Big 3 (or thereabouts) College Results - Class of 2021

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Straight A students at STA/NCS (and there are a lot) continue to be very disappointed with their college acceptances.

Funny, a few weeks ago people were falling over themselves to argue that straight A students are rare at STA.

And the parents of B students love to say that a B at STA/NCS is actually an A everywhere else. Total exaggeration and delusion.

No, this is true, actually. And I'm a public school parent. Just look at their matriculations lists. Bottom of the class students are going to schools that require A-A- at best averages from public. Sorry, but it's true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s not *that* random. The top students still get into the top schools, although they generally can’t count on getting into a specific one.

Yeah, this. Seems highly unlikely that a top student from the Big 3 is going to be shut out of the top colleges, even if multiple rejections/WLs are still quite possible or even probable.

This is no longer true and is the reality that people don't want to talk about or admit, especially after spending $40K-$50K per year per kid. Lots of kids get As at the Big 3, probably around 25%-30% depending on the school. They may not all get high As, but they get As and A-s and then an even larger percentage get all As with one or two Bs. You're basically looking at 50%-60% of the class getting As or mostly As and a few Bs. The top 14-18% of students may be able to get into top 25 universities if they have things going for them more than just grades. The remaining 80% of students have less luck. Parents all like to think their child will fall into the top 20% of the class, but 80% won't and that's a fact. This means 80% of students, many of whom get mostly As, don't get into top 25 or even top 40 schools. It's just a reality.

Anecdotally this doesn’t match what we’ve seen either for the grades or the college admissions.

Not even anecdotally. At my kids' private last year, over 50% of the class went to top 15 schools. That's not an anecdote, it's fact. By the way, my kid wasn't one of them. Bottom 10% of the class--still at major university in top 60 USNWR.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s not *that* random. The top students still get into the top schools, although they generally can’t count on getting into a specific one.

Yeah, this. Seems highly unlikely that a top student from the Big 3 is going to be shut out of the top colleges, even if multiple rejections/WLs are still quite possible or even probable.

This is no longer true and is the reality that people don't want to talk about or admit, especially after spending $40K-$50K per year per kid. Lots of kids get As at the Big 3, probably around 25%-30% depending on the school. They may not all get high As, but they get As and A-s and then an even larger percentage get all As with one or two Bs. You're basically looking at 50%-60% of the class getting As or mostly As and a few Bs. The top 14-18% of students may be able to get into top 25 universities if they have things going for them more than just grades. The remaining 80% of students have less luck. Parents all like to think their child will fall into the top 20% of the class, but 80% won't and that's a fact. This means 80% of students, many of whom get mostly As, don't get into top 25 or even top 40 schools. It's just a reality.

Anecdotally this doesn’t match what we’ve seen either for the grades or the college admissions.

Not even anecdotally. At my kids' private last year, over 50% of the class went to top 15 schools. That's not an anecdote, it's fact. By the way, my kid wasn't one of them. Bottom 10% of the class--still at major university in top 60 USNWR.

Do tell, what school? I call total BS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Straight A students at STA/NCS (and there are a lot) continue to be very disappointed with their college acceptances.

Funny, a few weeks ago people were falling over themselves to argue that straight A students are rare at STA.

And the parents of B students love to say that a B at STA/NCS is actually an A everywhere else. Total exaggeration and delusion.

No, this is true, actually. And I'm a public school parent. Just look at their matriculations lists. Bottom of the class students are going to schools that require A-A- at best averages from public. Sorry, but it's true.

No one is comparing STA/NCS to public schools. Please. They believe a B equates to an A at other privates. That is the exaggeration/delusion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Using your definitions, are the top 20 percent of public school seniors consistently getting admitted to top 25/40 colleges? I doubt it, and my suspicion is that even the top 10 percent of these classes struggle to do so. In public, all else being equal, you likely need to be top 5 percent or better to have admissions odds comparable to the top 20 percent at a Big 3.

Why do the public school parents interpret the private school board comments to their public schools? This is about private schools, of course the public school matriculations are completely different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s not *that* random. The top students still get into the top schools, although they generally can’t count on getting into a specific one.

Yeah, this. Seems highly unlikely that a top student from the Big 3 is going to be shut out of the top colleges, even if multiple rejections/WLs are still quite possible or even probable.

This is no longer true and is the reality that people don't want to talk about or admit, especially after spending $40K-$50K per year per kid. Lots of kids get As at the Big 3, probably around 25%-30% depending on the school. They may not all get high As, but they get As and A-s and then an even larger percentage get all As with one or two Bs. You're basically looking at 50%-60% of the class getting As or mostly As and a few Bs. The top 14-18% of students may be able to get into top 25 universities if they have things going for them more than just grades. The remaining 80% of students have less luck. Parents all like to think their child will fall into the top 20% of the class, but 80% won't and that's a fact. This means 80% of students, many of whom get mostly As, don't get into top 25 or even top 40 schools. It's just a reality.

Anecdotally this doesn’t match what we’ve seen either for the grades or the college admissions.

Not even anecdotally. At my kids' private last year, over 50% of the class went to top 15 schools. That's not an anecdote, it's fact. By the way, my kid wasn't one of them. Bottom 10% of the class--still at major university in top 60 USNWR.

