NCS college admissions if kid is not a legacy, URM, or athletic recruit

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Schools like NCS that deflate grades and don’t weight any grades are finding that a lot of seniors are WL or rejected. This is what you are seeing. The last 2 years kids at schools with high GPAs, tons of APs and lower test scores (that are not submitted) are getting into top 50 colleges they never would have even applied to before. As a result, kids with much lower GPAs (from private schools like NCS) and high test scores are being WL or denied and going to the next tier down schools. It is the reality. OP, with all As your daughter must have a very high GPA so she should do fine if top 50 is the goal.

The colleges know the grading scales at the different schools and thus know for example, what a 3.8 at NCS is as compared to a 4.5 at Whitman. So, no.

NP. Actually yes. While the colleges do know that, it helps their rankings if incoming admits have high GPAs. So schools that don’t grade inflate do hurt admissions for their kids.

[Anonymous]

OP is not a troll. OP is correct that only two "unhooked" seniors got into an ivy or ivy-equivalent. I'm the parent of an NCS senior. It's a small class. Girls talk to each other. Parents talk to each other. It's not very difficult to sort out who is a legacy -- no stalking of LinkedIn needed.

Chicago has a strong relationship with STA and NCS. Each year many students from those schools go to Chicago and not all of those students are in the top 20% of the class, although I'm sure that they are all very smart. Chicago is a good bet for kids on the Close who probably wouldn't get into an ivy-type school but who care about rankings and want to go to a T10 school (or who just feel like Chicago is a good place for them).

In light of this discussion, I just took a look at Instagram to see where (almost) everyone ended up. A lot of the girls going to the top schools did ED, so it's possible that they also would have gotten in at other places. I believe that the two "unhooked" girls were RD applicants and may have gotten into to other top schools in addition to the places they ended up picking.

My own DD is a strong student, but chose to have a life instead of studying 24/7. I suspect that 10 years ago, her stats would have been ivy material, but that's no longer the case. And that's okay. She's going to a place she loves.

But, to the OP's point, I think that it is going to become increasingly difficult for "unhooked" NCS girls to get into some of these top schools (at least in the regular pool) without amazing accomplishments beyond their grades and test scores and (probably) a big helping of luck. Fortunately, lots of schools that aren't in the top 10 also provide an excellent education and college experience.

[Anonymous]

As the parent of a recent NCS grad, I do want to assure OP that wherever her dd goes to college, she will be completely prepared. My dd tells me college is easy compared to NCS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I looked that that Instagram and I am surprised. The OP is correct that the top college admits - basically top 20, save the Chicago unhooked kids, actually do all have hooks. Also so many lackluster colleges. Tulane, BU, BC seems to be the level and “average” unhooked kids will get into. All great top 50 schools but meh? Also multiple (at least 10percent 6/7 kids) students attending random low ranked schools. It was a bad year for admission with record applicants and many schools not looking at standardized testing.

You are so rude.

I think there is an expectation that if a kid does the level of work that is necessary for A's at NCS that she should *at least be in contention* for a college in the tier above Tulane and Boston College. I mean, the school should get at least a couple of kids into schools like Vanderbilt, Rice, Hopkins, Tufts, USC, Northwestern, etc based on academics.
Maybe I am totally off base in 2022.
If you look at the NCS admits, you have the Ivys/Stanford (95% with hooks) and then schools at the level of BC/Tulane/William and Mary. Plus of course the handful of Chicagos. But that's it.
It's just surprising.
NCS takes some of the brightest girls in the DMV and puts them through extreme academic rigor for 4 years. I would hope that girls would be competitive for a top 30 school? Not that they would all get in to the 10-35 schools---but at least SOME? But not this year.

I think this is where you may be off. They take "some." Sure. But obviously, a much bigger handful of the brightest girls around here are going to TJ, Potomac, Sidwell, and Holton. I know my DD turned it down for a different school. She's going to a top 20. No "hooks."

