Mistakes you made in the admissions process...

[Anonymous]

Berkeley,UVA,CMU,UMCP,TA&M

Stats
SAT 1480, ACT 34, GPA 4.00 and 4.6 w, NHS,honors and 6 APs

OP, I hope you don't take this the wrong way but I don't think your DC is as competitive as you think. Given 4.6 wt GPA, I assume you are from MCPS (FCPS only give .5 to honors, I think) and given DC has 6 APs, I assume he has taken mostly honors courses. So, while his test scores are respectable, there are literally thousands of kids with similar or better stats in MCPS. For UMD, I think you DC will get in no problem but probably not good enough for merit scholarship - nothing significant anyway. I say this so you can calibrate your DC's list of schools and add more safety schools. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think 10 is a good number to apply to, and most important is to make sure your DC would be happy attending ANY of the schools, especially safeties.

Op here.
The list he put together is HYPSM,Caltech,Georgetown, Berkeley,UVA,CMU,UMCP,TA&M.
He really likes MIT,Caltech,Yale but it looks very difficult to get in...

Unless he has an unweighted 3.9-4.0 and 1500+ On the SAT, this list is way too heavy on the elite schools. The first several you listed are essentially a lottery for top students.

+1

That is a bizarre and nonsensical list.

Really?
Why?

Does he have hooks? My two kids with over 3.9/4.7, perfect SAT, NMSF/NMF, blah blah blah had a similar list but got rejected from most of them. don't assume stats will get you in.

See that's the point nothing's is good enough to be at any elite school. That won't prevent us to give it a try and see what happens.
If you kids got rejected ..bad luck... ( maybe your negativity contributed to their rejections)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:+1 Those are very solid I think you are in for an awakening. I don't know enough about A&M or College Park but the scores are not so above the average applicant for the first three to make them safeties.

Agree. I think this list has a lot of super-high reaches, a few matches, and maybe a safety or two. If he is applying for computer science or engineering at CMU, A&M, or UMCP, those cease to be safeties as well.

Without a hook, he is very unlikely to get into HYPSM or Cal Tech. Are those really all equally appealing to him? If so, is it because he/you are obsessed with prestige? If it were my kid, I'd recommend dropping a few of those, and adding a couple of true safeties, plus some schools in the top 20 that he has a more realistic shot at.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think 10 is a good number to apply to, and most important is to make sure your DC would be happy attending ANY of the schools, especially safeties.

Op here.
The list he put together is HYPSM,Caltech,Georgetown, Berkeley,UVA,CMU,UMCP,TA&M.
He really likes MIT,Caltech,Yale but it looks very difficult to get in...

Unless he has an unweighted 3.9-4.0 and 1500+ On the SAT, this list is way too heavy on the elite schools. The first several you listed are essentially a lottery for top students.

+1

That is a bizarre and nonsensical list.

Really?
Why?

Does he have hooks? My two kids with over 3.9/4.7, perfect SAT, NMSF/NMF, blah blah blah had a similar list but got rejected from most of them. don't assume stats will get you in.

See that's the point nothing's is good enough to be at any elite school. That won't prevent us to give it a try and see what happens.
If you kids got rejected ..bad luck... ( maybe your negativity contributed to their rejections)

Ouch!! OP has an attitude!! LOL. Yes, maybe you are right. My negativity was the reason my kids got rejected. Well, good luck to your kid anyway. I won't hold your comment against your kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think 10 is a good number to apply to, and most important is to make sure your DC would be happy attending ANY of the schools, especially safeties.

Op here.
The list he put together is HYPSM,Caltech,Georgetown, Berkeley,UVA,CMU,UMCP,TA&M.
He really likes MIT,Caltech,Yale but it looks very difficult to get in...

Unless he has an unweighted 3.9-4.0 and 1500+ On the SAT, this list is way too heavy on the elite schools. The first several you listed are essentially a lottery for top students.

+1

That is a bizarre and nonsensical list.

Really?
Why?

Does he have hooks? My two kids with over 3.9/4.7, perfect SAT, NMSF/NMF, blah blah blah had a similar list but got rejected from most of them. don't assume stats will get you in.

See that's the point nothing's is good enough to be at any elite school. That won't prevent us to give it a try and see what happens.
If you kids got rejected ..bad luck... ( maybe your negativity contributed to their rejections)

Don't be an ass OP. People are trying to help you. No need to be a jerk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:+1 Those are very solid I think you are in for an awakening. I don't know enough about A&M or

Without a hook, he is very unlikely to get into HYPSM or Cal Tech. Are those really all equally appealing to him? If so, is it because he/you are obsessed with prestige? If it were my kid, I'd recommend dropping a few of those, and adding a couple of true safeties, plus some schools in the top 20 that he has a more realistic shot at.

