Getting shut out of selective/competitive private schools

[Anonymous]

The kid has almost a perfect GPA and most schools are TO. Hop off the negatively. I would make sure your school is doing all they can. I would make sure he isn’t being positioned lower via counselor report.

[Anonymous]

I could give better advise if I knew what he wanted.

A kid who tried for early at Tulane and is in at MSU won’t be interested in Kenyon or Grinnell.

33 one and done was poor advise so I wouldn’t trust that advisor or count on brokering.

I’d move something to ED2 if you can and/or really focus on 4-5 schools he really wants and work on those apps and strategy.

Trying for a middlebury winter term acceptance while outlining an interesting plan for what he’d do from June-January might be a good play, for example.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The kid has almost a perfect GPA and most schools are TO. Hop off the negatively. I would make sure your school is doing all they can. I would make sure he isn’t being positioned lower via counselor report.

3.82 is not almost a perfect GPA. It's a nice GPA, but OP may be underestimating the competition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your private gave poor advice to be one and fine with a 33. He definitely could have easily raised it at least a point and many of those schools are 34-36.

My son got a 34 end of sophomore year (36r, 36v) and our HS noted that many of those top schools now see higher scores. He retook it without doing much and scored a 35 composite.

He should have a minimum 34 at those top tier schools.

This is bad advice. And a year or two out of date. Ignore.
Make sure there is an ED2 app to the likes of Kenyon, Wake, or Middlebury (helps with Midd if open to starting in Feb). Can apply RD to Colgate and then change it to ED2 very late, if there’s another ED2 rejection (this is akin to ED3 at Colgate). Add a couple RDs such as Conn College.

[Anonymous]

ED2 somewhere that the 33 is at or above the 25th percentile.

Submit the score. It may not help, but if it hurts, such as where it's under the 25th percentile, it's likely the gpa isn't sufficiently competitive for such schools anyway. Submit and let the chips fall.

NU was never going to happen with 3.82/33 and the same is true for other elites like Williams.

Have a VERY frank discussion with the high school counselor, if possible, before submitting ED2, though I imagine the school is probably closed for the holidays. Email to set up a phone conversation.

[Anonymous]

OP you’ve gotten some good advice here. Directionally it all points to the same thing - what is the ED2 gonna be? And are the essays/supplementals sharp for that school and a couple others (this is key) And what can you add that’s less competitive in the RD round as you have too many on your list that are impossible at that point (even Tulane).

The issue on the score is done and your kids grades are great for independent schools. But this is the reality these days. We don’t know your private but those of us in DC at selective private have seen that the days are gone when CCO had much sway on getting someone off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your private gave poor advice to be one and fine with a 33. He definitely could have easily raised it at least a point and many of those schools are 34-36.

My son got a 34 end of sophomore year (36r, 36v) and our HS noted that many of those top schools now see higher scores. He retook it without doing much and scored a 35 composite.

He should have a minimum 34 at those top tier schools.

This is bad advice. And a year or two out of date. Ignore.
Make sure there is an ED2 app to the likes of Kenyon, Wake, or Middlebury (helps with Midd if open to starting in Feb). Can apply RD to Colgate and then change it to ED2 very late, if there’s another ED2 rejection (this is akin to ED3 at Colgate). Add a couple RDs such as Conn College.

Not sure Colgate does this anymore. They did last year but this year it looks like have to convert RD to ED2 by Feb. 1 — too early to already know ED2 results elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

In my opinion, 3.82/33 is marginally better than 3.82/test optional.

The list is far too reachy. Add several more realistic schools. Look for schools where it makes sense to submit 33.

Colgate - acceptance rate probably too low
Bucknell - maybe ED2
Middlebury - acceptance rate probably too low
Wesleyan - maybe ED2
Williams - no chance
Wake - maybe ED2
Emory - maybe ED2
Vanderbilt - no chance
Wash U - no chance
Rice - no chance
Brown - no chance

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your private gave poor advice to be one and fine with a 33. He definitely could have easily raised it at least a point and many of those schools are 34-36.

