Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD with GPA 4.52 (Junior year), 1580 SAT, all 5s in all her 8 APs from TJ with excellent ECs for CS, volunteering/community service and an internship did not get into any of the Ivies and waitlisted at CMU. Major - CS. Obviously we are disappointed. College admissions seems like a lottery.

Its not as much of a lottery as some try to convinces themselves

The ivies are seeking exceptionalism which could include but not necessarily be restricted to GPA and have distinguished themselves their multi-centuries consistent abilities to identify and select exceptional individuals

So the question is who should Harvard take, your kid who scored a 1580 or Al Gore who scored 1355. Your kid could certainly be more talented with better future success than Al Gore, but obviously Gore was a very successful admit by any measure. Other SAT scores:

George Bush: Yale (Governor, President + Veteran) - 1200
John Kerry: Yale (Senator, Secretary of State, etc. + US Navy veteran awarded the Silver Star and Bronze Star with valor) - 1190
Bill Clinton: Georgetown, not ivy but elite (Governor, President) - 1030
Al Franken: Harvard (Comedian, Senator) - 1020

Also, David Hogg was admitted to Harvard with a 1270

Not necessarily a fan of any of the above but objectively they seem to know how to identify and "pick" exceptional talent

You have listed "exceptional" talent in only one area - Leadership/Politics. My kid will definitely not be as exceptional as those you have listed in this field but her chosen field is CS .. She has academic and extra-curricular credentials to justify that she has the "potential" to be exceptional in her chosen field. I guess that should be acknowledged and accepted in atleast one of the top schools in my opinion.

Is she white? If so - thousands of others are ahead of her. I am sorry. She will do well in life because she works hard. Best.

NP. Thousands ahead of her? A female from the number 1 stem HS in the country at the top of her class in GPA? I don’t think so

Your extremely high stats kid is a dime a dozen in the very top schools’ applicant pool.

Ugh. Not the "dime a dozen" poster again! I really hate that phrase, but there is a correlative point that is important. PPP, a top girl stats-wise from TJ should do well, but the stats are the base level for consideration, not the end all be all. If the stats are all she has, make sure you have plenty of target and safety schools (& I mean true targets and safeties). There is much to love about mid tier schools, and they may offer great merit to a high stats kid. If you want top-rated, name-prestige schools, she will have to stand out with national awards, great recs and school-specific fantastic essays if no other hooks. It can be done, but don't count on it. Even with these perks, have some targets and safeties in the mix. Also, consider what schools might be the best fit for her, and where she can shine. It might not be what you think. Mine did not apply to Harvard because she didn't like the competitive culture. She was fortunate enough to get into most of the tops schools she applied for, but she was prepared to go to one of the safeties (which was all she had for a long time) and found things to love about them. We are MCPS magnet.

The point is that for every high stat kid from tj in the top 25% of the class they are competing with at least 10+ equally high stat kids from throughout the US and the world, and of these the T5 or T10 will take maybe 1? The problem is that the T5s and T10s reserve between 10% and 20% of their class to academically dramatically underqualified students from the urm category

The supreme court review on the white/asian discrimination issue will be telling on which way the country will go on this topic, it could get worse, stay the same, or it could potentially get better for these high stat no hook white/asian kids depending on the result

if you think this is a problem and don't mention recruited athletes, then clearly your problem isn't a qualification one but that URMs aren't white or Asian.

The ivy league was literally founded as an athletic league, its at the core of what the ivies are all about

As long as there are athletic teams they will continue to fill the rosters as they have done for centuries and in reality these scholar-athletes are usual more "talented" than the typical student

The problem with the urm policies is that there is an unofficial understanding that any urm grad has an asterisk next to his diploma because its widely known how/why they were admitted which is sad because there are likely some that would have succeed purely based on merit but stereotypes persist

these schools existed well before they joined an athletic conference. that's not why they exist.

90% of recruited athletes at Harvard wouldn't have been admitted on their academic qualifications. You want to know who the students at elite schools think should have an asterisk on their diploma? Athletes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD with GPA 4.52 (Junior year), 1580 SAT, all 5s in all her 8 APs from TJ with excellent ECs for CS, volunteering/community service and an internship did not get into any of the Ivies and waitlisted at CMU. Major - CS. Obviously we are disappointed. College admissions seems like a lottery.

Its not as much of a lottery as some try to convinces themselves

The ivies are seeking exceptionalism which could include but not necessarily be restricted to GPA and have distinguished themselves their multi-centuries consistent abilities to identify and select exceptional individuals

So the question is who should Harvard take, your kid who scored a 1580 or Al Gore who scored 1355. Your kid could certainly be more talented with better future success than Al Gore, but obviously Gore was a very successful admit by any measure. Other SAT scores:

George Bush: Yale (Governor, President + Veteran) - 1200
John Kerry: Yale (Senator, Secretary of State, etc. + US Navy veteran awarded the Silver Star and Bronze Star with valor) - 1190
Bill Clinton: Georgetown, not ivy but elite (Governor, President) - 1030
Al Franken: Harvard (Comedian, Senator) - 1020

Also, David Hogg was admitted to Harvard with a 1270

Not necessarily a fan of any of the above but objectively they seem to know how to identify and "pick" exceptional talent

You have listed "exceptional" talent in only one area - Leadership/Politics. My kid will definitely not be as exceptional as those you have listed in this field but her chosen field is CS .. She has academic and extra-curricular credentials to justify that she has the "potential" to be exceptional in her chosen field. I guess that should be acknowledged and accepted in atleast one of the top schools in my opinion.

