Anonymous
Post 02/11/2026 09:24     Subject: Do unhooked ever get into to 20 schools?
Anonymous wrote:My older one was a recruited athlete with much lower grades so we are in different territory with my younger son's who is a junior with: 4.0, SAT 1510, a few strong activities & leadership roles within common clubs found in his public school but no app or national awards or huge spike. Full pay. Undecided but probably economics & history. Lot's of AP's with 4s and 5s, part time job. Wants to ED at Vanderbilt (like the rest of his class). Seems like a very typical public school profile. Is this a wasted ED?


There are lots of these kids on reddit. Follow them to see their outcomes. Public school.
Also, think about alternative history majors (ILR at Cornell)

https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/1qzioi3/ea_results_20252026_for_a_white_boy_going_into_law/
https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/1qh9lip/cornell_legacy_worries_admitted_white_male/
https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/1ps03l9/polisci_white_guy_receives_surprising_first_and/
https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/1losl4f/1490_sat_cracks_ivy_league_no_hooks/
Anonymous
Post 02/11/2026 09:08     Subject: Do unhooked ever get into to 20 schools?
Anonymous wrote:My older one was a recruited athlete with much lower grades so we are in different territory with my younger son's who is a junior with: 4.0, SAT 1510, a few strong activities & leadership roles within common clubs found in his public school but no app or national awards or huge spike. Full pay. Undecided but probably economics & history. Lot's of AP's with 4s and 5s, part time job. Wants to ED at Vanderbilt (like the rest of his class). Seems like a very typical public school profile. Is this a wasted ED?


Choose history not economics. And find a particular niche in history to be excited about - not just history generally. What are his historical interests?
Do something history this summer?
https://www.wm.edu/as/niahd/precol/
https://www.nationalhistoryacademy.org/
Anonymous
Post 02/11/2026 09:06     Subject: Do unhooked ever get into to 20 schools?
Anonymous wrote:My experience, based on watching dc and classmates last year, is that this forum is way too pessimistic. I saw lots of unhooked kids get into top 20s and top 10 LACs. Make sure your kid has 2 very likely schools (ideally rolling or EA with a Dec notification), but then don’t let the pessimism of this board scare them away from applying to top schools.


Ask dumb question: "Do unhooked ever get into to 20 schools?"
Get dumb answer: "No"
Anonymous
Post 02/11/2026 09:04     Subject: Do unhooked ever get into to 20 schools?
ED at Duke with those scores and no points
is a risk.
Anonymous
Post 02/11/2026 09:00     Subject: Do unhooked ever get into to 20 schools?
My experience, based on watching dc and classmates last year, is that this forum is way too pessimistic. I saw lots of unhooked kids get into top 20s and top 10 LACs. Make sure your kid has 2 very likely schools (ideally rolling or EA with a Dec notification), but then don’t let the pessimism of this board scare them away from applying to top schools.
Anonymous
Post 02/11/2026 08:57     Subject: Re:Do unhooked ever get into to 20 schools?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OP, my kid sounds exactly like yours and wants to ED to Duke.

Wow! So it can happen! Congratulations on Duke. My sister went there and had the best experience. So regular kid with out all the extra bells and Regenoeron competition or X Writers Workshop or Math Olympiad can get into Duke?

The pp said the kid *wants* to ED to Duke, not that they successfully have done so.
Anonymous
Post 02/11/2026 08:57     Subject: Do unhooked ever get into to 20 schools?
Yes pointy humanities kid.
Feeder private.
Mark awards in sport only
Vanderbilt

My view is you have to stand out somehow - by major, interests, activities for a chance.
Anonymous
Post 02/11/2026 08:55     Subject: Do unhooked ever get into to 20 schools?
is going to private/feeder/boarding school a "hook"? since its kind of pay to play.
Anonymous
Post 02/11/2026 08:54     Subject: Do unhooked ever get into to 20 schools?
Anonymous wrote:Sure they do. Also, you can’t win if you don’t play. And what else is he going to do with his ED? Wake Forest?
Wake Forest is under consideration for ED for my daughter with similar stats. The others seem risky when I look at this year's admissions from our HS.
Anonymous
Post 02/11/2026 08:53     Subject: Re:Do unhooked ever get into to 20 schools?
Anonymous wrote:OP, my kid sounds exactly like yours and wants to ED to Duke.

Wow! So it can happen! Congratulations on Duke. My sister went there and had the best experience. So regular kid with out all the extra bells and Regenoeron competition or X Writers Workshop or Math Olympiad can get into Duke?
Anonymous
Post 02/11/2026 08:52     Subject: Do unhooked ever get into to 20 schools?
Sure they do. Also, you can’t win if you don’t play. And what else is he going to do with his ED? Wake Forest?
Anonymous
Post 02/11/2026 08:37     Subject: Re:Do unhooked ever get into to 20 schools?
OP, my kid sounds exactly like yours and wants to ED to Duke.
Anonymous
Post 02/11/2026 08:34     Subject: Do unhooked ever get into to 20 schools?
Yes- DS accepted REA @ HYP. 1530 SAT from a small boarding school that hadn’t sent a student to this college in 5 years.

Student was pointy in academics but strong everywhere, multi-sport athlete, took the highest rigor possible. Excellent LOR where at least one teacher called him a once-in-a-decade type student.

He had an EC related to his interests that no one else is doing… it happened organically and shows real intellectual curiosity. He’s still doing it now.


Anonymous
Post 02/11/2026 08:21     Subject: Do unhooked ever get into to 20 schools?
Do unhooked ever get into to 20 schools?
No
Anonymous
Post 02/11/2026 07:55     Subject: Do unhooked ever get into to 20 schools?
My older one was a recruited athlete with much lower grades so we are in different territory with my younger son's who is a junior with: 4.0, SAT 1510, a few strong activities & leadership roles within common clubs found in his public school but no app or national awards or huge spike. Full pay. Undecided but probably economics & history. Lot's of AP's with 4s and 5s, part time job. Wants to ED at Vanderbilt (like the rest of his class). Seems like a very typical public school profile. Is this a wasted ED?