Help me gauge expectations

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1590 SAT/4.8 GPA at MCPS Magnet/4 years varsity sport/related internship.

Rejected MIT Brown
W-L CM and Cornell
Attending UMD

It's stuff like this that makes me nervous. DC is 1580/4.69 (although this is essentially the maximum achievable GPA at DC's school) from a top private, 800 on SAT II in math and chem, will be 4 years varsity sport, some ECs but nothing super special there. DC is up and to the right of every person from the school is Naviance. It's really hard to tell, particularly in this new environment, at what point schools shift from being unlikely but possible, to greater than 50% chance, to virtual certainties.

What "top private" weighs grades? Sidwell//GDS/STA/NCS don't and getting anywhere near a 4.0 is rare. Are you posting from out of area?

+2 When you say “top private” and then say 4.69 GPA people know you are lying because DC top privates don’t weight grades and don’t have APs. You are posting on a DC site, so at least qualify by saying “a top private in another area” or this makes NO sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1590 SAT/4.8 GPA at MCPS Magnet/4 years varsity sport/related internship.

Rejected MIT Brown
W-L CM and Cornell
Attending UMD

It's stuff like this that makes me nervous. DC is 1580/4.69 (although this is essentially the maximum achievable GPA at DC's school) from a top private, 800 on SAT II in math and chem, will be 4 years varsity sport, some ECs but nothing super special there. DC is up and to the right of every person from the school is Naviance. It's really hard to tell, particularly in this new environment, at what point schools shift from being unlikely but possible, to greater than 50% chance, to virtual certainties.

What "top private" weighs grades? Sidwell//GDS/STA/NCS don't and getting anywhere near a 4.0 is rare. Are you posting from out of area?

+2 When you say “top private” and then say 4.69 GPA people know you are lying because DC top privates don’t weight grades and don’t have APs. You are posting on a DC site, so at least qualify by saying “a top private in another area” or this makes NO sense.

It's a top private not in the District itself but in the area, which does weight grades but does not have APs. So it does make sense. But it's fun to have all the DCUM know-it-alls flooding in here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are from Wyoming?

If not, then you have it correct.

Is this a DMV thing? From CA, I am almost shocked by the competition in the DMV area. With those stats, there should be more options. Possibly, this might be a function of not enough great schools in the DMV area?

I grew up in the Bay Area, and while there are pockets of competitive strivers there, I do think the DMV is unparalleled. For starters, the region is the most highly educated in the US, so it makes sense that there are tons of smart, motivated kids here. The geographic area is also more condensed than CA, so the competition does not have the advantage of being as spread out.

https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/education.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in the Bay Area, and while there are pockets of competitive strivers there, I do think the DMV is unparalleled.

Are you including the valley in your assessment?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Start with math:

10% = 300,000 kids that scored equal or better than you.

T30 schools = <100,000 admits.

This! You have to expand your list way beyond T30.

[Anonymous]

My DD noted that Ivy Day is defined as the day over 250,000 high school seniors (probably more this year) get rejected from one or more Ivies

[Anonymous]

What difference does it make? Seriously? Now that I have a senior myself, I am even more baffled by all of this ranking stuff. I've been on hiring panels for 25 years now and had hiring authority for 15 years and college rank signals something but its not the only thing in the world, its not even one of the main things we are looking for.

There are 2 million college graduates each year. The "top 30" universities are not that big, usually under 10,000 students, so we're talking about how many total--maybe 60,000 kids in each class? The amount of time and energy and angst people -- parents -- spend, and put their kids through, over this stuff just amazes me. We have to prepare our kids to be functional adults!

Focusing on this one small thing, acceptance (not success!) at a certain small group of colleges is just crazy. I get that DCUM is a narrow lens, but it clearly consumes a lot of time and money in the DMV--look at real estate prices, look at school boundary discussions, look at private school tuition, look at how many tutoring companies there are. So much seems to be focused on getting kids into these schools, not on getting kids prepared for adulthood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What difference does it make? Seriously? Now that I have a senior myself, I am even more baffled by all of this ranking stuff. I've been on hiring panels for 25 years now and had hiring authority for 15 years and college rank signals something but its not the only thing in the world, its not even one of the main things we are looking for.