Is she white? If so - thousands of others are ahead of her. I am sorry. She will do well in life because she works hard. Best.

NP. Thousands ahead of her? A female from the number 1 stem HS in the country at the top of her class in GPA? I don’t think so

Your extremely high stats kid is a dime a dozen in the very top schools’ applicant pool.

Ugh. Not the "dime a dozen" poster again! I really hate that phrase, but there is a correlative point that is important. PPP, a top girl stats-wise from TJ should do well, but the stats are the base level for consideration, not the end all be all. If the stats are all she has, make sure you have plenty of target and safety schools (& I mean true targets and safeties). There is much to love about mid tier schools, and they may offer great merit to a high stats kid. If you want top-rated, name-prestige schools, she will have to stand out with national awards, great recs and school-specific fantastic essays if no other hooks. It can be done, but don't count on it. Even with these perks, have some targets and safeties in the mix. Also, consider what schools might be the best fit for her, and where she can shine. It might not be what you think. Mine did not apply to Harvard because she didn't like the competitive culture. She was fortunate enough to get into most of the tops schools she applied for, but she was prepared to go to one of the safeties (which was all she had for a long time) and found things to love about them. We are MCPS magnet.

The point is that for every high stat kid from tj in the top 25% of the class they are competing with at least 10+ equally high stat kids from throughout the US and the world, and of these the T5 or T10 will take maybe 1? The problem is that the T5s and T10s reserve between 10% and 20% of their class to academically dramatically underqualified students from the urm category

The supreme court review on the white/asian discrimination issue will be telling on which way the country will go on this topic, it could get worse, stay the same, or it could potentially get better for these high stat no hook white/asian kids depending on the result

There is so much wrong w/ this. Firstly, have you been some of these top schools? They are heavily white and Asian. They NEED diversity to enhance the education! Secondly, what makes you think that URM admits are "under"qualified? When did you become the arbiter of "qualifications?" This notion that there is a specific bar based on testing (which is NOT an indicator of intelligence) and grades is a fallacy. While those are factors, there are other factors too. I suggest reading Jeff Selingo's book on college admissions. There are not set qualifications. These are (in many cases) private institutions who are building a class. They do not have quotas per school or for URMs for that matter, but they do want diversity. What different perspective will student X bring to the college? That's why no school wants all CS kids who do robotics. I'm sure TJ has more than 1 kid get into top schools in most years (I know of at least 5 from our magnet admitted to one top school alone). Stop playing the victim drama. If you want to stand out and appeal to top schools, diversify your kid's interests/skills. Show the school that your kid really loves that school with fantastic and specific essays. Some kids shoot the Ivies and top 10 for status, and it shows in their essays. It's not just about race. If you are going to be upset by admissions priorities, get upset by large donors and legacy admits!

Signed, White parent whose kid was admitted to several Ivy/T10.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD with GPA 4.52 (Junior year), 1580 SAT, all 5s in all her 8 APs from TJ with excellent ECs for CS, volunteering/community service and an internship did not get into any of the Ivies and waitlisted at CMU. Major - CS. Obviously we are disappointed. College admissions seems like a lottery.

Its not as much of a lottery as some try to convinces themselves

The ivies are seeking exceptionalism which could include but not necessarily be restricted to GPA and have distinguished themselves their multi-centuries consistent abilities to identify and select exceptional individuals

So the question is who should Harvard take, your kid who scored a 1580 or Al Gore who scored 1355. Your kid could certainly be more talented with better future success than Al Gore, but obviously Gore was a very successful admit by any measure. Other SAT scores:

George Bush: Yale (Governor, President + Veteran) - 1200
John Kerry: Yale (Senator, Secretary of State, etc. + US Navy veteran awarded the Silver Star and Bronze Star with valor) - 1190
Bill Clinton: Georgetown, not ivy but elite (Governor, President) - 1030
Al Franken: Harvard (Comedian, Senator) - 1020

Also, David Hogg was admitted to Harvard with a 1270

Not necessarily a fan of any of the above but objectively they seem to know how to identify and "pick" exceptional talent

You have listed "exceptional" talent in only one area - Leadership/Politics. My kid will definitely not be as exceptional as those you have listed in this field but her chosen field is CS .. She has academic and extra-curricular credentials to justify that she has the "potential" to be exceptional in her chosen field. I guess that should be acknowledged and accepted in atleast one of the top schools in my opinion.

Is she white? If so - thousands of others are ahead of her. I am sorry. She will do well in life because she works hard. Best.

