Bs in all advanced classes, straight As in advanced CS, refuses regular for easy As — what’s the outlook here?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The reality of college admissions is brutal. But recognizing that reality is a kindness. OP, it sounds like you’re just starting out researching options and I encourage you to use Naviance and CDS reports as your guide. If you have a good school counselor, use them. But if not, Naviance will be your best tool. Or SCOIR if that’s your school’s platform.

That said, my UMD alum husband couldn’t believe that his 4.7, 10 AP, 1450 SAT daughter might get rejected from his alma mater. Naviance showed that possibility and he refused to believe it. The numbers don’t lie. Rejected.

This. I have a senior and this is my 4th. I didn’t really get it when my oldest was applying to school. I see it with many families that are going through this process for the first time. The optimism of these families is wonderful, but I know many of them are in for a shock when decisions start rolling in. If you haven’t been in the college admissions space at all in 25 years it is jarring.

[Anonymous]

My kid was similar in that he only cared about his math and CS classes and excelled in them, for example he got a waiver to take AP CS A freshman year. He did a ton of personal projects as well. He went to WPI and excelled there. The quarter system suited him, no time to get bored in the gen eds plus an open curriculum where he could pick "History of Technology" for a history class and "Science in Modern Literature" for an English class. He got about 20k in merit there.

[Anonymous]

MIT and UVA aren't happening. I know nothing about VT. MIT and UVA aren't going to happen if your kid has As but is taking no APs/DE/Honors/whatever. 1450 SAT is good enough with these grades. Getting it higher isn't going to matter. Your kid would be better off spending some time doing focused extra curriculars that contribute to a "story" about whatever it is they want to study in college.

[Anonymous]

How much have things changed, really?

My kid who is now in their 30s (wow), was applying to colleges in the late 2000s from a highly regarded NOVA public. 1970 on the 2400 scored SAT, which would translate to 1360 today according to the charts. 10 APs, including AP Spanish (with 5s on both the AP literature and language exams), but no AP Calc, Physics or Chem (instead Econ, Stats, and Environmental Science). AP test scores ranged from a 2 to mostly 3s and 4s and a couple of 5s beyond the Spanish APs (5 in English I think).

Weighted GPA was just over a 4.0. Consistently 1 B for every 2 or 3 As in all advanced classes. No Cs.

One excellent recommendation that we know of (Spanish teacher). Average player on one average varsity sport (non-recruited, not even close) and some volunteer work but not much. No other ECs. Full pay.

Notre Dame (legacy): deny

UVA: waitlist
W&M: waitlist
Boston College: waitlist

Wisconsin: admitted
VT: admitted
JMU: admitted

Final result: admitted off UVA wait-list just before graduation and attended.

Are posters really suggesting that these results would be all that different today?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How much have things changed, really?

My kid who is now in their 30s (wow), was applying to colleges in the late 2000s from a highly regarded NOVA public. 1970 on the 2400 scored SAT, which would translate to 1360 today according to the charts. 10 APs, including AP Spanish (with 5s on both the AP literature and language exams), but no AP Calc, Physics or Chem (instead Econ, Stats, and Environmental Science). AP test scores ranged from a 2 to mostly 3s and 4s and a couple of 5s beyond the Spanish APs (5 in English I think).

Weighted GPA was just over a 4.0. Consistently 1 B for every 2 or 3 As in all advanced classes. No Cs.

One excellent recommendation that we know of (Spanish teacher). Average player on one average varsity sport (non-recruited, not even close) and some volunteer work but not much. No other ECs. Full pay.

Notre Dame (legacy): deny

UVA: waitlist
W&M: waitlist
Boston College: waitlist

Wisconsin: admitted
VT: admitted
JMU: admitted

Final result: admitted off UVA wait-list just before graduation and attended.

Are posters really suggesting that these results would be all that different today?

You would not get a sniff of interest from UVA, W&M, BC, Wisconsin, or VT with a 1360 and a weighted 4.0. Was talking to a UVA alum friend this week and his son applied in-state to UVA ED with a 4.0/4.5w, 13 APs, 1520 SAT, class officer, good ECs, 2 varsity sports and straight rejected. That seems like a bit of an outlier but it is not the same at all.

