Worried about college for "standard strong" DS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If we changed the title of this thread to "Interested in suggestions of colleges for "standard strong" DS" I think we would be having a much better conversation and I think that is what the OP meant.

OP: Yes! Oh my goodness. I didn't mean I was chewing my nails. It's more that I get waves of "wow, X's kid who aced Calc 3 in middle school and got a 1590 SAT just got rejected from a T30, where the heck will my kid go?" I absolutely appreciate that I have a normal bright well-adjusted kid, I really do.

And I don't have a problem with SUNY schools. I think I'm secretly hoping he'll wind up at Binghamton. But we can full pay (I feel like I mentioned this?), so we are going to cast a broader net. Whether certain private schools are "worth it" is a discussion we can have down the line.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Apologies that I am posting as a NYC parent but this group is so helpful! My 10th gr DS it a giant NYC selective public school. I feel like he's going to fall between the cracks in college admissions. Too strong for the "awesomely average" group, not strong enough for the 4.0/1500 group. Not super interested in rah-rah and I worry he'll get lost at a giant state school, but also worry he won't find his people at a tiny LAC. Very NOT quirky. Just a normal hard-working bright teenage boy who likes playing sports and "chilling" with his many friends, and likes the challenge of being surrounded by the smart kids at his school. Has a 3.7 and I'm guessing SAT will land somewhere around 1400?? At his school this is middle of the pack - about 20% of kids get into Ivy+. Best subjects are history and math, but will probably apply as a humanities major since there are so freaking many genius STEM kids. The school is so large that Naviance scattergrams look like a giant ink blot and literally everything appears to be a reach. Anyone here have a kid with a comparable profile? We will of course apply to many SUNYs, but want a solid list of privates as well. We are fortunate to be able to pay in full.

ILR at Cornell?

My 3.82uw/1490 (non DMV private) is at Cornell (not ILR though)

Bronx Science sends about 20% to Ivy+, and is a feeder to Cornell.
OP thinks DC is middle of the pack. But you never know, a lot can change between 10-th grade and the senior year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If we changed the title of this thread to "Interested in suggestions of colleges for "standard strong" DS" I think we would be having a much better conversation and I think that is what the OP meant.

OP: Yes! Oh my goodness. I didn't mean I was chewing my nails. It's more that I get waves of "wow, X's kid who aced Calc 3 in middle school and got a 1590 SAT just got rejected from a T30, where the heck will my kid go?" I absolutely appreciate that I have a normal bright well-adjusted kid, I really do.

And I don't have a problem with SUNY schools. I think I'm secretly hoping he'll wind up at Binghamton. But we can full pay (I feel like I mentioned this?), so we are going to cast a broader net. Whether certain private schools are "worth it" is a discussion we can have down the line.

Thank you. You sound like a very reasonable person and it seems like there is fortunately some good advice here mixed in with some garbage. And you did mention that you can do full pay. After four years at an SHSAT school I think a private school might be good for your kid vs. a SUNY, though it depends on the private. Did they go to public K-8?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Apologies that I am posting as a NYC parent but this group is so helpful! My 10th gr DS it a giant NYC selective public school. I feel like he's going to fall between the cracks in college admissions. Too strong for the "awesomely average" group, not strong enough for the 4.0/1500 group. Not super interested in rah-rah and I worry he'll get lost at a giant state school, but also worry he won't find his people at a tiny LAC. Very NOT quirky. Just a normal hard-working bright teenage boy who likes playing sports and "chilling" with his many friends, and likes the challenge of being surrounded by the smart kids at his school. Has a 3.7 and I'm guessing SAT will land somewhere around 1400?? At his school this is middle of the pack - about 20% of kids get into Ivy+. Best subjects are history and math, but will probably apply as a humanities major since there are so freaking many genius STEM kids. The school is so large that Naviance scattergrams look like a giant ink blot and literally everything appears to be a reach. Anyone here have a kid with a comparable profile? We will of course apply to many SUNYs, but want a solid list of privates as well. We are fortunate to be able to pay in full.

ILR at Cornell?

My 3.82uw/1490 (non DMV private) is at Cornell (not ILR though)

Bronx Science sends about 20% to Ivy+, and is a feeder to Cornell.
OP thinks DC is middle of the pack. But you never know, a lot can change between 10-th grade and the senior year.

Might be Brooklyn Tech. Assuming not Stuy. Though the story is largely the same. Based on the projected stats, likely would not get in.

[Anonymous]

The fawning on this thread is soo fascinating. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it and I’ve been here a long time. It’s like luring OP to join some mythical club. Anyhow… carry on…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If we changed the title of this thread to "Interested in suggestions of colleges for "standard strong" DS" I think we would be having a much better conversation and I think that is what the OP meant.