NP. Thousands ahead of her? A female from the number 1 stem HS in the country at the top of her class in GPA? I don’t think so

Your extremely high stats kid is a dime a dozen in the very top schools’ applicant pool.

Ugh. Not the "dime a dozen" poster again! I really hate that phrase, but there is a correlative point that is important. PPP, a top girl stats-wise from TJ should do well, but the stats are the base level for consideration, not the end all be all. If the stats are all she has, make sure you have plenty of target and safety schools (& I mean true targets and safeties). There is much to love about mid tier schools, and they may offer great merit to a high stats kid. If you want top-rated, name-prestige schools, she will have to stand out with national awards, great recs and school-specific fantastic essays if no other hooks. It can be done, but don't count on it. Even with these perks, have some targets and safeties in the mix. Also, consider what schools might be the best fit for her, and where she can shine. It might not be what you think. Mine did not apply to Harvard because she didn't like the competitive culture. She was fortunate enough to get into most of the tops schools she applied for, but she was prepared to go to one of the safeties (which was all she had for a long time) and found things to love about them. We are MCPS magnet.

The point is that for every high stat kid from tj in the top 25% of the class they are competing with at least 10+ equally high stat kids from throughout the US and the world, and of these the T5 or T10 will take maybe 1? The problem is that the T5s and T10s reserve between 10% and 20% of their class to academically dramatically underqualified students from the urm category

The supreme court review on the white/asian discrimination issue will be telling on which way the country will go on this topic, it could get worse, stay the same, or it could potentially get better for these high stat no hook white/asian kids depending on the result

if you think this is a problem and don't mention recruited athletes, then clearly your problem isn't a qualification one but that URMs aren't white or Asian.

The ivy league was literally founded as an athletic league, its at the core of what the ivies are all about

As long as there are athletic teams they will continue to fill the rosters as they have done for centuries and in reality these scholar-athletes are usual more "talented" than the typical student

The problem with the urm policies is that there is an unofficial understanding that any urm grad has an asterisk next to his diploma because its widely known how/why they were admitted which is sad because there are likely some that would have succeed purely based on merit but stereotypes persist

these schools existed well before they joined an athletic conference. that's not why they exist.

90% of recruited athletes at Harvard wouldn't have been admitted on their academic qualifications. You want to know who the students at elite schools think should have an asterisk on their diploma? Athletes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD with GPA 4.52 (Junior year), 1580 SAT, all 5s in all her 8 APs from TJ with excellent ECs for CS, volunteering/community service and an internship did not get into any of the Ivies and waitlisted at CMU. Major - CS. Obviously we are disappointed. College admissions seems like a lottery.

Its not as much of a lottery as some try to convinces themselves

The ivies are seeking exceptionalism which could include but not necessarily be restricted to GPA and have distinguished themselves their multi-centuries consistent abilities to identify and select exceptional individuals

So the question is who should Harvard take, your kid who scored a 1580 or Al Gore who scored 1355. Your kid could certainly be more talented with better future success than Al Gore, but obviously Gore was a very successful admit by any measure. Other SAT scores:

George Bush: Yale (Governor, President + Veteran) - 1200
John Kerry: Yale (Senator, Secretary of State, etc. + US Navy veteran awarded the Silver Star and Bronze Star with valor) - 1190
Bill Clinton: Georgetown, not ivy but elite (Governor, President) - 1030
Al Franken: Harvard (Comedian, Senator) - 1020

Also, David Hogg was admitted to Harvard with a 1270

Not necessarily a fan of any of the above but objectively they seem to know how to identify and "pick" exceptional talent

You have listed "exceptional" talent in only one area - Leadership/Politics. My kid will definitely not be as exceptional as those you have listed in this field but her chosen field is CS .. She has academic and extra-curricular credentials to justify that she has the "potential" to be exceptional in her chosen field. I guess that should be acknowledged and accepted in atleast one of the top schools in my opinion.

Is she white? If so - thousands of others are ahead of her. I am sorry. She will do well in life because she works hard. Best.

NP. Thousands ahead of her? A female from the number 1 stem HS in the country at the top of her class in GPA? I don’t think so

Your extremely high stats kid is a dime a dozen in the very top schools’ applicant pool.

Ugh. Not the "dime a dozen" poster again! I really hate that phrase, but there is a correlative point that is important. PPP, a top girl stats-wise from TJ should do well, but the stats are the base level for consideration, not the end all be all. If the stats are all she has, make sure you have plenty of target and safety schools (& I mean true targets and safeties). There is much to love about mid tier schools, and they may offer great merit to a high stats kid. If you want top-rated, name-prestige schools, she will have to stand out with national awards, great recs and school-specific fantastic essays if no other hooks. It can be done, but don't count on it. Even with these perks, have some targets and safeties in the mix. Also, consider what schools might be the best fit for her, and where she can shine. It might not be what you think. Mine did not apply to Harvard because she didn't like the competitive culture. She was fortunate enough to get into most of the tops schools she applied for, but she was prepared to go to one of the safeties (which was all she had for a long time) and found things to love about them. We are MCPS magnet.