Ok Potomac mom…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are saying there is not any non-hooked NCS kid going to a top 20 school besides Chicago, and none to a top SLAC? That seems hard to believe.

Schools which ZERO NCS are attending girls next year:

Duke
Hopkins
Northwestern
Vanderbilt
Wash U
Rice
Notre Dame
Emory
Cal
UVA
USC
Tufts
Carnegie Mellon
MIT


You have the Ivies and Stanford (all girls are hooked but one Ivy and one Stanford) and then the U Chicago admits.
One to UCLA, one to Michigan

That's it for top 40 admits for the class.


I swear, I am not caught up in prestige but this is a bit extreme.

I just want to mention that it is really hard to get into UCLA and Cal from NCS. Kudos to those who do. UCs care A LOT about GPA and recalculate the GPA to their own scale. They give points for honors and AP classes. NCS has very few APs left and they don’t have honors classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Schools like NCS that deflate grades and don’t weight any grades are finding that a lot of seniors are WL or rejected. This is what you are seeing. The last 2 years kids at schools with high GPAs, tons of APs and lower test scores (that are not submitted) are getting into top 50 colleges they never would have even applied to before. As a result, kids with much lower GPAs (from private schools like NCS) and high test scores are being WL or denied and going to the next tier down schools. It is the reality. OP, with all As your daughter must have a very high GPA so she should do fine if top 50 is the goal.

The colleges know the grading scales at the different schools and thus know for example, what a 3.8 at NCS is as compared to a 4.5 at Whitman. So, no.

NP. Actually yes. While the colleges do know that, it helps their rankings if incoming admits have high GPAs. So schools that don’t grade inflate do hurt admissions for their kids.

X100 I am not saying they need to inflate the grades, but maybe not DEFLATE the grades. NCS is only hurting their students, especially with no AP or honors GPA bump.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are saying there is not any non-hooked NCS kid going to a top 20 school besides Chicago, and none to a top SLAC? That seems hard to believe.

Schools which ZERO NCS are attending girls next year:

Duke
Hopkins
Northwestern
Vanderbilt
Wash U
Rice
Notre Dame
Emory
Cal
UVA
USC
Tufts
Carnegie Mellon
MIT


You have the Ivies and Stanford (all girls are hooked but one Ivy and one Stanford) and then the U Chicago admits.
One to UCLA, one to Michigan

That's it for top 40 admits for the class.


I swear, I am not caught up in prestige but this is a bit extreme.

I think Washington DC has tanked their private school regulations by being overly political and activist. And if the students essays also permeated SJW entitled attitudes, it won’t bode well. They want study bodies that can work together to form best ideas, not steamroll and attempt to shame others into submission.

Employers take note of this as well, school and attitudes of alums.

Just hope colleges and employers don’t read The Washington post and think the whole city is loony.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Schools like NCS that deflate grades and don’t weight any grades are finding that a lot of seniors are WL or rejected. This is what you are seeing. The last 2 years kids at schools with high GPAs, tons of APs and lower test scores (that are not submitted) are getting into top 50 colleges they never would have even applied to before. As a result, kids with much lower GPAs (from private schools like NCS) and high test scores are being WL or denied and going to the next tier down schools. It is the reality. OP, with all As your daughter must have a very high GPA so she should do fine if top 50 is the goal.

This seems true judging from our Whitman HS neighbors. Curving to a B and being stingy with As and A-‘s Eisner serving anyone or anything well.

Are DC private schools equally bragging about how 20-30% of their grads are so unhappy they try to transfer right when they show up on campus freshman year? Not brag worthy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I guess the question would be is it worth it for your daughter to stay there and have such a rigorous load for a possible slim chance at Chicago but more than likely a shot at a BU or BC? They’re top 40 schools but ncs is really competitive and rigorous and maybe that stress isn’t worth it.

