Parent of Junior here - Is this year extra bad or is this how it is?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There’s a big focus on rural kids by AOs - have a friend at Ivy in a leadership role - and rural, whether Wyoming, Hawaii or WV is the golden ticket this year.

💯 and trauma

My Senior had zero trauma in his applications and has been getting in everywhere, including UVA EA.

I have heard of more early round deferrals for kids than prior years but our counselors have says they think this year kids will have a lot of RD acceptances on those deferrals since kids are applying to so many schools now.

I few things I was stressing would harm my kid ended up apparently not being an issue.

Oh test scores will be big next year even at TO schools, trending test aware now.

My kid did have a single sitting 35 ACT and 5s on all AP exams and I think that definitely helped him stand out in the sea of 4.0uw.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would def opt for 4 APs over 5 in one year and spend the extra time on an interesting ECs. My kids are in MCPS though and I acknowledge that we don’t have that same UVA admissions pressure that tortures Nova kids.
Admissions so far this year at private colleges (largely ED) look really good at our high school. Preliminary data shows UMD admits were way down. I think we’re seeing a continuing thread of state flagships and similar becoming increasingly competitive. I’m guessing the sub top 20 private colleges may be becoming even more interested in full pay DMV kids in anticipation of the cliff.

Let me fix this for you, replace “ful pay DMV kids” with “full pay international,” because need blind schools, which is all of the T20, aren’t allowed to consider full pay status for domestic kids, but are allowed to for international students.

Can we put the cliff nonsense to bed? After several years, the decrease will be a total of 15 percent.

[Anonymous]

coming in late is a no go.

but using a flex to beef up senior year grades, work with a teacher on a project, or just work on apps makes sense.

you'd be surprised by how many students grind for 4 years and then copy and paste essays to 20 schools.

make a tight list of 10 schools and then do real, compete apps for each of them. that's worth a flex period. will matter more than 1 more AP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:coming in late is a no go.

but using a flex to beef up senior year grades, work with a teacher on a project, or just work on apps makes sense.

you'd be surprised by how many students grind for 4 years and then copy and paste essays to 20 schools.

make a tight list of 10 schools and then do real, compete apps for each of them. that's worth a flex period. will matter more than 1 more AP

+1 I find it really sad that the school culture is changing to get rid of the senior year flex period. Both my kids did a flex period in APS senior year and it was good for them to have that breathing room.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You have to realize that your kid looks like a million other kids from the outside. A gazillion kids are taking 5 APs, etc. They. All. Look. The. Same.

So what makes your kid different from the rest? What makes him tick as a human being? What's his thing? Who is he? And you can't mention any numbers, or stats.

X1000 there’s absolutely nothing on a transcript that will make your kid stand out unless they are graduating 3 years ahead of time. Nothing.

The standout items are the things not on a transcript - life lessons, commitment to something, initiative not related to class assignments, etc.

So is this an argument NOT to take all AP classes? Or, do you still need 5 APs to even get a chance to show you stand out?

Depends on your peer group/high school

And your child. My sister decided to limit her daughter’s APs to two a year due to challenges with stress/anxiety, which is below her peer group AP load. Great grades, otherwise average student for activities. She still got into her top school choices and decided on UMiami. Studying accounting and landed great internships.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD recognizes that even with a 4.3 gpa, APs, and interesting ECs, admission to her top choices is iffy. High stats kids are a dime a dozen.

She will also apply to schools that are much less selective where she’s confident she would be accepted, probably with significant merit aid. If she ends up attending one of her lower-ranked choices, she will likely have plenty of her college fund left over for grad school.

Can you suggest some of the schools that your DD would be considering? Every place my similar DC is looking that used to be a safety or target has moved up at least one level. What's a good safety for someone who has worked so hard?

Where are you located? Va, Md, DC or somewhere else? I can give better suggestions if I know where you would be in-state.

Virginia

If your DC is interested in a smaller school, the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg offered my older DS significant merit aid when he applied. I’m an alumna so that may have helped. He decided to attend George Mason.

From what I hear, a lot of students are putting VCU and Christopher Newport on their lists. JMU is popular too but gives less merit from what I hear.

Are you hearing this about students taking high rigor applying to these schools? This sounds so different that just a few years ago.