The point is that for every high stat kid from tj in the top 25% of the class they are competing with at least 10+ equally high stat kids from throughout the US and the world, and of these the T5 or T10 will take maybe 1? The problem is that the T5s and T10s reserve between 10% and 20% of their class to academically dramatically underqualified students from the urm category

The supreme court review on the white/asian discrimination issue will be telling on which way the country will go on this topic, it could get worse, stay the same, or it could potentially get better for these high stat no hook white/asian kids depending on the result

if you think this is a problem and don't mention recruited athletes, then clearly your problem isn't a qualification one but that URMs aren't white or Asian.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD with GPA 4.52 (Junior year), 1580 SAT, all 5s in all her 8 APs from TJ with excellent ECs for CS, volunteering/community service and an internship did not get into any of the Ivies and waitlisted at CMU. Major - CS. Obviously we are disappointed. College admissions seems like a lottery.

Its not as much of a lottery as some try to convinces themselves

The ivies are seeking exceptionalism which could include but not necessarily be restricted to GPA and have distinguished themselves their multi-centuries consistent abilities to identify and select exceptional individuals

So the question is who should Harvard take, your kid who scored a 1580 or Al Gore who scored 1355. Your kid could certainly be more talented with better future success than Al Gore, but obviously Gore was a very successful admit by any measure. Other SAT scores:

George Bush: Yale (Governor, President + Veteran) - 1200
John Kerry: Yale (Senator, Secretary of State, etc. + US Navy veteran awarded the Silver Star and Bronze Star with valor) - 1190
Bill Clinton: Georgetown, not ivy but elite (Governor, President) - 1030
Al Franken: Harvard (Comedian, Senator) - 1020

Also, David Hogg was admitted to Harvard with a 1270

Not necessarily a fan of any of the above but objectively they seem to know how to identify and "pick" exceptional talent

You have listed "exceptional" talent in only one area - Leadership/Politics. My kid will definitely not be as exceptional as those you have listed in this field but her chosen field is CS .. She has academic and extra-curricular credentials to justify that she has the "potential" to be exceptional in her chosen field. I guess that should be acknowledged and accepted in atleast one of the top schools in my opinion.

Is she white? If so - thousands of others are ahead of her. I am sorry. She will do well in life because she works hard. Best.

NP. Thousands ahead of her? A female from the number 1 stem HS in the country at the top of her class in GPA? I don’t think so

Your extremely high stats kid is a dime a dozen in the very top schools’ applicant pool.

Ugh. Not the "dime a dozen" poster again! I really hate that phrase, but there is a correlative point that is important. PPP, a top girl stats-wise from TJ should do well, but the stats are the base level for consideration, not the end all be all. If the stats are all she has, make sure you have plenty of target and safety schools (& I mean true targets and safeties). There is much to love about mid tier schools, and they may offer great merit to a high stats kid. If you want top-rated, name-prestige schools, she will have to stand out with national awards, great recs and school-specific fantastic essays if no other hooks. It can be done, but don't count on it. Even with these perks, have some targets and safeties in the mix. Also, consider what schools might be the best fit for her, and where she can shine. It might not be what you think. Mine did not apply to Harvard because she didn't like the competitive culture. She was fortunate enough to get into most of the tops schools she applied for, but she was prepared to go to one of the safeties (which was all she had for a long time) and found things to love about them. We are MCPS magnet.

The point is that for every high stat kid from tj in the top 25% of the class they are competing with at least 10+ equally high stat kids from throughout the US and the world, and of these the T5 or T10 will take maybe 1? The problem is that the T5s and T10s reserve between 10% and 20% of their class to academically dramatically underqualified students from the urm category

The supreme court review on the white/asian discrimination issue will be telling on which way the country will go on this topic, it could get worse, stay the same, or it could potentially get better for these high stat no hook white/asian kids depending on the result

if you think this is a problem and don't mention recruited athletes, then clearly your problem isn't a qualification one but that URMs aren't white or Asian.

The ivy league was literally founded as an athletic league, its at the core of what the ivies are all about

As long as there are athletic teams they will continue to fill the rosters as they have done for centuries and in reality these scholar-athletes are usual more "talented" than the typical student

The problem with the urm policies is that there is an unofficial understanding that any urm grad has an asterisk next to his diploma because its widely known how/why they were admitted which is sad because there are likely some that would have succeed purely based on merit but stereotypes persist

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD with GPA 4.52 (Junior year), 1580 SAT, all 5s in all her 8 APs from TJ with excellent ECs for CS, volunteering/community service and an internship did not get into any of the Ivies and waitlisted at CMU. Major - CS. Obviously we are disappointed. College admissions seems like a lottery.

