Anonymous
11/29/2025 18:37
Subject: Schools for above average kids
Anonymous wrote:It is the naturally talented ones. There are plenty of them. Super smart, near perfect PSAT or SAT without much of any prep, always 99% or 99.9+ on standardized tests, even top private or magnet high schools are not terribly hard to make all As.
I don’t think there are many of them. From all the schools my DC attended, public and private, I can’t name a single kid like that.
All kids with high stats I know had to work really hard to get there.
My friend’s son is maybe like this. He got all As effortlessly while spending all his free time playing video games. He also effortlessly got 5s on most difficult APs. He got a high ACT score effortlessly, but not perfect.
He didn’t get into any top schools. I think because he didn’t work on having good ECs and was too lazy to write essays.
Another friend’s daughter the same age is not as talented, she had to grind. But she got into JHU.
Anonymous
11/29/2025 18:35
Subject: Schools for above average kids
Blah blah being clever at multiple choice tests is not the same as being able to write long papers and wrestle with big hard problem sets.
Anonymous
11/29/2025 18:33
Subject: Schools for above average kids
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:What schools are good for kids who are above average- mostly As, 1450-1500 SAT, but not Ivy material?
Just looking for good fundamentals, good college experience and trying to avoid competitive, cut throat environments and schools that grind you.
Here is the center of the problem for schools being called "grindy" :it is all relative to the student!
A 1450-1500 student is certainly going to be below average at an ivy (or Stanford, Hopkins, Duke), and depending on the major or specific school they may feel as though they have to grind all the time to keep up. Or they may not feel that way, if they are in a major that has easier grading and they do not overload their semesters.
A 1570+/5s on all hard APs kid at an ivy, even schools that get mentioned on DCUM for being grindy, may be well above the medians, making As when the median is B, even in difficult majors, and have time for fun/EC. These kids do not describe their schools as grindy or cutthroat because they are not particularly overwhelmed by the academics.
My ivy was know for being cutthroat for premed. Neither I nor any of my friends who made it to med school thought it was cutthroat, and quite a few were BME and premed. The ones who complained about grind /cutthroat culture dropped premed or got a C or two and had to crank up the grind to get the grades to eventually get in. IME, "cutthroat" is complained about when you are average or below average hence you view the majority of other students as intense competition. The rock stars find difficult course/curricula quite doable, they are above the medians and often are surprised some classmates actually study harder yet remain below average. You are correct yours will not be a rock star or even average at an ivy, it is best to aim lower.
For ivy-feel but where 1450-1500 places you solidly top half maybe top 1/4, therefore less grindy feel for your kid:
William&Mary, BC, Notre Dame, Emory, Wake. Maybe Vanderbilt now that they take so many TO.
UVA for bigger with more sports atmosphere, different than ivy because the classes are larger, but not huge school, your kid would still be top half easily.
UCLA or Michigan for big rah rah schools where 1450-1500 puts you top 1/3 easily.
No they wouldn’t. They’d be pretty average if it weren’t for test optional. The SAT isn’t a strong indicator of your ability to do Quantum Mechanics.
Having trouble with algebra and reading is a strong indicator of inability to do quantum mechanics.
(Obviously there's a partial exception for native speakers of non-English who can read better in their native language than English)
There are also a lot majors that don't require quantum mechanics!