How to get into UVA from Langley?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your husband is correct. It really and truly isn’t necessary to buy into the Langley district to get a great education in northern Virginia. There are many, many great schools in far more affordable areas.

True. But if you factor in resale value, the McLean properties - even if shacks - are valuable for tear-down potential.

This is true in many areas beyond McLean. Vienna, for example.

Not even comparable in value, but, yes, more affordable. Lots are being snapped up in McLean by builders, you know that. I don't see that happening in Vienna. Also you would have to go to Oakton High School. I would move further out where it is less congested and the schools new, like Loudon.

[Anonymous]

The main areas w/teardowns have been North Arlington, Falls Church City, inside-the-Beltway McLean, Pimmit Hills, and Town of Vienna (but far less so the county neighborhoods with Vienna mailing addresses). Pretty much any area zoned to Yorktown, W-L and George Mason, and some of the areas zoned to McLean, Madison, Marshall and Langley. Not saying there aren't teardowns elsewhere, but that's where they are concentrated in NoVa.

[Anonymous]

I'd love to see exactly how the numbers shake out. It's hard to deconstruct. If there were really a quota for each school, there wouldn't be so many acceptances from TJ, and the number of acceptances from some of the highly ranked schools seems to be higher than from some of the other schools. So the rub would be if you have great SATs at a Langley or McLean but still end up in the top 15-30% vs. top 10%, but would be in the top 10% at Falls Church. But then there's probably a higher chance that kids in the top 10% at a Falls Church won't have the same SAT scores, so they may not get into UVA either.

lt's always a bit of a crap shoot. You have to decide what your main goal would be from an educational perspective in picking a neighborhood zoned to a particular school and then balance that against the other considerations like budget and commute.

There's another thread on college acceptances and it shows that schools like Langley and McLean are sending a lot of kids to UVA but also to many other good schools. But undoubtedly there are some kids who are headed to VT, OOS schools, and privates who would have picked UVA if they'd been accepted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd love to see exactly how the numbers shake out. It's hard to deconstruct. If there were really a quota for each school, there wouldn't be so many acceptances from TJ, and the number of acceptances from some of the highly ranked schools seems to be higher than from some of the other schools. So the rub would be if you have great SATs at a Langley or McLean but still end up in the top 15-30% vs. top 10%, but would be in the top 10% at Falls Church. But then there's probably a higher chance that kids in the top 10% at a Falls Church won't have the same SAT scores, so they may not get into UVA either.

lt's always a bit of a crap shoot. You have to decide what your main goal would be from an educational perspective in picking a neighborhood zoned to a particular school and then balance that against the other considerations like budget and commute.

There's another thread on college acceptances and it shows that schools like Langley and McLean are sending a lot of kids to UVA but also to many other good schools. But undoubtedly there are some kids who are headed to VT, OOS schools, and privates who would have picked UVA if they'd been accepted.

