Disappointment

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

Seriously consider taking the BA/MD program, especially if the requirements to stay in the program are reasonable (ie GPA is not 3.75+ or a ridiculously high MCAT is required). That will save you tons of stress in 3 years, keeping in mind the ultimate goal is to be a doctor

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:REACH
JHU, Princeton, Brown, Dartmouth, Columbia, Duke, CMU, Cornell, UNC (OOS)
TARGET
UVA, VT, WM, Lehigh
SAFETY
UPitt

UVA RD and engineering (BME) from NOVA is NOT a REACH, it's a Target. W&M is also a REACH.

Do that and you see the OP applied to mostly REACHes

PP said they were targets

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:talk to her honestly, as a (soon to be) adult.

- sorry this happened.
- I think we should revisit all acceptances
- these are great options
- but this is not a prison sentence.
a. you could pick best option with the plan of transferring - that would mean planning a full summer (not just senior summer goof off) and researching transfer options. (I bet she'd get into Vandy as a transfer). you end up loving where you are and not applying, so much the better
b. you could take a gap year and reapply. that would mean taking a good look at your application and list. rewriting essays. and planning a meaningful year.
c. you could look at what's open now. some UK schools will open in clearing that are quite good.

I bet she'll end up picking one of her good options, but make it a choice. college is a huge investment. nobody should feel pushed in.

Do not do this. She will be in the same boat and get rejected all over again next year when compared to a new group with similar profiles.

Take another (or first) visit to at the places she got in, ask her to see where she could see herself for the next four years and move forward.

My son was rejected from 6-7 schools at the top of his list. He had a great experience where he ended up. Graduated, good job, and I don’t think six years later he gives one thought to those rejections any more.

Good for him! And it's because your son has sane parents who recognize that rejection is highly likely at the top schools, so you pick from who accepted you and move on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where are the school activities? I know that this has been mentioned already but just wanted to emphasized again that I would expect a high achiever to be involved in school sports, clubs or other activities that show some dedication to your community. A 1570 SAT isn't nearly as impressive when you have done so little else.

+1

Self studying for more APs is not the solution.

But even if she was in Robotics/Stem Clubs/anything with deep involvement at the school, she could have achieved the same results. Because it's one of the most popular ENGINEERING major at a schools with single digit acceptance rates already. Simple math someone with those scores should easily understand

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Call me crazy, but personally, I think schools see kids with 15 APs (all 5s) and think "she'll graduate early so that's a year less of tuition." It's a business.

Hmm, this does make quite a bit of sense. I actually thought that all her APs would give her a boost, especially with her scores.

I can attest to that. Last year, one girl from our school got into Princeton who took AP Physics in 12th grade, and two boys were rejected who completed AP Physics C in 9th and 10th grade with 5s in both. The boys were more cracked in other subjects, too. So, what you're saying about having strong APs as a disadvantage is making sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Harsh comments on this thread. Didn’t read them all

To the OP, I think college acceptances are a big farce. We pretend like if this child just had diff ECs or something else her outcomes would have been different. I know two kids admitted to Ivies this cycle that are very average (no leadership, hard working but not brilliant). Why were they admitted? Because they come from rural communities and are economically disadvantaged according to the college’s formula. That gave them the boost to get admitted. Kids from the DC region are on a whole other playing field. It really opened my eyes that admissions is a joke and we are pretending that our kids have some control over the process.

Well yes, the colleges smartly realize that offering some spots to "disadvantaged kids" who are really smart and have done a lot despite their first 18 years of life opportunities will go far and are a good fir for their school. I for one want to ensure smart kids without all the advantages in life get opportunities to succeed. Their success can be life changing for an entire family!!! So yes, a kid with a 4.0 and no APs, because their school doesn't offer any, and also highest math is Pre-Calc can in fact be just as smart as your NOVA kid who has had Kumon since they were 3+. They just need to be given the opportunity to demonstrate it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:sorry, it looked like she worked really hard and deserved to get into one of those. It was probably the major that stopped her or maybe her race. Maybe you guys should have applied to oos state schools like unc chapell hill, OSU, umn, UCLA, etc.

