There is great deflation at private schools. The defenders of the practice say that it is intellectually honest and ultimately college admissions recognize and even reward such rigor. If you are talking about an Ivy or school that can actually spend quality time to absorb an application and engage in a "holistic" process (e.g., SLACs), I agree. The problem arises for students who desire to attend large state universities. The OOS slots are limited in the first place. They are flooded by a sea of applicants. Admissions needs some way to stem the tide, and they take a very black and white approach to culling the herd -- based on GPA and class rank. In normal times, a Big 3 kid who was not in the top ten percent and with a GPA of 3.5 (i.e., the vast majority of the class) had a fighting chance because he/she often had a high standardized test score to balance out the picture. Without these scores now, most 3.5 applicants are quickly tossed aside.

It will be a brutal year for Big 3 college admissions.

I'm sure the combination of public schools giving almost anymore who did any work last year an A (I know because I have public school kids as well as my private school kid) plus colleges being test optional will uniquely boost many public school applicants this year and next.

So it's not an issue of private school applicants bring HURT, it's that thousands upon thousands of previously middle-of-the-road public applicants now being HELPED. (I.e. they would have been mediocre applicants without the extra of bonus straight As and If they had been required to take the SAT. Now they look like tippy-top candidates.

Basically the applicant pool of top public candidates
just greatly enlarged so they will take a larger percentage of the available spots than in years prior.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone I’ve heard from is basically not getting in where they thought they would due in part to a lot more applicants than expected.

I think it has more to do with test optional. Let’s all those grade inflators (public schools) benefit and those grade deflators (big 3) get hurt. I predict worst college placement for the Cathedral schools as their insistence on not inflating grades like everyone else will hurt their students in a way that they will reconsider their anemic approach to giving an A.

Honestly, at some point, if what you are saying is true about Big 3 kids being disadvantaged is true, it will ruin the business model of these schools, and they will be forced to change. No one is going to pay 45K+ for the chance to lose out to public school kids of grading differences. The education is often really good but not that good.

The education is great. Full stop. But not playing the grade inflation game, when everyone is playing it, hurts college admissions chances. Full stop.

This whining has got to stop. The colleges and universities are all familiar with Washington’s tops schools and understand the grading disparities. This is simply a non issue that folks hold onto to get over the insecurities of their children not receiving offers from the top schools.

I think this is correct. The grading differences are NOT new. I went to a top boarding school in the 90s. Each year, only about 7% kids graduated with an average above 90. People were complaining about the same grading issues too at that time.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lots of UVA ED disappointment yesterday.

If true this is very interesting because everyone I know from FCPS got in.
it appears it was a much easier year than normal for FCPS kids--in years past they needed something like a 4.5 (weighted) and 1500+. This year I know quite a few with stats like a 4.1 weighted and an under 1400 SAT.

From what I've heard (caveat - through DD) those who did not get in were all out of state.

Give the pandemic's impact, UVA as a state school SHOULD be accepting in-state kids right now over OOS kids.

Why? UVA will get more tuition dollars from OOS kids, right? I thought in a pandemic they will need more money.

Because they are a state school, and there are many, many families who need in-state prices right now.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone I’ve heard from is basically not getting in where they thought they would due in part to a lot more applicants than expected.

I think it has more to do with test optional. Let’s all those grade inflators (public schools) benefit and those grade deflators (big 3) get hurt. I predict worst college placement for the Cathedral schools as their insistence on not inflating grades like everyone else will hurt their students in a way that they will reconsider their anemic approach to giving an A.

Honestly, at some point, if what you are saying is true about Big 3 kids being disadvantaged is true, it will ruin the business model of these schools, and they will be forced to change. No one is going to pay 45K+ for the chance to lose out to public school kids of grading differences. The education is often really good but not that good.

The education is great. Full stop. But not playing the grade inflation game, when everyone is playing it, hurts college admissions chances. Full stop.

This whining has got to stop. The colleges and universities are all familiar with Washington’s tops schools and understand the grading disparities. This is simply a non issue that folks hold onto to get over the insecurities of their children not receiving offers from the top schools.

