Where are your UNDER 1400 SAT kids going?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My neice got a 1350 and will be attending UVA. I think you just need to get your score in the ballpark - even if it is on the lower end (and of course make sure that your GPA, activities, essay and recs are good too). She did get waitlisted for W&M.

Did she report 1350

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter's sat's were just under 1200, gpa was i think 3.85 or so, extracurriculars were good, she applied and did second performance interviews for the department at most of these schools because she's a dance major. She got into almost all she applied to: American, JMU, George Mason, Radnor, VCU. A couple others I can't remember. She ended up choosing Towson and got 2 k in merit aid. She loves it there. She was swiftly rejected by Montclair State in nj in the dance department (though accepted to the school). They are one of the most competitive dance programs in part because all dance majors pay in state tuition even from other states. And it's just a well known program. I had hoped she would apply to small or medium liberal arts colleges on the east coast with better names and status. That's not where the best dance programs were. She knew that and did what she wanted. And it served her well, I'm proud she followed her own plan.

Congratulations.

Is she classical dance or commercial dance?

I'm not sure they make that distinction as a major (you also are not technically a dance major until sophomore year, a full year dancing with the department). Her classes include ballet, modern, etc. So I think more classically based, like her training before college? (Though she gave up Pointe, but they have that too) She does not want a performative career, she's on a teaching track and says the school has a solid record of placing grads in schools (private/ public). We shall see, her Dad and me try to plant seeds of her owning her own studio one day, but that's our dream not really hers. We want her to be able to financially have a decent job but those decisions are hers, just like her college choice was.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are they happy? Where did they apply and get in/not get in? Merit anywhere?

In at UVA, UCSD, UCSB - offered significant merit at two 'Likely' schools.

How on earth did a kid with that SAT get into UVA?

I have 2 kids over 1500 with exceptional stats, good enough to be accepted to top 10 universities, who were rejected from UVA. We know of several kids from our high school who this happened to.

I am sorry, but a kid with those stats should not have been accepted at UVA over a kid with 1500 or above.

Wow, did your kids inherit your sense of entitlement? You, and likely your high scoring kids, need to get over yourselves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid had a 1210 score. He applied to 8 schools (all state flagships) and got into all 8. He applied TO to about half of them. He got merit from 6.

There are plenty of options out there.

It’s so refreshing to see a family that did their research, found the right group of schools to apply to, got good results, and with merit, so likely affordable.

Compare this to so many other people who complain that they can’t get in a top 20 school & can’t afford to go anywhere they want to go, despite income of $250k.

It would help if you named a few of the colleges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD had a 1300. She is a senior at UMD. It was a reach when she applied and I know it’s harder now so perhaps not relevant. But she applied to I think 10 schools and was accepted to all including a lot of small private schools with merit aid, plus Miami of Ohio. So under 1400 isn’t the end of the world. Her brother struggles with paralyzing anxiety on standardized tests and I expect him to top out at 1200 though his goal is 1300. He is considering the non- flagship UNC campuses, Miami of Ohio, Towson, JMU and WVU so far. He is hoping to go TO where possible.

This was basically our DC. ~1300 one-and-done/zero-prep, 4.0UW/4.5W with dozens of DE credits. Enrolling at WVU with $$ merit and is super excited.

Congrats! Curious if they applied elsewhere an got in? Great GPA and showed rigor with DE(but no AP's-maybe none offered). Most definitely could have gone TO, did they?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DS got a 1290 on the SAT (3.98 weighted gpa from FCPS) and is going to JMU this fall.

He also applied and got into Penn State and GMU.

Did he submit the 1290 at JMU?

Mine got a 1480 and was WL at JMU!

I'm going to assume that the GPA was a bit lower than the threshold.

Nope! 3.85.

Did he show rigor? Full IB, or AP's and DE's?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are they happy? Where did they apply and get in/not get in? Merit anywhere?

In at UVA, UCSD, UCSB - offered significant merit at two 'Likely' schools.

How on earth did a kid with that SAT get into UVA?

I have 2 kids over 1500 with exceptional stats, good enough to be accepted to top 10 universities, who were rejected from UVA. We know of several kids from our high school who this happened to.

