1530 SAT at McLean High not enough for UVA now?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's your zip code.

This. From McLean and Langley, you need a 4.5 on top of that SAT score. Highest rigor, highest grades. No room for an emotional breakup, friend troubles, personal issues to work through, or family struggle. Be perfect since age 14 or no UVA for you.

Which means there are lots of parents helicoptering and snow plowing to make this happen and they have all the money they need to support that.

If you have more money you don’t obsess about your kids going to an in-state school like UVA. You let your kids enjoy life a bit more and go to another in-state school, a SLAC or an OOS flagship, comfortable that their basic smarts and social skills will serve them well later.

You’re spewing garbage

UVA or bust is the hallmark of a small mind or a tiny budget.

[Anonymous]

1530 is high enough for Ivies if the rest of the application is great, so not sure why such high scores would be needed for UVA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's your zip code.

This. From McLean and Langley, you need a 4.5 on top of that SAT score. Highest rigor, highest grades. No room for an emotional breakup, friend troubles, personal issues to work through, or family struggle. Be perfect since age 14 or no UVA for you.

Which means there are lots of parents helicoptering and snow plowing to make this happen and they have all the money they need to support that.

If you have more money you don’t obsess about your kids going to an in-state school like UVA. You let your kids enjoy life a bit more and go to another in-state school, a SLAC or an OOS flagship, comfortable that their basic smarts and social skills will serve them well later.

You’re spewing garbage

UVA or bust is the hallmark of a small mind or a tiny budget.

Anyone who can afford to live in McLean/Langley can afford OOS or private tuition. Also, UVA is not an entitlement. And if you really want a bump, live in a lower ranked HS district.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's your zip code.

This. From McLean and Langley, you need a 4.5 on top of that SAT score. Highest rigor, highest grades. No room for an emotional breakup, friend troubles, personal issues to work through, or family struggle. Be perfect since age 14 or no UVA for you.

Which means there are lots of parents helicoptering and snow plowing to make this happen and they have all the money they need to support that.

If you have more money you don’t obsess about your kids going to an in-state school like UVA. You let your kids enjoy life a bit more and go to another in-state school, a SLAC or an OOS flagship, comfortable that their basic smarts and social skills will serve them well later.

You’re spewing garbage

UVA or bust is the hallmark of a small mind or a tiny budget.

Anyone who can afford to live in McLean/Langley can afford OOS or private tuition. Also, UVA is not an entitlement. And if you really want a bump, live in a lower ranked HS district.

There are 200k condos and apartments that go to McLean not everyone is wealthy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:1530 is high enough for Ivies if the rest of the application is great, so not sure why such high scores would be needed for UVA.

The rest is not great.

[Anonymous]

The 1530 is totally fine, OP. That is around 75th percentile at UVA. It is the GPA that is very iffy. We are at McLean and you don't see consistent green checks until 4.4 or so.

BUT if he has a 4.2 as a junior he will very likely get it higher by the time he applies. My kid has a 4.1 from the end of sophomore year and I think he has a chance with all the APs he is taking this year.

[Anonymous]

If you have more money you don’t obsess about your kids going to an in-state school like UVA. You let your kids enjoy life a bit more and go to another in-state school, a SLAC or an OOS flagship, comfortable that their basic smarts and social skills will serve them well later.

You don't live in McLean, do you? People start strategizing about this when their kids are at Longfellow. First disappointment is not getting into TJ. Second disappointment is not getting into UVA.

4.4 is the minimum GPA at McLean, OP. Then you've got to stack him against his peers. That's the cut and dry of UVA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sometimes people forget how small UVA is compared with other VA public universities. UVA is much smaller than VT for example.

And UVa is absolutely dwarfed by other states' public universities (such ad UCLA, UMich, UCB, UIUC).

UVA admissions can be tight in part because it is small for a public university.

You just contradicted yourself, moron. UCLA, UMich, UCB all dwarf UVA in size, yes, but are all equally if not more selective than UVA. What they have in common with UVA is their academic reputation. It's UVA's reputation that makes it so selective. Not its size.

DP. Why do you have to call someone a moron? I'll refrain from doing the same and will simply note that you missed their point entirely. So I'll spell it out. Their point is that UVA has fewer slots than its peer schools. Which means they have to reject more highly qualified kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

If you have more money you don’t obsess about your kids going to an in-state school like UVA. You let your kids enjoy life a bit more and go to another in-state school, a SLAC or an OOS flagship, comfortable that their basic smarts and social skills will serve them well later.

You don't live in McLean, do you? People start strategizing about this when their kids are at Longfellow. First disappointment is not getting into TJ. Second disappointment is not getting into UVA.

4.4 is the minimum GPA at McLean, OP. Then you've got to stack him against his peers. That's the cut and dry of UVA.

If your goal is a top ranked college, TJ is NOT a good route to take.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The 1530 is totally fine, OP. That is around 75th percentile at UVA. It is the GPA that is very iffy. We are at McLean and you don't see consistent green checks until 4.4 or so.

