Big 3 Nightmare

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We’re moving from September to June to to our summer house in the Midwest from 2023-2027 for our current 8th grader’s college admissions prospects.

Who has a Midwest summer house?

Lake house in MI or IL, country estate in Kansas etc.

?? and where will kid go to school? my close friend moved to a MI vacation property in around 8th grade and the schools were awful. She ended up in private anyway. not sure that this will result in any college admissions boost. how utterly weird and sad. I mean, move to the lake if you want.

The local public high school. It’s not stellar but not dangerous or anything. It is for the admissions boost. Our kid will not be dependent at all on the school for resources or enrichment; we have a war chest ready to deploy for ECs, tutoring and travel. Re: second bolded, that’s the point. Our child will stand out easily. If they were to go to college next year they’d probably excel. They have had an excellent foundational education already.

[Anonymous]

Expect to see a lot more wealthy families enrolling their kids in public schools on MV & Nantucket and at the DE beaches. Also, in ski resort towns in WY & MT.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Omg - many reasons I sent my kids to a big 3 (mostly to learn to write) but seriously who they hang around was zero on the list!

Meanwhile as posters have pointed out GDS outcomes looked great for last year as did NCS. Is there a noticeable drop for class of 2023 and if so does anyone know why?

The word at the schools among senior parents is that there was a big drop between 2022 and 2023.

Last year (2022) a lot of kids got crappy ED results but top 30 admits came through in the RD round. This year, many top students are left with only their safety (ranked 50+ or 75+) schools after the RD round.

I think what happened is that:
-volume of applications went up yet again--for example, internationals are back applying in full post-Covid.
-institutional priorities continued to favor first gen and/or URM kids
-the class (2023) grads had their main two years of high school (10th and 11th) during Covid grading and it was fully virtual in many publics. This means massive grade inflation because many of this districts had grade "basements" of a B. Kids got As for simply "logging on" across the board in massive districts like DCPS and huge California schools districts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Omg - many reasons I sent my kids to a big 3 (mostly to learn to write) but seriously who they hang around was zero on the list!

Meanwhile as posters have pointed out GDS outcomes looked great for last year as did NCS. Is there a noticeable drop for class of 2023 and if so does anyone know why?

The word at the schools among senior parents is that there was a big drop between 2022 and 2023.

Last year (2022) a lot of kids got crappy ED results but top 30 admits came through in the RD round. This year, many top students are left with only their safety (ranked 50+ or 75+) schools after the RD round.

I think what happened is that:
-volume of applications went up yet again--for example, internationals are back applying in full post-Covid.
-institutional priorities continued to favor first gen and/or URM kids
-the class (2023) grads had their main two years of high school (10th and 11th) during Covid grading and it was fully virtual in many publics. This means massive grade inflation because many of this districts had grade "basements" of a B. Kids got As for simply "logging on" across the board in massive districts like DCPS and huge California schools districts.

No? The class of 22 was virtual for the end of 10th and 11th. The class of 23 was virtual for the end of 9th and 10th. The impact of COVID grading should have been bigger last year than this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Omg - many reasons I sent my kids to a big 3 (mostly to learn to write) but seriously who they hang around was zero on the list!

Meanwhile as posters have pointed out GDS outcomes looked great for last year as did NCS. Is there a noticeable drop for class of 2023 and if so does anyone know why?

The word at the schools among senior parents is that there was a big drop between 2022 and 2023.

Last year (2022) a lot of kids got crappy ED results but top 30 admits came through in the RD round. This year, many top students are left with only their safety (ranked 50+ or 75+) schools after the RD round.

I think what happened is that:
-volume of applications went up yet again--for example, internationals are back applying in full post-Covid.
-institutional priorities continued to favor first gen and/or URM kids
-the class (2023) grads had their main two years of high school (10th and 11th) during Covid grading and it was fully virtual in many publics. This means massive grade inflation because many of this districts had grade "basements" of a B. Kids got As for simply "logging on" across the board in massive districts like DCPS and huge California schools districts.

Even if true, admissions officers would know about it and factor it into their decisions. The top schools all have admissions reps (not just the alumni interviewers) who know each school and how they grade. To the extent this is true, it has already been factored in to admissions decisions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Expect to see a lot more wealthy families enrolling their kids in public schools on MV & Nantucket and at the DE beaches. Also, in ski resort towns in WY & MT.

