S/O - Arlington Magazine 2022 acceptances

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is why people pay for top privates.
The DC Big3 privates (this year) sent 20% to the Ivy League and another 20% to other top 20 universities and another 20% to top 20 liberal arts colleges and another 20% to universities ranked 20-50..

Not really comparable. Private school populations are 1) already screened in for academic excellence 2) more likely to be legacies 3) more likely to be paying for the ECs and other experiences that curate a strong candidate.

Just taking a random student from a public school and dropping him into a top private is not going to magically make them a better candidate for a top university.

The outcomes are totally what I would expect for a good public school district. Most kids go to their public universities + a range of OOS and privates, mainly mid-range. Why is that surprising?

One of my kids extremely bright and accomplished BFFs switched to a Big 3 for high school after attending Arlington public schools through Williamsburg Middle School. Had their heart set on Penn and didn’t get in. Ended up at UVA with my kid. Had that kid stayed at Yorktown I have no doubt they’d be a superstar and one of those very few top kids getting into an Ivy. I really believe that.

The Yorktown kids getting into Ivies are legacies, athletes or URMs. My kid went to a Big 3 in 9th grade after APS and got into more than one Ivy - that wouldn't have been possible at Yorktown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I had a child graduate in 2022 - here are my takeaways.

1) I believe these numbers are accurate. I know at least for my child’s school seniors were required to update all the acceptances etc. in Naviance to include the school they are attending before some other milestone was permitted (can’t remember if it was picking up cap and gown, graduation tickets, or yearbook but they had to do it).

2) I am not surprised by low acceptances to schools that people think “everyone” should be accepted at, like Radford or Old Dominion or whatever. I’m pretty sure the top students in the class didn’t apply to Radford - it was probably students for whom Radford was actually a reach.

You're wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I had a child graduate in 2022 - here are my takeaways.

1) I believe these numbers are accurate. I know at least for my child’s school seniors were required to update all the acceptances etc. in Naviance to include the school they are attending before some other milestone was permitted (can’t remember if it was picking up cap and gown, graduation tickets, or yearbook but they had to do it).

2) I am not surprised by low acceptances to schools that people think “everyone” should be accepted at, like Radford or Old Dominion or whatever. I’m pretty sure the top students in the class didn’t apply to Radford - it was probably students for whom Radford was actually a reach.

3) The very low numbers accepted to Ivies and top schools seem to track with the overall impossible admission to these schools. They are all a crapshoot at this point with so many kids applying for so few spots and all with similar credentials. I think the smart kids honestly are looking elsewhere and not wasting their time.

4) The acceptance rates to UVA, Virginia Tech, and William & Mary seem to track to the expected rates of admission. I think people need to accept that the process is fair and that the right kids are being admitted. I do not think your chances improve living in a small town/remote state. I think admissions offices for these schools are familiar with our schools and our kids and they get as close a look, if not closer, than people from areas that are less known.

5) I am also very surprised more kids don’t apply to Georgetown but the barrier of not being on the Common App is real - you have to really want it. Also it is very expensive. But I don’t buy the “too close to home” argument - I’ve spent time on the campus taking classes and it feels like another world.

6) I find it amusing that people think this list is “depressing” and that the outcomes don’t seem very good or match people’s expectations. Sounds like words spoken by parents whose kids were aiming for Carnegie Mellon but ended up at Virginia Tech, or were aiming for Virginia Tech and ended up at George Mason. Expectation (and/or entitlement) will kick you in the butt every time.

On a personal note, my child and their peers all were accepted at schools that seem right on point. Nobody had any wildly unexpected acceptances, and nobody got shut out from all of the schools that matched their qualifications. All the kids we know ended up with good options seemed to land in the right place. Best of luck to students and parents applying for Fall 2023!

The SCHEV says 80 of the 84 students who applied to Radford from Arlington got in...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is why people pay for top privates.
The DC Big3 privates (this year) sent 20% to the Ivy League and another 20% to other top 20 universities and another 20% to top 20 liberal arts colleges and another 20% to universities ranked 20-50..