Agree that’s my query

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is almost a straight A student in lower high school (a few A minuses). She works really hard for these grades. I've been looking at the college admissions this year and it really seems like you have about 25 girls going ti top colleges and (outside of two girls) ALL are legacy, URM or crew athletes. Then the admissions seem to go off a cliff. thank goodness for u of Chicagj because that seems it be the solo outlier.
I am not looking for an IVY admit (at all) but I'm getting freaked out by the schools that girls outside of the above categories are attending. I won't name names but they're in instagram.

Tell it to my straight. A/a- student.
Did anyone apply their daughter from NCS this year? Where are we looking at?

Op you are a stalker of minor age children and it is creepy. Get a life.

Not to mention The fact that they took the time to look up where every single student was going to college and determine what category they should be in a URM, hook, etc. I don’t think it’s in NCS parent it might be an Ncs girl or someone from another school

Have you met NCS moms? They are 100% capable of this behavior. OP refuses to let us know how she conducted her research. I assume she took out her directory, got the parents' names, then checked their LinkedIns. If OP had spent her life more productively and meaningfully, maybe she too would have a "hooked" kid, instead of a one-dimensional A- student.

Just have the housekeeper do this while waiting in the carpool line.

[Anonymous]

OP here.
I've been away from my computer for the past several hours.
There's a poster who keeps asking how I know how I know that the senior girls have hooks. I have friends in the class and my daughter has also told me. The underclassmen girls know who is going where and why they're going there. When 4 girls got into Columbia ED, it was all the chatter but by the next afternoon when I drove 5 girls in a carpool.
The carpool girls were reporting to each other that 3/4 were legacy and 1/4 was a sports recruit. They know everything. It's just the crazy reality of 2022 with social media and kids who are WAY over invested in college from a young (9th or 10th grade) age. YES, it's NUTs. No, it's NOT HEALTHY.
But the reality it that no-one goes to college in a vacuum when the school has classes of only 70-80 kids and 95% of the class is on social media and all the underclassmen are social media "friends" with all the seniors. Everyone knows who goes where and generally
why they're going where they're going. I've also been at social two events over the past several weeks with school parents and heard about the senior placement at each of them. I'm not even super connected so I know there are kids and parents who know far more than I do.
Plus, the college counseling office is pretty transparent about who has been accepted without any hooks.

It's all pretty much public knowledge. You don't get one of the two Princeton admits (for example) from NCS without absolutely everyone in the class knowing exactly if you had a hook or not. There is ZERO way of keeping this on the down low.
I

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is almost a straight A student in lower high school (a few A minuses). She works really hard for these grades. I've been looking at the college admissions this year and it really seems like you have about 25 girls going ti top colleges and (outside of two girls) ALL are legacy, URM or crew athletes. Then the admissions seem to go off a cliff. thank goodness for u of Chicagj because that seems it be the solo outlier.
I am not looking for an IVY admit (at all) but I'm getting freaked out by the schools that girls outside of the above categories are attending. I won't name names but they're in instagram.

Tell it to my straight. A/a- student.
Did anyone apply their daughter from NCS this year? Where are we looking at?

It takes more than straight A’s to stand out. That is on your daughter to stand out not solely on NCS. Why are you stalking private Instagrams of minor children? That is more concerning to me than college admissions.

This is the thing that OP doesn't understand. Those athletes were outstanding at their sports AND had the same grades or better than OP's kid. You have to be more than a GPA chaser. Stop trashing the athletes. They are, quite simply, more impressive. The most disturbing thing about OP is that she seems to know the legacy status of these kids. How? And definitely looking dowon on POC at NCS. You sound like an ignorant racist OP.

OP here.

My original post said, "my kid is a top academic kid. Where can she expect to get in? It would appear that admissions this year (almost to a person) required a hook on top of good grades".

Nowhere did I say or imply that the athletes or URMs were not worthy of their spots. Stop suggesting otherwise.

My OP is a very reasonable post to ask for those of us (there are many of us) in the school without rowers, minority kids or legacy kids.