[Anonymous]

Will things get better with all the crackdowns on undocumented immigrants and foreign students?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How much have things changed, really?

My kid who is now in their 30s (wow), was applying to colleges in the late 2000s from a highly regarded NOVA public. 1970 on the 2400 scored SAT, which would translate to 1360 today according to the charts. 10 APs, including AP Spanish (with 5s on both the AP literature and language exams), but no AP Calc, Physics or Chem (instead Econ, Stats, and Environmental Science). AP test scores ranged from a 2 to mostly 3s and 4s and a couple of 5s beyond the Spanish APs (5 in English I think).

Weighted GPA was just over a 4.0. Consistently 1 B for every 2 or 3 As in all advanced classes. No Cs.

One excellent recommendation that we know of (Spanish teacher). Average player on one average varsity sport (non-recruited, not even close) and some volunteer work but not much. No other ECs. Full pay.

Notre Dame (legacy): deny

UVA: waitlist
W&M: waitlist
Boston College: waitlist

Wisconsin: admitted
VT: admitted
JMU: admitted

Final result: admitted off UVA wait-list just before graduation and attended.

Are posters really suggesting that these results would be all that different today?

You would not get a sniff of interest from UVA, W&M, BC, Wisconsin, or VT with a 1360 and a weighted 4.0. Was talking to a UVA alum friend this week and his son applied in-state to UVA ED with a 4.0/4.5w, 13 APs, 1520 SAT, class officer, good ECs, 2 varsity sports and straight rejected. That seems like a bit of an outlier but it is not the same at all.

But schools are test optional now . . . I doubt a kid with that profile who didn't submit "wouldn't even get a sniff."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Will things get better with all the crackdowns on undocumented immigrants and foreign students?

Oh please. The country isn't overrun with foreign competition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Will things get better with all the crackdowns on undocumented immigrants and foreign students?

Do you not realize, PP, that those people you blame are not really the cause of the problem? You are being told they are, but that's exaggerated propaganda.

The US has a bigger population than it did 30 years ago. But many schools have not grown their student bodies proportionately. And, there is concentrated interest at many schools in certain majors so enrollment is far more competitive for those impacted majors. Also, colleges are interested in a variety of students from a variety of backgrounds. This makes it difficult for kids who are slightly less credentialed than the top kids at their high school. Especially in affluent districts. There are too many of the same kind of candidate. As the expression on DCUM goes, "It's the University of Maryland, not the University of Montgomery County".

Few undocumented immigrants are in seats that are coveted by DCUM. This is just not a realistic competitive issue. Most of them are far from the DMV (California, Texas, Florida).

https://www.presidentsalliance.org/undocumented-students-in-us-higher-education-june2024/#:~:text=There%20are%20approximately%20408%2C000%20undocumented,before%20the%20age%20of%2017.

I believe that international students should be welcomed at the schools of a world superpower. I don't have a position on "how many" is the right number. But I think they only affect American student admissions at the margins. And they pay handsomely for the privilege, like many out of state students. They are used to balance school budgets and to support grad student programs existing where there may not be enough domestic student enrollment demand.

I think it's naive to blame these populations for phenomena that have arisen from other sources. And preventing their enrollment will not solve the problem of being a too-generic candidate from a limited geographic area with a large population of similar candidates.

[Anonymous]

just for perspective, I have a unhooked full-on humanities kid at HYP and they got straight As on all their STEM high school classes in a rigorous private. Self studied for AP tests and got all 5s, ncluding calc, physics, and chem.

this is just the nature of the competition. and MIT recruits athletes just like the other schools (my nephew is one) and so remember there are hooked students everywhere.

honestly, I found my other kid with a resume more like your kids easier to work with in college admissions. if the kid has an interest, lean into that. Find a school with core classes and limited required classes - obviously. They dont want to take more classes they're not interested in. find a school that's strong in what they want to study. then shorten the list by size or location , etc

Places like Colorado School of Mines, McGill, Waterloo, RPI, RIT, VT ..I didnt' read enough of the replies to find out what he wants to study but just lean into that. if interested in start up culture, get to that area as soon as possible. Look at Santa Clara etc.