There are 2 million college graduates each year. The "top 30" universities are not that big, usually under 10,000 students, so we're talking about how many total--maybe 60,000 kids in each class? The amount of time and energy and angst people -- parents -- spend, and put their kids through, over this stuff just amazes me. We have to prepare our kids to be functional adults!

Focusing on this one small thing, acceptance (not success!) at a certain small group of colleges is just crazy. I get that DCUM is a narrow lens, but it clearly consumes a lot of time and money in the DMV--look at real estate prices, look at school boundary discussions, look at private school tuition, look at how many tutoring companies there are. So much seems to be focused on getting kids into these schools, not on getting kids prepared for adulthood.

Should clarify -- my husband and I both went to top-10 (he would say he went to the #1) schools in the 90's, when it was not so crazy to get in. We were just smart kids from regular public schools. Now we work at places where all of our work peers have similar credentials and we hire out of those schools. But we are definitively not putting our kids into this rat race and neither of them have been motivated to do it themselves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What difference does it make? Seriously? Now that I have a senior myself, I am even more baffled by all of this ranking stuff. I've been on hiring panels for 25 years now and had hiring authority for 15 years and college rank signals something but its not the only thing in the world, its not even one of the main things we are looking for.

There are 2 million college graduates each year. The "top 30" universities are not that big, usually under 10,000 students, so we're talking about how many total--maybe 60,000 kids in each class? The amount of time and energy and angst people -- parents -- spend, and put their kids through, over this stuff just amazes me. We have to prepare our kids to be functional adults!

Focusing on this one small thing, acceptance (not success!) at a certain small group of colleges is just crazy. I get that DCUM is a narrow lens, but it clearly consumes a lot of time and money in the DMV--look at real estate prices, look at school boundary discussions, look at private school tuition, look at how many tutoring companies there are. So much seems to be focused on getting kids into these schools, not on getting kids prepared for adulthood.

Should clarify -- my husband and I both went to top-10 (he would say he went to the #1) schools in the 90's, when it was not so crazy to get in. We were just smart kids from regular public schools. Now we work at places where all of our work peers have similar credentials and we hire out of those schools. But we are definitively not putting our kids into this rat race and neither of them have been motivated to do it themselves.

You start with "what difference does it make" and you finish by saying that you hire out of the top 10 schools you went to. I guess that is the difference it makes!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pretty much. My daughter had 4.6 wgpa, 35 on ACT, amazing ECs leadership and a varsity sport. Essays were on spot.

Best school she got into was UMD.

Where else did she apply?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What difference does it make? Seriously? Now that I have a senior myself, I am even more baffled by all of this ranking stuff. I've been on hiring panels for 25 years now and had hiring authority for 15 years and college rank signals something but its not the only thing in the world, its not even one of the main things we are looking for.

There are 2 million college graduates each year. The "top 30" universities are not that big, usually under 10,000 students, so we're talking about how many total--maybe 60,000 kids in each class? The amount of time and energy and angst people -- parents -- spend, and put their kids through, over this stuff just amazes me. We have to prepare our kids to be functional adults!

Focusing on this one small thing, acceptance (not success!) at a certain small group of colleges is just crazy. I get that DCUM is a narrow lens, but it clearly consumes a lot of time and money in the DMV--look at real estate prices, look at school boundary discussions, look at private school tuition, look at how many tutoring companies there are. So much seems to be focused on getting kids into these schools, not on getting kids prepared for adulthood.

Should clarify -- my husband and I both went to top-10 (he would say he went to the #1) schools in the 90's, when it was not so crazy to get in. We were just smart kids from regular public schools. Now we work at places where all of our work peers have similar credentials and we hire out of those schools. But we are definitively not putting our kids into this rat race and neither of them have been motivated to do it themselves.

You start with "what difference does it make" and you finish by saying that you hire out of the top 10 schools you went to. I guess that is the difference it makes!