OP: Yes! Oh my goodness. I didn't mean I was chewing my nails. It's more that I get waves of "wow, X's kid who aced Calc 3 in middle school and got a 1590 SAT just got rejected from a T30, where the heck will my kid go?" I absolutely appreciate that I have a normal bright well-adjusted kid, I really do.

And I don't have a problem with SUNY schools. I think I'm secretly hoping he'll wind up at Binghamton. But we can full pay (I feel like I mentioned this?), so we are going to cast a broader net. Whether certain private schools are "worth it" is a discussion we can have down the line.

Thank you. You sound like a very reasonable person and it seems like there is fortunately some good advice here mixed in with some garbage. And you did mention that you can do full pay. After four years at an SHSAT school I think a private school might be good for your kid vs. a SUNY, though it depends on the private. Did they go to public K-8?

TY. And I kind of agree about the private vs SUNY although, as I said, I have no problem at all with SUNYs and if that winds up being the route he takes, great. We know many, many, kids doing well at Binghamton and Stonybrook. Less so the other SUNYs.

He did go to K - 8 public and he/we were very happy with it. We never really looked at private schools, mostly for financial reasons, and also because we were fortunate to have very good public options all along. I really don't regret the HS choice even if it means a harder road for college admissions (though we would have LOVED the option of Elro or Beacon- damn DOE lottery).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If we changed the title of this thread to "Interested in suggestions of colleges for "standard strong" DS" I think we would be having a much better conversation and I think that is what the OP meant.

OP: Yes! Oh my goodness. I didn't mean I was chewing my nails. It's more that I get waves of "wow, X's kid who aced Calc 3 in middle school and got a 1590 SAT just got rejected from a T30, where the heck will my kid go?" I absolutely appreciate that I have a normal bright well-adjusted kid, I really do.

And I don't have a problem with SUNY schools. I think I'm secretly hoping he'll wind up at Binghamton. But we can full pay (I feel like I mentioned this?), so we are going to cast a broader net. Whether certain private schools are "worth it" is a discussion we can have down the line.

Thank you. You sound like a very reasonable person and it seems like there is fortunately some good advice here mixed in with some garbage. And you did mention that you can do full pay. After four years at an SHSAT school I think a private school might be good for your kid vs. a SUNY, though it depends on the private. Did they go to public K-8?

TY. And I kind of agree about the private vs SUNY although, as I said, I have no problem at all with SUNYs and if that winds up being the route he takes, great. We know many, many, kids doing well at Binghamton and Stonybrook. Less so the other SUNYs.

He did go to K - 8 public and he/we were very happy with it. We never really looked at private schools, mostly for financial reasons, and also because we were fortunate to have very good public options all along. I really don't regret the HS choice even if it means a harder road for college admissions (though we would have LOVED the option of Elro or Beacon- damn DOE lottery).

Beacon is over-rated. ElRo is a gem. Praying my younger won wins the lottery in a few years and gets in there.

Binghamton and Stony Brook are incredible schools. And I wouldn't "settle" for a private to avoid them. But coming from an SHSAT school, it would largely be four more years of HS. Which is great for those who don't have the resources. But if you can afford it and have a good private option your son is excited about, I would do private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If we changed the title of this thread to "Interested in suggestions of colleges for "standard strong" DS" I think we would be having a much better conversation and I think that is what the OP meant.

OP: Yes! Oh my goodness. I didn't mean I was chewing my nails. It's more that I get waves of "wow, X's kid who aced Calc 3 in middle school and got a 1590 SAT just got rejected from a T30, where the heck will my kid go?" I absolutely appreciate that I have a normal bright well-adjusted kid, I really do.

And I don't have a problem with SUNY schools. I think I'm secretly hoping he'll wind up at Binghamton. But we can full pay (I feel like I mentioned this?), so we are going to cast a broader net. Whether certain private schools are "worth it" is a discussion we can have down the line.

OP, you are not alone! I'm on this forum constantly because of the above bolded statement. Just wanted to make sure you knew that.

[Also, I'd recommend using AI as a source as well. You'd be surprised at the level of consistency and logic that the top three will produce, with a list of matching schools. Kinda takes the crazies you get from reading the responses on this forum out of your frame of reference. Good luck!]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Probably would go with a SUNY school. The privates mentioned here are not worth the money they cost. Hopefully he figures things out in college and can get into a good professional school. He will need to work harder in the future though!