Is not a matter of be obsessed with prestige...all private college including some public cost about the same. if we are going to pay that stupid amount of money we rather do it a top school. Otherwise my kid will go to England ( Cambridge) Canada ( McGill, U Toronto etc) or Switzerland ( Geneve, Zurich etc) These universities will take my kid stats any time and will cost a quarter of any US college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:+1 Those are very solid I think you are in for an awakening. I don't know enough about A&M or

Without a hook, he is very unlikely to get into HYPSM or Cal Tech. Are those really all equally appealing to him? If so, is it because he/you are obsessed with prestige? If it were my kid, I'd recommend dropping a few of those, and adding a couple of true safeties, plus some schools in the top 20 that he has a more realistic shot at.

Is not a matter of be obsessed with prestige...all private college including some public cost about the same. if we are going to pay that stupid amount of money we rather do it a top school. Otherwise my kid will go to England ( Cambridge) Canada ( McGill, U Toronto etc) or Switzerland ( Geneve, Zurich etc) These universities will take my kid stats any time and will cost a quarter of any US college.

This isn't a bad strategy, actually.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:+1 Those are very solid I think you are in for an awakening. I don't know enough about A&M or

Without a hook, he is very unlikely to get into HYPSM or Cal Tech. Are those really all equally appealing to him? If so, is it because he/you are obsessed with prestige? If it were my kid, I'd recommend dropping a few of those, and adding a couple of true safeties, plus some schools in the top 20 that he has a more realistic shot at.

Is not a matter of be obsessed with prestige...all private college including some public cost about the same. if we are going to pay that stupid amount of money we rather do it a top school. Otherwise my kid will go to England ( Cambridge) Canada ( McGill, U Toronto etc) or Switzerland ( Geneve, Zurich etc) These universities will take my kid stats any time and will cost a quarter of any US college.

That’s sounds very smart

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Is not a matter of be obsessed with prestige...all private college including some public cost about the same. if we are going to pay that stupid amount of money we rather do it a top school. Otherwise my kid will go to England ( Cambridge) Canada ( McGill, U Toronto etc) or Switzerland ( Geneve, Zurich etc) These universities will take my kid stats any time and will cost a quarter of any US college.

This isn't a bad strategy, actually.

https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/international-students/fees#living
Cambridge costs about £50K a year (all inclusive), so I am not sure why you think it will cost a quarter of any US college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Is not a matter of be obsessed with prestige...all private college including some public cost about the same. if we are going to pay that stupid amount of money we rather do it a top school. Otherwise my kid will go to England ( Cambridge) Canada ( McGill, U Toronto etc) or Switzerland ( Geneve, Zurich etc) These universities will take my kid stats any time and will cost a quarter of any US college.

This isn't a bad strategy, actually.

https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/international-students/fees#living
Cambridge costs about £50K a year (all inclusive), so I am not sure why you think it will cost a quarter of any US college.

Because OP knows something you don't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Is not a matter of be obsessed with prestige...all private college including some public cost about the same. if we are going to pay that stupid amount of money we rather do it a top school. Otherwise my kid will go to England ( Cambridge) Canada ( McGill, U Toronto etc) or Switzerland ( Geneve, Zurich etc) These universities will take my kid stats any time and will cost a quarter of any US college.

This isn't a bad strategy, actually.

https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/international-students/fees#living
Cambridge costs about £50K a year (all inclusive), so I am not sure why you think it will cost a quarter of any US college.

Because OP knows something you don't.

The medical and veterinary schools are 50K. Other degree programs have different fees. And you finish the equivalent of undergrad in 3 years.



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[Anonymous]

Cambridge is crazy competitive to get into, if your kid is not getting into HPYS he or she is not getting into Cambridge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cambridge is crazy competitive to get into, if your kid is not getting into HPYS he or she is not getting into Cambridge.

LOL. I know right? OP is in lalaland.

[Anonymous]

That's not true. Cambridge is slightly easier to get into than HYPS. Historically, US applicants have seen acceptance rates ranging from 11.5-17%.

In our experience, the students who went to Cambridge/Oxford from the US got rejected from HYPS but did often get into other Ivies and top schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cambridge is crazy competitive to get into, if your kid is not getting into HPYS he or she is not getting into Cambridge.

LOL. I know right? OP is in lalaland.

Not OP.

But Cambridge doesn't take extracurriculars into consideration. Things like SAT 2s and AP exam grades count for admissions for US students, unlike most elite US schools.

So a very high stat student who doesn't have that extra whatever that HYPS wants, could get into Cambridge, or Oxford, somewhat more easily.