How the hell is anyone supposed to get into college now?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Like so many straight A students who were chief school newspaper editor, captain of a varsity sports team, volunteering, and more who can't even get to VA Tech. I don't know what people who get into schools like Michigan or the Ivy Leagues are doing in high school.

My daughter's friend who got into Yale was an Asian male with a very high wGPA who won Science Olympiad competitions and is an advanced string player.

Straight A doesn't mean anything, OP, you should know this. There is a world's difference between an A in a regular classs and an A in an AP class. Kids who get into the top colleges have 10+ APs, have a national level EC, etc. Your newpaper editing and team captainship worked a generation ago, but not today.

This is sounds exhausting. Kids have no time to be kids.

The top kids canget the 1530+ first try, ace all the hard APs, and find time to have 3-4 meaningful ECs as well as at least state level
academic recognition. And they sleep too. The competition is that fierce.

My neighbor’s kid plays violin, varsity football, 7 AP’s 5, lost his virginity at 13, editor of school newspaper, 1570 SAT. Waitlisted at Harvard, Yale. Princeton admit.

Our family friend in suburban Chicago had mediocre grades and average test scores but started his own business—a brothel in his parent’s home- and also got into Princeton.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ugh, I feel bad for my average student

Don't - an average student with reasonable goals, funding and selection criteria has the easiest time in this process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Like so many straight A students who were chief school newspaper editor, captain of a varsity sports team, volunteering, and more who can't even get to VA Tech. I don't know what people who get into schools like Michigan or the Ivy Leagues are doing in high school.

My DC attended top 15 school and the stats:

GPA: U4.0, W4.6, 12 APs or post APs, 1600 SAT, National Merit Scholar, top 1% of class, worked on James Webb telescope at NASA during summer, writing award, President of Volunteer group, Captain of *** (academic) team, member of varsity math team etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ugh, I feel bad for my average student

Don't - an average student with reasonable goals, funding and selection criteria has the easiest time in this process.

Yes and average students have never been able to get into top schools. Top colleges are for top students who will succeed in that type of environment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Like so many straight A students who were chief school newspaper editor, captain of a varsity sports team, volunteering, and more who can't even get to VA Tech. I don't know what people who get into schools like Michigan or the Ivy Leagues are doing in high school.

Michigan's acceptance rate is 20%. 25% of the students who even bother to submit an SAT score, scored below a 1350. So you likely have 40% of Michigan's freshmen class who scored well below what DCUM thinks is a "good" score.

Exactly! The whole cottage industry of college counselors/TikTok has made it seem that your kid will get shut out of a good school in spite of being a good student. That isn't the case!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Like so many straight A students who were chief school newspaper editor, captain of a varsity sports team, volunteering, and more who can't even get to VA Tech. I don't know what people who get into schools like Michigan or the Ivy Leagues are doing in high school.

Michigan's acceptance rate is 20%. 25% of the students who even bother to submit an SAT score, scored below a 1350. So you likely have 40% of Michigan's freshmen class who scored well below what DCUM thinks is a "good" score.

Sometimes I think the embellishment of a lot of students and their parents gaslights us into thinking that only the tippiest tippiest top get into decent colleges. Then along comes facts like this to bring everyone down to earth.

Ditto, Michigan is not that competitive to get in. UGA and Clemson less so. Only on DCUM do people think 1350-1400 cannot get you into great schools. Sure they aren’t ivies but so what.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Like so many straight A students who were chief school newspaper editor, captain of a varsity sports team, volunteering, and more who can't even get to VA Tech. I don't know what people who get into schools like Michigan or the Ivy Leagues are doing in high school.

My daughter's friend who got into Yale was an Asian male with a very high wGPA who won Science Olympiad competitions and is an advanced string player.

Straight A doesn't mean anything, OP, you should know this. There is a world's difference between an A in a regular classs and an A in an AP class. Kids who get into the top colleges have 10+ APs, have a national level EC, etc. Your newpaper editing and team captainship worked a generation ago, but not today.

This is sounds exhausting. Kids have no time to be kids.

They have a ton of time. It's really not that unachievable. We have a ton of college options. If you don't want to be competitive for the top ones, tap out and go to a decent one.

If you go to school all day, play sports after school, eat dinner and have hours of homework, how the hell do you have a ton if time?