There's also the fact that at some schools it is more likely than at other schools that there will be kids who could get into UVA, but who will stay close to home and attend GMU, for example, for work/family reasons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1) Talk to the Langely College Counselor. Ask her (it used to be a she - I don't know if it is anymore) if your student is on track to get the "most rigorous" box checked off. This indicates to UVA that your student has indeed taken the most rigorous courses offered at Langley. That includes math because they want to see a well-rounded applicant even if they aren't going into math. Same with foreign language - take four years and AP courses. UVA requires two years of foreign language as an ungraduate student so foreign language skills are highly desired.
2) your student should be in the top 10% of the class. 95% of those accepted to UVA are in the top 10%. Ask the counselor about where your student stands. If they are vague and say "we don't rank", insist on it. (see no. 4 below)
3) Be aware that the counselor writes their own letter to Virginia colleges on behalf of your child.
4) The counselor will show you the Naviance chart for ACT/SAT (if applicable next year due to COVID) and GPA. This chart will show you the range of scores that got previous students from Langley in to UVA. Remember your student is competing against other students at Langley for slots. Your counselor also provides to UVA a class profile every year indicating what courses the top students are taking and what the top GPA is for your students' class. UVA can tell in a matter of seconds where you child will rank.
5) The counselor will guide your student to other Virginia universities if they think UVA is not a possibility. That happened to my DS. That's why you cannot look at Selectivity numbers for public schools like UVA and compare them to privates . . the students self-select to the Virginia universities that they apply. Remember the counselor is paid ultimately by the Commonwealth and they have their own professional reputation to be concerned about so they won't whole-heartedly recommend a student for UVA who is a better candidate for JMU.
6) Are you hooked? Talk it over with the counselor. Increasingly, legacy status and $$$ donations isn't helping.
7) are you otherwise hooked being URM, first generation or anything else?
8) If unhooked, then your child's GPA (weighted obviously) should be a 4.49 or higher. That's the 75th percentile for students who actually showed up at UVA last fall. a 4.35 was the median GPA and a 4.21 for bottom 25th percentile. Generally, speaking unhooked kids at the best NOVA high schools should be aiming for a 4.49 or higher. https://research.schev.edu//enrollment/B10_FreshmenProfile.asp.
9) for ACT, the breakdown is 34 for 75th percentile/33 for median and 30 for bottom 25th percentile.
10) for SAT, the breakdown is 1500/1430 and 1340, although I understand the numbers are higher for class of 2024. who knows what will happen now that schools are going test-optional?
10) Apply for the Jefferson Scholarship competition if your child is a super-star (ask counselor).
11) UVA received a record 41,000 applications last year. Due to COVID, most higher education experts think that next year parents will be trying to take advantage of in-state schools more than ever because savings have been hurt. Or they lost jobs, etc.
12) Apply ED if your student is willing to commit.
13) As to ECs, leadership positions are very important. National prizes, eagle scout, or other demonstrations of leadership speak volumes.
14) Go to College Confidential or Reddit and read the stats and ECs of students accepted or rejected for 2024. Above everything else, this will give you an idea of the student UVA is looking for.
15) A very smart way to get into UVA (which most parents at Langley sniff at) is to go to NOVA and meet all the requirements for a third-year transfer. About 600-700 students transfer in to UVA at the beginning of third year. It's economical and much easier than doing the conventional route.
16) Visit the other in-state schools. William & Mary is also a wonderful school (takes about the same stats to get in) but much smaller. Don't get your child's hope up for any of these schools because it truly has become a lottery.
17) When my kids applied, 7-10 applications was the norm. Now I'm seeing 15. Make good use of the ED application. Most of my children's friends got in ED or EA.

good luck. Post back with any questions.

Hi, does this mean to get into UVA it’s easier to go to a non top HS? So your kid can make it to 10% easier. Please be kind in your feedback. We are trying from last couple of months to buy a home in Langley/MCLean or Madison and this makes me rethink our decision.

Yes, if you really want UVA and if your child is a super-star and will make top 10%, and will have the GPA, test-scores and ECs, you would be better off applying from a Virginia county that sends only one or zero students a year to UVA. Many parents joke that they want to move to Nellysford, VA (one of the poorest regions) late in junior year to apply from there. Approx. 600 students from FCPS get into UVA every year but when you divide that amongst the 22 high schools, maybe 30 offers go to Langley, 28 to Mclean, etc., but some of those students don't attend because they use UVA as a safety, as my child did, while applying to Ivys. There's also the fierce competition from the TJ students which sends 60-80 students a year to UVA (it fluctuates). It is true that some counties send no students so if you were to apply from there (and your residence didn't look contrived), it would be easier than from Langley, but you have to consider the quality of teaching and of the guidance counselor in that region. You can find that map - county by county acceptance - on Dean J.'s blog. The worst competition, by far, is in NOVA/FCPS/TJ, which is why there is so much bitterness when parents pay taxes for 20 years to support the Virginia school system and their high-stats. kid can't get in. If your child isn't a superstar academically, then getting into the best public (Mclean, Langley, etc.) would be the best bet. Get them the very best education you can and then see where you are junior year about options. (Higher Ed is about to go through big change - who knows what we will be facing by the time your child graduates?). Don't discount the other VA institutions. I know of many students who were very happy at GMU, JMU, CNU, Virginia Tech, etc.

Back to moving to 22101, I know of families that rent apartments in the area to get the right zip code and use that as their base (to be honest, sometimes, the apartment is just the kid living alone or empty, but that's hard for FCPS to monitor). There are also smaller townhouses in the King's Manor subdivision.

