Where does a 3.5 Sidwell kid end up going to college?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As irony would have it, a 3.5 with either a legacy (assuming moola donation per diems met) or a sports recruiting preference has it all over the 4.0 with no bump. Sidwell is a strong private school, but there are many others like that. It's delusional to think that an Ivy or a NECSAC takes kids from any elite private these days.

More and more it is about where you get a graduate degree in most desired professions, so going to any decent college and again getting great grades matters more than just getting a boost to attend Duke or an Ivy. My son has private lessons from a Dartmouth graduate who is unemployed and living with his parents. Success in life is hard earned and requires a pattern of success and achievement at every step.

A kid with a 3.5 at Sidwell is a great kid with a great future, but how great is up to him / her regardless of where the kid attends undergrad. Remember, a 3.8 at Kenyon is likely to find a decent first job or gain entrance to a fine grad school. A 2.6 in sociology at Duke = giving back yard lacrosse lessons to kids at $75 in cash paid by a loser like me who went to Chico State but started and sold a company for over $100 mil. I love the "where did you go to college" thing at coctail parties. It suits my asshole nature so well.

I agree with you that personal qualities are the ultimate determinant, but I cannot go back in time and alter my kid even if I wanted to. But I can perhaps help him on a slightly better path.

Also, not sure that your unemployed Dartmouth graduate living with his parents is the right comparison. You need to hold the kid fixed and compare schools, not pick different kids from different schools. Given that your son was unemployed and living in the basement is he more likely to land on his feet eventually with a Dartmouth degree or with one from, say, to pick a good state school, Ohio State? Also, given 6-year completion rates at Dartmouth and state schools. maybe the kid would still not have graduated.

And if you had gone to Harvard, rather than Chico State, maybe you would be looking at billions, not $100m. No easy calls.

Dartmouth is not exactly a top tier Ivy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As irony would have it, a 3.5 with either a legacy (assuming moola donation per diems met) or a sports recruiting preference has it all over the 4.0 with no bump. Sidwell is a strong private school, but there are many others like that. It's delusional to think that an Ivy or a NECSAC takes kids from any elite private these days.

More and more it is about where you get a graduate degree in most desired professions, so going to any decent college and again getting great grades matters more than just getting a boost to attend Duke or an Ivy. My son has private lessons from a Dartmouth graduate who is unemployed and living with his parents. Success in life is hard earned and requires a pattern of success and achievement at every step.

A kid with a 3.5 at Sidwell is a great kid with a great future, but how great is up to him / her regardless of where the kid attends undergrad. Remember, a 3.8 at Kenyon is likely to find a decent first job or gain entrance to a fine grad school. A 2.6 in sociology at Duke = giving back yard lacrosse lessons to kids at $75 in cash paid by a loser like me who went to Chico State but started and sold a company for over $100 mil. I love the "where did you go to college" thing at coctail parties. It suits my asshole nature so well.

I agree with you that personal qualities are the ultimate determinant, but I cannot go back in time and alter my kid even if I wanted to. But I can perhaps help him on a slightly better path.

Also, not sure that your unemployed Dartmouth graduate living with his parents is the right comparison. You need to hold the kid fixed and compare schools, not pick different kids from different schools. Given that your son was unemployed and living in the basement is he more likely to land on his feet eventually with a Dartmouth degree or with one from, say, to pick a good state school, Ohio State? Also, given 6-year completion rates at Dartmouth and state schools. maybe the kid would still not have graduated.

And if you had gone to Harvard, rather than Chico State, maybe you would be looking at billions, not $100m. No easy calls.

Aren't you bitter! How much is YOUR company worth?

Actually, not at all bitter. Just pointing out that someone who has done really well the hard way might have done even better under other circumstances. Is that controversial?

[Anonymous]

I learned today that Dartmouth is not a top tier Ivy, and if I'd gone to Harvard my company would have been worth a lot more. Well, thanks. I say the 3.5 kid at Sidwell has the world at his feet for the taking, but it's a long journey. There are a lot of successful people who went to Harvard, sure, and they had some advantages along the way, sure. But success is not a given and the easiest access to it is a commitment to achievement. There are plenty of future millionaires many times over at Univ Maryland and other state schools that would make an elitist shrill.

[Anonymous]

It's DCUM. Everything is controversial.

