Disappointment

[Anonymous]

I dont think continuing to engage w this thread is going to make you any happier.

Go see Pitt. I bet you love it.

if she wants to defer and try again with a new list, do that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: It was definitely very competitive this year...

You really are a poor listener & so divorced from reality. After all this feedback you go "it was very competitive this year!"

No. it is very competitive EVERY YEAR.

Your kid is an average kid for these schools. There are many other really good kids out there too, some even extraordinary. Versus it being in the bag, your child would have been very very lucky to get in, same for every other kid.

Lmao god you guys are so self-absorbed, OP is allowed to let out their (rightful) frustrations without being attacked left and right. If a perfect GPA, 1570 SAT, and 5s in 14 APs is "average" to you (yes, even in a more competitive area) then you need to get your head examined. I feel bad for some of your kids, this place can be such a toxic cesspool.

This thread is not as long as it is just because people are interested in one parent’s disappointment. There are lots of similar case studies in this forum, and lessons to be learned for those facing the admissions process in the future. OP provided stats and results, which of course invites discussion, plus opinions about those results, which invites alternative opinions. It’s all well and good, and kind of the point of the forum.

As far as toxic cesspool goes, it was OP who uncharitably speculated about less worthy classmates. Don’t want to be attacked? Don’t invite it.

It's interesting that OP didn't say anything about DD's race. After the posters saw her stats and ECs, multiple posters almost immediately pointed out that DD is an Asian. That is interesting.

Two take-aways:

1. The discriminatory practice goes on after the affirmative action is held unconstitutional. Asian applicants are disadvantaged in the college process, even one year after the Harvard case.

2. Asian applicants' EC sucks the big time so much so anyone could tell by their ECs without their racial information. Research/Non-profit/stem competition got to go.

OP's post seems so fake and designed to stir up more hate against affirmative action which was banned. So you can't conclude premise 1 for these reasons:

1. OP never has explained how much they earn and how much financial aid they need. This year especially all things being clos to equal a full pay family is getting in over a family needing financial aid. And it might have been an Asian international student who took the spot not a POC and/or poor American. Around 16% of the freshman class in 23-24 was made up of international students. JHU labels these students nonresidents and lists: Nonresident - A person who is not a citizen or national of the United States and who is in this country on a student visa or temporary basis and does not have the right to remain indefinitely.

2. Someone who is so invested in college most certainly knows the difference between Early Action and Early Decision. OP first says it was early action to JHU then when confronted say it was Early Decision, then clarifies it actually was Early Decision, second round. Meanwhile over a third of the class of 29 at JHU that was just accepted applied Early Decision 1.

3. I am skeptical that a student took 14 AP tests in 9th-11th grade since that is the only way you would know that you scored a five on all 14 tests. But if a student really did there comes a point that college admissions just see it as pointless. Do you really need to take AP World History and self-study AP Human Geography and AP European History just to rack up the number of AP's.

4. You can only compare college acceptances with equivalent majors. So yeah if you applied for computer science or anything engineering like OP claims her daughter applied BME and didn't get in but someone applied to a humanities major and got in with a lower GPA, no duh! And if you are girl going for CS or engineering or business you have an edge or a boy for humanities and even biology. It doesn't mean you are being discriminated against.

And for the second premise:
Totally true too many applicants have the same EC: started non-profit, play cello, piano or violin, volunteer at a hospital, stem competition, did research, robotics, chess, play individual sport like tennis, swim, or golf. Then way too many of applicants with these EC want STEM majors.

Colleges want some kids who were on leadership/ASB/Student government, were in yearbook, drama or other non weighted classes that contributed to their high school.

1. We're in the $200k-$400k income bracket

2. Of course know the difference between EA and ED, like I said multiple times I made a mistake and accidentally wrote EA when I meant ED. How scandalous.

3. She did take 14 APs - She self-studied for a few of the easier ones.

Are 14 APs from 9th to 11th? How many APs is she taking this year (Senior year)?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That's tough, and I can see why you're upset. Having said that, Pitt is the clear choice. It's an amazing school, and your daughter would thrive there in the biomed program.

