Can this child get into a top 30 university?

[Anonymous]

OP. Admission to top 30 schools is a crapshoot.
If your child has a good GPA and an above average SAT (low to mid 1500s) they will probably stand a chance. A good essay or a good recommendation might help.
If it were me, I would encourage my child to put together a long list of schools they would love to attend based on the program they are interested in or based on fit. Once the SAT scores come in, look at that list again and narrow it down. For my child, he picked 3 top 30 schools (he had high stats so these were technically matches but no hooks so they were in reality reaches), 4 schools that were in the 30-50 range and a couple that were in the 50s but had good honors programs and offered merit aid.
You could do something similar- 3 schools that he loves but tough to get into, 3/4 schools he loves/likes that he should get into and 2/3 schools that are highly likely to accept him.
Framing it this way helps to set expectations. We wanted our child to go for something he wanted even though the likelihood of success was low. He had the stats so we knew he was qualified but he just didn’t have any hooks. Without a hook, it becomes a little random and hard to predict outcomes. As long as they understand that it is worth trying to get into a school you love.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do think it is sad that this is he ONLY criteria you asked about.

And the fact that you were apologetic about your kid's 4.8 GPA

I honestly feel sorry for him. Talk about pressure. From within the 4 walls of his house.

I suggest you figure out WHAT HE NEEDS, not what YOU WANT.

Goodness. Stop this nonsense. Feel sorry for people who need it.

Like the many teenagers who kill themselves every year?

Have you not heard about the mental health crisis going on in our country?

So yes, I think this poster's child is very deserving of sympathy. It sounds like he is growing up in an unhealthy environment, in which his worth (and he may think his parents' love) are conditional upon external indicators.

OP here. Have you never met a young person who had a big dream and was working hard to achieve it? My child knows every day that he is loved for who he is. He feels supported. It's why he has come to us to ask for advice. What advice would you give to such a child? Would you say "better give up those dreams, kid, because you're just not going to make it?" No, you'd help him gather information and navigate a course. The "external indicators" I gave you are those that colleges look for. I don't need to explain who he is in any more detail to you.

I believe you. I guess I would work with him to understand that there are many roads to Rome. So, choose an impact you want to have on the world, or a career field you hope to enter. Help him realize that very few paths are truly closed to kids who attend other than top colleges. I think it would be healthier and safer for this dream to be the end goal, not the ranking of the school he attends to get there.

So, I am happy for him that you are supportive parents. That has probably helped him do well and dream big. But if possible, perhaps tie his dreams to what he hopes to achieve in the world--which will be dictated by a multitude of factors other than the USNWR ranking of his college.

(And at some point in everyone's life, they have to come up with a Plan B. That is not tragic, it is a life skill. I agree, that you do not want to say "We don't think you can accomplish your goal." But you can help him think about the big picture, and that college is a means to an end. Not the end in itself.)

[Anonymous]

Maybe share some anecdotes from this book?

https://www.amazon.com/Where-You-Not-Who-Youll/dp/1455532681

[Anonymous]

OP here again. I appreciate all the good advice. Let me clarify something, however, since "top 30" seems to be the focus for many of you.

When I said "top 30," I was not thinking about the ranking itself. We couldn't care less. I was using it as a shorthand to tell you that my child's top choices (yes, of course, researched for programmatic strength and other "fit" factors) do mostly show up on those lists. I just didn't feel it necessary to list all the schools specifically.

Again, I appreciate the advice. Any further advice would be more helpful if you start from the assumption that we're not rank-obsessed.

[Anonymous]

yes, its a bit of a crapshoot, but it only takes one acceptance into a school that student likes to make it work. My kid was similar stats last year--was denied at both his EDI school and his EDII school (both SLACs). But got in off waitlist at top 15 univ and is extremely happy (as are his parents, as the school has been on campus for most of the year!) COVID has made things even more uncertain, in terms of predicting

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:99% if black,
80% if Hispanic,
40% if white and
5% if Asian.

10% if Asian female
0% if Asian male

This is just sad on so many levels. Dread my DC's (Asian male's) college admission, who is working really hard

Don't fret, my Asian male kid got into all of his match and semi reach schools EA. No hook, hard work, well rounded and great attitude towards this entire ordeal. We are hoping for more good news come end of march from the reach reach. But he will be delighted to enroll in U of M if nothing else pans out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:99% if black,
80% if Hispanic,
40% if white and
5% if Asian.

