Where is your kid applying ?

[Anonymous]

Love your kids list. It is realistic to your kid and really at the end of the day that is all that matters. Having been through this many times, and gotten the meh comment at my kids choices, it always seemed to be from the parent who’s kid in the end dropped out, flunked out, or who now serves me my coffee at Starbucks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Love your kids list. It is realistic to your kid and really at the end of the day that is all that matters. Having been through this many times, and gotten the meh comment at my kids choices, it always seemed to be from the parent who’s kid in the end dropped out, flunked out, or who now serves me my coffee at Starbucks.

Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pitt (already admitted), WM (in state), Vassar, Wesleyan, Bowdoin, Bates, Carleton, St. Olaf, Oberlin, Kenyon

34 ACT (36 verbal, 32 STEM), 10APs, 4.1w GPA (has 2 B-s from COVID shutdown in 10th, all As and 1 B besides that in 10th through 12th, thus far).

Considering Vassar and Bates ED1, ED2

Good list, but curious why it doesn't include Grinnell.

This is my kid. Visited Grinnell with her older sister and just thinks it’s too remote. (I personally think it would be great). Wants less than an hour from a major city. Vassar is a train ride to NYC (more than an hour, but the train is a draw), Oberlin has Cleveland; St. Olaf and Carleton have the Twin Cities: Bowdoin and Bates have Portland. Etc. Os only applying to Kenyon because that’s where her sister goes.

Is also applying in IR and music, which isn’t as strong for Grinnell as STEM is.

If they are looking at Carleton and St. Olaf, why not Macalester? It's an awesome school not just nearby but IN the twin cities...really impressive students and alums. Great vibe. Cute neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pitt (already admitted), WM (in state), Vassar, Wesleyan, Bowdoin, Bates, Carleton, St. Olaf, Oberlin, Kenyon

34 ACT (36 verbal, 32 STEM), 10APs, 4.1w GPA (has 2 B-s from COVID shutdown in 10th, all As and 1 B besides that in 10th through 12th, thus far).

Considering Vassar and Bates ED1, ED2

Good list, but curious why it doesn't include Grinnell.

This is my kid. Visited Grinnell with her older sister and just thinks it’s too remote. (I personally think it would be great). Wants less than an hour from a major city. Vassar is a train ride to NYC (more than an hour, but the train is a draw), Oberlin has Cleveland; St. Olaf and Carleton have the Twin Cities: Bowdoin and Bates have Portland. Etc. Os only applying to Kenyon because that’s where her sister goes.

Is also applying in IR and music, which isn’t as strong for Grinnell as STEM is.

If they are looking at Carleton and St. Olaf, why not Macalester? It's an awesome school not just nearby but IN the twin cities...really impressive students and alums. Great vibe. Cute neighborhood.

We visited Macalaster. Kid just didn’t like the school on the tour. And then had a meh interview. It’s too bad. It checked all the boxes otherwise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pitt (already admitted), WM (in state), Vassar, Wesleyan, Bowdoin, Bates, Carleton, St. Olaf, Oberlin, Kenyon

34 ACT (36 verbal, 32 STEM), 10APs, 4.1w GPA (has 2 B-s from COVID shutdown in 10th, all As and 1 B besides that in 10th through 12th, thus far).

Considering Vassar and Bates ED1, ED2

this list makes sense to me. I'm not understanding why students with 4.6 GPAs and high test scores, earlier in the thread and elsewhere in this board are shooting so low.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People are really pessimistic on this board. It’s not supported by Scattergrams.

I think the pessimism comes from experience with the competition in the DC area. If OP lives in Wyoming, the answers might be different.

The Scattergrams/Naviance is also dated information and doesn't take into account last year, which was horrible for high stats kids applying just about anywhere. Test optional will continue to hurt the high-stats kids because the institutions are flooded with applications.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Emory would be easier to get into than UNC OOS. If your kid likes the south, then Davison, Vanderbilt, and U-Miami in Florida.

Thanks for your reply. We’ll see if there is merit aid offered. We have budgeted for in state in VA, anything outside of has to be comparable to what we will pay here otherwise in state it is! Good luck to all!

Not much merit $ to be had at Emory. My kid got in last year- got financial aid, but no merit. 2nd in large class, 34 ACT, 13 APs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pitt (already admitted), WM (in state), Vassar, Wesleyan, Bowdoin, Bates, Carleton, St. Olaf, Oberlin, Kenyon

34 ACT (36 verbal, 32 STEM), 10APs, 4.1w GPA (has 2 B-s from COVID shutdown in 10th, all As and 1 B besides that in 10th through 12th, thus far).

Considering Vassar and Bates ED1, ED2

No. Your kid has been "accepted" not admitted. If they were admitted they'd have started there already.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People are really pessimistic on this board. It’s not supported by Scattergrams.