Oh good Lord. This isn’t happening. What is happening is that some other colleges across the country are becoming the preferred destination for uber wealthy families. They are taking their money and going elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Expect to see a lot more wealthy families enrolling their kids in public schools on MV & Nantucket and at the DE beaches. Also, in ski resort towns in WY & MT.

Oh good Lord. This isn’t happening. What is happening is that some other colleges across the country are becoming the preferred destination for uber wealthy families. They are taking their money and going elsewhere.

Such as Clemson & UA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow- I went to a TT SLAC in the 90s from NCS with a similar GPA and a 1480 SAT.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“You may have more data at NCS but there are plenty of unhappy parents and students regarding college outcomes at NCS. Yes, the education is outstanding but it is hard for students not to question why they worked so hard in HS to end up at a school like Bates or Wisconsin. “

I am an NCS parent of a senior. We would be dancing on the rooftops if our DD got into Wisconsin. It was a rejection. We are looking at options much, much lower on the USNWR list. Think 75-120.

what is your child's approx. GPA? NCS parent here.

GPA is 3.4. ACT is 33

That truly sucks. All the grade inflation at public schools and test optional is so frustrating.

I just posted to somebody else that every top college has regional admissions people in this area and they're all very familiar with every local HS' grading practices. COVID grading and AP weighting have already been factored in to the admissions decision. It's not like Columbia's local rep says, "Hey, Carla got a 4.6 at Whitman and that must have been in a vacuum." So you can stop using it as an excuse now.

And miss me with the whining about test optional. We used expensive test prep too, but nobody can deny it's unfair to kids who can't afford expensive test prep.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Expect to see a lot more wealthy families enrolling their kids in public schools on MV & Nantucket and at the DE beaches. Also, in ski resort towns in WY & MT.

Oh good Lord. This isn’t happening. What is happening is that some other colleges across the country are becoming the preferred destination for uber wealthy families. They are taking their money and going elsewhere.

Wealthy families (such as Celebrities) are moving to random spots around the world now like suburbs in England, Australia, coastal Italy, Portugal, Mexico City etc. They get geographic diversity boost.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Expect to see a lot more wealthy families enrolling their kids in public schools on MV & Nantucket and at the DE beaches. Also, in ski resort towns in WY & MT.

Oh good Lord. This isn’t happening. What is happening is that some other colleges across the country are becoming the preferred destination for uber wealthy families. They are taking their money and going elsewhere.

Wealthy families (such as Celebrities) are moving to random spots around the world now like suburbs in England, Australia, coastal Italy, Portugal, Mexico City etc. They get geographic diversity boost.

Lol no. This is not a thing.

What is a thing is that wealthy family college money is flowing south and west. As always the wealthy control their own destinies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow- I went to a TT SLAC in the 90s from NCS with a similar GPA and a 1480 SAT.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“You may have more data at NCS but there are plenty of unhappy parents and students regarding college outcomes at NCS. Yes, the education is outstanding but it is hard for students not to question why they worked so hard in HS to end up at a school like Bates or Wisconsin. “

I am an NCS parent of a senior. We would be dancing on the rooftops if our DD got into Wisconsin. It was a rejection. We are looking at options much, much lower on the USNWR list. Think 75-120.

what is your child's approx. GPA? NCS parent here.

GPA is 3.4. ACT is 33

That truly sucks. All the grade inflation at public schools and test optional is so frustrating.

I just posted to somebody else that every top college has regional admissions people in this area and they're all very familiar with every local HS' grading practices. COVID grading and AP weighting have already been factored in to the admissions decision. It's not like Columbia's local rep says, "Hey, Carla got a 4.6 at Whitman and that must have been in a vacuum." So you can stop using it as an excuse now.

And miss me with the whining about test optional. We used expensive test prep too, but nobody can deny it's unfair to kids who can't afford expensive test prep.

What about the kids that use expensive college counselors, essay editing or even places actually writing the essays, etc. There is plenty of FREE test prep online. I don’t follow this logic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“You may have more data at NCS but there are plenty of unhappy parents and students regarding college outcomes at NCS. Yes, the education is outstanding but it is hard for students not to question why they worked so hard in HS to end up at a school like Bates or Wisconsin. “

I am an NCS parent of a senior. We would be dancing on the rooftops if our DD got into Wisconsin. It was a rejection. We are looking at options much, much lower on the USNWR list. Think 75-120.

As a parent struggling with sending our kids to private or keeping them in our strong public, I’m starting to think we may as well save our 150k per year for our 3 kids. While we can afford tuition, college is our one and main goal for secondary schools.