Yeah, she's definitely leaning towards Pitt right now - Friends have told us that their BME program is great. We're planning to make a visit soon to get more of a feel (and we've never been to the city itself).

Yeah, Pitt is the strongest of those in Biomedical Engineering, and it's such a great school. So many kids happy there, and they attract a lot of high stats kids like your kid, especially in BME.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kid with similar stats. TJ. Rejected by some of the same. WL at uva. Looking at many of the same options. It’s just how it is. Tough luck. That’s what we chalk it up to. Target options are very good. Lots of smart kids at those schools. She’ll be very successful.

My kid with similar stats got into a few higher ranked options for engineering and going to Pitt because she liked it so much.

[Anonymous]

I am am Ivy alum. My kid's stats are slightly lower than your kid's. Based on our research, we did not try for Ivys and only applied to one T20. The result: she was accepted to 13/14 schools, has two full rides and one offer for a BA/MD program and we are still waiting to hear from another. I am sorry but you were enamored with big names and weren't strategic enough. Getting into an Ivy is not like it was when we were applying.

[Anonymous]

OP, if there's a school or professor you're daughter is really interested in, consider that she can work there during the summer. Pre-Trump there were NSF REUs and other summer research programs where you could do research for the summer with the professor of your choice. I don't know what these will look like for the next few years, but there will probably be some options. I spent a summer at Columbia doing research and had a great experience, but left happy that I wasn't going to school there.

I ended up at my choice of PhD programs, but spent all three undergrad summers working in different places including with one professor who went on to win a Nobel Prize. I'm glad I didn't just stick to my "home" university in the summer, but got a broader understanding of what was going on in my field and what to look for in a graduate program.

I do know at least one professor who liked the work a summer research student was doing, called admissions and got them an offer to stay. It's absolutely super rare, but not impossible if she really has her heart set on transferring.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone who thinks UNC is a safety for OOS has zero clue about the college process.

When did OP say it was a safety?

21:35pm post: "DD really liked CMU and wanted to double major with BME. UNC's joint program was supposed to be more of a safety, and DD said that she loved Dartmouth's flexibility in that program."

Op also said her daughter was "guaranteed" admission to UVA by her college counselor.

OP has to be a troll. This is beyond delusional.

I said almost guaranteed - Her counselor told us that it was very likely. UVA is a great school, but DD's public sends many kids to UVA every year. How is this delusional?

OP- is your DD at TJ? If not, in FCPS? What region if not willing to say exact school. Which school does make a difference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone who thinks UNC is a safety for OOS has zero clue about the college process.

When did OP say it was a safety?

21:35pm post: "DD really liked CMU and wanted to double major with BME. UNC's joint program was supposed to be more of a safety, and DD said that she loved Dartmouth's flexibility in that program."

Op also said her daughter was "guaranteed" admission to UVA by her college counselor.

OP has to be a troll. This is beyond delusional.

I said almost guaranteed - Her counselor told us that it was very likely. UVA is a great school, but DD's public sends many kids to UVA every year. How is this delusional?

You literally wrote that Carolina OOS was supposed to be a safety (not even a target). That is delusional for anyone. ANYONE.

Here is a very good explanation that apparently you, your DD and her college counselors should watch. It is never, NEVER, a safety or target for any OOS student. I’m not here to argument the merits of a UNC degree (although I am a fan) but the numbers are what they are. Around 6% OOS acceptance rate, firm instate mandate minimum numbers, 57% increase in applications from 2017-2024 (thereby massively increasing your competition and driving down that acceptance rate even further).

Do you not understand math? Yes, it is delusional thinking to label OOS UNC a safety, an almost safety or a target. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DHXMaoEv1tW/?igsh=eG0yMWtna3owZ2di

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Welcome to the application process for highly qualified daughters. If your daughter is white or Asian, it's even worse. The stats don't lie - your daughter is competing with far more applicants exactly like her than boys. Check the Common Data Set stats and you will see it - applicants are mostly girls. Are you middle class - specifically in the not so sweet spot of a family earned income between 200K and 400K a year? It's even worse than just having a daughter!

