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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]You and your son (and these responders) need to look at his app and the apps of his friends more holistically. All As with what rigor compared to his school? Leadership? ECs? Essay topic and content? Any hooks? What state are you applying from?  Does your kid’s profile match what these schools are looking for? [/quote]

He is a good student with two varsity sports. That's it. Honestly this thread is making me feel very shitty. Does everyone's child have very high SAT scores and a million ECs? [/quote]

Don't feel bad. A 4.0 and two varsity sports is pretty awesome. But it's tough out there when it comes to college admissions. A quick reality check will tell you that UNC and Georgia Tech are not happening. Both are very competitive schools, particularly for OOS. Texas A&M is probably a very tough admit too. It's a very desirable school for engineering and they are only going to take so many kids from the DMV.

Regarding test scores, has he tried the ACT? Usually kids do better on one over the other. The ACT is generally easier, but it's faster. Have him take a timed practice test and see how that goes. He might get a better score on that. If that's the case, focus on the ACT - study, prep class, tutor if you can manage it. Scores do tend to rise substantially when students really grind and study for it.

Also, colleges aren't really looking for a million ECs. They want to see passion, discipline, curiosity, and focus. If varsity sports are where it's at, work with it. Craft a compelling essay that incorporates something to do with the sport. Also, make sure he gets good teacher recs.

The only person a student needs to impress is the person reading the application. That's it. Put an application together with that in mind. All a student needs to do is convince one person that they'd be an asset to their community.

There's 4000 colleges out there. Have your son do a little more research into his likely major and the colleges that interest him. It takes two minutes to figure out that UNC is a nearly impossible admit for any OOS student. And another two minutes to see that Georgia Tech is a brainiac school for STEM kids and also a really tough admit. More research. More realism. It'll all work out in the end. [/quote]

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