Another area to consider is the Ashburn/Loudoun County part of NOVA. Dean J says that she finds herself spending more time there than ever before because the area is booming and the public high schools are churning out high stats kids. There's less pressure on the students there, as well. Langley and Mclean can be a pressure cooker because they offer all the top AP courses. Go to the Langley website and look at the advanced math and science courses offered - it's very impressive - but can make average students feel inferior. Also, with traffic getting so bad in NOVA (well, pre-covid), moving further out from D.C. makes a lot of sense.

Is that helpful?

Thank you this is helpful.

The PP or you are not the first one who have told me about this. I have heard the same from other parents too. However, we were still persistent on these schools and as we personally liked them on our tour. Also our kids will be surrounded by kids who have similar goals. We are moving from a N.J. district which is in top 10 if I remove magnets. In the past we have been in a district which was at 150. There is a big difference in quality of education and parents who value education. I have kids who are high honor and honor roll in MS. So yes they are doing well. They also do sports and Boy Scouts.

My husband thinks it’s stupid to take so much debt and still live in a fixer upper. When you can buy a beautiful home for under 900 K. Hmm no wonder some of the families I know of whose kids went to Loudon HSs are in UVA, whilst those who went to Langley ended up in JMU. They are all good schools. They are all doing similar jobs. Honestly, I am confused, lol.

Keep up with the scouting. Encourage your son to at least make Life, but try for Eagle (must be done by 18th birthday as you probably know, which takes time and planning). Universities are looking for leaders of tomorrow and self-starters. Eagle Scout indicates this. Don't listen to the nay-sayers here. The Eagle Scouts from my son's troop who applied to UVA all got in. My top 3 law school also lists the number of Eagle Scouts in the incoming class for this fall.

[Anonymous]

I can’t see the chances for UVA admission increasing significantly in any FCPS pyramid vs Langley, unless you choose a lower income school like Justice or Lee. But you’ll pay significantly less for the same size house if you choose a (still excellent) pyramid like Madison, Chantilly, Woodson, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can’t see the chances for UVA admission increasing significantly in any FCPS pyramid vs Langley, unless you choose a lower income school like Justice or Lee. But you’ll pay significantly less for the same size house if you choose a (still excellent) pyramid like Madison, Chantilly, Woodson, etc.

Chantilly and Woodson, yes, but Madison not so much.

FCPS has 25 high/secondary schools. In terms of average SFH prices, the five most expensive in order are Langley, McLean, Madison, Oakton and Marshall. Chantilly and Woodson are far enough west and from a Metro station that the prices go down considerably.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1) Talk to the Langely College Counselor. Ask her (it used to be a she - I don't know if it is anymore) if your student is on track to get the "most rigorous" box checked off. This indicates to UVA that your student has indeed taken the most rigorous courses offered at Langley. That includes math because they want to see a well-rounded applicant even if they aren't going into math. Same with foreign language - take four years and AP courses. UVA requires two years of foreign language as an ungraduate student so foreign language skills are highly desired.
2) your student should be in the top 10% of the class. 95% of those accepted to UVA are in the top 10%. Ask the counselor about where your student stands. If they are vague and say "we don't rank", insist on it. (see no. 4 below)
3) Be aware that the counselor writes their own letter to Virginia colleges on behalf of your child.
4) The counselor will show you the Naviance chart for ACT/SAT (if applicable next year due to COVID) and GPA. This chart will show you the range of scores that got previous students from Langley in to UVA. Remember your student is competing against other students at Langley for slots. Your counselor also provides to UVA a class profile every year indicating what courses the top students are taking and what the top GPA is for your students' class. UVA can tell in a matter of seconds where you child will rank.
5) The counselor will guide your student to other Virginia universities if they think UVA is not a possibility. That happened to my DS. That's why you cannot look at Selectivity numbers for public schools like UVA and compare them to privates . . the students self-select to the Virginia universities that they apply. Remember the counselor is paid ultimately by the Commonwealth and they have their own professional reputation to be concerned about so they won't whole-heartedly recommend a student for UVA who is a better candidate for JMU.
6) Are you hooked? Talk it over with the counselor. Increasingly, legacy status and $$$ donations isn't helping.
7) are you otherwise hooked being URM, first generation or anything else?
8) If unhooked, then your child's GPA (weighted obviously) should be a 4.49 or higher. That's the 75th percentile for students who actually showed up at UVA last fall. a 4.35 was the median GPA and a 4.21 for bottom 25th percentile. Generally, speaking unhooked kids at the best NOVA high schools should be aiming for a 4.49 or higher. https://research.schev.edu//enrollment/B10_FreshmenProfile.asp.
9) for ACT, the breakdown is 34 for 75th percentile/33 for median and 30 for bottom 25th percentile.
10) for SAT, the breakdown is 1500/1430 and 1340, although I understand the numbers are higher for class of 2024. who knows what will happen now that schools are going test-optional?
10) Apply for the Jefferson Scholarship competition if your child is a super-star (ask counselor).
11) UVA received a record 41,000 applications last year. Due to COVID, most higher education experts think that next year parents will be trying to take advantage of in-state schools more than ever because savings have been hurt. Or they lost jobs, etc.
12) Apply ED if your student is willing to commit.
13) As to ECs, leadership positions are very important. National prizes, eagle scout, or other demonstrations of leadership speak volumes.
14) Go to College Confidential or Reddit and read the stats and ECs of students accepted or rejected for 2024. Above everything else, this will give you an idea of the student UVA is looking for.
15) A very smart way to get into UVA (which most parents at Langley sniff at) is to go to NOVA and meet all the requirements for a third-year transfer. About 600-700 students transfer in to UVA at the beginning of third year. It's economical and much easier than doing the conventional route.
16) Visit the other in-state schools. William & Mary is also a wonderful school (takes about the same stats to get in) but much smaller. Don't get your child's hope up for any of these schools because it truly has become a lottery.
17) When my kids applied, 7-10 applications was the norm. Now I'm seeing 15. Make good use of the ED application. Most of my children's friends got in ED or EA.