I am sorry, but a kid with those stats should not have been accepted at UVA over a kid with 1500 or above.

Wow, did your kids inherit your sense of entitlement? You, and likely your high scoring kids, need to get over yourselves.

Test scores are just one data point.

You seem to think it trumps all others, but many schools don’t agree with you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some of these posts underscore that VA really needs to return to SAT required.

The JMU and UVA posts are a particular travesty.

Why? Scores aren't necessarily a promise of a prosperous future. Those lower scoring kids who gained admission were certainly exceptional in other ways. People skills, perhaps. In life, people skills can take you very, very far. I know a lot of highly intelligent, high scoring folks with the personality of a pumpkin seed.

-UVA grad who scored under 1300 and now earns 7 figures running a business I started less than a decade ago

[Anonymous]

My kids all got in the 1200s. Penn State, Pitt and University of Scranton.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids all got in the 1200s. Penn State, Pitt and University of Scranton.

Oh, this is me ... IDK if the 1260 would hold up for Pitt now. This was a few years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are they happy? Where did they apply and get in/not get in? Merit anywhere?

In at UVA, UCSD, UCSB - offered significant merit at two 'Likely' schools.

How on earth did a kid with that SAT get into UVA?

I have 2 kids over 1500 with exceptional stats, good enough to be accepted to top 10 universities, who were rejected from UVA. We know of several kids from our high school who this happened to.

I am sorry, but a kid with those stats should not have been accepted at UVA over a kid with 1500 or above.

I know this might be hard to believe, but there are worthy kids out there who have different strengths and bring plenty of attributes that a college values beyond their standardized test score. There is a reason the application consists of more than a line for your SAT score. Your kids are not owed a spot at ANY school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD had a 1300. She is a senior at UMD. It was a reach when she applied and I know it’s harder now so perhaps not relevant. But she applied to I think 10 schools and was accepted to all including a lot of small private schools with merit aid, plus Miami of Ohio. So under 1400 isn’t the end of the world. Her brother struggles with paralyzing anxiety on standardized tests and I expect him to top out at 1200 though his goal is 1300. He is considering the non- flagship UNC campuses, Miami of Ohio, Towson, JMU and WVU so far. He is hoping to go TO where possible.

This was basically our DC. ~1300 one-and-done/zero-prep, 4.0UW/4.5W with dozens of DE credits. Enrolling at WVU with $$ merit and is super excited.

Congrats! Curious if they applied elsewhere an got in? Great GPA and showed rigor with DE(but no AP's-maybe none offered). Most definitely could have gone TO, did they?

Only one AP (Euro - Score: 5, as a sophomore)....because the DE program consumes their Junior and Senior year and they had two electives they loved and provided tremendous leadership opportunities. No regrets. Will graduate from CC before HS.

Applied and accepted to all four places: JMU, Longwood, Miami (Ohio), and WVU -- with significant merit everywhere but JMU. Could've gone TO but chose to submit to all, mostly for merit/scholarship (and direct-admittance, where applicable) opportunities.

[Anonymous]

My kid got an 1230 and wanted a SLAC. She applied to 10 (some test optional ) got into 7 including MHC, Conn College, Dickinson and others. Most offered considerable merit aid.

She wound up going to a CTCL that just felt right to her, and was very happy there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are they happy? Where did they apply and get in/not get in? Merit anywhere?

In at UVA, UCSD, UCSB - offered significant merit at two 'Likely' schools.

How on earth did a kid with that SAT get into UVA?

I have 2 kids over 1500 with exceptional stats, good enough to be accepted to top 10 universities, who were rejected from UVA. We know of several kids from our high school who this happened to.

I am sorry, but a kid with those stats should not have been accepted at UVA over a kid with 1500 or above.

I wonder if schools realize some people test obsessively until they get that 1500. In reality, the kid who got a 1250 first try and stopped there is not less capable than that same kid who tried 4 times and got a 1500. It's just a matter of who prepped like crazy for the test.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:St. Joe's. We all love it and he got lots of merit.

Did you get any merit at St Joe's? I like it for my kid!