10% if Asian female
0% if Asian male

I don't get this.. Aren't there more females in colleges already? They why is it that their admit rates are still higher? Are we still in the 90s?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC is a junior who scored 1500 on SAT assessment during his prep class and was in top 1% on PSAT. Will likely end up with 3.8 out of 4.0 by application deadline next year, because he didn't take studies terribly seriously until this year. Has leadership position on an academic team, solid but not top competitor in niche sport, is an Eagle Scout. Isn't taking as many APs as some seem to, but is taking most of the most challenging curriculum -- for example organic biochem instead of AP Chem, will follow AP Calc with linear algebra, etc. Not great in humanities but got a 5 on AP Euro test.

College counseling at his private school provided a first list that is pretty wide-ranging. Can he get accepted into a college that might rank in the top 30 (define that however you want)? If so, which ones? He'd be considered a legacy at two of them.

Thanks for feedback!

This kid could get into a top 10 school. The people on this board are not your friends. Or maybe they're just ignorant.

Start researching how best to put together an application. This is very do-able. GL.

This! There are enough college admissions coaches out there that for the right price will write the essays, package the application and get the kid into the right school.. A lot of the "DCUM rich" do that and pretend that their kids were spawned from Einstein's loins...

[Anonymous]

Alright, OP. I take back my opinion (feeling sad about the whole thing) now that you’ve clarified a bit.

Here’s my take - your kid needs to stand out. There are a bunch of ways to do that- interesting XC, some life thing that stands out. Because there are a shit ton of kids with general stat outlines like yours. So the best way for him to get in is so (cringe, sorry) be himself. Aggressively, unrepentantly, himself. Like- HE has to come through. So don’t coach him within an inch of his life, be careful about essay writing help from tutors etc. He sounds like a good kid- I’m sure he’ll do well. Don’t talk him out of the top tier schools- top whatever. He is as good a candidate as any.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:99% if black,
80% if Hispanic,
40% if white and
5% if Asian.

10% if Asian female
0% if Asian male

I don't get this.. Aren't there more females in colleges already? They why is it that their admit rates are still higher? Are we still in the 90s?

Girls EC achievements are generally lower than boys especially in STEM (don't argue with me it's not the case).

[Anonymous]

Don’t the particular schools matter? Are we talking about schools that are ranked near 30? Or top ten?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:99% if black,
80% if Hispanic,
40% if white and
5% if Asian.

10% if Asian female
0% if Asian male

This is just sad on so many levels. Dread my DC's (Asian male's) college admission, who is working really hard

Don't fret, my Asian male kid got into all of his match and semi reach schools EA. No hook, hard work, well rounded and great attitude towards this entire ordeal. We are hoping for more good news come end of march from the reach reach. But he will be delighted to enroll in U of M if nothing else pans out.

Thanks PP. That gives us hope. Congrats to your DC and wish him success on his college journey

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:99% if black,
80% if Hispanic,
40% if white and
5% if Asian.

10% if Asian female
0% if Asian male

I don't get this.. Aren't there more females in colleges already? They why is it that their admit rates are still higher? Are we still in the 90s?

Boys have an advantage over girls, except at some schools (e.g., tech schools, more conservative schools) and for STEM majors. So my guess is that the above poster's son is aiming for one of these.

[Anonymous]

What kind of grad school does your DS want to go to? Medical school? Vet school? Computer science? For example, some SLACs have really good acceptance rates for their grads getting into med school (because they have a dedicated pre-med adviser and program) and males have a distinct admissions advantage at most SLACs.

[Anonymous]

NP here with a senior who has been accepted to her college, so I can take a deep breath.

OP, you don't have enough data yet. Wait for Naviance.

The other thing is, some high schools are feeders for some colleges, and the opposite is true, too. Your kid's school will have some historical info on how their past students with similar GPAs do with certain colleges.

For example, my kid was interested in both a top 10 school, and a similarly-sized school ranked maybe mid-20s or so. (No hooks at either.) Turned out that historically, the top 10 school loves kids from her HS, while the mid-20s school is a crapshoot. Obviously, without the research, we would have assumed the mid-20s school would be the easier school to get into.

Oh, and btw, UVA was originally on her list, and we are OOS. From her school, no one gets in UVA except maybe an athletic recruit. Again, just going by rankings, one would think it would be easier to get into UVA than to a school in the top 10.

So, now that I've belabored that point, there is another point, which is legacy. If your kid is interested in a school that cares about legacy, (where the kid does not have legacy), you have to check in with your high school to see if there are a lot of legacy applications, because if historically that school accepts about 5 kids per year, and there are 10 legacy applications, those are not good odds for your kid.