OP, you’re overestimating the importance of stellar ECs for anything other than the most elite college admissions.

On the other side of the ledger, private school parents on here saying that their schools don’t have grade inflation are also wrong (just look at the average GPAs) on the profiles for private schools, where B+ is the norm) and kids from the best privates aren’t getting into top colleges because the schools allow them to pad ECs. It’s because they practice selective admissions and the typical student arrives with innate abilities and scores higher on standardized tests etc.

Private schools aren’t not winning the elite college admissions battle because their kids have more impressive ECs. Nope.

This is just untrue, OP. Be careful about adopting a defeatist attitude. If your kid wants to compete for and do the same activities that everyone else is vying for, then yes it can be tough to get in, but colleges do not care that you have the cookie cutter resume. They just want to see that your kid is involved with *something* they are passionate about. For example, if there is a cause they care about deeply they can volunteer and do some good for that organization. They can play an instrument or join a chorus or other community arts group, and it doesn't even have to be the competitive group. They can get an actual job after school or during the summer. The point is to be engaged in something they care about and where they can demonstrate initiative, responsibility, or skill.

Can you stop posting every day about this?

Find something outside of school. A club sport, bowling or fencing. Find an org to colunteer with - humane society, or anything they are interested in. There's tons of things to in the DMV

Scouting - takes years but one of the best ECs if your DS/DD can get to Eagle. Bonus: do a great community service project and you have lots to write about in supplementals.

That's the irony of "good schools". We chose to remain in the poor, underfunded district where we settled pre-kids rather than move to the town next door with one of the best public schools in the state. Many flee there once they have kids.

We also stayed to be able to afford a house, enjoy the short commute to our workplace, and for the diversity of the area and school system. Didn't realize until our kids were in high school that it also allowed them to shine and pick up accolades in their schools rather than being a small fish in a district full of highly educated parents pushing their kids, high stress school environments, and competition. They did great with college applications and were still well prepared for college. 10/10 recommend.

“Everything” is not impossible to join.

Service, hobbies, jobs like babysitting and mowing lawns or working at a little coffee shop...this is all normal, attainable stuff. Why are you setting the bar at national championships and NASA internships?

Anonymous wrote:This is one of the main reason parents pay for private school. They will make sure your child has every EC opportunity. That plus grade inflation + poetic recommendations = T20 admissions.

Ummm, privates don’t have grade inflation. And good luck making a spot on the team where basketball has 6’10” freshmen recruits and football top NFL prospects, baseball an MLB straight out of HS. That’s our private.

Move to Idaho. Or West Virginia. Problems solved. The talent there is so scarce that an average striver in DMV easily stands out, makes National Merit Semifinalist, and enjoys geographic diversity when applying to colleges.

This starts at a young age. Some people have the mindset that they don’t have their elementary schoolers to be overscheduled and doing many or even any extra curriculars. I read this all the time here. Others have their kids trying out many activities and/or “specializing” in a sport/art/whatever from a fairly young age. If you don’t start many activities from late elementary school or at least middle school it’s difficult to really get into them.

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know how people get national championships in anything or get internships in NASA. Everything is impossible to join in the high schools here. You can’t make the high school JV swim team if you haven’t swam since 6. Band, model un, and robotics are all very selective too. I don’t know how people are easily able to get straight As and easily achieve in all the extracurriculars here.

It’s frustrating because colleges know NOVA is a wealthy region, so they have high expectations. But they don’t care about how hard it is to get anything here. The people who are varsity sports captains and also somehow started clubs or did research just seem like Jesus to me.

Anecdotally based on the one student I know who got this, they were scary smart and driven, even as a freshman. Plus they had a relative who worked there.

Some of these things are easier in private/Catholic schools or the not-so-wealthy public high schools, so the smaller environments that are acquired either by virtue of having a lot of money or none at all.

Anonymous wrote:This is one of the main reason parents pay for private school. They will make sure your child has every EC opportunity. That plus grade inflation + poetic recommendations = T20 admissions.

No grade inflation at our private but we have the rest. Yes it’s worth it.

This is one of the main reason parents pay for private school. They will make sure your child has every EC opportunity. That plus grade inflation + poetic recommendations = T20 admissions.

I don’t know how people get national championships in anything or get internships in NASA. Everything is impossible to join in the high schools here. You can’t make the high school JV swim team if you haven’t swam since 6. Band, model un, and robotics are all very selective too. I don’t know how people are easily able to get straight As and easily achieve in all the extracurriculars here.

It’s frustrating because colleges know NOVA is a wealthy region, so they have high expectations. But they don’t care about how hard it is to get anything here. The people who are varsity sports captains and also somehow started clubs or did research just seem like Jesus to me.