Its not as much of a lottery as some try to convinces themselves

The ivies are seeking exceptionalism which could include but not necessarily be restricted to GPA and have distinguished themselves their multi-centuries consistent abilities to identify and select exceptional individuals

So the question is who should Harvard take, your kid who scored a 1580 or Al Gore who scored 1355. Your kid could certainly be more talented with better future success than Al Gore, but obviously Gore was a very successful admit by any measure. Other SAT scores:

George Bush: Yale (Governor, President + Veteran) - 1200
John Kerry: Yale (Senator, Secretary of State, etc. + US Navy veteran awarded the Silver Star and Bronze Star with valor) - 1190
Bill Clinton: Georgetown, not ivy but elite (Governor, President) - 1030
Al Franken: Harvard (Comedian, Senator) - 1020

Also, David Hogg was admitted to Harvard with a 1270

Not necessarily a fan of any of the above but objectively they seem to know how to identify and "pick" exceptional talent

You have listed "exceptional" talent in only one area - Leadership/Politics. My kid will definitely not be as exceptional as those you have listed in this field but her chosen field is CS .. She has academic and extra-curricular credentials to justify that she has the "potential" to be exceptional in her chosen field. I guess that should be acknowledged and accepted in atleast one of the top schools in my opinion.

Is she white? If so - thousands of others are ahead of her. I am sorry. She will do well in life because she works hard. Best.

NP. Thousands ahead of her? A female from the number 1 stem HS in the country at the top of her class in GPA? I don’t think so

Your extremely high stats kid is a dime a dozen in the very top schools’ applicant pool.

Ugh. Not the "dime a dozen" poster again! I really hate that phrase, but there is a correlative point that is important. PPP, a top girl stats-wise from TJ should do well, but the stats are the base level for consideration, not the end all be all. If the stats are all she has, make sure you have plenty of target and safety schools (& I mean true targets and safeties). There is much to love about mid tier schools, and they may offer great merit to a high stats kid. If you want top-rated, name-prestige schools, she will have to stand out with national awards, great recs and school-specific fantastic essays if no other hooks. It can be done, but don't count on it. Even with these perks, have some targets and safeties in the mix. Also, consider what schools might be the best fit for her, and where she can shine. It might not be what you think. Mine did not apply to Harvard because she didn't like the competitive culture. She was fortunate enough to get into most of the tops schools she applied for, but she was prepared to go to one of the safeties (which was all she had for a long time) and found things to love about them. We are MCPS magnet.

The point is that for every high stat kid from tj in the top 25% of the class they are competing with at least 10+ equally high stat kids from throughout the US and the world, and of these the T5 or T10 will take maybe 1? The problem is that the T5s and T10s reserve between 10% and 20% of their class to academically dramatically underqualified students from the urm category

The supreme court review on the white/asian discrimination issue will be telling on which way the country will go on this topic, it could get worse, stay the same, or it could potentially get better for these high stat no hook white/asian kids depending on the result

if you think this is a problem and don't mention recruited athletes, then clearly your problem isn't a qualification one but that URMs aren't white or Asian.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD with GPA 4.52 (Junior year), 1580 SAT, all 5s in all her 8 APs from TJ with excellent ECs for CS, volunteering/community service and an internship did not get into any of the Ivies and waitlisted at CMU. Major - CS. Obviously we are disappointed. College admissions seems like a lottery.

Its not as much of a lottery as some try to convinces themselves

The ivies are seeking exceptionalism which could include but not necessarily be restricted to GPA and have distinguished themselves their multi-centuries consistent abilities to identify and select exceptional individuals

So the question is who should Harvard take, your kid who scored a 1580 or Al Gore who scored 1355. Your kid could certainly be more talented with better future success than Al Gore, but obviously Gore was a very successful admit by any measure. Other SAT scores:

George Bush: Yale (Governor, President + Veteran) - 1200
John Kerry: Yale (Senator, Secretary of State, etc. + US Navy veteran awarded the Silver Star and Bronze Star with valor) - 1190
Bill Clinton: Georgetown, not ivy but elite (Governor, President) - 1030
Al Franken: Harvard (Comedian, Senator) - 1020

Also, David Hogg was admitted to Harvard with a 1270

Not necessarily a fan of any of the above but objectively they seem to know how to identify and "pick" exceptional talent

You have listed "exceptional" talent in only one area - Leadership/Politics. My kid will definitely not be as exceptional as those you have listed in this field but her chosen field is CS .. She has academic and extra-curricular credentials to justify that she has the "potential" to be exceptional in her chosen field. I guess that should be acknowledged and accepted in atleast one of the top schools in my opinion.

Is she white? If so - thousands of others are ahead of her. I am sorry. She will do well in life because she works hard. Best.

NP. Thousands ahead of her? A female from the number 1 stem HS in the country at the top of her class in GPA? I don’t think so

Your extremely high stats kid is a dime a dozen in the very top schools’ applicant pool.