Of course you don’t waste your money that way!!! Save it all to pay for med school for the three of them.

Pp here. I know some people can afford or prioritize the learning experience and consider that worth 50k per year. I also want my children to have a positive school experience. My children are getting good grades, have lots of friends and are happy. I’m not sure the extra commute and 50k per year is worth it for a potentially worse college outcome. We are relatively new to the DC area. Dh and I are public school kids. DH graduated top 5 of his regular high school and I attended a magnet high in another state. I go back and forth between just keeping my kids where they are or which private school to strategically send them to. DH only cares about college outcome so not sold on shelling out the money. He has friends who did attend top colleges and their children are not getting j to their parents’ alma maters even with legacy status.

Legacy is not a hook at most top colleges unless you also donate major, major bucks.

[Anonymous]

I think it's true that changes in college admissions practices (especially test optional) have made admissions harder and less predictable for high achievers who would have been shoo-ins back in the day. But I don't think this is just a problem for Big 3 kids. It's also just as much of a problem for public school kids as well.

In reading DCUM's private school forum for the past several months, I've come to realize many parents with kids at elite private schools tend to underestimate the brain power of kids from public schools. Their kids were accepted to "highly selective" schools, and therefore by merit alone should be more competitive than the typical applicant from public school. But this just isn't true. Look at the NMSF lists. While I'm sure the big 3 pond is full or high achieving fish, there is a much greater number of high achieving fish in the vast sea of public schools. With so many kids in public there's obviously greater diversity in achievement levels, but there are also just greater numbers of brilliant students whose parents either can't afford private or chose not to go that route.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow- I went to a TT SLAC in the 90s from NCS with a similar GPA and a 1480 SAT.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“You may have more data at NCS but there are plenty of unhappy parents and students regarding college outcomes at NCS. Yes, the education is outstanding but it is hard for students not to question why they worked so hard in HS to end up at a school like Bates or Wisconsin. “

I am an NCS parent of a senior. We would be dancing on the rooftops if our DD got into Wisconsin. It was a rejection. We are looking at options much, much lower on the USNWR list. Think 75-120.

what is your child's approx. GPA? NCS parent here.

GPA is 3.4. ACT is 33

That truly sucks. All the grade inflation at public schools and test optional is so frustrating.

I just posted to somebody else that every top college has regional admissions people in this area and they're all very familiar with every local HS' grading practices. COVID grading and AP weighting have already been factored in to the admissions decision. It's not like Columbia's local rep says, "Hey, Carla got a 4.6 at Whitman and that must have been in a vacuum." So you can stop using it as an excuse now.

And miss me with the whining about test optional. We used expensive test prep too, but nobody can deny it's unfair to kids who can't afford expensive test prep.

Yes, privilege. Or those who do not have much time for any type of test prep, because they spend their free time at a job to help support the family, or helping take care of their siblings or grandparents, etc. Most of us in DCUM land have no clue what it's really like to grow up poor and recognize all the advantages our kids have in everyday life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow- I went to a TT SLAC in the 90s from NCS with a similar GPA and a 1480 SAT.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“You may have more data at NCS but there are plenty of unhappy parents and students regarding college outcomes at NCS. Yes, the education is outstanding but it is hard for students not to question why they worked so hard in HS to end up at a school like Bates or Wisconsin. “

I am an NCS parent of a senior. We would be dancing on the rooftops if our DD got into Wisconsin. It was a rejection. We are looking at options much, much lower on the USNWR list. Think 75-120.

what is your child's approx. GPA? NCS parent here.

GPA is 3.4. ACT is 33

That truly sucks. All the grade inflation at public schools and test optional is so frustrating.

I just posted to somebody else that every top college has regional admissions people in this area and they're all very familiar with every local HS' grading practices. COVID grading and AP weighting have already been factored in to the admissions decision. It's not like Columbia's local rep says, "Hey, Carla got a 4.6 at Whitman and that must have been in a vacuum." So you can stop using it as an excuse now.

And miss me with the whining about test optional. We used expensive test prep too, but nobody can deny it's unfair to kids who can't afford expensive test prep.

Yes, privilege. Or those who do not have much time for any type of test prep, because they spend their free time at a job to help support the family, or helping take care of their siblings or grandparents, etc. Most of us in DCUM land have no clue what it's really like to grow up poor and recognize all the advantages our kids have in everyday life.

Unfortunate, but those kids are unlikely to succeed academically in college.