How is your top student doing with acceptances?

[Anonymous]

Please answer if you are in the same boat, and if your student is not aiming for ivies, but good/decent/strong schools.

My friend has a top student DC (my kids confirm, they are in the same program and some of the same classes - where everyone basically knows whether a student is at the top or not) and she is getting deferred from some of her target (not reach) schools. In at one safety school, so far. It is discouraging for them, and I don't know how to offer support. She is seeing a few "not as strong" students get into top schools, and it is hard.

I don't want to Google anecdotes or act like I'm jealous (she has many of APs and is a bright, strong student). Anyone BTDT?

[Anonymous]

following

[Anonymous]

My kid has already graduated so I don’t have a personal story to add, but I will say that parent discussion boards tend to focus on “stats“ to the exclusion of all other things, and my experience having a kid and her peer group applying to highly selective schools is that stats are just the beginning of the evaluation not the endpoint. Schools that use holistic admissions are giving themselves permission to be less interested in 10 points on the SAT or a few GPA decimals and more interested in some unique volunteer Work or a great writing voice or whatever else appeals to them. It is simply true that perfect stats kids get turned away from highly selective schools all the time in favor of kids with slightly less perfect numbers but a more compelling story ( as told through LOR/ECs/essay etc.) So I would be careful about your kid’s assessment that “not as strong” students are getting into better schools, they may be perceived as having more to offer by the admissions committee.

[Anonymous]

They need to realize just because they know someone’s gpa and test scores, they don’t know the whole package. Did the kid have a rich spinster aunt, who left the school millions. Did the kid have a special bond with the person who wrote their recommendation and it reflected well. They need to understand a rejection is just what the admission person read on a piece of paper about your kid. And not a reflection that your kid is a failure. College acceptance is a great stepping stone for the world of getting a job. At the end of the day you send out hundreds of resumes and you get one response. You are not a failure just not a good fit. For years my kid wanted to go to one school, got in and knew quickly it wasn’t the one. People struggle with transferring, seeing it as a failure too. And again, just not a good fit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid has already graduated so I don’t have a personal story to add, but I will say that parent discussion boards tend to focus on “stats“ to the exclusion of all other things, and my experience having a kid and her peer group applying to highly selective schools is that stats are just the beginning of the evaluation not the endpoint. Schools that use holistic admissions are giving themselves permission to be less interested in 10 points on the SAT or a few GPA decimals and more interested in some unique volunteer Work or a great writing voice or whatever else appeals to them. It is simply true that perfect stats kids get turned away from highly selective schools all the time in favor of kids with slightly less perfect numbers but a more compelling story ( as told through LOR/ECs/essay etc.) So I would be careful about your kid’s assessment that “not as strong” students are getting into better schools, they may be perceived as having more to offer by the admissions committee.

+1. I have two kids at Ivies with very different "stats" but both were strong students with compelling activities, LORs, essays, etc.

[Anonymous]

My top student is 0/2. Top 10 student (~6 or 7) - school doesn't rank. Extremely hard curriculum, national level ECs (arguably world level - founder of open source communities that have big followings around the world), 3.9 unweighted, didn't submit scores due to cancelations, essays were well written, creative, and impressive.

DS is fine though. Once DS was ejected from Stanford, he decided he didn't really care anymore. He still has the state schools and Duke left.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My top student is 0/2. Top 10 student (~6 or 7) - school doesn't rank. Extremely hard curriculum, national level ECs (arguably world level - founder of open source communities that have big followings around the world), 3.9 unweighted, didn't submit scores due to cancelations, essays were well written, creative, and impressive.

DS is fine though. Once DS was ejected from Stanford, he decided he didn't really care anymore. He still has the state schools and Duke left.

PP, what was the other school? Makes you wonder what students would need to do to get an acceptance these days.

[Anonymous]

Maybe their mim arranged something - an “in” via a sport played mediocre, or a “volunteer opportunity” in her home country - sounds exotic!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My top student is 0/2. Top 10 student (~6 or 7) - school doesn't rank. Extremely hard curriculum, national level ECs (arguably world level - founder of open source communities that have big followings around the world), 3.9 unweighted, didn't submit scores due to cancelations, essays were well written, creative, and impressive.

DS is fine though. Once DS was ejected from Stanford, he decided he didn't really care anymore. He still has the state schools and Duke left.

PP, what was the other school? Makes you wonder what students would need to do to get an acceptance these days.

UNC

[Anonymous]

NP here. Wow. Thanks for sharing that info. Helps keep things in perspective. Wish your kid the best. Mine too after deferral from Yale, is ready to be happy with whatever happens.

[Anonymous]

OP lots of parents lie too. If kid is aiming for schools in the 50-100 range and is not getting in something is not adding up. Top 50 schools some have insanely low acceptance rates.

[Anonymous]

In at Alabama. Roll Tide!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In at Alabama. Roll Tide!

I guess you’re supposed to ignore the trolls but kid you’re really dedicated lol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In at Alabama. Roll Tide!

I heard they have a good honors program

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In at Alabama. Roll Tide!

I heard they have a good honors program