Ugh. Not the "dime a dozen" poster again! I really hate that phrase, but there is a correlative point that is important. PPP, a top girl stats-wise from TJ should do well, but the stats are the base level for consideration, not the end all be all. If the stats are all she has, make sure you have plenty of target and safety schools (& I mean true targets and safeties). There is much to love about mid tier schools, and they may offer great merit to a high stats kid. If you want top-rated, name-prestige schools, she will have to stand out with national awards, great recs and school-specific fantastic essays if no other hooks. It can be done, but don't count on it. Even with these perks, have some targets and safeties in the mix. Also, consider what schools might be the best fit for her, and where she can shine. It might not be what you think. Mine did not apply to Harvard because she didn't like the competitive culture. She was fortunate enough to get into most of the tops schools she applied for, but she was prepared to go to one of the safeties (which was all she had for a long time) and found things to love about them. We are MCPS magnet.

The point is that for every high stat kid from tj in the top 25% of the class they are competing with at least 10+ equally high stat kids from throughout the US and the world, and of these the T5 or T10 will take maybe 1? The problem is that the T5s and T10s reserve between 10% and 20% of their class to academically dramatically underqualified students from the urm category

The supreme court review on the white/asian discrimination issue will be telling on which way the country will go on this topic, it could get worse, stay the same, or it could potentially get better for these high stat no hook white/asian kids depending on the result

There is so much wrong w/ this. Firstly, have you been some of these top schools? They are heavily white and Asian. They NEED diversity to enhance the education! Secondly, what makes you think that URM admits are "under"qualified? When did you become the arbiter of "qualifications?" This notion that there is a specific bar based on testing (which is NOT an indicator of intelligence) and grades is a fallacy. While those are factors, there are other factors too. I suggest reading Jeff Selingo's book on college admissions. There are not set qualifications. These are (in many cases) private institutions who are building a class. They do not have quotas per school or for URMs for that matter, but they do want diversity. What different perspective will student X bring to the college? That's why no school wants all CS kids who do robotics. I'm sure TJ has more than 1 kid get into top schools in most years (I know of at least 5 from our magnet admitted to one top school alone). Stop playing the victim drama. If you want to stand out and appeal to top schools, diversify your kid's interests/skills. Show the school that your kid really loves that school with fantastic and specific essays. Some kids shoot the Ivies and top 10 for status, and it shows in their essays. It's not just about race. If you are going to be upset by admissions priorities, get upset by large donors and legacy admits!

Signed, White parent whose kid was admitted to several Ivy/T10.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD with GPA 4.52 (Junior year), 1580 SAT, all 5s in all her 8 APs from TJ with excellent ECs for CS, volunteering/community service and an internship did not get into any of the Ivies and waitlisted at CMU. Major - CS. Obviously we are disappointed. College admissions seems like a lottery.

Its not as much of a lottery as some try to convinces themselves

The ivies are seeking exceptionalism which could include but not necessarily be restricted to GPA and have distinguished themselves their multi-centuries consistent abilities to identify and select exceptional individuals

So the question is who should Harvard take, your kid who scored a 1580 or Al Gore who scored 1355. Your kid could certainly be more talented with better future success than Al Gore, but obviously Gore was a very successful admit by any measure. Other SAT scores:

George Bush: Yale (Governor, President + Veteran) - 1200
John Kerry: Yale (Senator, Secretary of State, etc. + US Navy veteran awarded the Silver Star and Bronze Star with valor) - 1190
Bill Clinton: Georgetown, not ivy but elite (Governor, President) - 1030
Al Franken: Harvard (Comedian, Senator) - 1020

Also, David Hogg was admitted to Harvard with a 1270

Not necessarily a fan of any of the above but objectively they seem to know how to identify and "pick" exceptional talent

You have listed "exceptional" talent in only one area - Leadership/Politics. My kid will definitely not be as exceptional as those you have listed in this field but her chosen field is CS .. She has academic and extra-curricular credentials to justify that she has the "potential" to be exceptional in her chosen field. I guess that should be acknowledged and accepted in atleast one of the top schools in my opinion.

Is she white? If so - thousands of others are ahead of her. I am sorry. She will do well in life because she works hard. Best.

NP. Thousands ahead of her? A female from the number 1 stem HS in the country at the top of her class in GPA? I don’t think so

Your extremely high stats kid is a dime a dozen in the very top schools’ applicant pool.

Ugh. Not the "dime a dozen" poster again! I really hate that phrase, but there is a correlative point that is important. PPP, a top girl stats-wise from TJ should do well, but the stats are the base level for consideration, not the end all be all. If the stats are all she has, make sure you have plenty of target and safety schools (& I mean true targets and safeties). There is much to love about mid tier schools, and they may offer great merit to a high stats kid. If you want top-rated, name-prestige schools, she will have to stand out with national awards, great recs and school-specific fantastic essays if no other hooks. It can be done, but don't count on it. Even with these perks, have some targets and safeties in the mix. Also, consider what schools might be the best fit for her, and where she can shine. It might not be what you think. Mine did not apply to Harvard because she didn't like the competitive culture. She was fortunate enough to get into most of the tops schools she applied for, but she was prepared to go to one of the safeties (which was all she had for a long time) and found things to love about them. We are MCPS magnet.

