It's just more pronounced at STA because there are so many kids who are Ivy legacies. Many of them are also super smart (near the top of the class) and accomplished. Those are the Ivy admits this year.

This is a bit of a generalization.

The College Counseling at STA and places like STA are precisely why we pay a ridiculous amount of tuition. My DD went to a VA public and it's night and day the amount of time, effort, guidance, reviewing of applications/personal essays, and reach outs to colleges to tip or otherwise advocate for an applicant that STA counselors typically devote.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, my son has a 91 GPA at St. Alban's with a 1540 SAT score. Are Ivies or other top 20 schools realistic for him to aim for?

In your experience, where do kids with these grades from St. Alban's end up?

They could go to a lot of top schools but they need good college direction to do that and only some kids at St. Albans get good college direction. Others have no direction at all and their recommendation letters from their teachers are not even looked at and there’s no strategizing whatsoever. If you’re lucky enough to be important enough to get the proper direction you need and guidance then you’ll probably go to a top school. Many kids got into top schools from St. Albans but it wasn’t because of St. Albans it was because of the kids and the parents and families connections and legacy status. We were not happy with the college process at all.

Everyone needs to read and internalize this, as PP is exactly correct. This is true of ALL PRIVATE SCHOOLS, btw, not just STA.

It's also true of publics around here.


It's just more pronounced at STA because there are so many kids who are Ivy legacies. Many of them are also super smart (near the top of the class) and accomplished. Those are the Ivy admits this year.

You're spinning your own story just like the CCO is.
College counseling says "everything fine". You and others keep saying: "many disappointed". No one is giving more info.
It's very difficult to figure out what is going on.
-parent of form V boy


How about this: Is it really any of your business what is going on?

I hope the last comment is not an STA parent.

I think if you read all of the posts here, you will get a clear picture of 2023 class results. Most of the information in this thread is fairly accurate.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any parents of STA seniors care to share the real inside scoop? I heard the CCO always tell parents "in the end everything works out". Sometimes it does not, if you have your Top 5/6 kids not getting into at least the bottom Ivy's.

Everything did not work out this year so stop spinning. Lots of disappointment all around.

You're spinning your own story just like the CCO is.
College counseling says "everything fine". You and others keep saying: "many disappointed". No one is giving more info.
It's very difficult to figure out what is going on.
-parent of form V boy

How about this: Is it really any of your business what is going on?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, my son has a 91 GPA at St. Alban's with a 1540 SAT score. Are Ivies or other top 20 schools realistic for him to aim for?

In your experience, where do kids with these grades from St. Alban's end up?

They could go to a lot of top schools but they need good college direction to do that and only some kids at St. Albans get good college direction. Others have no direction at all and their recommendation letters from their teachers are not even looked at and there’s no strategizing whatsoever. If you’re lucky enough to be important enough to get the proper direction you need and guidance then you’ll probably go to a top school. Many kids got into top schools from St. Albans but it wasn’t because of St. Albans it was because of the kids and the parents and families connections and legacy status. We were not happy with the college process at all.

Everyone needs to read and internalize this, as PP is exactly correct. This is true of ALL PRIVATE SCHOOLS, btw, not just STA.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, my son has a 91 GPA at St. Alban's with a 1540 SAT score. Are Ivies or other top 20 schools realistic for him to aim for?

In your experience, where do kids with these grades from St. Alban's end up?

They could go to a lot of top schools but they need good college direction to do that and only some kids at St. Albans get good college direction. Others have no direction at all and their recommendation letters from their teachers are not even looked at and there’s no strategizing whatsoever. If you’re lucky enough to be important enough to get the proper direction you need and guidance then you’ll probably go to a top school. Many kids got into top schools from St. Albans but it wasn’t because of St. Albans it was because of the kids and the parents and families connections and legacy status. We were not happy with the college process at all.

Totally agree! Parents need to be on top of the process. Do not think for one minute that your DS can get it done with only the help of CCO.

They could go to a lot of top schools but they need good college direction to do that and only some kids at St. Albans get good college direction. Others have no direction at all and their recommendation letters from their teachers are not even looked at and there’s no strategizing whatsoever. If you’re lucky enough to be important enough to get the proper direction you need and guidance then you’ll probably go to a top school. Many kids got into top schools from St. Albans but it wasn’t because of St. Albans it was because of the kids and the parents and families connections and legacy status. We were not happy with the college process at all.

I don’t really follow this. Who is supposed to look at recommendation letters? The CCO does help each student compile a list with schools in three categories in the spring of junior year, and that list is revisited. Is that the strategizing you mean? College counselors also seem to be fairly accessible to students throughout the process. It is true that many kids benefitted from family connections, including legacy, but that has been pointed out many times on this thread and is not unique to STA.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, my son has a 91 GPA at St. Alban's with a 1540 SAT score. Are Ivies or other top 20 schools realistic for him to aim for?

In your experience, where do kids with these grades from St. Alban's end up?

They could go to a lot of top schools but they need good college direction to do that and only some kids at St. Albans get good college direction. Others have no direction at all and their recommendation letters from their teachers are not even looked at and there’s no strategizing whatsoever. If you’re lucky enough to be important enough to get the proper direction you need and guidance then you’ll probably go to a top school. Many kids got into top schools from St. Albans but it wasn’t because of St. Albans it was because of the kids and the parents and families connections and legacy status. We were not happy with the college process at all.

I think you're talking about two different things here.
1) kids getting into better schools because they're more important to the CCO.
2) kids getting into better schools because their parents are legacy at top universities or their parents have connections in life (they're VIPs, etc).

I haven't seen #1 take place at STA. I've seen plenty of kids from prominent STA donor families go to crummier colleges.

#2 definitely happens but that's just life in 2023 from any high school. There is just a higher percentage of legacies and VIP parents at a place like STA.

I think #1 and #2 get confused because there is a lot of overlap between parent prominence at STA and parent legacy status at elite institutions.

Anonymous wrote:So, my son has a 91 GPA at St. Alban's with a 1540 SAT score. Are Ivies or other top 20 schools realistic for him to aim for?

In your experience, where do kids with these grades from St. Alban's end up?

They could go to a lot of top schools but they need good college direction to do that and only some kids at St. Albans get good college direction. Others have no direction at all and their recommendation letters from their teachers are not even looked at and there’s no strategizing whatsoever. If you’re lucky enough to be important enough to get the proper direction you need and guidance then you’ll probably go to a top school. Many kids got into top schools from St. Albans but it wasn’t because of St. Albans it was because of the kids and the parents and families connections and legacy status. We were not happy with the college process at all.

Anonymous wrote:7 more ivy’s that they are not athletes but still deciding .
Great options!!
The rest of commit athletes for other schools including Duke

Are you totally making this up?

That’s incorrect!!

7 more ivy’s that they are not athletes but still deciding .
Great options!!
The rest of commit athletes for other schools including Duke

Is this correct? I thought almost all of the other Ivy admits were during ED so they would be bound to go and not still deciding.

7 more ivy’s that they are not athletes but still deciding .
Great options!!
The rest of commit athletes for other schools including Duke

^ maybe 1 rowing at Dartmouth?