Anonymous
Post 02/11/2026 10:45     Subject: Do unhooked ever get into to 20 schools?
My DC got into 2, T20 schools last year (c/o 2025). He was unhooked at one (legacy at the other in a school that considers legacy).
Anonymous
Post 02/11/2026 10:42     Subject: Do unhooked ever get into to 20 schools?
How can you tell your ranking from MCPS they don’t do it do they? My son said they absolutely don’t give them class ranking information.
Anonymous
Post 02/11/2026 10:36     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?


Definitely from our NJ private
Anonymous
Post 02/11/2026 10:35     Subject: Do unhooked ever get into to 20 schools?
Use Naviance op, no one here knows how your school does at Vandy.
Anonymous
Post 02/11/2026 10:32     Subject: Do unhooked ever get into to 20 schools?
Yes, it's possible. It also depends what you mean by "hooked."

There are the usual hooks like FGLI, donor, or athlete. But each school also has institutional priorities. Cornell takes more kids from NY, UPenn prioritizes kids from Philly or LGBTQ, Notre Dame takes a lot of kids from Catholic schools, etc.

Do you consider being the HS valedictorian a hook, or merely having the stats to get in? How about having pointy ECs? Is that a hook or just what it takes to be considered?

If your kid has the stats and ECs, then they have a chance - even if it's a slim one.
Anonymous
Post 02/11/2026 10:08     Subject: Do unhooked ever get into to 20 schools?
Yes, my unhooked public school DC was just accepted to Northwestern ED. But as pointed out by another poster, it’s important to know where your student stands as compared with the rest of the class. Applying to Vanderbilt with all of the other top students is a huge risk absent a major differentiating factor (EC’s).
Anonymous
Post 02/11/2026 09:59     Subject: Do unhooked ever get into to 20 schools?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
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/


Do you think these programs help? I have a kid interested in history and I am just not sure they do.


It helps to show alignment with major and gives you good concrete, niche and specific sub-time period material for a Why Major essay. However, if the kid has a ton of other evidence for major, no it won't make it difference. Imo it helps if your kid's ECs are simple a few common schools clubs.
Try and get an internship at a museum too. That helps with a good story for a history boy.
Anonymous
Post 02/11/2026 09:50     Subject: Do unhooked ever get into to 20 schools?
Anonymous wrote:
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/


Do you think these programs help? I have a kid interested in history and I am just not sure they do.
Anonymous
Post 02/11/2026 09:48     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?


No, I said he wants to ED to Duke -- meaning his plan is to apply to Duke ED. He is a junior.
Anonymous
Post 02/11/2026 09:46     Subject: Do unhooked ever get into to 20 schools?
Anonymous wrote:I have two unhooked MCPS students that went on to top 20 schools. These were the schools we found to be possible for unhooked applicants -

MIT
Northwestern
Cornell
Vanderbilt
Rice
Chicago
CalTech
Columbia
Johns Hopkins
Notre Dame
Berkeley
Anonymous
Post 02/11/2026 09:45     Subject: Do unhooked ever get into to 20 schools?
Anonymous wrote:I have two unhooked MCPS students that went on to top 20 schools. These were the schools we found to be possible for unhooked applicants -

MIT
Northwestern
Cornell
Vanderbilt
Rice
Chicago
CalTech
Columbia
Johns Hopkins
Notre Dame
Berkeley


NP MIT and Caltech mostly accept kids with competitions and national awards so aren’t those essentially hooks?

Chicago only take kids who can pay for ED0 form their expensive summer camps or ED1, so that’s a hook.
Anonymous
Post 02/11/2026 09:45     Subject: Do unhooked ever get into to 20 schools?
UCLA
Anonymous
Post 02/11/2026 09:43     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?

Unless he compares very favorably with the “rest of the class” applying to Vanderbilt, an ED there is a big mistake. The only top 20 kid has a decent chance for (and then still not probable) is Chicago. Duke is a wasted application. History at JHU is possible, at least, with an ED1 (but smaller chances than Chicago). WashU ED, Michigan ED might work. UVA ED. That’s all I got…
Anonymous
Post 02/11/2026 09:38     Subject: Do unhooked ever get into to 20 schools?
Anonymous wrote:I have two unhooked MCPS students that went on to top 20 schools. These were the schools we found to be possible for unhooked applicants -

MIT
Northwestern
Cornell
Vanderbilt
Rice
Chicago
CalTech
Columbia
Johns Hopkins
Notre Dame
Berkeley


I'd add Michigan; and WashU and Emory (depending on ED use).
Anonymous
Post 02/11/2026 09:37     Subject: Do unhooked ever get into to 20 schools?
I have two unhooked MCPS students that went on to top 20 schools. These were the schools we found to be possible for unhooked applicants -

MIT
Northwestern
Cornell
Vanderbilt
Rice
Chicago
CalTech
Columbia
Johns Hopkins
Notre Dame
Berkeley