A boy with those stats would have a bigger advantage than a girl in gaining admission simply because there aren't enough boys applying. Add to that the middle class earned income no fly zone where you earn just enough to pay for school but not enough to pay full tuition, and it becomes a tougher road. The stats and the achievements are only part of the equation.

You should feel upset - your kid busted their behind and others who may be less deserving but fulfilled some unknown need of the colleges on the list got their admit. It sucks, but it's where we are.

My DD was in the exact same boat but we applied to places where she had clear opportunities at a full ride (in addition to the standard T20 applications) and she got more than one full ride offer at what would be considered by most here as lower tier schools. That helped her get over the sting of not being accepted to the T20s in her list.

My attitude would be as follows - those other schools didn't want my kid? F them - they're missing out, and we are going to focus on the ones that showed my kid some love and love them right back.

Um there are a lots of high stats boys applying to CS/Eng programs at top schools. High stats boys get shut out of T10 for CS/Eng, including my own kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Welcome to the application process for highly qualified daughters. If your daughter is white or Asian, it's even worse. The stats don't lie - your daughter is competing with far more applicants exactly like her than boys. Check the Common Data Set stats and you will see it - applicants are mostly girls. Are you middle class - specifically in the not so sweet spot of a family earned income between 200K and 400K a year? It's even worse than just having a daughter!

A boy with those stats would have a bigger advantage than a girl in gaining admission simply because there aren't enough boys applying. Add to that the middle class earned income no fly zone where you earn just enough to pay for school but not enough to pay full tuition, and it becomes a tougher road. The stats and the achievements are only part of the equation.

You should feel upset - your kid busted their behind and others who may be less deserving but fulfilled some unknown need of the colleges on the list got their admit. It sucks, but it's where we are.

My DD was in the exact same boat but we applied to places where she had clear opportunities at a full ride (in addition to the standard T20 applications) and she got more than one full ride offer at what would be considered by most here as lower tier schools. That helped her get over the sting of not being accepted to the T20s in her list.

My attitude would be as follows - those other schools didn't want my kid? F them - they're missing out, and we are going to focus on the ones that showed my kid some love and love them right back.

Um there are a lots of high stats boys applying to CS/Eng programs at top schools. High stats boys get shut out of T10 for CS/Eng, including my own kid.

It helps to goto an expensive private school then they know you can pay sticker price

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Welcome to the application process for highly qualified daughters. If your daughter is white or Asian, it's even worse. The stats don't lie - your daughter is competing with far more applicants exactly like her than boys. Check the Common Data Set stats and you will see it - applicants are mostly girls. Are you middle class - specifically in the not so sweet spot of a family earned income between 200K and 400K a year? It's even worse than just having a daughter!

A boy with those stats would have a bigger advantage than a girl in gaining admission simply because there aren't enough boys applying. Add to that the middle class earned income no fly zone where you earn just enough to pay for school but not enough to pay full tuition, and it becomes a tougher road. The stats and the achievements are only part of the equation.

You should feel upset - your kid busted their behind and others who may be less deserving but fulfilled some unknown need of the colleges on the list got their admit. It sucks, but it's where we are.

My DD was in the exact same boat but we applied to places where she had clear opportunities at a full ride (in addition to the standard T20 applications) and she got more than one full ride offer at what would be considered by most here as lower tier schools. That helped her get over the sting of not being accepted to the T20s in her list.

My attitude would be as follows - those other schools didn't want my kid? F them - they're missing out, and we are going to focus on the ones that showed my kid some love and love them right back.

Um there are a lots of high stats boys applying to CS/Eng programs at top schools. High stats boys get shut out of T10 for CS/Eng, including my own kid.

