Disappointment
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Anonymous
It takes 30 seconds to find out "If you want to attend UVA you don't apply RD, you must do EA or ED" And nope, it's not understandable to be disappointed at getting Rej/WL at REACHES with sub 10% acceptance rates. You should expect that and instead be surprised if you win the lottery |
Anonymous
Pitt is a "much better college campus/environemnt" than CMU. CMU campus is boring, kids are nerdy and not really a student body. I attended as a grad student and it was great academically, but the undergrads did not look like any other campus I've ever been on. It didn't have that "happy campus feel" |
Anonymous
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The college admissions process is a very sophisticated game in a minefield of nuance, OP was just in over her depth.
I feel specifically bad for the public school grinders (like OP's kid) who work incredibly hard to check off every box, only to discover that they are following the rules from 30 years ago. |
Anonymous
Similar to how I have every right to be disappointed I didn't win the last 5 Mega Lotteries, I mean I bought 15 tickets to each one. |
Anonymous
| OP should have taught her kid to dribble a ball. She could have gotten in o most of the schools with a 3.5/1400 and would have known junior year at the latest. |
Anonymous
I think it’s understandable to be disappointed with negative outcomes even if the negative outcomes were expected. That’s being human. But it shouldn’t have been surprising. Being surprised by it - meaning they were expecting positive outcomes when they should have been bracing for negative outcomes - means they were poorly informed about the chances. |
Anonymous
Sorry you don't like reality. Applying to 10-15 schools all with single digit acceptance rates is a REACH for everyone---most of the kids have resume's like her DD. The 1580 SAT is "nothing unique", just means she's academically qualified then they move onto the rest of the application. So yes we want to help people, by making them aware: A) if you want to apply to UVA it's ED or EA. RD is much harder, so why wait---do EA for best chance. Every single HS counselor in VA knows this, but certainly in NOVA it's a well known fact if you do even 5 mins of college research. B) Statically applying to more REACHES does NOT increase your chances at any of them. They are independent events. So if you want to be really disappointed come April, apply to mostly REACHES and toss in a few Safeties and you can achieve that. Instead, how about more real Targets---schools with 25%+ acceptance rates where your kid is at/above 75% and for good measure, one or two targets with 30-35%+ acceptance rates. Because yes it is entirely possible to get Rej/WL at all reaches when they are all single digit acceptance rates. |
Anonymous
With those stats in top 25th percentile? I'd give her a 60%+ chance of acceptance (TARGET) to each. |
Anonymous
Plus BME is literally the most popular ENGineering major at JHU. So single digit acceptance rates at typically one of the most wanted engineering majors at many of these schools. So your acceptance rate is much lower than 7%, when you factor in all data points. And once again, a tiny bit of research will tell you this. It's not a surprise |
Anonymous
We don't "need our heads examined". Simple fact: Yes, at most T25 schools, it is "average". 85-90% of the applicants meet the "SAT cutoff". There are more kids with "high enough stats for the colleges" than there are spots. It's quite simple. Don't feel bad for our kids. We planned---my engineering kid had 5 Reaches, 4 Targets and 4 Safeties. And here are the results: T10 ED1, Deferred then Rejected 1 more T10: Rejected 1 T25: rejected Tufts (around 30): WL NEU: Accepted for Global Scholars (1st year abroad) All 4 Targets: accepted, some with excellent merit (one with $42K/year at a ~$85-90K school). Safeties: accepted at all 4 (excellent merit at 3, the other is a OOS school not known for giving merit) They chose to attend their "best" Target (unfortunately not the one with excellent merit, so full pay at a $90K). But the results were predictable. As my kid said, they were only rejected at the 3 T25 schools, Tufts acceptance rates are 6-7% so great to get WL and NEU is even lower, and they were not Rejected, they were admitted (although not to a program they wanted, but still with 100K applicants, to get that means you were in top 10-12%) It's exactly what we expected. My kid is thriving at their choice, and ultimately, I think it was the "best fit" school for them and I had thought that since the first visit. |
Anonymous
| My hooked kid (legacy at WASP) was told bluntly by their CC that the WASP is still a reach, even with their high stats, geographic diversity, choice of major, etc. Reaches are reaches for everyone, and that’s just how things are. It’s easy to speculate about hooks and institutional priorities giving lower stats kids an edge, but that’s not constructive (or even true). Better to focus on and embrace the options that are available and accessible your kid. |
Anonymous
BINGO! For "really smart kids" it seems strange they don't recognize that and manage the process better. It's your choice, but you can have really strong Targets---Targets that you love and that are a great fit for you. It behooves you to pick those and find 3-5 of them, because otherwise, yes you might be selecting from safeties. It's your choice |
Anonymous
There’s nothing that can prevent getting rejected from a bunch of sub-10% admit rate schools except “not applying”. It is the expected outcome. The only thing the applicant did wrong here is not apply ED to UVA. But that’s an attitude we often see on DCUM - “UVA is a safety for my kid.” But then they get denied. Oopsie! |
Anonymous
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Here's the problem. It's a bell curve. Equally competitive and GREAT kids will behave according to the bell curve with these reach schools. None of them are 100% or even close.
Some kids' applications will land well at the right schools and they'll get a few admits. Some kids might just get one of their dream schools. Others will fall on the lean side of the bell curve and get none. It's more rare to be the extreme, but EVERYONE needs to know this is a possibility and prepare themselves and their kids for the chance that your high stats kid will not get into any reach schools. EVERY kid needs a good safety. |
Anonymous
For people applying to T20/25 schools, those are "average stats". They meet the requirements to let you have a lottery ticket. But it's still a lottery ticket. There is nothing about the ECs that "stand out", they are what most kids have for THOSE schools. So yes, while not average overall, they are for those T25 schools. If you want to stand out, apply to schools in the 30-75 range, there she is "above average" and will do better. But also realize that at many of those schools, you will still be surrounded by "really smart kids". My DD chose between two schools in the ~40s. Both schools are known for being filled with "t25 rejects". Of my DD close group of friends (~20 of them) literally every single one of them was WL/spring start/soph start at at least 1 T25 school, many of them at multiple schools. They all have "the resume" but didn't win the lottery. |