Not really comparable. Private school populations are 1) already screened in for academic excellence 2) more likely to be legacies 3) more likely to be paying for the ECs and other experiences that curate a strong candidate.

Just taking a random student from a public school and dropping him into a top private is not going to magically make them a better candidate for a top university.

The outcomes are totally what I would expect for a good public school district. Most kids go to their public universities + a range of OOS and privates, mainly mid-range. Why is that surprising?

One of my kids extremely bright and accomplished BFFs switched to a Big 3 for high school after attending Arlington public schools through Williamsburg Middle School. Had their heart set on Penn and didn’t get in. Ended up at UVA with my kid. Had that kid stayed at Yorktown I have no doubt they’d be a superstar and one of those very few top kids getting into an Ivy. I really believe that.

The Yorktown kids getting into Ivies are legacies, athletes or URMs. My kid went to a Big 3 in 9th grade after APS and got into more than one Ivy - that wouldn't have been possible at Yorktown.

Yes it would, and is. And what are you doing stalking the Ivy admits at Yorktown now that your kid doesn’t even go there. That’s obsessive and weird AF.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I had a child graduate in 2022 - here are my takeaways.

1) I believe these numbers are accurate. I know at least for my child’s school seniors were required to update all the acceptances etc. in Naviance to include the school they are attending before some other milestone was permitted (can’t remember if it was picking up cap and gown, graduation tickets, or yearbook but they had to do it).

2) I am not surprised by low acceptances to schools that people think “everyone” should be accepted at, like Radford or Old Dominion or whatever. I’m pretty sure the top students in the class didn’t apply to Radford - it was probably students for whom Radford was actually a reach.

From the SCHEV:
144 students from Arlington County applied to Old Dominion this year. 142 were accepted. 98.6% acceptance rate.
84 students from Arlington County applied to Radford this year. 80 were accepted. 95.2% acceptance rate.

So yea, not "everyone" got accepted but pretty darn close.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is why people pay for top privates.
The DC Big3 privates (this year) sent 20% to the Ivy League and another 20% to other top 20 universities and another 20% to top 20 liberal arts colleges and another 20% to universities ranked 20-50..

Not really comparable. Private school populations are 1) already screened in for academic excellence 2) more likely to be legacies 3) more likely to be paying for the ECs and other experiences that curate a strong candidate.

Just taking a random student from a public school and dropping him into a top private is not going to magically make them a better candidate for a top university.

The outcomes are totally what I would expect for a good public school district. Most kids go to their public universities + a range of OOS and privates, mainly mid-range. Why is that surprising?

One of my kids extremely bright and accomplished BFFs switched to a Big 3 for high school after attending Arlington public schools through Williamsburg Middle School. Had their heart set on Penn and didn’t get in. Ended up at UVA with my kid. Had that kid stayed at Yorktown I have no doubt they’d be a superstar and one of those very few top kids getting into an Ivy. I really believe that.

The Yorktown kids getting into Ivies are legacies, athletes or URMs. My kid went to a Big 3 in 9th grade after APS and got into more than one Ivy - that wouldn't have been possible at Yorktown.

how do you know this...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kinda dispels the myth about NOVA schools sending "dozens" to UVA doesn't it? Yes they might technically have dozens ut they are huge schools of 500+ kids in the senior class. People accused me of lying when I said my kids school only had about 10 accepted, but we have a population of less than 400.

Washington Liberty for instance according to the school profile has 577 seniors and had 47 accepted, that's 8%, which again means you have to be well under the 10% threshold alot of folks bandy about on this website. Yorktown also only 8% of the population got in.

Yes, only 5 out of 23 at Arlington Tech. Only two got in from my son's VA private - both accepted to UVA. I also noted that GMU and JMU have become much more difficult to get into - depending upon the school, less than 20% of the applicants, up to may be half on average. Certainly not what it was a few years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kinda dispels the myth about NOVA schools sending "dozens" to UVA doesn't it? Yes they might technically have dozens ut they are huge schools of 500+ kids in the senior class. People accused me of lying when I said my kids school only had about 10 accepted, but we have a population of less than 400.

