Reply to Discriminatory College Advising @ Big 3

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[quote=Anonymous]I've been a Harvard interviewer in this area for a while.

The first question a competitive college will ask is whether your son has taken the most rigorous courseload the school has to offer.  The exact GPA only matters to the extent that it needs to be high compared to the standards of the school.  The school will generally expect at least 3 5's on AP tests taken as a junior, with several more APs on the transcript for this year.  I know many classes at the Big 3 aren't explicitly labeled AP, but we all know that's a bit of a semantic game.

I think the college counselor's conservatism stems from the fact that successful applicants to highly competitive colleges usually have some "distinguishing excellence"  achieved outside the school.  They are looking for Eagle Scouts, concertmasters in the county youth orchestra, kids who have started tutoring programs or community service projects, kids who have won national writing awards, etc.  Has any of your son's research been published or entered in a science competition? If so, that's his way in.  If not, it may be difficult for him to stand out in the HYPS applicant pool.

However, if neither you or your husband are university graduates, your son's accomplishments will be taken very seriously.  At Harvard at least, the admissions office takes the mantra "Much is expected of those to whom much has been given," very seriously.  If your son has achieved what he has starting farther from the finish line than his classmates, the colleges will take note.

Go ahead and tell your son to apply to the reaches, and he shouldn't apply ED to a school he doesn't love.   However, you should treat those reach colleges as a spin of the roulette wheel and assume that he will probably be attending one of the ballpark schools his counselor has recommended.

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