We don't only hire out of those schools, I said at the beginning what college you went to is not much of a factor for us at all. Allegheny, Gettysburg, Reed, Bennington, Earlham--none of them are ranked that highly but they are all good schools and I have hired great people from them based on their interviews, writing samples, and references.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in the Bay Area, and while there are pockets of competitive strivers there, I do think the DMV is unparalleled.

Are you including the valley in your assessment?

Absolutely! I'm a valley girl.

[Anonymous]

You can change your major any time once you start, right? So why isn’t every kid putting down an obscure/wrong sex major to get an advantage?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What difference does it make? Seriously? Now that I have a senior myself, I am even more baffled by all of this ranking stuff. I've been on hiring panels for 25 years now and had hiring authority for 15 years and college rank signals something but its not the only thing in the world, its not even one of the main things we are looking for.

There are 2 million college graduates each year. The "top 30" universities are not that big, usually under 10,000 students, so we're talking about how many total--maybe 60,000 kids in each class? The amount of time and energy and angst people -- parents -- spend, and put their kids through, over this stuff just amazes me. We have to prepare our kids to be functional adults!

Focusing on this one small thing, acceptance (not success!) at a certain small group of colleges is just crazy. I get that DCUM is a narrow lens, but it clearly consumes a lot of time and money in the DMV--look at real estate prices, look at school boundary discussions, look at private school tuition, look at how many tutoring companies there are. So much seems to be focused on getting kids into these schools, not on getting kids prepared for adulthood.

Should clarify -- my husband and I both went to top-10 (he would say he went to the #1) schools in the 90's, when it was not so crazy to get in. We were just smart kids from regular public schools. Now we work at places where all of our work peers have similar credentials and we hire out of those schools. But we are definitively not putting our kids into this rat race and neither of them have been motivated to do it themselves.

You start with "what difference does it make" and you finish by saying that you hire out of the top 10 schools you went to. I guess that is the difference it makes!

We don't only hire out of those schools, I said at the beginning what college you went to is not much of a factor for us at all. Allegheny, Gettysburg, Reed, Bennington, Earlham--none of them are ranked that highly but they are all good schools and I have hired great people from them based on their interviews, writing samples, and references.

WAIT? Those are what you consider "Top 10" schools? Sorry I called you racist. You're just clueless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What difference does it make? Seriously? Now that I have a senior myself, I am even more baffled by all of this ranking stuff. I've been on hiring panels for 25 years now and had hiring authority for 15 years and college rank signals something but its not the only thing in the world, its not even one of the main things we are looking for.

There are 2 million college graduates each year. The "top 30" universities are not that big, usually under 10,000 students, so we're talking about how many total--maybe 60,000 kids in each class? The amount of time and energy and angst people -- parents -- spend, and put their kids through, over this stuff just amazes me. We have to prepare our kids to be functional adults!

Focusing on this one small thing, acceptance (not success!) at a certain small group of colleges is just crazy. I get that DCUM is a narrow lens, but it clearly consumes a lot of time and money in the DMV--look at real estate prices, look at school boundary discussions, look at private school tuition, look at how many tutoring companies there are. So much seems to be focused on getting kids into these schools, not on getting kids prepared for adulthood.

Should clarify -- my husband and I both went to top-10 (he would say he went to the #1) schools in the 90's, when it was not so crazy to get in. We were just smart kids from regular public schools. Now we work at places where all of our work peers have similar credentials and we hire out of those schools. But we are definitively not putting our kids into this rat race and neither of them have been motivated to do it themselves.

This is, at best, misguided. But more likely racist. Do better.

What! Are you joking?

-NP

Deciding you are only going hire people of the same background as you is racist.

Ha -- thinking back, most of our minority hires (well, AA and Hispanic definitely, our Asian hires have come from all over) over the past 20 years have come from Ivies or places like Duke/Stanford/Michigan. If you are a bright black high schooler, you probably have a good shot of getting into a top-ranked school. Its harder to find and recruit black or Hispanic graduates out of SLACs, although the SLACs themselves are trying harder to diversify.