Washington Liberty for instance according to the school profile has 577 seniors and had 47 accepted, that's 8%, which again means you have to be well under the 10% threshold alot of folks bandy about on this website. Yorktown also only 8% of the population got in.

Yes, only 5 out of 23 at Arlington Tech. Only two got in from my son's VA private - both accepted to UVA. I also noted that GMU and JMU have become much more difficult to get into - depending upon the school, less than 20% of the applicants, up to may be half on average. Certainly not what it was a few years ago.

Agsin, NOT TRUE. GMU has become EASIER to get into over the last few years. There's NO WAY the GMU admissions "data" reported in thos article are correct. A 3.0 gets you in.

Use the link on the 18:10 post to see the verified acceptance rate for each Virginia college from every individual Virginia county. JMU and GMU acceptance rates from NOVA are pretty high.

But remember public school students self-select into the public universities where they, and the public high school counselor, think they have the best shot. Hence the acceptance rates for all publics is higher than comparable privates because the applicant pool is higher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kinda dispels the myth about NOVA schools sending "dozens" to UVA doesn't it? Yes they might technically have dozens ut they are huge schools of 500+ kids in the senior class. People accused me of lying when I said my kids school only had about 10 accepted, but we have a population of less than 400.

Washington Liberty for instance according to the school profile has 577 seniors and had 47 accepted, that's 8%, which again means you have to be well under the 10% threshold alot of folks bandy about on this website. Yorktown also only 8% of the population got in.

Yes, only 5 out of 23 at Arlington Tech. Only two got in from my son's VA private - both accepted to UVA. I also noted that GMU and JMU have become much more difficult to get into - depending upon the school, less than 20% of the applicants, up to may be half on average. Certainly not what it was a few years ago.

Agsin, NOT TRUE. GMU has become EASIER to get into over the last few years. There's NO WAY the GMU admissions "data" reported in thos article are correct. A 3.0 gets you in.

That is not true. The applicant class is getting better every year. SCHEV reports that the 75th percentile of students who actually enrolled had a 4.0; the median a 3.75; and the bottom 25th percentile had a 3.44. https://research.schev.edu//enrollment/B10_FreshmenProfile.asp

[Anonymous]

I know that the Naviance numbers exclude kids in ESOL. Perhaps the SCHEV numbers similarly exclude certain kids that are counted in the Arl Magazine numbers (which are received from the schools).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kinda dispels the myth about NOVA schools sending "dozens" to UVA doesn't it? Yes they might technically have dozens ut they are huge schools of 500+ kids in the senior class. People accused me of lying when I said my kids school only had about 10 accepted, but we have a population of less than 400.

Washington Liberty for instance according to the school profile has 577 seniors and had 47 accepted, that's 8%, which again means you have to be well under the 10% threshold alot of folks bandy about on this website. Yorktown also only 8% of the population got in.

Yes, only 5 out of 23 at Arlington Tech. Only two got in from my son's VA private - both accepted to UVA. I also noted that GMU and JMU have become much more difficult to get into - depending upon the school, less than 20% of the applicants, up to may be half on average. Certainly not what it was a few years ago.

Agsin, NOT TRUE. GMU has become EASIER to get into over the last few years. There's NO WAY the GMU admissions "data" reported in thos article are correct. A 3.0 gets you in.

That is not true. The applicant class is getting better every year. SCHEV reports that the 75th percentile of students who actually enrolled had a 4.0; the median a 3.75; and the bottom 25th percentile had a 3.44. https://research.schev.edu//enrollment/B10_FreshmenProfile.asp

Rampage grade inflation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know that the Naviance numbers exclude kids in ESOL. Perhaps the SCHEV numbers similarly exclude certain kids that are counted in the Arl Magazine numbers (which are received from the schools).

The SCHEV methodology information (you can look through it) does nor indicate that it excludes any applicants, so no.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kinda dispels the myth about NOVA schools sending "dozens" to UVA doesn't it? Yes they might technically have dozens ut they are huge schools of 500+ kids in the senior class. People accused me of lying when I said my kids school only had about 10 accepted, but we have a population of less than 400.