good luck. Post back with any questions.

Hi, does this mean to get into UVA it’s easier to go to a non top HS? So your kid can make it to 10% easier. Please be kind in your feedback. We are trying from last couple of months to buy a home in Langley/MCLean or Madison and this makes me rethink our decision.

Yes, if you really want UVA and if your child is a super-star and will make top 10%, and will have the GPA, test-scores and ECs, you would be better off applying from a Virginia county that sends only one or zero students a year to UVA. Many parents joke that they want to move to Nellysford, VA (one of the poorest regions) late in junior year to apply from there. Approx. 600 students from FCPS get into UVA every year but when you divide that amongst the 22 high schools, maybe 30 offers go to Langley, 28 to Mclean, etc., but some of those students don't attend because they use UVA as a safety, as my child did, while applying to Ivys. There's also the fierce competition from the TJ students which sends 60-80 students a year to UVA (it fluctuates). It is true that some counties send no students so if you were to apply from there (and your residence didn't look contrived), it would be easier than from Langley, but you have to consider the quality of teaching and of the guidance counselor in that region. You can find that map - county by county acceptance - on Dean J.'s blog. The worst competition, by far, is in NOVA/FCPS/TJ, which is why there is so much bitterness when parents pay taxes for 20 years to support the Virginia school system and their high-stats. kid can't get in. If your child isn't a superstar academically, then getting into the best public (Mclean, Langley, etc.) would be the best bet. Get them the very best education you can and then see where you are junior year about options. (Higher Ed is about to go through big change - who knows what we will be facing by the time your child graduates?). Don't discount the other VA institutions. I know of many students who were very happy at GMU, JMU, CNU, Virginia Tech, etc.

Back to moving to 22101, I know of families that rent apartments in the area to get the right zip code and use that as their base (to be honest, sometimes, the apartment is just the kid living alone or empty, but that's hard for FCPS to monitor). There are also smaller townhouses in the King's Manor subdivision.

Another area to consider is the Ashburn/Loudoun County part of NOVA. Dean J says that she finds herself spending more time there than ever before because the area is booming and the public high schools are churning out high stats kids. There's less pressure on the students there, as well. Langley and Mclean can be a pressure cooker because they offer all the top AP courses. Go to the Langley website and look at the advanced math and science courses offered - it's very impressive - but can make average students feel inferior. Also, with traffic getting so bad in NOVA (well, pre-covid), moving further out from D.C. makes a lot of sense.

Is that helpful?

Thank you this is helpful.