It might still be worth it to them, because your worth is not necessarily the same as other people’s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Apologies that I am posting as a NYC parent but this group is so helpful! My 10th gr DS it a giant NYC selective public school. I feel like he's going to fall between the cracks in college admissions. Too strong for the "awesomely average" group, not strong enough for the 4.0/1500 group. Not super interested in rah-rah and I worry he'll get lost at a giant state school, but also worry he won't find his people at a tiny LAC. Very NOT quirky. Just a normal hard-working bright teenage boy who likes playing sports and "chilling" with his many friends, and likes the challenge of being surrounded by the smart kids at his school. Has a 3.7 and I'm guessing SAT will land somewhere around 1400?? At his school this is middle of the pack - about 20% of kids get into Ivy+. Best subjects are history and math, but will probably apply as a humanities major since there are so freaking many genius STEM kids. The school is so large that Naviance scattergrams look like a giant ink blot and literally everything appears to be a reach. Anyone here have a kid with a comparable profile? We will of course apply to many SUNYs, but want a solid list of privates as well. We are fortunate to be able to pay in full.

ILR at Cornell?

My 3.82uw/1490 (non DMV private) is at Cornell (not ILR though)

Bronx Science sends about 20% to Ivy+, and is a feeder to Cornell.
OP thinks DC is middle of the pack. But you never know, a lot can change between 10-th grade and the senior year.

I'd lean heavily into history and leave the math behind for now.....see if he can get that uw GPA up a bit and do some more distinctive types of ECs/cultivate hobbies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Apologies that I am posting as a NYC parent but this group is so helpful! My 10th gr DS it a giant NYC selective public school. I feel like he's going to fall between the cracks in college admissions. Too strong for the "awesomely average" group, not strong enough for the 4.0/1500 group. Not super interested in rah-rah and I worry he'll get lost at a giant state school, but also worry he won't find his people at a tiny LAC. Very NOT quirky. Just a normal hard-working bright teenage boy who likes playing sports and "chilling" with his many friends, and likes the challenge of being surrounded by the smart kids at his school. Has a 3.7 and I'm guessing SAT will land somewhere around 1400?? At his school this is middle of the pack - about 20% of kids get into Ivy+. Best subjects are history and math, but will probably apply as a humanities major since there are so freaking many genius STEM kids. The school is so large that Naviance scattergrams look like a giant ink blot and literally everything appears to be a reach. Anyone here have a kid with a comparable profile? We will of course apply to many SUNYs, but want a solid list of privates as well. We are fortunate to be able to pay in full.

Elon
Furman
V Tech
U Mass
Penn State
Pitt
Lehigh
Lafayette
F&M
Dickinson
Denison

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To the OP - I'm sorry that so many nasty people are here. You are asking great questions. Doing your homework. Good luck. I just reported one of the nasty posts to eliminate the clutter. Lots of people are in your boat. Good luck! Sounds like you have a great kid.

yes and good to plan ahead of time, those who don't wont be happy later

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To the OP - I'm sorry that so many nasty people are here. You are asking great questions. Doing your homework. Good luck. I just reported one of the nasty posts to eliminate the clutter. Lots of people are in your boat. Good luck! Sounds like you have a great kid.

yes and good to plan ahead of time, those who don't wont be happy later

Those who fail to prepare prepare to fail.

Or waste lots of time giving useless opinions on DCUM then whining when their kid doesn't get into their dream school.

[Anonymous]

adding Rochester, Syracuse, St. Lawrence, Hobart & Wm Smith

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If we changed the title of this thread to "Interested in suggestions of colleges for "standard strong" DS" I think we would be having a much better conversation and I think that is what the OP meant.

OP: Yes! Oh my goodness. I didn't mean I was chewing my nails. It's more that I get waves of "wow, X's kid who aced Calc 3 in middle school and got a 1590 SAT just got rejected from a T30, where the heck will my kid go?" I absolutely appreciate that I have a normal bright well-adjusted kid, I really do.

And I don't have a problem with SUNY schools. I think I'm secretly hoping he'll wind up at Binghamton. But we can full pay (I feel like I mentioned this?), so we are going to cast a broader net. Whether certain private schools are "worth it" is a discussion we can have down the line.

Thank you. You sound like a very reasonable person and it seems like there is fortunately some good advice here mixed in with some garbage. And you did mention that you can do full pay. After four years at an SHSAT school I think a private school might be good for your kid vs. a SUNY, though it depends on the private. Did they go to public K-8?

TY. And I kind of agree about the private vs SUNY although, as I said, I have no problem at all with SUNYs and if that winds up being the route he takes, great. We know many, many, kids doing well at Binghamton and Stonybrook. Less so the other SUNYs.

He did go to K - 8 public and he/we were very happy with it. We never really looked at private schools, mostly for financial reasons, and also because we were fortunate to have very good public options all along. I really don't regret the HS choice even if it means a harder road for college admissions (though we would have LOVED the option of Elro or Beacon- damn DOE lottery).

For SUNY schools, look at Geneseo and Potsdam