Work with strengths.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How much have things changed, really?

My kid who is now in their 30s (wow), was applying to colleges in the late 2000s from a highly regarded NOVA public. 1970 on the 2400 scored SAT, which would translate to 1360 today according to the charts. 10 APs, including AP Spanish (with 5s on both the AP literature and language exams), but no AP Calc, Physics or Chem (instead Econ, Stats, and Environmental Science). AP test scores ranged from a 2 to mostly 3s and 4s and a couple of 5s beyond the Spanish APs (5 in English I think).

Weighted GPA was just over a 4.0. Consistently 1 B for every 2 or 3 As in all advanced classes. No Cs.

One excellent recommendation that we know of (Spanish teacher). Average player on one average varsity sport (non-recruited, not even close) and some volunteer work but not much. No other ECs. Full pay.

Notre Dame (legacy): deny

UVA: waitlist
W&M: waitlist
Boston College: waitlist

Wisconsin: admitted
VT: admitted
JMU: admitted

Final result: admitted off UVA wait-list just before graduation and attended.

Are posters really suggesting that these results would be all that different today?

Did he accept another college first since waitlist is at the end of the year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How much have things changed, really?

My kid who is now in their 30s (wow), was applying to colleges in the late 2000s from a highly regarded NOVA public. 1970 on the 2400 scored SAT, which would translate to 1360 today according to the charts. 10 APs, including AP Spanish (with 5s on both the AP literature and language exams), but no AP Calc, Physics or Chem (instead Econ, Stats, and Environmental Science). AP test scores ranged from a 2 to mostly 3s and 4s and a couple of 5s beyond the Spanish APs (5 in English I think).

Weighted GPA was just over a 4.0. Consistently 1 B for every 2 or 3 As in all advanced classes. No Cs.

One excellent recommendation that we know of (Spanish teacher). Average player on one average varsity sport (non-recruited, not even close) and some volunteer work but not much. No other ECs. Full pay.

Notre Dame (legacy): deny

UVA: waitlist
W&M: waitlist
Boston College: waitlist

Wisconsin: admitted
VT: admitted
JMU: admitted

Final result: admitted off UVA wait-list just before graduation and attended.

Are posters really suggesting that these results would be all that different today?

You would not get a sniff of interest from UVA, W&M, BC, Wisconsin, or VT with a 1360 and a weighted 4.0. Was talking to a UVA alum friend this week and his son applied in-state to UVA ED with a 4.0/4.5w, 13 APs, 1520 SAT, class officer, good ECs, 2 varsity sports and straight rejected. That seems like a bit of an outlier but it is not the same at all.

But schools are test optional now . . . I doubt a kid with that profile who didn't submit "wouldn't even get a sniff."

4.0 weighted when the average admitted GPA is almost a 4.4? Good luck with that. Test optional means your test score is below the 25th percentile of their admitted students. Anecdotal but all the TO results to UVa that I have heard have been bad. People need to be realistic. This isn’t 10-15 years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My very similar kid was accepted into WPI with generous merit.

This is the play. He’s really good at CS - find the gems for CS. GMU actually isn’t a bad option at all for CS, but a lot of kids understandably want a different environment. I’m not familiar enough with CS to suggest all the schools but RPI, WPI, other smaller or somewhat more under the radar schools with good programs are likely the way to go. If you are in VA, also look at WM which is making a play in CS and data science. As a boy, if he applies early I think he has a shot. He sounds like a very determined kid and that’s impressive for his future regardless of which school he attends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Will things get better with all the crackdowns on undocumented immigrants and foreign students?

Probably not for top ~75 colleges.

Probably yes for many colleges ranked 100 or worse by USNWR.

[Anonymous]

I think you need to talk to your DC’s college advisor for real numbers for your school. I find it hard to believe that Virginia Tech wouldn’t be an option.