The PP or you are not the first one who have told me about this. I have heard the same from other parents too. However, we were still persistent on these schools and as we personally liked them on our tour. Also our kids will be surrounded by kids who have similar goals. We are moving from a N.J. district which is in top 10 if I remove magnets. In the past we have been in a district which was at 150. There is a big difference in quality of education and parents who value education. I have kids who are high honor and honor roll in MS. So yes they are doing well. They also do sports and Boy Scouts.

My husband thinks it’s stupid to take so much debt and still live in a fixer upper. When you can buy a beautiful home for under 900 K. Hmm no wonder some of the families I know of whose kids went to Loudon HSs are in UVA, whilst those who went to Langley ended up in JMU. They are all good schools. They are all doing similar jobs. Honestly, I am confused, lol.

I understand being confused. I'm now in McLean and was considering moving out to Cascades, Sterling or somewhere else in Loudoun just to get out from under the oppressive property taxes we have been paying for decades. Now, with COVID I don't know what we are going to do but I am glad we didn't downsize because our entire family would be trying to function in a small townhouse or small house if we had. At some point we will sell to cash out and curtail all the house-related expenses but we are at a different stage of life. Have you considered renting for a year in the McLean area? There are a lot of rental properties coming on the market. You could move and try out both the area and the school district to see if it's to your liking and lay out a much smaller amount of money while experimenting. Then go out and look at Loudoun areas and schools. Here's Dean J.'s comment about Loudon county and the changes: http://uvaapplication.blogspot.com/2016/10/uva-admission-quotas-for-northern.html. There is one apartment building in the center of McLean with three bedroom units. It's older but perfectly doable for a family and has a pool and gym. I believe you said your child is 8? You will hear a lot about "pyramids". We are in the Churchill (elementary school); Cooper (middle); Langley pyramid. We wanted to avoid Cooper for middle school and did either via private schools, then went back into Langley for the four years. It worked out well but Langley can be a pressure cooker. Your child may not like it. Ours did just fine -don't listen to the "designer bag" and "fancy cars" story - no one carries purses anymore - they wear backpacks and my kids wore basically sweats all four years. Yes, there are drugs, but there are drugs everywhere. Yes, some kids have wealthy background and ski in St. Moritz but we didn't and probably never will.

I do know Asian American families who have leased a one bedroom apartment for their child just to get into the Langley district because they value the education, above all. These figures are from 2012-13 (from wiki) so basically worthless but I would guess the Asian American population to be at about 30% now: The student body was 69.50% White, 20.87% Asian, 4.59% Hispanic, 1.18% Black, and 3.86%. Those are tough kids to compete against and to my kids' frustration, they always won the talent show. On the other hand, we have TJ, which is the best high school in Virginia and Langley as no. 2 and all the colleges know it. McLean is also an xlnt high school, as you probably know. I found the teachers at Langley to be better than most of the private teachers my children had. Also, the advanced AP courses in mathematics and science are way beyond what most private schools can afford to offer, but those courses are taken only by the supernova kids. One of my children didn't take any AP courses.

Another factor to consider is whether or not your child might get into TJ.

Another thing to avoid in purchasing a home in this area is going too far west in the Langley district. Some of those kids spend hours on a bus every day because the buses pick up out near route 7 and then make their way SE to Langley. They are already sleep-deprived and taxed by homework - adding on two hours a day of bus rides isn't great.

Any other questions I can answer?

Thank you, I have a rising 8th and 7th grader. So if we don’t find anything to buy we will just rent. However, we won’t move from Fairfax to Loudon and vice a versa. It’s not great at this age. Already we are taking them away from their friends, not again. That’s why the confusion I guess.