The person you’re replying to obvious thinks sports are a waste of time. I agree with you. Plus, I went to a T10 school and have really decelerated my life in the last 20 years. My DH (who went to an avg state school) has the big job and makes all the money. All my school taught me is there has to be more to life than over-achievement. I was right. The key is contentment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Like so many straight A students who were chief school newspaper editor, captain of a varsity sports team, volunteering, and more who can't even get to VA Tech. I don't know what people who get into schools like Michigan or the Ivy Leagues are doing in high school.

My daughter's friend who got into Yale was an Asian male with a very high wGPA who won Science Olympiad competitions and is an advanced string player.

Straight A doesn't mean anything, OP, you should know this. There is a world's difference between an A in a regular classs and an A in an AP class. Kids who get into the top colleges have 10+ APs, have a national level EC, etc. Your newpaper editing and team captainship worked a generation ago, but not today.

This is sounds exhausting. Kids have no time to be kids.

The top kids canget the 1530+ first try, ace all the hard APs, and find time to have 3-4 meaningful ECs as well as at least state level
academic recognition. And they sleep too. The competition is that fierce.

My neighbor’s kid plays violin, varsity football, 7 AP’s 5, lost his virginity at 13, editor of school newspaper, 1570 SAT. Waitlisted at Harvard, Yale. Princeton admit.

Our family friend in suburban Chicago had mediocre grades and average test scores but started his own business—a brothel in his parent’s home- and also got into Princeton.

[/quote
Is he a big Bob Seger fan?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Like so many straight A students who were chief school newspaper editor, captain of a varsity sports team, volunteering, and more who can't even get to VA Tech. I don't know what people who get into schools like Michigan or the Ivy Leagues are doing in high school.

Anyone with some hard classes and good but not great scores can get into VT with this, even without all As. ECs /essaysare not used for VT except for borderline cases. They dip below the top30% at my school. UVA and Michigan require more. Ivies require hardest courses in all areas and all As/top5% and better ECs than this.

What? VT absolutely uses essays - their own, not the Common App. And ECs too. Where are you getting your information? VT is quite competitive to get into at our high school - certainly not below the top 10-20%.
DP

DP from our private school kids around the average get in , 1300 or so, middle of the pack Gpa. The head dean of counseling has college representatives come to the school for parent and student panel discussions and they say they use grades , courses, scores first. ECs do not need to be extensive, a part time job or a sport, or volunteer for something. One or two things is plenty. The essays are more of a check box , and as long as you don't say, Wahoo-wa or some other reference to a particular school, it is fine. He actually mentioned wahoo-wa as something they had seen. The uva panelist laughed and agreed the essays are a small part, it is mostly transcript but that person really emphasized taking all the hard courses especially advanced english seminar which is our hardest level equivalent to AP lit. The smaller school panelists such as the one from Wellesley said they get so many top -transcript applicants and have so few spots that the essays and being able to show your ECs are varied and impactful are a sizable part of the final cull. When you listen to the differences it starts to be very clear why some schools only take from the top 20% of the school and others take from the middle of the pack.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Like so many straight A students who were chief school newspaper editor, captain of a varsity sports team, volunteering, and more who can't even get to VA Tech. I don't know what people who get into schools like Michigan or the Ivy Leagues are doing in high school.

My daughter's friend who got into Yale was an Asian male with a very high wGPA who won Science Olympiad competitions and is an advanced string player.

Straight A doesn't mean anything, OP, you should know this. There is a world's difference between an A in a regular classs and an A in an AP class. Kids who get into the top colleges have 10+ APs, have a national level EC, etc. Your newpaper editing and team captainship worked a generation ago, but not today.

This is sounds exhausting. Kids have no time to be kids.

They have a ton of time. It's really not that unachievable. We have a ton of college options. If you don't want to be competitive for the top ones, tap out and go to a decent one.

If you go to school all day, play sports after school, eat dinner and have hours of homework, how the hell do you have a ton if time?

The super smart ones only need 2hrs a night for homework when peers need 3-4. Top kids also utilizes weekends to get ahead for the next week. They do it themselves, are highly internally motivated and then if it works out end up at an ivy with a majority of peers the same (the 60% who are unhooked). Most high school students in the top 20% of their HS would not be happy in such an environment. Weird that so many aim for it yet only a few truly thrive in it

What needs to be emphasized here is how much non-top students try to get into mismatch educational environments. If you can't easily get through high school course rigor, MIT or Stanford is going to be a miserable experience and you should not be attending. It is better for you to be in an educational environment that matches your competency.

