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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]How many kids from Yorktown's Class of 2017 ended up at Ivies?[/quote]

One (1) - Dartmouth.[/quote]

Ouch.  That's lower than TC Williams.[/quote]

And it's also not true.  Looking at YHS Naviance now....6 got into Cornell, 1 got into Stanford, 1 got into Brown, 2 got into Dartmouth, 3 got into Duke, etc.[/quote]

That's more encouraging, although if those are acceptances and not matriculations, this may comprise only 6 actual students.  Regardless, for a graduating class of 500+ where almost everyone goes onto college, these rates are really low.   
[/quote]

YHS parent here.  I know plenty of folks who think that if their kid doesn't get into HYP, UVA is the second choice.  They see no reason to pay more.  I don't share this belief, but it is prevalent, and can explain much of what you see.[/quote]

That may explain lower matriculation rates to HYP and Top 25s (ex. UVa, W&M), but it doesn't explain lower acceptance rates.  UNLESS, admissions directors at top 25 universities and colleges KNOW that UVa and W&M are attractive alternatives and thus, pre-emptively, are more likely to reject the applicant from Virginia.  Top schools don't enjoy accepting students who ultimately decide not to go to their institution.  If that is the case, I would expect to see similar dynamics in North Carolina, Michigan, Texas and California -- states with in-state options within the Top 25 Universities.  [/quote]

DP. I agree that students from Virginia probably have a harder time getting into HYP than, for instance, similarly-situated students from Maryland because the schools know they are more likely to go to UVa over HYP than a Maryland student is to go to UMd over HYP. I disagree, though, that this would be the only way it affects admission rates. Students who have a chance at HYP but know they'd choose UVa instead are likely to apply to UVa early. The very top students from those schools get accepted to UVa and then never apply to HYP, and thus it wouldn't surprise me if the bulk of the HYP applications from Virginia aren't coming from the very best candidates, but rather from those a notch below the best but who still could have a shot. Of course their acceptance rates won't be as high as for the very best candidates, resulting in lower admissions rates than you see from other states, and thus giving the false impression that Virginia students are somehow sub-par.

It also wouldn't surprise me if this effect is more pronounced for APS than for FCPS. Given how much more expensive housing is in APS than in FCPS, it seems seems like there are more families in APS who wouldn't qualify for financial aid but who are stretching their budgets further to pay for housing, and thus aren't able to save as much for college. That creates a lot more pressure to find lower-cost alternatives to HYP.[/quote]

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