Anonymous
Post 03/26/2026 07:49     Subject: Rejected from Virginia publics—am I out of line?
Anonymous wrote:I’m going to go a slightly different direction.

You need to be cautious about overplaying to your kid that everything that doesn’t work out for her is discrimination against her. You are teaching her that it her outcomes aren’t being driven by her, but assumption about the biases of people around her.

At the end of the day she needs to learn that the only person she can control is herself and her own efforts. You are currently undermining that and risk turning her into a helpless being that is unable to take responsibility for herself. Each of us lives in the same world that doesn’t always feel fair. To abandon on our responsibility in that (like I agree, 4.1 seems borderline low, which she could control) is not the right message.


+1 she didn't get into reaches, that's the most likely outcome. 4.1 is below the 25th percentile for UVA and W&M. It's at the median for VT but VT is highly major-dependent and unpredictable.
https://research.schev.edu/enrollment/B10_FreshmenProfile.asp

JMU is a good match, 4.1 is just below their 75th percentile. She will find her people there and have a great time.
Anonymous
Post 03/26/2026 07:41     Subject: Rejected from Virginia publics—am I out of line?
I’m going to go a slightly different direction.

You need to be cautious about overplaying to your kid that everything that doesn’t work out for her is discrimination against her. You are teaching her that it her outcomes aren’t being driven by her, but assumption about the biases of people around her.

At the end of the day she needs to learn that the only person she can control is herself and her own efforts. You are currently undermining that and risk turning her into a helpless being that is unable to take responsibility for herself. Each of us lives in the same world that doesn’t always feel fair. To abandon on our responsibility in that (like I agree, 4.1 seems borderline low, which she could control) is not the right message.
Anonymous
Post 03/26/2026 07:39     Subject: Rejected from Virginia publics—am I out of line?
Anonymous wrote:Nice troll attempt. And she wasn't "shut out" of VA state schools, just the top three.


Bingo
Anonymous
Post 03/26/2026 07:29     Subject: Rejected from Virginia publics—am I out of line?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:4.1 weighted (school does not do UW), maxed out rigor, and involved in activities. Applied as an IR/gov/polisci major to UVA, William and Mary, and Virginia tech and was outright denied by UVA and W&M. VT waitlisted but as far as I know they have no ‘spring waitlist’ program or separate campus like UVA wise you can go to for a year instead.

The only thing I can think of that could be the cause of this is my daughter’s name, which sounds Asian American despite her being Caucasian. Her first name is a name that some people have said is a stereotypical Asian name (think Alice or Christina), and our last name is Lee, which could be either white or Asian Korean.

In our case, it’s white, but people have said in the past when they have seen my daughter’s name but not my daughter (at first meetings, summer camp, etc) that they were expecting an Asian girl based on her name.

My husband thinks I sound like I need to be medicated, but I floated the idea of taking a gap year and changing either my daughter’s first or last name to be more explicitly Caucasian. She was open to it and is very young for her cohort anyway so it wouldn’t make her feel out of place later.

Am I out of line here? I’m not saying that it’s right that there may be a disadvantage for Asian Americans, but I don’t want my daughter to be harmed by any sort of biases.


Did she at least get in some good privates? JHU? Rice? Emory? Vandy? and top liberal arts colleges?

With a 4.1W? No way. Scores are most likely 1150-1350 with that GPA, depending on the high school

OP here.

To answer many questions:
- She did not apply to Case Western.
- The reason I expected better results is because her older brothers had similar stats (and one slightly lower stats) and they both got into their colleges of choice.
- Her SAT score was 710 Verbal, 730 Math, which I thought was right at the median for UVA and William and Mary and above the average for Virginia Tech.


And what was UW? It’s an easy calculation.


Not for OP, apparently. Had she made this calculation she would instantly have seen that all three of these schools were reaches for her kid.
Anonymous
Post 03/26/2026 07:06     Subject: Rejected from Virginia publics—am I out of line?
OP states 4.1 weighted with max rigor. That translates to about a 3.3 ish unweighted. Pretty much a B student. Case closed.
Anonymous
Post 03/26/2026 05:11     Subject: Rejected from Virginia publics—am I out of line?
Lots of other good public universities in VA.
Anonymous
Post 03/26/2026 04:36     Subject: Re:Rejected from Virginia publics—am I out of line?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
DID SHE GET IN ANYWHERE???

OP here.

Yes, she did. She is thinking (if no gap year) JMU then possible transfer. She was accepted at JMU.


So your entire subject line and premise was a lie. She got accepted to a Virginia public. Go away, OP, and get your DD excited about JMU.

OP here. I never said ‘every single Virginia public’ nor would I. Most schools take anyone. That’s not what I want for my daughter and it isn’t what you want for yours either so get off your high horse


Look, we’d all love for our kids to get in to Duke or Stanford or whatever the dream school is. But you have to be realistic. Your daughter didn’t have the GPA for the schools you wanted. UVA and W&M were reaches, Tech was a target that could’ve gone either way. And lots of great applicants don’t get into those schools. It is what it is.