Agreed, my high stats boy and many of his male peers were shut out of Top10-20 CS/Eng. The HS matters...the ones getting in to the reaches from his school have exceptional ECs along with rigor, test scores, and grades. My kid (engineering major) is happy to have been invited to a special program at the state school he'll be attending along with an academic scholarship from that school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyone else facing a lot of disappointment during this cycle? DD got into a couple target schools + most of her safeties... Rejected or WL from the rest. She was (imo and told to us by many others) a great applicant - High stats, great ECs + essays, LORs... Her interviews all went very well, especially JHU. She applied to JHU EA and the rest RD, and we're from NOVA. Intended major is BME (biomed engineering).

Stats:
4.0 UW/4.7 W GPA
1570 SAT (800 M, 770 R&W)
14 APs, all 5s

ECs:
- A few regional awards (STEM)
- 200+ volunteer hours @ local hospital
- Founder of non-profit
- Research w/ prof at T30
- Competitive summer program for BME
- Lots of community service

Results:
JHU EA - Deferred -> Rejected
Princeton - Rejected
Brown - Rejected
Dartmouth - Rejected
Columbia - Rejected
Duke - Rejected
UVA - WL
Cornell - WL
CMU - WL
UNC CH - WL
VT - Accepted
W&M - Accepted
Lehigh - Accepted
UPitt - Accepted

DD is incredibly upset and so are we... JHU was her dream school but she relied on UVA + CMU as well. Anyone here confused and facing a similar situation?We all were convinced that DD had it in the bag - Worst of all is that many of her classmates w/ lower stats and worse ECs have gotten into a few of these schools.

The bolded attitude was your mistake. Your kid is not hooked, and I assume she is coming from public school? For parents reading this who have highschoolers, be very realistic with your kids. Admissions are extremely tough right now. For BME I would have added Wisconsin, Michigan, and Rice if I wanted a higher ranking school.

[Anonymous]

Some of these waitlists move. If she loves Cornell, for example, go up and visit and let them know she will yield if she comes off the list. Hire a better college counselor to help with LOCIs. Look for one who works with TJ students - she seems to have similar stats and such. Keep fighting. She has great stats and all that, she is an easy sell. I am so sorry this happened. Pitt is a great option, but I get it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone who thinks UNC is a safety for OOS has zero clue about the college process.

When did OP say it was a safety?

21:35pm post: "DD really liked CMU and wanted to double major with BME. UNC's joint program was supposed to be more of a safety, and DD said that she loved Dartmouth's flexibility in that program."

Op also said her daughter was "guaranteed" admission to UVA by her college counselor.

OP has to be a troll. This is beyond delusional.

The counselor comments where I call troll- NO school counselor would say that and OP said did not pay for outside consultant.

That is what her counselor told us, I don't know what else to tell you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Welcome to the application process for highly qualified daughters. If your daughter is white or Asian, it's even worse. The stats don't lie - your daughter is competing with far more applicants exactly like her than boys. Check the Common Data Set stats and you will see it - applicants are mostly girls. Are you middle class - specifically in the not so sweet spot of a family earned income between 200K and 400K a year? It's even worse than just having a daughter!

A boy with those stats would have a bigger advantage than a girl in gaining admission simply because there aren't enough boys applying. Add to that the middle class earned income no fly zone where you earn just enough to pay for school but not enough to pay full tuition, and it becomes a tougher road. The stats and the achievements are only part of the equation.

You should feel upset - your kid busted their behind and others who may be less deserving but fulfilled some unknown need of the colleges on the list got their admit. It sucks, but it's where we are.

My DD was in the exact same boat but we applied to places where she had clear opportunities at a full ride (in addition to the standard T20 applications) and she got more than one full ride offer at what would be considered by most here as lower tier schools. That helped her get over the sting of not being accepted to the T20s in her list.

My attitude would be as follows - those other schools didn't want my kid? F them - they're missing out, and we are going to focus on the ones that showed my kid some love and love them right back.

Um there are a lots of high stats boys applying to CS/Eng programs at top schools. High stats boys get shut out of T10 for CS/Eng, including my own kid.

It helps to goto an expensive private school then they know you can pay sticker price

Sure does. Why do you think tuition at those schools grows as fast as college tuition? It’s not because of parent plus loans, which aren’t available for high school. It’s because the schools need to maintain the strong signal that their families are willing and able to pay.