Louder for the people in the back! Parents and students need to accept who they are and where they will thrive. If a lot of them could be a fly on the wall for a week in the life of an ivy kid they would realize it was not for them. Having one there, about to finish, has made the siblings realize it is not a fit, nowhere in the T15 will be for them and it is better they realize it than I say it, but I would if I had to. The ivy one needed that environment and has blossomed. The tales of the few there who have struggled are hard to hear.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Like so many straight A students who were chief school newspaper editor, captain of a varsity sports team, volunteering, and more who can't even get to VA Tech. I don't know what people who get into schools like Michigan or the Ivy Leagues are doing in high school.

My DC attended top 15 school and the stats:

GPA: U4.0, W4.6, 12 APs or post APs, 1600 SAT, National Merit Scholar, top 1% of class, worked on James Webb telescope at NASA during summer, writing award, President of Volunteer group, Captain of *** (academic) team, member of varsity math team etc.

And my kid attended a top 15 school with:

U 3.8, 3 APs, 1520 SAT, unknown class rank, summer jobs at a camp, no awards, writer on the school newspaper, member of a varsity team, head of 2 service-oriented clubs.
None legacy, white kid, private school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don’t believe everything you read. That’s the most important step in the process. Everyone has an agenda, even if it’s just to humble brag about one’s own kid, so stay alert.

People embellish grades but especially test scores regularly, and there are countless people who will insist that there are more than enough applicants with an unblemished GPA, a perfect ACT of SAT score (one-and-done, no less) and a wall of 5s on 15+ AP tests to occupy every available seat in the incoming freshman class at the Top 20 schools. Meanwhile, back in reality, there are less than 500 applicants in any year with that profile. Not even enough to fill a single Top 20 freshman class other than at Cal Tech.

Just don’t trust strangers …

THIS. There is a DCUM poster who posts relentlessly about her class of 2023 kid who had top/perfect everything and was basically shut out from top 20 schools. She pops up again and again and again. She posts enough that I swear it changes the tone of this place--every time you turn around you're hit with the "perfect wasn't good enough" narrative and it seems like it's posted by many different people but it's always the same mom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Like so many straight A students who were chief school newspaper editor, captain of a varsity sports team, volunteering, and more who can't even get to VA Tech. I don't know what people who get into schools like Michigan or the Ivy Leagues are doing in high school.

My DC attended top 15 school and the stats:

GPA: U4.0, W4.6, 12 APs or post APs, 1600 SAT, National Merit Scholar, top 1% of class, worked on James Webb telescope at NASA during summer, writing award, President of Volunteer group, Captain of *** (academic) team, member of varsity math team etc.

And my kid attended a top 15 school with:

U 3.8, 3 APs, 1520 SAT, unknown class rank, summer jobs at a camp, no awards, writer on the school newspaper, member of a varsity team, head of 2 service-oriented clubs.
None legacy, white kid, private school.

Similar stats here.
Private high school Asian boy.
Ivy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don’t believe everything you read. That’s the most important step in the process. Everyone has an agenda, even if it’s just to humble brag about one’s own kid, so stay alert.

People embellish grades but especially test scores regularly, and there are countless people who will insist that there are more than enough applicants with an unblemished GPA, a perfect ACT of SAT score (one-and-done, no less) and a wall of 5s on 15+ AP tests to occupy every available seat in the incoming freshman class at the Top 20 schools. Meanwhile, back in reality, there are less than 500 applicants in any year with that profile. Not even enough to fill a single Top 20 freshman class other than at Cal Tech.

Just don’t trust strangers …

THIS. There is a DCUM poster who posts relentlessly about her class of 2023 kid who had top/perfect everything and was basically shut out from top 20 schools. She pops up again and again and again. She posts enough that I swear it changes the tone of this place--every time you turn around you're hit with the "perfect wasn't good enough" narrative and it seems like it's posted by many different people but it's always the same mom.

Yes she’s still here…2 years later. It’s so sad tbh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most colleges are very easy to get into.

This. There are thousands of schools that most kids can get into.

Sure, but they’re schools at risk of closing. No thanks

Fine…so focus on the top 250 national schools. Heck, Michigan State is ranked #60 and has an 89% acceptance rate.

Some kids are late bloomers and our system has space for them.

My kid flunked multiple classes during his sophomore year of high school. (Thanks, Covid!) He had almost no ECs. He hated school and didn't care. He had a handful of APs (5 or 6). Despite this, he got into a decent LAC (T50) and is doing very well. He's getting ready to apply to law school with good college grades and a good LSAT.

Breathe. Your kid will find a place. They will do fine.