Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think a lot of our frustration as parents comes from our own outdated understanding of the landscape, which is radically different today. Most of the misunderstanding probably surrounds the idea of "high stats kids" because we are using the metrics and SAT scales from the 90s. It is pretty sobering to realize that an estimated 20,000 students will score at ~1530 or above every year in one sitting (top 1%). With superscoring, that number of students will be even higher. This varies by school type, but I have also seen estimates that nearly 50% of US students will graduate high school with overall averages in the A range.

This! 1530 is the new 1400. 4.0 is the new B. The scary thing is you can't differentiate futher among the ones with 1530+ and 4.0 on numbers. It creates a delusion of "high stats kids."

Anonymous wrote:I think a lot of our frustration as parents comes from our own outdated understanding of the landscape, which is radically different today. Most of the misunderstanding probably surrounds the idea of "high stats kids" because we are using the metrics and SAT scales from the 90s. It is pretty sobering to realize that an estimated 20,000 students will score at ~1530 or above every year in one sitting (top 1%). With superscoring, that number of students will be even higher. This varies by school type, but I have also seen estimates that nearly 50% of US students will graduate high school with overall averages in the A range.

Anonymous wrote:I think a lot of our frustration as parents comes from our own outdated understanding of the landscape, which is radically different today. Most of the misunderstanding probably surrounds the idea of "high stats kids" because we are using the metrics and SAT scales from the 90s. It is pretty sobering to realize that an estimated 20,000 students will score at ~1530 or above every year in one sitting (top 1%). With superscoring, that number of students will be even higher. This varies by school type, but I have also seen estimates that nearly 50% of US students will graduate high school with overall averages in the A range.

Anonymous wrote:Just here to concur with a pp a few pages back: If possible have your high stat kid visit the dream schools before making ED/REA/EA decisions. We did that just last week, saw every Ivy from Boston to Philadelphia, and it really helped de-mystify some of these schools for my kid. Harvard/Cambridge was the only place he could truly see himself living for 4 years.

After some deliberation, he's decided not to take the chance of missing out ED at a top college where he has a v good chance of acceptance acc to his school counselor.

Got this text from him just this morning - it's kind of long, but shows his thinking about this issue over the past few days.

I don't think it's smart to apply to a lot of schools right now. I think [the top school he will ED to] is an excellent school for my career, has all the opportunities I need, access to [our closest urban area] which is where I want to work ultimately.

HYPSM would be cool and it would be developmentally good for me to live somewhere else for a while but the admissions process is insane and unnecessarily stressful. I didn't even like most of the schools better than [his ED school] and I will focus now on building my knowledge, networking opportunities here.

If I was a super cracked applicant or had lots of interest in other t20 schools it would be different. But I'll let everyone else fuss with writing 40 essays or doing 20 apps senior year and I will skip all the drama.

My [ED school] will open doors for me just as well as Harvard, especially with [the intended major/program he's excited about] and where I plan to live/work after college.

The trip we made was exhausting but well worth this conclusion. Cant tell you how much I was dreading all the essays and, yes, drama, he was setting himself up for, along with a "devious" (as the kids say) senior year schedule. He does have 2 or 3 back-ups (will EA ) that he'd be happy to attend if this school doesn't work out.

I don't think it's smart to apply to a lot of schools right now. I think [the top school he will ED to] is an excellent school for my career, has all the opportunities I need, access to [our closest urban area] which is where I want to work ultimately.

HYPSM would be cool and it would be developmentally good for me to live somewhere else for a while but the admissions process is insane and unnecessarily stressful. I didn't even like most of the schools better than [his ED school] and I will focus now on building my knowledge, networking opportunities here.

If I was a super cracked applicant or had lots of interest in other t20 schools it would be different. But I'll let everyone else fuss with writing 40 essays or doing 20 apps senior year and I will skip all the drama.

My [ED school] will open doors for me just as well as Harvard, especially with [the intended major/program he's excited about] and where I plan to live/work after college.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It appears that it is harder to get into college than when we all applied. But what about for the very high stats kids?

Can some of you please share how it went for your child who went through the process if your kid was max rigor, 1550 plus, top grades, great but not national award winning extracurricular.

My child is having trouble finishing up their college lists and part of the reason is we really just have no idea how it will all go with the reach schools. We also don't know what school is "worth" taking your shot early. This child will be happiest with an intense, highly academic crowd.

This was my kid. He’s attending UMDCP. No luck at any of the highly ranked privates but in the end I think he wound up right where he’s supposed to be. Good luck!

Same for my super high stats DC (higher than OP's kid). They are pretty happy there. Bonus for going to UMD in state is that UMD took most of their credits - 56 total, and got merit. They will have two bachelors and +1 masters in 4 years for under $130K.

Got a great internship, having a blast, and making decent money.

It was an ego hit when they were rejected to T15, but in the end, they said they are at where they are meant to be, and they are happy. I have seen DC grow in the past 2 years while in college, and it's been an amazing journey for DC.

Do you ever feel that as a parent you could have done more ? Or, feel like you have failed..

PP here. No. I actually told DC that they needed to cultivate their E.C.s better and do more non academic activities if they wanted to shoot for T15. They thought they knew better than me, and relied on their high stats too much. DC recently told me that I was right about all of it, but even so, they are happy where they are at.