The point is that for every high stat kid from tj in the top 25% of the class they are competing with at least 10+ equally high stat kids from throughout the US and the world, and of these the T5 or T10 will take maybe 1? The problem is that the T5s and T10s reserve between 10% and 20% of their class to academically dramatically underqualified students from the urm category

The supreme court review on the white/asian discrimination issue will be telling on which way the country will go on this topic, it could get worse, stay the same, or it could potentially get better for these high stat no hook white/asian kids depending on the result

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD with GPA 4.52 (Junior year), 1580 SAT, all 5s in all her 8 APs from TJ with excellent ECs for CS, volunteering/community service and an internship did not get into any of the Ivies and waitlisted at CMU. Major - CS. Obviously we are disappointed. College admissions seems like a lottery.

Its not as much of a lottery as some try to convinces themselves

The ivies are seeking exceptionalism which could include but not necessarily be restricted to GPA and have distinguished themselves their multi-centuries consistent abilities to identify and select exceptional individuals

So the question is who should Harvard take, your kid who scored a 1580 or Al Gore who scored 1355. Your kid could certainly be more talented with better future success than Al Gore, but obviously Gore was a very successful admit by any measure. Other SAT scores:

George Bush: Yale (Governor, President + Veteran) - 1200
John Kerry: Yale (Senator, Secretary of State, etc. + US Navy veteran awarded the Silver Star and Bronze Star with valor) - 1190
Bill Clinton: Georgetown, not ivy but elite (Governor, President) - 1030
Al Franken: Harvard (Comedian, Senator) - 1020

Also, David Hogg was admitted to Harvard with a 1270

Not necessarily a fan of any of the above but objectively they seem to know how to identify and "pick" exceptional talent

You have listed "exceptional" talent in only one area - Leadership/Politics. My kid will definitely not be as exceptional as those you have listed in this field but her chosen field is CS .. She has academic and extra-curricular credentials to justify that she has the "potential" to be exceptional in her chosen field. I guess that should be acknowledged and accepted in atleast one of the top schools in my opinion.

Is she white? If so - thousands of others are ahead of her. I am sorry. She will do well in life because she works hard. Best.

NP. Thousands ahead of her? A female from the number 1 stem HS in the country at the top of her class in GPA? I don’t think so

Your extremely high stats kid is a dime a dozen in the very top schools’ applicant pool.

Ugh. Not the "dime a dozen" poster again! I really hate that phrase, but there is a correlative point that is important. PPP, a top girl stats-wise from TJ should do well, but the stats are the base level for consideration, not the end all be all. If the stats are all she has, make sure you have plenty of target and safety schools (& I mean true targets and safeties). There is much to love about mid tier schools, and they may offer great merit to a high stats kid. If you want top-rated, name-prestige schools, she will have to stand out with national awards, great recs and school-specific fantastic essays if no other hooks. It can be done, but don't count on it. Even with these perks, have some targets and safeties in the mix. Also, consider what schools might be the best fit for her, and where she can shine. It might not be what you think. Mine did not apply to Harvard because she didn't like the competitive culture. She was fortunate enough to get into most of the tops schools she applied for, but she was prepared to go to one of the safeties (which was all she had for a long time) and found things to love about them. We are MCPS magnet.

The point is that for every high stat kid from tj in the top 25% of the class they are competing with at least 10+ equally high stat kids from throughout the US and the world, and of these the T5 or T10 will take maybe 1? The problem is that the T5s and T10s reserve between 10% and 20% of their class to academically dramatically underqualified students from the urm category

The supreme court review on the white/asian discrimination issue will be telling on which way the country will go on this topic, it could get worse, stay the same, or it could potentially get better for these high stat no hook white/asian kids depending on the result

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Felt so sad reading this thread. My DC will likely have a GPA of 4.1-4.2 from TJ. It seems like NOVA community college is a real possibility now.

Not really. T30 is not going to happen with this GPA. But t40 is possible and a t50/60 is very likely if not guaranteed.

+1 Of course a TJ student with above a 4.0 will almost assuredly get into a very good school. I guess to some TJ parents, anything below a T(fill in the number) school is a complete failure so might as well go to NOVA. Talk about being melodramatic.

Isn't that how it is for all the "Big 3" or whatever private school families as well who essentially are paying for a medicore education and the school guidance counselor-college connection to get their lacrosse playing kid into an Ivy or a SLAC? Why is that OK but not this? Is that bias against the predominant Asian population at TJ or jealousy that your kid couldn't hack it there?

I stand corrected. You are right, ANY parent with that mentality - regardless of what school their DC attends - should drop the drama after a little venting. I don't agree, however, that private schools in general deliver a mediocre education. Depends on the school (but you know that).

In my opinion, majority of teachers in public schools are bad or mediocre, so I don’t think public schools are able to deliver a good education, just a mediocre one. My kids didn’t go to private schools but I would guess the teachers are better there.