It is tacky to post this here op. Ask the school. Posting and putting down some kids at your daughters school becaue kf where they are going to college is low class and trust me that’s why your straight A student may not get into the college of your choice. Colleges can spot a PITA parent a mile a way. All schools are seeing this literally ALL because more students are applying and applying to more colleges than ever before. Also lack of testing has also hurt kids at top privates because traditionally that is where they excel.

What parent has any contact with college admissions officers? That is so bizarre, aside from tagging along on the college tours. And even if a parent asked a lot of questions then, you think the tour guide is writing down names? These schools get thousands of applications and parents have nothing to do with it, aside from at home, PITA or not.
The girls I saw from NCS are going to great schools. I would hope that they are all great fits for the girls and that the girls are excited to embark on this new chapter. I am certain they are all ready to make a positive impact wherever they are headed! Not everyone even wants to go to an Ivy...and these days that is an unrealistic bar to set. As a group NCS girls are well spoken, organized, intelligent and go getters. They will all do well in college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here.
I've been away from my computer for the past several hours.
There's a poster who keeps asking how I know how I know that the senior girls have hooks. I have friends in the class and my daughter has also told me. The underclassmen girls know who is going where and why they're going there. When 4 girls got into Columbia ED, it was all the chatter but by the next afternoon when I drove 5 girls in a carpool.
The carpool girls were reporting to each other that 3/4 were legacy and 1/4 was a sports recruit. They know everything. It's just the crazy reality of 2022 with social media and kids who are WAY over invested in college from a young (9th or 10th grade) age. YES, it's NUTs. No, it's NOT HEALTHY.
But the reality it that no-one goes to college in a vacuum when the school has classes of only 70-80 kids and 95% of the class is on social media and all the underclassmen are social media "friends" with all the seniors. Everyone knows who goes where and generally
why they're going where they're going. I've also been at social two events over the past several weeks with school parents and heard about the senior placement at each of them. I'm not even super connected so I know there are kids and parents who know far more than I do.
Plus, the college counseling office is pretty transparent about who has been accepted without any hooks.

It's all pretty much public knowledge. You don't get one of the two Princeton admits (for example) from NCS without absolutely everyone in the class knowing exactly if you had a hook or not. There is ZERO way of keeping this on the down low.
I

I agree. It’s not difficult to have linked in fellow parents too over the years. Or at least try to understand if they work or if where.

[Anonymous]

I also found that list interesting - students seeming to select Tulane, BU, BC over other schools they could probably get into that were trendy like Bates, Hamilton, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here.
I've been away from my computer for the past several hours.
There's a poster who keeps asking how I know how I know that the senior girls have hooks. I have friends in the class and my daughter has also told me. The underclassmen girls know who is going where and why they're going there. When 4 girls got into Columbia ED, it was all the chatter but by the next afternoon when I drove 5 girls in a carpool.
The carpool girls were reporting to each other that 3/4 were legacy and 1/4 was a sports recruit. They know everything. It's just the crazy reality of 2022 with social media and kids who are WAY over invested in college from a young (9th or 10th grade) age. YES, it's NUTs. No, it's NOT HEALTHY.
But the reality it that no-one goes to college in a vacuum when the school has classes of only 70-80 kids and 95% of the class is on social media and all the underclassmen are social media "friends" with all the seniors. Everyone knows who goes where and generally
why they're going where they're going. I've also been at social two events over the past several weeks with school parents and heard about the senior placement at each of them. I'm not even super connected so I know there are kids and parents who know far more than I do.
Plus, the college counseling office is pretty transparent about who has been accepted without any hooks.

It's all pretty much public knowledge. You don't get one of the two Princeton admits (for example) from NCS without absolutely everyone in the class knowing exactly if you had a hook or not. There is ZERO way of keeping this on the down low.
I

I am not at NCS but this seems very likely and realistic to me given how much information people know about each other at smallish privates. It was the same when applying to high schools from a K-8. People know who has connections where and why certain people are accepted in which places, or not. Even more on the college level I would assume.