Yes. Students are looking at schools based on their strength in certain fields. VCU is among the best in the country for Arts, and is strong in pre-med, pre-dentistry, etc.
CNU has some good science and business departments, and UMW is known for strong historic preservation, geography, and political science department. Longwood U in Farmville is outstanding for its Education department.

[Anonymous]

I had a Senior last year and have a Senior this year - I think this year has been a lot less brutal then last. Though UVa has been tougher this year. YMMV

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD recognizes that even with a 4.3 gpa, APs, and interesting ECs, admission to her top choices is iffy. High stats kids are a dime a dozen.

She will also apply to schools that are much less selective where she’s confident she would be accepted, probably with significant merit aid. If she ends up attending one of her lower-ranked choices, she will likely have plenty of her college fund left over for grad school.

Can you suggest some of the schools that your DD would be considering? Every place my similar DC is looking that used to be a safety or target has moved up at least one level. What's a good safety for someone who has worked so hard?

Where are you located? Va, Md, DC or somewhere else? I can give better suggestions if I know where you would be in-state.

Virginia

If your DC is interested in a smaller school, the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg offered my older DS significant merit aid when he applied. I’m an alumna so that may have helped. He decided to attend George Mason.

From what I hear, a lot of students are putting VCU and Christopher Newport on their lists. JMU is popular too but gives less merit from what I hear.

Are you hearing this about students taking high rigor applying to these schools? This sounds so different that just a few years ago.

Yes. Students are looking at schools based on their strength in certain fields. VCU is among the best in the country for Arts, and is strong in pre-med, pre-dentistry, etc.
CNU has some good science and business departments, and UMW is known for strong historic preservation, geography, and political science department. Longwood U in Farmville is outstanding for its Education department.

+1 Also people focus on the disappointing results for students applying to VT for engineering or business but a lot of their majors have 50%+ acceptance rates. They have strong programs in sciences, natural resources, political science.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD recognizes that even with a 4.3 gpa, APs, and interesting ECs, admission to her top choices is iffy. High stats kids are a dime a dozen.

She will also apply to schools that are much less selective where she’s confident she would be accepted, probably with significant merit aid. If she ends up attending one of her lower-ranked choices, she will likely have plenty of her college fund left over for grad school.

Can you suggest some of the schools that your DD would be considering? Every place my similar DC is looking that used to be a safety or target has moved up at least one level. What's a good safety for someone who has worked so hard?

Where are you located? Va, Md, DC or somewhere else? I can give better suggestions if I know where you would be in-state.

Virginia

If your DC is interested in a smaller school, the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg offered my older DS significant merit aid when he applied. I’m an alumna so that may have helped. He decided to attend George Mason.

From what I hear, a lot of students are putting VCU and Christopher Newport on their lists. JMU is popular too but gives less merit from what I hear.

Are you hearing this about students taking high rigor applying to these schools? This sounds so different that just a few years ago.

Yes. Students are looking at schools based on their strength in certain fields. VCU is among the best in the country for Arts, and is strong in pre-med, pre-dentistry, etc.
CNU has some good science and business departments, and UMW is known for strong historic preservation, geography, and political science department. Longwood U in Farmville is outstanding for its Education department.

And Radford has a direct-entry nursing program with a strong NCLEX pass rate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You have to realize that your kid looks like a million other kids from the outside. A gazillion kids are taking 5 APs, etc. They. All. Look. The. Same.

So what makes your kid different from the rest? What makes him tick as a human being? What's his thing? Who is he? And you can't mention any numbers, or stats.

X1000 there’s absolutely nothing on a transcript that will make your kid stand out unless they are graduating 3 years ahead of time. Nothing.

The standout items are the things not on a transcript - life lessons, commitment to something, initiative not related to class assignments, etc.

So is this an argument NOT to take all AP classes? Or, do you still need 5 APs to even get a chance to show you stand out?

Depends on your peer group/high school

And your child. My sister decided to limit her daughter’s APs to two a year due to challenges with stress/anxiety, which is below her peer group AP load. Great grades, otherwise average student for activities. She still got into her top school choices and decided on UMiami. Studying accounting and landed great internships.

Can you share other schools that she considered with U Miami? I'm thinking private schools might yield better results that all the big flagships.