All schools deliver good education. My point is that parents choose private schools primarily for the counselor connections and not necessarily for the education.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD with GPA 4.52 (Junior year), 1580 SAT, all 5s in all her 8 APs from TJ with excellent ECs for CS, volunteering/community service and an internship did not get into any of the Ivies and waitlisted at CMU. Major - CS. Obviously we are disappointed. College admissions seems like a lottery.

Its not as much of a lottery as some try to convinces themselves

The ivies are seeking exceptionalism which could include but not necessarily be restricted to GPA and have distinguished themselves their multi-centuries consistent abilities to identify and select exceptional individuals

So the question is who should Harvard take, your kid who scored a 1580 or Al Gore who scored 1355. Your kid could certainly be more talented with better future success than Al Gore, but obviously Gore was a very successful admit by any measure. Other SAT scores:

George Bush: Yale (Governor, President + Veteran) - 1200
John Kerry: Yale (Senator, Secretary of State, etc. + US Navy veteran awarded the Silver Star and Bronze Star with valor) - 1190
Bill Clinton: Georgetown, not ivy but elite (Governor, President) - 1030
Al Franken: Harvard (Comedian, Senator) - 1020

Also, David Hogg was admitted to Harvard with a 1270

Not necessarily a fan of any of the above but objectively they seem to know how to identify and "pick" exceptional talent

You have listed "exceptional" talent in only one area - Leadership/Politics. My kid will definitely not be as exceptional as those you have listed in this field but her chosen field is CS .. She has academic and extra-curricular credentials to justify that she has the "potential" to be exceptional in her chosen field. I guess that should be acknowledged and accepted in atleast one of the top schools in my opinion.

Is she white? If so - thousands of others are ahead of her. I am sorry. She will do well in life because she works hard. Best.

NP. Thousands ahead of her? A female from the number 1 stem HS in the country at the top of her class in GPA? I don’t think so

Your extremely high stats kid is a dime a dozen in the very top schools’ applicant pool.

Ugh. Not the "dime a dozen" poster again! I really hate that phrase, but there is a correlative point that is important. PPP, a top girl stats-wise from TJ should do well, but the stats are the base level for consideration, not the end all be all. If the stats are all she has, make sure you have plenty of target and safety schools (& I mean true targets and safeties). There is much to love about mid tier schools, and they may offer great merit to a high stats kid. If you want top-rated, name-prestige schools, she will have to stand out with national awards, great recs and school-specific fantastic essays if no other hooks. It can be done, but don't count on it. Even with these perks, have some targets and safeties in the mix. Also, consider what schools might be the best fit for her, and where she can shine. It might not be what you think. Mine did not apply to Harvard because she didn't like the competitive culture. She was fortunate enough to get into most of the tops schools she applied for, but she was prepared to go to one of the safeties (which was all she had for a long time) and found things to love about them. We are MCPS magnet.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Felt so sad reading this thread. My DC will likely have a GPA of 4.1-4.2 from TJ. It seems like NOVA community college is a real possibility now.

Not really. T30 is not going to happen with this GPA. But t40 is possible and a t50/60 is very likely if not guaranteed.

+1 Of course a TJ student with above a 4.0 will almost assuredly get into a very good school. I guess to some TJ parents, anything below a T(fill in the number) school is a complete failure so might as well go to NOVA. Talk about being melodramatic.

Isn't that how it is for all the "Big 3" or whatever private school families as well who essentially are paying for a medicore education and the school guidance counselor-college connection to get their lacrosse playing kid into an Ivy or a SLAC? Why is that OK but not this? Is that bias against the predominant Asian population at TJ or jealousy that your kid couldn't hack it there?

I stand corrected. You are right, ANY parent with that mentality - regardless of what school their DC attends - should drop the drama after a little venting. I don't agree, however, that private schools in general deliver a mediocre education. Depends on the school (but you know that).

In my opinion, majority of teachers in public schools are bad or mediocre, so I don’t think public schools are able to deliver a good education, just a mediocre one. My kids didn’t go to private schools but I would guess the teachers are better there.

All schools deliver good education. My point is that parents choose private schools primarily for the counselor connections and not necessarily for the education.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Felt so sad reading this thread. My DC will likely have a GPA of 4.1-4.2 from TJ. It seems like NOVA community college is a real possibility now.

Not really. T30 is not going to happen with this GPA. But t40 is possible and a t50/60 is very likely if not guaranteed.

+1 Of course a TJ student with above a 4.0 will almost assuredly get into a very good school. I guess to some TJ parents, anything below a T(fill in the number) school is a complete failure so might as well go to NOVA. Talk about being melodramatic.

Isn't that how it is for all the "Big 3" or whatever private school families as well who essentially are paying for a medicore education and the school guidance counselor-college connection to get their lacrosse playing kid into an Ivy or a SLAC? Why is that OK but not this? Is that bias against the predominant Asian population at TJ or jealousy that your kid couldn't hack it there?

I stand corrected. You are right, ANY parent with that mentality - regardless of what school their DC attends - should drop the drama after a little venting. I don't agree, however, that private schools in general deliver a mediocre education. Depends on the school (but you know that).