And thank you! We were all pretty surprised with the results, but people here are saying that apparently VT shouldn't have been a target.

Yeah, VT engineering is never a target, especially from NoVA.

People see VT's overall acceptance rate without realizing that it is a slaughterhouse for engineering for NOVA students. I would also consider Lehigh a reach RD. I know it's been said, but where is Case Western? This kid sounds perfect for Case and would have likely received a lot of merit.

I agree. But they likely would have been Rejected/WL because the school would rightly assume ---the DD doesn't want to attend because they are aiming for all the T25 schools first. And the DD likely wouldn't have shown any "demonstrated interest" because, "why would I do that at a school that isn't T25".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP I’m sure your kid is wonderful and hardworking and smart. If it makes you feel better, look up the bios of the kids who win the Coca Cola scholarships. You will not believe the list of things they’ve done over four years. Many of these are the MC/UMC kids getting admission to the schools everyone wants. That’s what your daughter competed against.

The uber wealthy of course are in a league of their own.

Or look up the “stats/ECs” videos of the kids who post their Ivy acceptances on YouTube.

Yeah, top schools throw a bone to first generation/low income occasionally so that their entire campus isn’t the same UMC/wealthy monolith it could be.

There are just a lot of smart and hardworking kids competing for the same few spots. No need to dwell on what happened, just look forward on the bright future she has to come.

This^^^. Many of the kids who get in are actually a "step above" in terms of self motivated and actually doing all their EC themselves (not "doing research with Dad's best friend"). For kids like that, the AO can see it's genuine and spot a highly motivated kid who naturally is like this, not because parents are pushing them for 12 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Harsh comments on this thread. Didn’t read them all

To the OP, I think college acceptances are a big farce. We pretend like if this child just had diff ECs or something else her outcomes would have been different. I know two kids admitted to Ivies this cycle that are very average (no leadership, hard working but not brilliant). Why were they admitted? Because they come from rural communities and are economically disadvantaged according to the college’s formula. That gave them the boost to get admitted. Kids from the DC region are on a whole other playing field. It really opened my eyes that admissions is a joke and we are pretending that our kids have some control over the process.

Strongly agree. There is nothing wrong with OP’s profile. What’s wrong is a corrupt admissions process that favors rich people through ED, athletes and often legacies and more. No one should be so invested in affirming the current admissions process that they blame this child, especially with racist Asian stereotypes. OP’s kid will do great at any of the colleges she was accepted to. W&M and Pitt seem to have many happy students! OP, I suggest you have this thread locked and stop subjecting yoursef and your kid to these insults.

For the final time: Anyone can do ED. You just have to run the NPC and be prepared to pay what the school says you "can pay". If you can't pay what they say, well then you should not ED. Or if you "could pay but want the opportunity to see what merit offers a kid gets" well then ED is not for you. But you could choose to ED and pay
So yeah, kids whose parents have planned and saved for college can ED, and it's not just rich kids. There are plenty of MC/UMC parents who chose to save and make education a priority. If you didn't don't complain now

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m surprised at the UVA result but it supports my view that from FCPS you are strongly advised to apply ED to UVA.

Why? They didn't even bother to EA to UVA. It's a well known fact that you must ED or EA, especially from NOVA, but really from anywhere. UVA has ONE supplemental essay. If you live in VA and cannot be bothered to find the time to write that one essay by Nov1/15, then yeah, perhaps UVA is smart to decide they are not the school for you. Don't use "I need more time" as an excuse, it's not like many T25 where there are 4-6 supplements to write.

[Anonymous]

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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

We didn't hire a college counselor, she had her school counselor. Should we have spent on one?

No one said anything about a private college counselor. Her school counselor is her college counselor. Are you really this obtuse? I guess so. Your FREE school college counselor definitely should have known re OOS Carolina. Everyone knows. It is no secret. So either you are not intelligent or are lying/are making this all up.

I didn't grow up in the US so yes, I don't have the best grasp of these terms. I know that her school counselor is her college counselor, but they are also referred to as guidance counselors. I think you're the obtuse one here, sorry to say.