[Anonymous]

For NRRPs Cramming for the ACT at the SAT will probably be the lowest cost way to stand out, especially when test optional ends. If your kids thinks of it like homework, they can put in 4-5 hours a day of study and still have a relatively normal summer - though they’d have to choose between intense recreation and a job. Most can’t do all three. It’s easier and less stressful than making fake passion projects , B.S. research or creating nonprofit corporations.

[Anonymous]

Our senior has senior privilege and had a study hall last year. She had tons of rigor with APs and DE. Actually used her study hall for those classes. It’s been fantastic to have the flexibility this year after all of the stress.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Will ypur kid have 5 total classes with flex period or 6? If 6 total and 5 APs, I wouldn't sweat it. I don't think the flex period will show up (I'm in MCPS, so may be different for you). I do think fewer tha 6 classes total might be noticeable.

My senior has 7 (no flex), but 2 classes are light classes. 3 AP + MVC & DE. It's been fine. Jr. year classes were harder. Admitted early to everywhere they applied, including Ivy.

My '22 took a study hall spring semester of sr year. Should have taken one fall, it was too stressful with 8 classes (different magnet school), sport and college apps. Worked out with great college choices, though. I don't think the amount of classes made a difference, but some of the ones they might have dropped did help "tell the story" for this kid.

There are 7 periods in APS, but AP Science is 2 periods. So, that leaves one elective. I'm not saying AP Gov would put my kid over the top, but I'm just wondering if it makes a difference or if taking regular gov actually puts a non-gov major at a disadvantage. THe advice seems to be to take APs that interest them, but it doesn't seem anyone actually follows that. The norm, at least what I'm hearing form DC's fellow overachieving friends, is take all the APs you can fit in your schedule (who cares about sleep). For sure, the flex period is out. I hate that it's this way for our kids.

Hm. Since he already has a double period, I wouldn't do the flex. That would give him only 5 classes (the double is essentially a class plus flex). If he had a choice between AP Gov and something that really interested him, I'd say go for the latter. He doesn't need 5 APs for AP 's sake (caveat, that I am in MD, so don't know fine print of UVA). But, if the choice is AP Gov or regular Gov, I'd say just do the AP. It's not a hard class in the scheme of things, and the test performance won't matter in terms of admissions. Any other AP he could swap out for something more interesting to him?

[Anonymous]

FWIW, I believe the double periods count as 2 classes. They are enrolled in AP Chem and Selected Topics in AP Chem (or Bio, Physics or APES). There are 2 different grades and count as 2 classes. Can someone who has BTDT in APS confirm?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD recognizes that even with a 4.3 gpa, APs, and interesting ECs, admission to her top choices is iffy. High stats kids are a dime a dozen.

She will also apply to schools that are much less selective where she’s confident she would be accepted, probably with significant merit aid. If she ends up attending one of her lower-ranked choices, she will likely have plenty of her college fund left over for grad school.

Can you suggest some of the schools that your DD would be considering? Every place my similar DC is looking that used to be a safety or target has moved up at least one level. What's a good safety for someone who has worked so hard?

Where are you located? Va, Md, DC or somewhere else? I can give better suggestions if I know where you would be in-state.

Virginia

If your DC is interested in a smaller school, the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg offered my older DS significant merit aid when he applied. I’m an alumna so that may have helped. He decided to attend George Mason.

From what I hear, a lot of students are putting VCU and Christopher Newport on their lists. JMU is popular too but gives less merit from what I hear.

Are you hearing this about students taking high rigor applying to these schools? This sounds so different that just a few years ago.

Yes. Students are looking at schools based on their strength in certain fields. VCU is among the best in the country for Arts, and is strong in pre-med, pre-dentistry, etc.
CNU has some good science and business departments, and UMW is known for strong historic preservation, geography, and political science department. Longwood U in Farmville is outstanding for its Education department.

And Radford has a direct-entry nursing program with a strong NCLEX pass rate.

I think HS students are realizing that entrance to the top “name brand” public schools is not guaranteed even with good stats, so they are more carefully researching other schools. VA has so many options. Great professors and departments exist beyond UVA/W&M/VT. Even if a school has a high acceptance rate, it can still have excellent programs and very successful graduates.