BUT if he has a 4.2 as a junior he will very likely get it higher by the time he applies. My kid has a 4.1 from the end of sophomore year and I think he has a chance with all the APs he is taking this year.

+1 Agreed.

Our McLean DC had 4.2 after sophomore year and 4.3 after junior year, and was accepted into CAS during EA with a 4.4 and 1500 SAT. Later had major senioritis so DC will show up in Naviance with 4.2, LOL.

So OP's 1530 should be fine, and if OP's DC gets their wGPA to 4.3-4.4 after junior year, DC should be in good shape.

That said, I think taking APs (particularly sciences if a STEM person and English Lang, World History and US History if possible) plus foreign language for the 4 years (or reaching max level for a single foreign language) would be best. DE classes may boost wGPA, but don't help as much as APs in the core classes, IMHO.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
A 1375 was a low score even a couple decades ago. From my public high school the top students in the AP track all had scores above 1500. 1375 would have been in the B grade range.

SAT scoring changed in the mid-90s. I got a 1260 in 1993, and that was average at the time for Notre Dame, where I went.

True, but a re-centered 1260 today wouldn't get you into Notre Dame. The admission rate then was close to 40 percent. Today it's under 10 percent. Which I'm sure you know.

Scbools were not test optional then.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
A 1375 was a low score even a couple decades ago. From my public high school the top students in the AP track all had scores above 1500. 1375 would have been in the B grade range.

SAT scoring changed in the mid-90s. I got a 1260 in 1993, and that was average at the time for Notre Dame, where I went.

True, but a re-centered 1260 today wouldn't get you into Notre Dame. The admission rate then was close to 40 percent. Today it's under 10 percent. Which I'm sure you know.

Oh I know I for sure wouldn’t get in today, just to be clear. 😊My point was just that before 1994, 1375 was not considered a low score. I don’t remember the admit rate at ND, but I know it was a Top 25 school and my 100 point lower score was around the median for admission, that’s all.

I also kind of wonder if admit rates aren’t really apples to apples with the common app and how much easier it now is to apply a lot of places. I had to type each application on a typewriter, plus each school had multiple different required essay prompts.

But for whatever reason, things are undoubtedly more competitive and I wouldn’t make the cut today! Best of luck OP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As other data points:

Last cycle DS got into Stanford with a 1520; top 10% of class (private school) in terms of grade) and ok but not amazing ECs

This cycle my other DS got into Columbia with a 1490, not top 10% (missed it by 1 person), but excellent ECs with leadership.

My take: it’s not one thing per se, but looking holistically as the schools always say.

And it’s all in context so your DC’s 4.2 would be impossible at my kids’ schools (where 4.0 is a max) but apparently at yours perfect grades are a 5.0? If so, that may be viewed as a negative in context with others but perhaps a higher SAT score helps to offset.

But SAT scores is not the end all be all.

Go away. We're not here to talk about your kids' admission to different schools from a different high school. Your anecdote is irrelevant. OP's questions are school specific.

Let me guess: you're not from the DMV. Right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sometimes people forget how small UVA is compared with other VA public universities. UVA is much smaller than VT for example.

And UVa is absolutely dwarfed by other states' public universities (such ad UCLA, UMich, UCB, UIUC).

UVA admissions can be tight in part because it is small for a public university.

You just contradicted yourself, moron. UCLA, UMich, UCB all dwarf UVA in size, yes, but are all equally if not more selective than UVA. What they have in common with UVA is their academic reputation. It's UVA's reputation that makes it so selective. Not its size.

DP. Why do you have to call someone a moron? I'll refrain from doing the same and will simply note that you missed their point entirely. So I'll spell it out. Their point is that UVA has fewer slots than its peer schools. Which means they have to reject more highly qualified kids.

No, you're missing the point. The "peer" schools are much larger and still just as selective. You're wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sometimes people forget how small UVA is compared with other VA public universities. UVA is much smaller than VT for example.

And UVa is absolutely dwarfed by other states' public universities (such ad UCLA, UMich, UCB, UIUC).

UVA admissions can be tight in part because it is small for a public university.

You just contradicted yourself, moron. UCLA, UMich, UCB all dwarf UVA in size, yes, but are all equally if not more selective than UVA. What they have in common with UVA is their academic reputation. It's UVA's reputation that makes it so selective. Not its size.

DP. Why do you have to call someone a moron? I'll refrain from doing the same and will simply note that you missed their point entirely. So I'll spell it out. Their point is that UVA has fewer slots than its peer schools. Which means they have to reject more highly qualified kids.

No, you're missing the point. The "peer" schools are much larger and still just as selective. You're wrong.

Pp seems to be thinking of OOS selectivity, and is not comparing the lower *in-state* selectivity of VT, UIUC, UMich, and various other states fir jon-engineering applicants.