quickly to look at alternatives with your counselors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our DD is a junior at one of the Big 3 schools. After visiting colleges she is leaning heavily towards the big state universities that have strong academics and school spirit. She says she would love to attend something like UMich, UVA, UCLA, UNC Chapel Hill. There is no clear preference within that list. We are D.C. residents so no in-state preference for UVA. We would be full pay.

We will start meeting the counselors next semester and will get their feedback and naviance information. In the meantime it would be great if other parents whose kids graduated from a similar private and are attending one of the above colleges could let me know whether a solid B+ student (most grades are B+s with several As and A-s and one C) would be competitive at the public ivies. We don't have any test scores as yet but practice tests indicate that she will be in the 50th percentile for accepted student test scores. It's the GPA that concerns us because with a B+ average, her unweighted GPA is probably around 3.4.

I'm asking now because if Michigan, UCLA, UVA are out of her reach then we'd like to spend some time over Christmas exploring other options and visiting more schools.

TIA.

If you've made it through all of the subjective drivel that followed your post, I recommend you talk with your DD's counselors now.

Don't listen to DCUM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our DD is a junior at one of the Big 3 schools. After visiting colleges she is leaning heavily towards the big state universities that have strong academics and school spirit. She says she would love to attend something like UMich, UVA, UCLA, UNC Chapel Hill. There is no clear preference within that list. We are D.C. residents so no in-state preference for UVA. We would be full pay.

We will start meeting the counselors next semester and will get their feedback and naviance information. In the meantime it would be great if other parents whose kids graduated from a similar private and are attending one of the above colleges could let me know whether a solid B+ student (most grades are B+s with several As and A-s and one C) would be competitive at the public ivies. We don't have any test scores as yet but practice tests indicate that she will be in the 50th percentile for accepted student test scores. It's the GPA that concerns us because with a B+ average, her unweighted GPA is probably around 3.4.

I'm asking now because if Michigan, UCLA, UVA are out of her reach then we'd like to spend some time over Christmas exploring other options and visiting more schools.

TIA.

From OOS those universities are 1) about as expensive as privates 2) tougher admits than in state and 3) not necessarily better choices than other options you may have for undergraduate education at the same cost. Yes they are good schools, but certainly not the most undergraduate focused. I'd suggest moving ahead quickly to look at alternatives with your counselors.

+1.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If by Big 3 you mean StA/NCS, Sidwell, Potomac, GDS, Holton, or Maret, then an A-/B+ student is well positioned for those colleges. Assuming your DC took some decent academic electives, those grades are above average at those high schools. SATs matter a lot since the scores of out-of-staters pull up the college averages a lot. UCLA will be harder since the UC system has a 20% limit on nonresidents. Your list represents pretty good target schools. You are being far more realistic than the parents who think those grades are good enough to get into a top SLACs or "lower Ivy."

My kid is a senior at a Big 3 with a 3.9+ (all A/A-'s with one B)/1560 and according to counselor OP's schools are matches for her, with UCLA being a match/reach and Michigan a match/safety. I'd think they'd be closer to reaches for a B+ kid.

[Anonymous]

My DD had similar stats at Big 3 and she was waitlisted at 5 schools, including UVA.

[Anonymous]

13.31 PP - wouldn't your kid from a Big 3 with a 3.9+ and a 1560 be in consideration for Ivy's or Duke/Northwestern/Chicago? My kid graduated from GDS/Sidwell/St. Albans 3 two years ago and his friends with those statistics ended up at top schools. My DS ended up at Michigan with a much lesser GPA and a 31 ACT. He was also admitted to UCLA. Berkeley was a denial and UVA was a waitlist which he didn't pursue because he preferred Michigan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Public Ivy is not a thing.

Take it to the other thread, will ya?

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/821873.page

It’s a common phrase used on DCUM to detect those with deep seeded insecurities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If by Big 3 you mean StA/NCS, Sidwell, Potomac, GDS, Holton, or Maret, then an A-/B+ student is well positioned for those colleges. Assuming your DC took some decent academic electives, those grades are above average at those high schools. SATs matter a lot since the scores of out-of-staters pull up the college averages a lot. UCLA will be harder since the UC system has a 20% limit on nonresidents. Your list represents pretty good target schools. You are being far more realistic than the parents who think those grades are good enough to get into a top SLACs or "lower Ivy."

My kid is a senior at a Big 3 with a 3.9+ (all A/A-'s with one B)/1560 and according to counselor OP's schools are matches for her, with UCLA being a match/reach and Michigan a match/safety. I'd think they'd be closer to reaches for a B+ kid.

All colleges <15% admit rates are considered reaches at my DC's school, no matter how strong the student. So Michigan, WashU and Colorado College and Tufts are always considered reaches, though there is a difference in the students from DC's school who go to those colleges and the ones that go to an Ivy+. They really try to make the match colleges those they think there are greater than 50/50 odds. And, the foundation/safeties are supposed to be the ones they'd be shocked/surprised if they don't get admitted. We're Virginians, so they urged DC to put UVa on the foundation list with Skidmore but pitched NYU and Tulane as matches.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A simple check of naviance will show you PP is wrong.

Agree Naviance gives some insight. I’m a PP with a senior. Naviance paints a very different picture than DCUM. Part of it depends on who else is applying g from the school, though.

[Anonymous]

Would she consider UT-Austin or UW-Madison?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would she consider UT-Austin or UW-Madison?

UT Austin is extremely difficult to get into from out of state because it’s capped at 10% OOS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:13.31 PP - wouldn't your kid from a Big 3 with a 3.9+ and a 1560 be in consideration for Ivy's or Duke/Northwestern/Chicago? My kid graduated from GDS/Sidwell/St. Albans 3 two years ago and his friends with those statistics ended up at top schools. My DS ended up at Michigan with a much lesser GPA and a 31 ACT. He was also admitted to UCLA. Berkeley was a denial and UVA was a waitlist which he didn't pursue because he preferred Michigan.

A lot has changed in 3 years.