My son got a 34 end of sophomore year (36r, 36v) and our HS noted that many of those top schools now see higher scores. He retook it without doing much and scored a 35 composite.

He should have a minimum 34 at those top tier schools.

This is bad advice. And a year or two out of date. Ignore.
Make sure there is an ED2 app to the likes of Kenyon, Wake, or Middlebury (helps with Midd if open to starting in Feb). Can apply RD to Colgate and then change it to ED2 very late, if there’s another ED2 rejection (this is akin to ED3 at Colgate). Add a couple RDs such as Conn College.

A 33 isn’t getting into an Ivy, Hopkins or Duke, and BC is dicey. Without seeing the course load I’d pick some more true safeties it’s tough out there.

[Anonymous]

She has safeties and has acceptances in hand. She’s listing the kids reaches.

33 is fine, it’s just that the “one and done” is not meaningful. I wish it mattered, but it doesn’t and kid should have taken it again. But whatever, it’s fine.

Rest of advice is good. ED2 somewhere. Full pay matters to schools that aren’t need blind - that’s a real boost. And focus on making some supps very strong

[Anonymous]

Op are you full pay? If so, I think he would get into at least a few of these schools:

Colgate - possible
Bucknell - yes
Middlebury - no
Wesleyan - possible
Williams - definitely no
Wake - possible
Emory - possible
Vanderbilt - no
Wash U - no
Rice - definitely no
Brown - definitely no

I would also consider adding the following given the vibes I am getting from your list:

Grinnell, Macalester, carelton, William and mary, Washington and lee, BU, tufts

If you are open to catholic BC and Villanova

Also consider strong international schools - St Andrews, Edinburgh, Mcgill -- their admission process is more straightforward, test-based, and predictable. US schools are so unpredictable.

Your kid also needs to add safeties. You do not have a single safety.

[Anonymous]

Grinnell, Macalester, carelton, William and mary, Washington and lee, BU, tufts

If you are open to catholic BC and Villanova

My two cents on these suggestions:

Grinnell, Macalester, carelton, William and mary, Washington and lee, BU - yes, apply to these if interested

Tufts, BC, Villanova are all big reaches with 3.82/33. Of those three, Villanova is the more accessible. The possible way in to any of these would be ED2 (obviously).

[Anonymous]

OP, nearly everyone from 11:37 has given you very strong advice. Some of the challenge is we DK what your DC wants but can only infer from the ED (NU), EA (Tulane), and state school apps. Perhaps consider Denison (similar to Bucknell) and a few others of that size as likelies/targets.

At the end of the day, only your DC can get themselves into a school. The era of CCOs working magic is long gone. Yes, they can be helpful, truly so, but nothing to count on in this phase (especially as the CCO should’ve suggested one more round @ ACT and ED1 to Tulane).

If your DC is set with the schools where he is, then focus on Bucknell and talk with a professional about Colgate, Emory, Wake, WUSTL. Forget the rest of the list (unless your DC is willing to start Feb @ Middlebury [and still a long, long shot with that]).

All best!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op are you full pay? If so, I think he would get into at least a few of these schools:

Colgate - possible
Bucknell - yes
Middlebury - no
Wesleyan - possible
Williams - definitely no
Wake - possible
Emory - possible
Vanderbilt - no
Wash U - no
Rice - definitely no
Brown - definitely no

I would also consider adding the following given the vibes I am getting from your list:

Grinnell, Macalester, carelton, William and mary, Washington and lee, BU, tufts

If you are open to catholic BC and Villanova

Also consider strong international schools - St Andrews, Edinburgh, Mcgill -- their admission process is more straightforward, test-based, and predictable. US schools are so unpredictable.

Your kid also needs to add safeties. You do not have a single safety.

OMG - read the thread. The kid is already in at a bunch of safeties.

[Anonymous]

Check ED acceptance rates. It's possible that Tulane's is the highest. Convert the deferral to ED2.