Do tell, what school? I call total BS.

Sounds like GDS results - 2020 was a strong class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s not *that* random. The top students still get into the top schools, although they generally can’t count on getting into a specific one.

Yeah, this. Seems highly unlikely that a top student from the Big 3 is going to be shut out of the top colleges, even if multiple rejections/WLs are still quite possible or even probable.

This is no longer true and is the reality that people don't want to talk about or admit, especially after spending $40K-$50K per year per kid. Lots of kids get As at the Big 3, probably around 25%-30% depending on the school. They may not all get high As, but they get As and A-s and then an even larger percentage get all As with one or two Bs. You're basically looking at 50%-60% of the class getting As or mostly As and a few Bs. The top 14-18% of students may be able to get into top 25 universities if they have things going for them more than just grades. The remaining 80% of students have less luck. Parents all like to think their child will fall into the top 20% of the class, but 80% won't and that's a fact. This means 80% of students, many of whom get mostly As, don't get into top 25 or even top 40 schools. It's just a reality.

So, basically you're saying that the top students still get into top schools. I think we can all agree that "top students" doesn't include the bottom 80%.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm sure the combination of public schools giving almost anymore who did any work last year an A (I know because I have public school kids as well as my private school kid) plus colleges being test optional will uniquely boost many public school applicants this year and next.

So it's not an issue of private school applicants bring HURT, it's that thousands upon thousands of previously middle-of-the-road public applicants now being HELPED. (I.e. they would have been mediocre applicants without the extra of bonus straight As and If they had been required to take the SAT. Now they look like tippy-top candidates.

Basically the applicant pool of top public candidates
just greatly enlarged so they will take a larger percentage of the available spots than in years prior.

Lucky for your kid but not our experience at all in public high school (VA)

[Anonymous]

Please share your Ivy results.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s not *that* random. The top students still get into the top schools, although they generally can’t count on getting into a specific one.

Yeah, this. Seems highly unlikely that a top student from the Big 3 is going to be shut out of the top colleges, even if multiple rejections/WLs are still quite possible or even probable.

This is no longer true and is the reality that people don't want to talk about or admit, especially after spending $40K-$50K per year per kid. Lots of kids get As at the Big 3, probably around 25%-30% depending on the school. They may not all get high As, but they get As and A-s and then an even larger percentage get all As with one or two Bs. You're basically looking at 50%-60% of the class getting As or mostly As and a few Bs. The top 14-18% of students may be able to get into top 25 universities if they have things going for them more than just grades. The remaining 80% of students have less luck. Parents all like to think their child will fall into the top 20% of the class, but 80% won't and that's a fact. This means 80% of students, many of whom get mostly As, don't get into top 25 or even top 40 schools. It's just a reality.

Anecdotally this doesn’t match what we’ve seen either for the grades or the college admissions.

Not even anecdotally. At my kids' private last year, over 50% of the class went to top 15 schools. That's not an anecdote, it's fact. By the way, my kid wasn't one of them. Bottom 10% of the class--still at major university in top 60 USNWR.

Do tell, what school? I call total BS.

Sounds like GDS results - 2020 was a strong class.

Could be Sidwell too. If you look at the class instragram page that was posted here last spring, it too was very strong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s not *that* random. The top students still get into the top schools, although they generally can’t count on getting into a specific one.

Yeah, this. Seems highly unlikely that a top student from the Big 3 is going to be shut out of the top colleges, even if multiple rejections/WLs are still quite possible or even probable.

This is no longer true and is the reality that people don't want to talk about or admit, especially after spending $40K-$50K per year per kid. Lots of kids get As at the Big 3, probably around 25%-30% depending on the school. They may not all get high As, but they get As and A-s and then an even larger percentage get all As with one or two Bs. You're basically looking at 50%-60% of the class getting As or mostly As and a few Bs. The top 14-18% of students may be able to get into top 25 universities if they have things going for them more than just grades. The remaining 80% of students have less luck. Parents all like to think their child will fall into the top 20% of the class, but 80% won't and that's a fact. This means 80% of students, many of whom get mostly As, don't get into top 25 or even top 40 schools. It's just a reality.

Anecdotally this doesn’t match what we’ve seen either for the grades or the college admissions.

Not even anecdotally. At my kids' private last year, over 50% of the class went to top 15 schools. That's not an anecdote, it's fact. By the way, my kid wasn't one of them. Bottom 10% of the class--still at major university in top 60 USNWR.

Do tell, what school? I call total BS.

Sounds like GDS results - 2020 was a strong class.

Could be Sidwell too. If you look at the class instragram page that was posted here last spring, it too was very strong.

This was also because a lot of the kids got off waitlists bc of the pandemic.

[Anonymous]

I think that could happen again this year. But remarkably quiet on this forum since Ivy decisions yesterday, which leads me to think there has been a lot of RD disappointment.

[Anonymous]

At STA, I know of acceptances at Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, Cornell and Dartmouth in the RD round. Not sure about Yale, Brown or Penn.

[Anonymous]

STA's college admissions are the best in the DMV. They consistently send about 30% to the Ivy League.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:STA's college admissions are the best in the DMV. They consistently send about 30% to the Ivy League.

Did U Chicago join the Ivy League? That’s the only scenario where that statement could remotely be accurate.