[Anonymous]

I agree that a 3.5 with legacy can beat a 4.0 with no hook (though 4.0 kids are beyond rare at Sidwell), but I think there is more analysis there. Too often the 4.0 kids, especially at the rigorous schools, are just focused on learning in the classroom. They don't do sports or other significant extras at school. Most colleges, from HPY on down, want kids who will contribute in a meaningful way to the life of the school. Studying endlessly does not accomplish that. If I were an admissions counselor, I'd favor an active, engaged kid with a slightly lower GPA over a kid who just focused on studying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:College of Charleston

ROFL

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I learned today that Dartmouth is not a top tier Ivy, and if I'd gone to Harvard my company would have been worth a lot more. Well, thanks. I say the 3.5 kid at Sidwell has the world at his feet for the taking, but it's a long journey. There are a lot of successful people who went to Harvard, sure, and they had some advantages along the way, sure. But success is not a given and the easiest access to it is a commitment to achievement. There are plenty of future millionaires many times over at Univ Maryland and other state schools that would make an elitist shrill.

Exactly. The kids who are most likely to fail are those who think they have made it by getting into a top tier school. That is the beginning of the journey, not the end.

[Anonymous]

And HPY are all different schools and focus differently on undergraduate education. They should not be lumped together.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This whole URM business has become such a racket.

Become? It's 40 years in and going strong. Thankfully.

[Anonymous]

George Mason.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This whole URM business has become such a racket.

Become? It's 40 years in and going strong. Thankfully.

But no dispute that it's a racket.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Swarthmore, Middlebury, Tufts, Davidson, Vandy, Pomona, etc.

Swarthmore, Middlebury, and Pomona are almost as tough as Ivies. The 3.5 Sidwell student would have a shot if everything else in the package was strong, but no guarantees. Washington University would also fit into this category. Duke is also a little easier than the Ivies. I think the counselors would say that 3.5 students should target schools that accept 10-15% of applicants, not the one that accept 5%. There are exceptions though, because some kids have connections or hooks and some are just really interesting.

What would counselors say for a 3.80 strong STEM-focused kid with no hooks? A reasonable shot at HYPS for early action, or is the advice to focus on one level down?

Kid would have a better shot at engineering schools. HYPS would be a reach, but more of a reach than places like CalTech or MIT.

As a safety - I would recommend places like Purdue, Georgia Tech, Harvey Mudd, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:
Swarthmore, Middlebury, Tufts, Davidson, Vandy, Pomona, etc.


I don't think so. I also disagree with Notre Dame, unless the student has phenomenal extracurriculars - like founded a charity or is an Olympic athlete.

Yup. a 3.5 is an indication of a very smart, hard working kid

Remember, we're talking about Sidwell, St. Alban's, etc, with hard grading policies and a rigorous curriculum. They're not suburban grade inflation factories that turbocharge GPAs for taking AP courses. Most college admission staffs know that.

+1. The do and the have an algorithm that is applied before the case file is assigned to a reviewer. I was on an admission committee for a top ten university and we often admitted Sidwell kids with a 3.5. Just guessing but think the adjusted would be about a + .4 or so when compared to a good suburban HS where As are very common place.

[Anonymous]

Do URM's that go to Hahvahd still say "Ax me a question?"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Swarthmore, Middlebury, Tufts, Davidson, Vandy, Pomona, etc.

Swarthmore, Middlebury, and Pomona are almost as tough as Ivies. The 3.5 Sidwell student would have a shot if everything else in the package was strong, but no guarantees. Washington University would also fit into this category. Duke is also a little easier than the Ivies. I think the counselors would say that 3.5 students should target schools that accept 10-15% of applicants, not the one that accept 5%. There are exceptions though, because some kids have connections or hooks and some are just really interesting.

What would counselors say for a 3.80 strong STEM-focused kid with no hooks? A reasonable shot at HYPS for early action, or is the advice to focus on one level down?

Kid would have a better shot at engineering schools. HYPS would be a reach, but more of a reach than places like CalTech or MIT.

As a safety - I would recommend places like Purdue, Georgia Tech, Harvey Mudd, etc.

A Sidwell kids with a 3.8 is strong across the board. I think the kid would have a decent shot at HPYS without hooks as long as the scores were good 2300+, but no guarantees in that range of schools.