You can handle the disappointment like an adult and support your child or continue throwing a tantrum. But it isn’t going to change the results.
Anonymous
Post 03/26/2026 00:16     Subject: Re:Rejected from Virginia publics—am I out of line?
Instead of a gap year, she should go to CC and then transfer to one of the top in-state schools. But I bet if she goes to JMU she will end up loving it!
Anonymous
Post 03/26/2026 00:10     Subject: Rejected from Virginia publics—am I out of line?
OP, sorry to say it but the second I saw your post I thought 4.1? That means either very little to no rigor in her courseload or subpar grades for those schools, or both. I almost never see a GPA like this on these boards for people who are aiming for the schools you named. Sure, maybe it happens if the kid has really cool EC's, or exceptional LOR's, or very high test score, but absent those the profile looks weak. Lots and lots of 4.0 UW white kids get rejected from their state flagships these days - you'd be surprised.
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2026 23:19     Subject: Rejected from Virginia publics—am I out of line?
Anonymous wrote:She had lots of Bs in weighted classes right?[/quote

+1
Sorry OP. The kids getting in UVA have As. And all of those kids don’t get in. There just aren’t enough spots.

Jmu is great. She can transfer if she watts. But no one is entitled to UVA or W&M.
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2026 23:18     Subject: Rejected from Virginia publics—am I out of line?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:4.1 weighted (school does not do UW), maxed out rigor, and involved in activities. Applied as an IR/gov/polisci major to UVA, William and Mary, and Virginia tech and was outright denied by UVA and W&M. VT waitlisted but as far as I know they have no ‘spring waitlist’ program or separate campus like UVA wise you can go to for a year instead.

The only thing I can think of that could be the cause of this is my daughter’s name, which sounds Asian American despite her being Caucasian. Her first name is a name that some people have said is a stereotypical Asian name (think Alice or Christina), and our last name is Lee, which could be either white or Asian Korean.

In our case, it’s white, but people have said in the past when they have seen my daughter’s name but not my daughter (at first meetings, summer camp, etc) that they were expecting an Asian girl based on her name.

My husband thinks I sound like I need to be medicated, but I floated the idea of taking a gap year and changing either my daughter’s first or last name to be more explicitly Caucasian. She was open to it and is very young for her cohort anyway so it wouldn’t make her feel out of place later.

Am I out of line here? I’m not saying that it’s right that there may be a disadvantage for Asian Americans, but I don’t want my daughter to be harmed by any sort of biases.


Did she at least get in some good privates? JHU? Rice? Emory? Vandy? and top liberal arts colleges?

With a 4.1W? No way. Scores are most likely 1150-1350 with that GPA, depending on the high school

OP here.

To answer many questions:
- She did not apply to Case Western.
- The reason I expected better results is because her older brothers had similar stats (and one slightly lower stats) and they both got into their colleges of choice.
- Her SAT score was 710 Verbal, 730 Math, which I thought was right at the median for UVA and William and Mary and above the average for Virginia Tech.


And what was UW? It’s an easy calculation.
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2026 23:17     Subject: Rejected from Virginia publics—am I out of line?
Go to UVA Wise for a year and transfer.
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2026 23:12     Subject: Re:Rejected from Virginia publics—am I out of line?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
DID SHE GET IN ANYWHERE???

OP here.

Yes, she did. She is thinking (if no gap year) JMU then possible transfer. She was accepted at JMU.


So your entire subject line and premise was a lie. She got accepted to a Virginia public. Go away, OP, and get your DD excited about JMU.

OP here. I never said ‘every single Virginia public’ nor would I. Most schools take anyone. That’s not what I want for my daughter and it isn’t what you want for yours either so get off your high horse


DP. Seriously? What's "not what you want for your daughter"? A great college experience? JMU is a fantastic school and at the top of my own DC's college list for next year. What on earth is wrong with you?

I’m guessing you live in Manassas or something? Sometimes I wish this board would be restricted to DC proper, Arlington, Alexandria, McLean, Great Falls, Tysons, and Vienna.
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2026 23:12     Subject: Rejected from Virginia publics—am I out of line?
Anonymous wrote:Nice troll attempt. And she wasn't "shut out" of VA state schools, just the top three.


Exactly. Unreal.
Anonymous
Post 03/25/2026 23:10     Subject: Re:Rejected from Virginia publics—am I out of line?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
DID SHE GET IN ANYWHERE???

OP here.

Yes, she did. She is thinking (if no gap year) JMU then possible transfer. She was accepted at JMU.


So your entire subject line and premise was a lie. She got accepted to a Virginia public. Go away, OP, and get your DD excited about JMU.

OP here. I never said ‘every single Virginia public’ nor would I. Most schools take anyone. That’s not what I want for my daughter and it isn’t what you want for yours either so get off your high horse


DP. Seriously? What's "not what you want for your daughter"? A great college experience? JMU is a fantastic school and at the top of my own DC's college list for next year. What on earth is wrong with you?