I think the pessimism comes from experience with the competition in the DC area. If OP lives in Wyoming, the answers might be different.

The Scattergrams/Naviance is also dated information and doesn't take into account last year, which was horrible for high stats kids applying just about anywhere. Test optional will continue to hurt the high-stats kids because the institutions are flooded with applications.

My nephew who graduated from TJ this past summer was rejected from UVA, Va Tech, hopkins, Carnegie mellon, Georgia Tech. So I don’t think parents are aiming low or pessimistic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People are really pessimistic on this board. It’s not supported by Scattergrams.

I think the pessimism comes from experience with the competition in the DC area. If OP lives in Wyoming, the answers might be different.

The Scattergrams/Naviance is also dated information and doesn't take into account last year, which was horrible for high stats kids applying just about anywhere. Test optional will continue to hurt the high-stats kids because the institutions are flooded with applications.

My nephew who graduated from TJ this past summer was rejected from UVA, Va Tech, hopkins, Carnegie mellon, Georgia Tech. So I don’t think parents are aiming low or pessimistic.

It was a weird year. Where did he end up?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS must have a much different grading system than FCPS. Kids with those stats at my kid's FCPS school could get into a much wider variety of schools other than Ivies (according to Naviance).

Yes. MCPS weights honors classes the same as APs. There are some required classes that do not have an honors option (like PE, Tech, and usually fine arts). Language doesn’t offer honors until level 3. It is possible (but rare) to get a 4.8. Common (over 25%) to have over a 4.51, depending on the high school. I am not sure what 10% is (and it varies) but I imagine at our school it’s around 4.6/4.7.

I don’t know how to compare the grades but my MCPS child is applying to a couple of VA schools and I would love to know what the top 10% gpa in FCPS is.

To give you an idea:

An A (not an a-) in FCPS is a 98 and above.

An honors class is boosted .5. An AP class is boosted 1 for the gpa.

That info alone tells you FCPS’ weighted Gpas will be lower.

No honors level foreign languages. Only AP (a single year).

MCPS does not use + or - grades.

That helps even more. In mcps, you get a 4.0 added in for probably a 90-100. In FCPS, you get a 4.0 added in for a 98,99,100.

We are in FCPS and I thought 93 and up counts as an A/4.0. Where have you seen that only 98+ gets a 4.0? Thanks

[Anonymous]

35 superstore Act (math 36, Science 36) 4.45 wgpa.
No ivy
List: UVA, VTEC, George Mason, Pitt, UMD, Madison, Northeastern (reach )

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS must have a much different grading system than FCPS. Kids with those stats at my kid's FCPS school could get into a much wider variety of schools other than Ivies (according to Naviance).

Same with our W school in MCPS. I’m not sure people are really looking at the Scattergrams.

In MCPS, the scattergrams are not that helpful with the WGPA since honors and AP classes are weighted the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pitt (already admitted), WM (in state), Vassar, Wesleyan, Bowdoin, Bates, Carleton, St. Olaf, Oberlin, Kenyon

34 ACT (36 verbal, 32 STEM), 10APs, 4.1w GPA (has 2 B-s from COVID shutdown in 10th, all As and 1 B besides that in 10th through 12th, thus far).

Considering Vassar and Bates ED1, ED2

Good list, but curious why it doesn't include Grinnell.

This is my kid. Visited Grinnell with her older sister and just thinks it’s too remote. (I personally think it would be great). Wants less than an hour from a major city. Vassar is a train ride to NYC (more than an hour, but the train is a draw), Oberlin has Cleveland; St. Olaf and Carleton have the Twin Cities: Bowdoin and Bates have Portland. Etc. Os only applying to Kenyon because that’s where her sister goes.

Is also applying in IR and music, which isn’t as strong for Grinnell as STEM is.

Ok. The academic reasons you cited make perfect sense. The isolation factor less so. Virtually all of the schools that you cited are pretty isolated, and Grinnell is better than most of them and also gives more merit aid. But maybe you don't care about that, and as you said the academic fit might not be as good.

My child is applying to Grinnell, likely ED, and is also applying to almost all of the same schools as the PP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS must have a much different grading system than FCPS. Kids with those stats at my kid's FCPS school could get into a much wider variety of schools other than Ivies (according to Naviance).

Same with our W school in MCPS. I’m not sure people are really looking at the Scattergrams.

In MCPS, the scattergrams are not that helpful with the WGPA since honors and AP classes are weighted the same.

Interesting point. I guess I always assumed that the students with the high WGPA and high test scores was taking a decent number of APs (and the school also has magnet programs so I always think that there’s a good chance they are in a magnet).