Yeah, we are sticking to Eastern GF for the same reason. One thing I found out that HSs in Loudon start at 9 am instead of 8, which is great when they have to stay up late to catch on their home work. Where we live now in N.J. since it’s a town school system. So all level of schools are a 5-10 mins from our house. Even with a 8 am start you can get up at 7 and walk to school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1) Talk to the Langely College Counselor. Ask her (it used to be a she - I don't know if it is anymore) if your student is on track to get the "most rigorous" box checked off. This indicates to UVA that your student has indeed taken the most rigorous courses offered at Langley. That includes math because they want to see a well-rounded applicant even if they aren't going into math. Same with foreign language - take four years and AP courses. UVA requires two years of foreign language as an ungraduate student so foreign language skills are highly desired.
2) your student should be in the top 10% of the class. 95% of those accepted to UVA are in the top 10%. Ask the counselor about where your student stands. If they are vague and say "we don't rank", insist on it. (see no. 4 below)
3) Be aware that the counselor writes their own letter to Virginia colleges on behalf of your child.
4) The counselor will show you the Naviance chart for ACT/SAT (if applicable next year due to COVID) and GPA. This chart will show you the range of scores that got previous students from Langley in to UVA. Remember your student is competing against other students at Langley for slots. Your counselor also provides to UVA a class profile every year indicating what courses the top students are taking and what the top GPA is for your students' class. UVA can tell in a matter of seconds where you child will rank.
5) The counselor will guide your student to other Virginia universities if they think UVA is not a possibility. That happened to my DS. That's why you cannot look at Selectivity numbers for public schools like UVA and compare them to privates . . the students self-select to the Virginia universities that they apply. Remember the counselor is paid ultimately by the Commonwealth and they have their own professional reputation to be concerned about so they won't whole-heartedly recommend a student for UVA who is a better candidate for JMU.
6) Are you hooked? Talk it over with the counselor. Increasingly, legacy status and $$$ donations isn't helping.
7) are you otherwise hooked being URM, first generation or anything else?
8) If unhooked, then your child's GPA (weighted obviously) should be a 4.49 or higher. That's the 75th percentile for students who actually showed up at UVA last fall. a 4.35 was the median GPA and a 4.21 for bottom 25th percentile. Generally, speaking unhooked kids at the best NOVA high schools should be aiming for a 4.49 or higher. https://research.schev.edu//enrollment/B10_FreshmenProfile.asp.
9) for ACT, the breakdown is 34 for 75th percentile/33 for median and 30 for bottom 25th percentile.
10) for SAT, the breakdown is 1500/1430 and 1340, although I understand the numbers are higher for class of 2024. who knows what will happen now that schools are going test-optional?
10) Apply for the Jefferson Scholarship competition if your child is a super-star (ask counselor).
11) UVA received a record 41,000 applications last year. Due to COVID, most higher education experts think that next year parents will be trying to take advantage of in-state schools more than ever because savings have been hurt. Or they lost jobs, etc.
12) Apply ED if your student is willing to commit.
13) As to ECs, leadership positions are very important. National prizes, eagle scout, or other demonstrations of leadership speak volumes.
14) Go to College Confidential or Reddit and read the stats and ECs of students accepted or rejected for 2024. Above everything else, this will give you an idea of the student UVA is looking for.
15) A very smart way to get into UVA (which most parents at Langley sniff at) is to go to NOVA and meet all the requirements for a third-year transfer. About 600-700 students transfer in to UVA at the beginning of third year. It's economical and much easier than doing the conventional route.
16) Visit the other in-state schools. William & Mary is also a wonderful school (takes about the same stats to get in) but much smaller. Don't get your child's hope up for any of these schools because it truly has become a lottery.
17) When my kids applied, 7-10 applications was the norm. Now I'm seeing 15. Make good use of the ED application. Most of my children's friends got in ED or EA.

good luck. Post back with any questions.

Hi, does this mean to get into UVA it’s easier to go to a non top HS? So your kid can make it to 10% easier. Please be kind in your feedback. We are trying from last couple of months to buy a home in Langley/MCLean or Madison and this makes me rethink our decision.

Yes, if you really want UVA and if your child is a super-star and will make top 10%, and will have the GPA, test-scores and ECs, you would be better off applying from a Virginia county that sends only one or zero students a year to UVA. Many parents joke that they want to move to Nellysford, VA (one of the poorest regions) late in junior year to apply from there. Approx. 600 students from FCPS get into UVA every year but when you divide that amongst the 22 high schools, maybe 30 offers go to Langley, 28 to Mclean, etc., but some of those students don't attend because they use UVA as a safety, as my child did, while applying to Ivys. There's also the fierce competition from the TJ students which sends 60-80 students a year to UVA (it fluctuates). It is true that some counties send no students so if you were to apply from there (and your residence didn't look contrived), it would be easier than from Langley, but you have to consider the quality of teaching and of the guidance counselor in that region. You can find that map - county by county acceptance - on Dean J.'s blog. The worst competition, by far, is in NOVA/FCPS/TJ, which is why there is so much bitterness when parents pay taxes for 20 years to support the Virginia school system and their high-stats. kid can't get in. If your child isn't a superstar academically, then getting into the best public (Mclean, Langley, etc.) would be the best bet. Get them the very best education you can and then see where you are junior year about options. (Higher Ed is about to go through big change - who knows what we will be facing by the time your child graduates?). Don't discount the other VA institutions. I know of many students who were very happy at GMU, JMU, CNU, Virginia Tech, etc.