Washington Liberty for instance according to the school profile has 577 seniors and had 47 accepted, that's 8%, which again means you have to be well under the 10% threshold alot of folks bandy about on this website. Yorktown also only 8% of the population got in.

Yes, only 5 out of 23 at Arlington Tech. Only two got in from my son's VA private - both accepted to UVA. I also noted that GMU and JMU have become much more difficult to get into - depending upon the school, less than 20% of the applicants, up to may be half on average. Certainly not what it was a few years ago.

Agsin, NOT TRUE. GMU has become EASIER to get into over the last few years. There's NO WAY the GMU admissions "data" reported in thos article are correct. A 3.0 gets you in.

Use the link on the 18:10 post to see the verified acceptance rate for each Virginia college from every individual Virginia county. JMU and GMU acceptance rates from NOVA are pretty high.

But remember public school students self-select into the public universities where they, and the public high school counselor, think they have the best shot. Hence the acceptance rates for all publics is higher than comparable privates because the applicant pool is higher.

My kids’ counselor didn’t care about their “best shot” at anything. She just sent transcripts and ended up resigning 3/4 of the way through the school year. That’s public high schools these days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kinda dispels the myth about NOVA schools sending "dozens" to UVA doesn't it? Yes they might technically have dozens ut they are huge schools of 500+ kids in the senior class. People accused me of lying when I said my kids school only had about 10 accepted, but we have a population of less than 400.

Washington Liberty for instance according to the school profile has 577 seniors and had 47 accepted, that's 8%, which again means you have to be well under the 10% threshold alot of folks bandy about on this website. Yorktown also only 8% of the population got in.

Yes, only 5 out of 23 at Arlington Tech. Only two got in from my son's VA private - both accepted to UVA. I also noted that GMU and JMU have become much more difficult to get into - depending upon the school, less than 20% of the applicants, up to may be half on average. Certainly not what it was a few years ago.

Agsin, NOT TRUE. GMU has become EASIER to get into over the last few years. There's NO WAY the GMU admissions "data" reported in thos article are correct. A 3.0 gets you in.

Use the link on the 18:10 post to see the verified acceptance rate for each Virginia college from every individual Virginia county. JMU and GMU acceptance rates from NOVA are pretty high.

But remember public school students self-select into the public universities where they, and the public high school counselor, think they have the best shot. Hence the acceptance rates for all publics is higher than comparable privates because the applicant pool is higher.

My kids’ counselor didn’t care about their “best shot” at anything. She just sent transcripts and ended up resigning 3/4 of the way through the school year. That’s public high schools these days.

Maybe at your public high school, but certainly not ours!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kinda dispels the myth about NOVA schools sending "dozens" to UVA doesn't it? Yes they might technically have dozens ut they are huge schools of 500+ kids in the senior class. People accused me of lying when I said my kids school only had about 10 accepted, but we have a population of less than 400.

Washington Liberty for instance according to the school profile has 577 seniors and had 47 accepted, that's 8%, which again means you have to be well under the 10% threshold alot of folks bandy about on this website. Yorktown also only 8% of the population got in.

Yes, only 5 out of 23 at Arlington Tech. Only two got in from my son's VA private - both accepted to UVA. I also noted that GMU and JMU have become much more difficult to get into - depending upon the school, less than 20% of the applicants, up to may be half on average. Certainly not what it was a few years ago.

Agsin, NOT TRUE. GMU has become EASIER to get into over the last few years. There's NO WAY the GMU admissions "data" reported in thos article are correct. A 3.0 gets you in.

That is not true. The applicant class is getting better every year. SCHEV reports that the 75th percentile of students who actually enrolled had a 4.0; the median a 3.75; and the bottom 25th percentile had a 3.44. https://research.schev.edu//enrollment/B10_FreshmenProfile.asp

Rampage grade inflation.

NO. Publics have become much more in demand during COViD. Many families list a big chunk of money in March 2020 and began reassessing spending 80K+ on privates. So the demand for in-state slots in those states with good publics went up. The applicant classes have higher stats than precovid. Also the test scores of admitted and attending students have gone up. SCHEV says the median student enrolling at uva last year had an astonishing 35 ACT