UVA has minimum requirements on taking in state students. I think they then prefer OOS for tuition.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lots of UVA ED disappointment yesterday.

If true this is very interesting because everyone I know from FCPS got in.
it appears it was a much easier year than normal for FCPS kids--in years past they needed something like a 4.5 (weighted) and 1500+. This year I know quite a few with stats like a 4.1 weighted and an under 1400 SAT.

From what I've heard (caveat - through DD) those who did not get in were all out of state.

Give the pandemic's impact, UVA as a state school SHOULD be accepting in-state kids right now over OOS kids.

Why? UVA will get more tuition dollars from OOS kids, right? I thought in a pandemic they will need more money.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone I’ve heard from is basically not getting in where they thought they would due in part to a lot more applicants than expected.

I think it has more to do with test optional. Let’s all those grade inflators (public schools) benefit and those grade deflators (big 3) get hurt. I predict worst college placement for the Cathedral schools as their insistence on not inflating grades like everyone else will hurt their students in a way that they will reconsider their anemic approach to giving an A.

Honestly, at some point, if what you are saying is true about Big 3 kids being disadvantaged is true, it will ruin the business model of these schools, and they will be forced to change. No one is going to pay 45K+ for the chance to lose out to public school kids of grading differences. The education is often really good but not that good.

The education is great. Full stop. But not playing the grade inflation game, when everyone is playing it, hurts college admissions chances. Full stop.

+100

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone I’ve heard from is basically not getting in where they thought they would due in part to a lot more applicants than expected.

I think it has more to do with test optional. Let’s all those grade inflators (public schools) benefit and those grade deflators (big 3) get hurt. I predict worst college placement for the Cathedral schools as their insistence on not inflating grades like everyone else will hurt their students in a way that they will reconsider their anemic approach to giving an A.

Honestly, at some point, if what you are saying is true about Big 3 kids being disadvantaged is true, it will ruin the business model of these schools, and they will be forced to change. No one is going to pay 45K+ for the chance to lose out to public school kids of grading differences. The education is often really good but not that good.

The education is great. Full stop. But not playing the grade inflation game, when everyone is playing it, hurts college admissions chances. Full stop.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lots of UVA ED disappointment yesterday.

If true this is very interesting because everyone I know from FCPS got in.
it appears it was a much easier year than normal for FCPS kids--in years past they needed something like a 4.5 (weighted) and 1500+. This year I know quite a few with stats like a 4.1 weighted and an under 1400 SAT.

From what I've heard (caveat - through DD) those who did not get in were all out of state.

Give the pandemic's impact, UVA as a state school SHOULD be accepting in-state kids right now over OOS kids.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone I’ve heard from is basically not getting in where they thought they would due in part to a lot more applicants than expected.

I think it has more to do with test optional. Let’s all those grade inflators (public schools) benefit and those grade deflators (big 3) get hurt. I predict worst college placement for the Cathedral schools as their insistence on not inflating grades like everyone else will hurt their students in a way that they will reconsider their anemic approach to giving an A.

Honestly, at some point, if what you are saying is true about Big 3 kids being disadvantaged is true, it will ruin the business model of these schools, and they will be forced to change. No one is going to pay 45K+ for the chance to lose out to public school kids of grading differences. The education is often really good but not that good.

Anonymous wrote:Everyone I’ve heard from is basically not getting in where they thought they would due in part to a lot more applicants than expected.

I think it has more to do with test optional. Let’s all those grade inflators (public schools) benefit and those grade deflators (big 3) get hurt. I predict worst college placement for the Cathedral schools as their insistence on not inflating grades like everyone else will hurt their students in a way that they will reconsider their anemic approach to giving an A.

Everyone I’ve heard from is basically not getting in where they thought they would due in part to a lot more applicants than expected.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lots of UVA ED disappointment yesterday.

Because they got in and have to go?

Not commenting on UVA specifically, but it is curious to see how often there is "buyer's remorse" in the ED game.

Is it even competitive?

Anonymous wrote:It's that time of year. Please share your Big 3 kid's college results (the good, the bad, and the ugly).

You first bitcg