Back to moving to 22101, I know of families that rent apartments in the area to get the right zip code and use that as their base (to be honest, sometimes, the apartment is just the kid living alone or empty, but that's hard for FCPS to monitor). There are also smaller townhouses in the King's Manor subdivision.

Another area to consider is the Ashburn/Loudoun County part of NOVA. Dean J says that she finds herself spending more time there than ever before because the area is booming and the public high schools are churning out high stats kids. There's less pressure on the students there, as well. Langley and Mclean can be a pressure cooker because they offer all the top AP courses. Go to the Langley website and look at the advanced math and science courses offered - it's very impressive - but can make average students feel inferior. Also, with traffic getting so bad in NOVA (well, pre-covid), moving further out from D.C. makes a lot of sense.

Is that helpful?

Thank you this is helpful.

The PP or you are not the first one who have told me about this. I have heard the same from other parents too. However, we were still persistent on these schools and as we personally liked them on our tour. Also our kids will be surrounded by kids who have similar goals. We are moving from a N.J. district which is in top 10 if I remove magnets. In the past we have been in a district which was at 150. There is a big difference in quality of education and parents who value education. I have kids who are high honor and honor roll in MS. So yes they are doing well. They also do sports and Boy Scouts.

My husband thinks it’s stupid to take so much debt and still live in a fixer upper. When you can buy a beautiful home for under 900 K. Hmm no wonder some of the families I know of whose kids went to Loudon HSs are in UVA, whilst those who went to Langley ended up in JMU. They are all good schools. They are all doing similar jobs. Honestly, I am confused, lol.

Keep up with the scouting. Encourage your son to at least make Life, but try for Eagle (must be done by 18th birthday as you probably know, which takes time and planning). Universities are looking for leaders of tomorrow and self-starters. Eagle Scout indicates this. Don't listen to the nay-sayers here. The Eagle Scouts from my son's troop who applied to UVA all got in. My top 3 law school also lists the number of Eagle Scouts in the incoming class for this fall.

Thank you! My boys love scouting and hoping for Eagle. Our current troop is awesome and all the kids so motivated. Good to hear such positive feedback.

[Anonymous]

OP - here's some more info on Eagle Scout Scholarships. A few years back I heard a U.C. Regent friend say that Eagle Scout was an automatic "in" for U.C. California schools but I don't know if that's still true. Universities have had too many back experiences with "failure to launch" kids that they actively seek out anything on an application that demonstrates grit, planning and follow-thru. https://nesa.org/for-eagle-scouts/scholarships/. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

OP - another thought A book I read which gave me some great ideas that panned out is called "What your High School will never tell you" by Wissner-Something (can't remember full last name). It's 2008 so now dated but I got some wonderful scholarship ideas from the book that I was unfamiliar with. One, which a DS applied for, was Boys State and Boys Nation. It's a wonderful summer program and that led to several cash scholarships. It also looks great on the resume, and, again, shows grit and, especially, leadership skills. The book also reminded me of the "School award" from the American Legion, which DS applied for and also received. The American Legion came to his Eagle Scout ceremony and presented him with a medal.

[Anonymous]

My kid’s 70 year old APES teacher told the class that every Eagle Scout he has ever taught has gotten a 5 on the Ap exam.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid’s 70 year old APES teacher told the class that every Eagle Scout he has ever taught has gotten a 5 on the Ap exam.

Well, hate to disappoint but mine got a 3 but he was valedictorian anyhow and got into UVA FWIW .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid’s 70 year old APES teacher told the class that every Eagle Scout he has ever taught has gotten a 5 on the Ap exam.

70 year olds sure love to tell a good story, I'll give you that.

[Anonymous]

You child can attend a Virginia community college for the first year or two. If they have good grades, they can transfer to a school like UVA for their degrees. Much easier route than trying to get in from a Northern VA high school. That's what our plan to reduce the high pressure cooker high school environment which I know my children will struggle with.