Discussion on abysmal APS college results

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live in Arlington and I attended an Ivy. But the cost is too high now and I’ll encourage my kids to apply to state schools. I bet there are a lot of others in similar situations.

Same for me. I went to Yale but can’t afford an Ivy for my daughter. She can go to any in state school in Virginia.

I find it telling that so many Ivy grads can’t afford to send their kid to an Ivy. DH and I both went to a state school. We can easily afford private HS, Ivy tuition, second home, etc. I guess it’s really not the golden ticket everyone thinks it is. Smart kids do well wherever they go.

You can just hear the smugness emanating from this post. Ever occur to you that not all Ivy grads choose to chase the highest paying career?

Even more argument against the expense of Ivy League and similar schools.

My Ivy League PhD spouse chose a career in pubic service. I suspect many other graduates of prestigious schools in the DMV chose similar paths. The Ivy grads making $$$$$ are in Finance or the Bay Area.

This. There are a lot of dual government families in Arlington. They make good money and live a comfortable lifestyle. They get very little need-based aid and don't have $300k to spend on college for one kid. It doesn't matter if the Ivy League is worth it. They don't have it. And people who work safe, steady government jobs don't borrow a lot of money for college. Not gonna happen.

There are also lots of people in Arlington in $2-3m new builds and who drive Rivians. There are also folks in condos and apartments who would get tons of aid from Ivies. I don't believe it's a demographic thing and that fewer kids from APS are trying for Ivies than from McLean, which has a much better showing.

I also don't think that Arlington parents are immune to prestige and are convincing their kids not to apply to Ivies because they don't believe in their ROI.

Nope and nope.

[Anonymous]

Agree with PP. So what's the deal? Are more Arlington kids going to private schools because we don't have strong AAP/magnet programs?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Arlington is a county based system. If Yorktown was its own school district and set it's own zoning laws, it would be a "better" school district in terms of getting kids into top colleges.

Do you mean like Falls Church City, which is a Class-2 city within Arlington County ??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Arlington is a county based system. If Yorktown was its own school district and set it's own zoning laws, it would be a "better" school district in terms of getting kids into top colleges.

Do you mean like Falls Church City, which is a Class-2 city within Arlington County ??

What? FCC is not in Arlington County.

[Anonymous]

I know from neighbors with kids currently in hs there are multiple APS students going to ivy league schools from this year’s graduating classes. What’s the number to aspire to? 5 per school? Or 20-plus per school as one suggested earlier in the conversation? Do Cornell and UPenn count as acceptable ivies to those complaining?

I personally think APS’s college acceptances are respectable for a relatively affluent school district. Even if ARLnow and the commenters here disagree.

[Anonymous]

Not everyone has to attend a “top” school. Quit with your first world problems.

[Anonymous]

The YHS acceptances I know of from this year has been very impressive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know from neighbors with kids currently in hs there are multiple APS students going to ivy league schools from this year’s graduating classes. What’s the number to aspire to? 5 per school? Or 20-plus per school as one suggested earlier in the conversation? Do Cornell and UPenn count as acceptable ivies to those complaining?

I personally think APS’s college acceptances are respectable for a relatively affluent school district. Even if ARLnow and the commenters here disagree.

I have a high school senior. Acceptances have been impressive this year. No, not everyone is getting their top choice, but kids are getting into some really good schools. Also, know that the commits you see are not necessarily the top schools the kids got into. Definitely know of kids who turned down higher ranked schools because of finances.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was hoping to kickstart a conversation on APS college acceptance results, and why people think they are so poor

For background - I live in Arlington now with two kids, but grew up in a comparably wealthy suburbs of Chicago and went to New Trier, a public but well off HS. At NT, we had a classes of about 800, but pretty consistently stellar college placement results (few dozen ivy leagues, even more state flagship, etc)

In comparison, APS's college acceptances are shockingly poor. I understand the narrative in Arlington for why; there are a lot of wealthy NOVA suburbs so high performing DMV HS seniors are a dime a dozen, so it is just harder to stand out. But the sale argument also applies for the wealthier suburbs of Chicago that somehow have way better placement

Hey OP, how do you know what the college acceptance results are across APS? The only acceptances I know for sure are my own kid, and then what my kid's friends choose to share.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was hoping to kickstart a conversation on APS college acceptance results, and why people think they are so poor

For background - I live in Arlington now with two kids, but grew up in a comparably wealthy suburbs of Chicago and went to New Trier, a public but well off HS. At NT, we had a classes of about 800, but pretty consistently stellar college placement results (few dozen ivy leagues, even more state flagship, etc)

In comparison, APS's college acceptances are shockingly poor. I understand the narrative in Arlington for why; there are a lot of wealthy NOVA suburbs so high performing DMV HS seniors are a dime a dozen, so it is just harder to stand out. But the sale argument also applies for the wealthier suburbs of Chicago that somehow have way better placement

Hey OP, how do you know what the college acceptance results are across APS? The only acceptances I know for sure are my own kid, and then what my kid's friends choose to share.

We only have the lists of where students attend for the comparison schools, as well. We are comparing apples to apples.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was hoping to kickstart a conversation on APS college acceptance results, and why people think they are so poor

For background - I live in Arlington now with two kids, but grew up in a comparably wealthy suburbs of Chicago and went to New Trier, a public but well off HS. At NT, we had a classes of about 800, but pretty consistently stellar college placement results (few dozen ivy leagues, even more state flagship, etc)

In comparison, APS's college acceptances are shockingly poor. I understand the narrative in Arlington for why; there are a lot of wealthy NOVA suburbs so high performing DMV HS seniors are a dime a dozen, so it is just harder to stand out. But the sale argument also applies for the wealthier suburbs of Chicago that somehow have way better placement

Hey OP, how do you know what the college acceptance results are across APS? The only acceptances I know for sure are my own kid, and then what my kid's friends choose to share.

We only have the lists of where students attend for the comparison schools, as well. We are comparing apples to apples.

No, you said in your original post that you are comparing APS results today with your high school's results back when you went there. College admissions has changed quite a bit since then. Educate yourself on that first.