Do you even know what obtuse means?

Yes I do, and I was using it to referring to how quick you are to make assumptions and be nasty. That, to me, doesn't make someone the brightest of the bunch.

Um, no. Obtuse means being slow or not alert in perception, feeling or intellect or being unwilling to understand. A 5 second google search can tell you the definition. You literally just made up a different definition and are not using the word correctly. It does not mean to be quick to make assumptions or "being nasty".

Delusional means characterized by or holding false beliefs or judgments about external reality that are held despite incontrovertible evidence to the contrary; based on or having faulty judgment; mistaken. This is another word you need to learn the correct meaning.

The OP got it right, obtuse was correct in reference to you. You believe that you know something about admissions but you demonstrated that you are clueless. You also demonstrated that you are a full blown asshat and pretty poor excuse of a human being.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:REACH
JHU, Princeton, Brown, Dartmouth, Columbia, Duke, CMU, Cornell, UNC (OOS)
TARGET
UVA, VT, WM, Lehigh
SAFETY
UPitt

UVA and VT would be REACH and not targets if applying for engineering schools.

With those stats in top 25th percentile? I'd give her a 60%+ chance of acceptance (TARGET) to each.

UVA engineering overall in-state acceptance rate is 32.5%. But for RD instate it is 13-16%.
So by NOT applying EA, the OP turned a Target into a definite Reach. And with BME as major, I'd guess the acceptance rates are even lower

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems like OP had very weak college counseling, honestly. A lot of this could have been prevented.

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!

They did more "wrong". They also didn't have enough targets and safeties. You need 3-4 of each really.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At some point, elite college admissions becomes just a game. It has complex, ever-evolving rules, requires long-term strategy, involves intense competition, and produces winners and losers. It sucks to be rejected or to "lose", but it often simply means you didn't play the strategy optimally. OP's academics and test scores might have qualified her kid to play, but clearly the activities weren't optimized in a way that stood out to admissions committees.

For those navigating elite college admissions, I suggest finding a specific "hook" like an athletic talent, which can provide more concrete admissions benchmarks for test scores and grades.

This is the result of the dysfunctional admissions system. People who think it’s reasonable to “curate” ECs instead of having a student do what they like and enjoy doing.

I also think these rejections hit harder when you spend all of high school taking classes that you didn't want to take or doing activities that you didn't want to do just for your resume. If you like your life and choices, then you don't feel like you've sacrificed for nothing.

This is wise. As a parent, I ask myself all the time if I should push my kids more and I usually don't. Being a parent doesn't entitle me to full control over decisions that impact someone else's happiness. Only to guide them towards the best decisions/options and prevent unrecoverable errors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Harsh comments on this thread. Didn’t read them all

To the OP, I think college acceptances are a big farce. We pretend like if this child just had diff ECs or something else her outcomes would have been different. I know two kids admitted to Ivies this cycle that are very average (no leadership, hard working but not brilliant). Why were they admitted? Because they come from rural communities and are economically disadvantaged according to the college’s formula. That gave them the boost to get admitted. Kids from the DC region are on a whole other playing field. It really opened my eyes that admissions is a joke and we are pretending that our kids have some control over the process.

Strongly agree. There is nothing wrong with OP’s profile. What’s wrong is a corrupt admissions process that favors rich people through ED, athletes and often legacies and more. No one should be so invested in affirming the current admissions process that they blame this child, especially with racist Asian stereotypes. OP’s kid will do great at any of the colleges she was accepted to. W&M and Pitt seem to have many happy students! OP, I suggest you have this thread locked and stop subjecting yoursef and your kid to these insults.

For the final time: Anyone can do ED. You just have to run the NPC and be prepared to pay what the school says you "can pay". If you can't pay what they say, well then you should not ED. Or if you "could pay but want the opportunity to see what merit offers a kid gets" well then ED is not for you. But you could choose to ED and pay
So yeah, kids whose parents have planned and saved for college can ED, and it's not just rich kids. There are plenty of MC/UMC parents who chose to save and make education a priority. If you didn't don't complain now

Glad this is the final time you write this drivel. Many of us disagree with you.