Good college for 3.2 student from Langley High

[Anonymous]

How does the transcript look? I assume the 3.2 is weighted? I agree with the discussed list posted by 17:12. See where these schools fall on USNews and consider those-on-down the list. None of us really have enough info to be very helpful.

[Anonymous]

This is ridiculous ~ this thread was started in 2011

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hey OP: Here is the way to go.

Send your child to one of the larger SEC/ACC/Big 10 schools i.e. Florida, UGA, Bama, FSU or NCState. During those years hopefully they mature enough to understand the value of education and with a high GPA from there they can go on to any grad school they want. If not they'll have a large alumni network that comes in handy in the job seeking process.

No chance he'll get into University of Florida those stats. My daughter's friend didn't get in despite a much higher SAT and a 4.3 GOA. It's become insanely competitive.

Georgia, FSU, Alabama, Ole Miss, LSU.... Definitely. And he'll probably love his college exoerience at any of those schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you can afford $32k/yr on average for out of state schools, there are great ones to choose from for B students. If you absolutely don't have the money or your DC is 100% set on getting into a particular VA school, then I'd consider the NVCC option with guaranteed admission to any VA state school (with about a 3.2-3.6 gpa from NOVA).

I think this xlnt advice. It is difficult to get into the VA state schools from Langley. DC did it early action to GMU from Langley with a 3.5 and 32 ACT (and yes, ACT is a better test to take). GMU's cut off for Langley is pretty much a 3.5 now although that Eagle Scout will take you a long way because it demonstrates extraordinary leadership skills.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would be nice to be able to narrow it down a bit at least by size of school or geography, but here are some suggestions based on recent experience with a DS with slighter stronger stats:

Likely yes:
VCU
Longwood
Radford
Mary Washington
U Colorado Boulder
Clemson
Auburn
Miami of Ohio
Drexel

Possibly:
GMU
U Delaware
U Pittsburgh
Purdue


Not likely:
PSU
UMd
JMU
VT
Syracuse

I found the scattergram on the guidance website to be rather useful in gathering datapoints. The hard realization is that with a 3.2 and 1100, the student is in the bottom half of the graduating class. As a result, DC can get accepted to a stronger OOS school that instate. But don't be overly concerned -- these kids are well prepared for college (even if they don't get accepted to your first choice college).

I'd be interested in hear other recommendations.

Jmu and gmu are the same rating

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The disheartening thing about this is that in hundreds of high schools across the country, this kid would likely be top 10% of his class.

--Langley parent, and graduate of one of "those" high schools.

So why not go to one of those high schools. Big fish, small pond >> small fish, big pond.

Because it's public, duh. You go where you live.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Take a look at High Point University in North Carolina.

very expensive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP mentioned kid was an Eagle Scout. I don't think that matters one whit to any college in the country except maybe the service academies, and you probably won't get in there from Va. with a 3.2 and 1100 on the SATs.

You are very wrong. Eagle is huge for admissions committee. Do you have any idea what it takes to make Eagle? Only 5-7% of all scouts make Eagle (2012 figures). Our son is a Life Scout now, working towards Eagle. I know some on admissions committees actively search out for Eagles and put them on the top of the pile. I do. It represents initiative, drive, responsibiity, caregiving, plus an Eagle project which they must create and pull-off on their own. It also helps enormously with the application because Eagles - IF you make it before start of Senior Year - have personalized letters of congratulations from their senators, congressman, the president (well not so sure about this Pres. but all prior Presidents have sent letters), local representatives, presidents of universities. All those letters go in the application file. Admissions directors also all know about how difficult Langley is and factor that in. I would aim high and put the Eagle Scout up front and make sure it is in the essay.

[Anonymous]

The scuttlebutt at our FCPS high school is that kids who are Eagle Scouts or on that way do indeed have an edge at some schools. Maybe not at Yale, but at good state schools where they otherwise might have been borderline.

[Anonymous]

At many schools your fate is essentially decided by the one admission’s office person that reads your application. That person will have their own opinion as to the value of being an Eagle Scout. As anyone not living under a rock knows, scouting has been controversial in recent years due to their exclusionary practices with regard to homosexuals. In my admittedly liberal social circle, scouting is not something we’d ever consider for our children. I know others, especially those in the evangelical movement, still embrace scouting. So my guess is that if the person making the decision is a social conservative the Eagle Scout award could be a BIG plus. If the person reviewing the application is a social liberal, the Eagle Scout award could be something of a minus. Obviously those in the admissions office aren’t going to tell you if they are liberal or conservative, but you can probably make an educated guess based on the type of school and its location.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

But point of clarification: the 1100 is the old 1100. Most people refer to the 2 sections (out of 1200) just like when we took them. The added section is writing (the 3rd 600 point section) except that we didn't find a single college interested in the writing score.

This is not true. Admissions committees look at SAT scores based on the present 2400 point measure.

This is correct. OP, I'm confused. Are you going into junior year now? The PSAT maxes out at 38. You say your son has a "projected" SAT of 1100, which is really low using the 2400 scale. Has your son taken the SAT? If not, what was the precise PSAT score. If he has taken the SAT, what is his score for all three tests?

P.S. We were Langley and were advised to focus on the ACT. It worked.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At many schools your fate is essentially decided by the one admission’s office person that reads your application. That person will have their own opinion as to the value of being an Eagle Scout. As anyone not living under a rock knows, scouting has been controversial in recent years due to their exclusionary practices with regard to homosexuals. In my admittedly liberal social circle, scouting is not something we’d ever consider for our children. I know others, especially those in the evangelical movement, still embrace scouting. So my guess is that if the person making the decision is a social conservative the Eagle Scout award could be a BIG plus. If the person reviewing the application is a social liberal, the Eagle Scout award could be something of a minus. Obviously those in the admissions office aren’t going to tell you if they are liberal or conservative, but you can probably make an educated guess based on the type of school and its location.

On balance, it's a decided positive, even if some gay admissions officer or gay sympathizer decides to ding a HS kid (who himself might be gay) for participating in scouting. In the context being discussed here, the kids are more interested in getting into schools like Clemson or Indiana than Bard, Oberlin or Hampshire.

[Anonymous]

I'm sure it's been decided since the OP asked 2 years ago. Maybe OP will resurface and tell us how it turned out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would be nice to be able to narrow it down a bit at least by size of school or geography, but here are some suggestions based on recent experience with a DS with slighter stronger stats:

Likely yes:
VCU
Longwood
Radford
Mary Washington
U Colorado Boulder
Clemson
Auburn
Miami of Ohio
Drexel

Possibly:
GMU
U Delaware
U Pittsburgh
Purdue


Not likely:
PSU
UMd
JMU
VT
Syracuse

I found the scattergram on the guidance website to be rather useful in gathering datapoints. The hard realization is that with a 3.2 and 1100, the student is in the bottom half of the graduating class. As a result, DC can get accepted to a stronger OOS school that instate. But don't be overly concerned -- these kids are well prepared for college (even if they don't get accepted to your first choice college).

I'd be interested in hear other recommendations.

Jmu and gmu are the same rating [/quote





Not anymore. GMU has pulled way ahead in research, programs and selectivity. It's now no. 1 "up and coming" USNWR. From Langley, you wouldn't believe the Naviance scattergram.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is ridiculous ~ this thread was started in 2011

Damn! I have got to start making myself read thread-start date. I get on to help a parent then find out someone has reactivated an ancient thread.