And honestly, I mean .. really honestly... knowing DC, I am not sure they would've been happy at MIT or CMU (those were the two schools that DC really wanted). DC was never a go getter (obviously) or highly curious about anything. They were just a really smart but immature kid. They matured this last year a lot (now 20), and now they are a go getter, but they weren't in HS. So, they weren't MIT/CMU material in that sense. Plus, I really think this was an ego thing for DC.

My kids (and us parents) are all late bloomers, so I don't know if that impacted DC's view of the college app process, but I was not going to be the tiger parent who did everything for them, or force them to do things to get them into the MIT/CMUs T15. If they weren't ready on their own, I wasn't going to force it.

DC has a 4.0 in college as a dual CS/math major (yea, the CS major made college admissions harder); they have a great internship and is having a blast there. They made some good friends outside of their HS group in college. DC had some social issues this past year due to their immaturity, but again, they also grew a lot this past year.

So, no, I can't say I feel like I failed. They are getting 3 STEM degrees in 4 years, under $130K. My bank account feels immensely relieved, and I'm really happy for DC. I have a second DC looking to go oos because UMD doesn't have their major. Go figure.

Anonymous wrote:It appears that it is harder to get into college than when we all applied. But what about for the very high stats kids?

Can some of you please share how it went for your child who went through the process if your kid was max rigor, 1550 plus, top grades, great but not national award winning extracurricular.

My child is having trouble finishing up their college lists and part of the reason is we really just have no idea how it will all go with the reach schools. We also don't know what school is "worth" taking your shot early. This child will be happiest with an intense, highly academic crowd.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It appears that it is harder to get into college than when we all applied. But what about for the very high stats kids?

Can some of you please share how it went for your child who went through the process if your kid was max rigor, 1550 plus, top grades, great but not national award winning extracurricular.

My child is having trouble finishing up their college lists and part of the reason is we really just have no idea how it will all go with the reach schools. We also don't know what school is "worth" taking your shot early. This child will be happiest with an intense, highly academic crowd.

This was my kid. He’s attending UMDCP. No luck at any of the highly ranked privates but in the end I think he wound up right where he’s supposed to be. Good luck!

Same for my super high stats DC (higher than OP's kid). They are pretty happy there. Bonus for going to UMD in state is that UMD took most of their credits - 56 total, and got merit. They will have two bachelors and +1 masters in 4 years for under $130K.

Got a great internship, having a blast, and making decent money.

It was an ego hit when they were rejected to T15, but in the end, they said they are at where they are meant to be, and they are happy. I have seen DC grow in the past 2 years while in college, and it's been an amazing journey for DC.

Do you ever feel that as a parent you could have done more ? Or, feel like you have failed..

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:LCPS 2024
4.0/4.7 - 1530
5s on 12 AP exams and one 3 APUSH
AFROTC type 1 scholarship
No sports, no volunteering, no clubs
Applied to engineering
Rejected: Rice, Princeton, Columbia, Duke
WL: CMU, Brown, Vanderbilt, UMich
Accepted: GT, UIUC, UVA, VT, Case Western, Northwestern, Cornell (attending)

How many of the accepted schools granted/had interviews w/applicant + afrotc head?

How can one be both WL and rejected?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:LCPS 2024
4.0/4.7 - 1530
5s on 12 AP exams and one 3 APUSH
AFROTC type 1 scholarship
No sports, no volunteering, no clubs
Applied to engineering
Rejected: Rice, Princeton, Brown, Columbia
WL: CMU, Brown, Vanderbilt, UMich
Accepted: GT, UIUC, UVA, VT, Case Western, Northwestern, Cornell (attending)

Amazing results!

ROTC is a big boost.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:LCPS 2024
4.0/4.7 - 1530
5s on 12 AP exams and one 3 APUSH
AFROTC type 1 scholarship
No sports, no volunteering, no clubs
Applied to engineering
Rejected: Rice, Princeton, Brown, Columbia
WL: CMU, Brown, Vanderbilt, UMich
Accepted: GT, UIUC, UVA, VT, Case Western, Northwestern, Cornell (attending)

Amazing results!

ROTC is a big boost.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:LCPS 2024
4.0/4.7 - 1530
5s on 12 AP exams and one 3 APUSH
AFROTC type 1 scholarship
No sports, no volunteering, no clubs
Applied to engineering
Rejected: Rice, Princeton, Brown, Columbia
WL: CMU, Brown, Vanderbilt, UMich
Accepted: GT, UIUC, UVA, VT, Case Western, Northwestern, Cornell (attending)

How many of the accepted schools granted/had interviews w/applicant + afrotc head?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:LCPS 2024
4.0/4.7 - 1530
5s on 12 AP exams and one 3 APUSH
AFROTC type 1 scholarship
No sports, no volunteering, no clubs
Applied to engineering
Rejected: Rice, Princeton, Brown, Columbia
WL: CMU, Brown, Vanderbilt, UMich
Accepted: GT, UIUC, UVA, VT, Case Western, Northwestern, Cornell (attending)

How many of the accepted schools granted/had interviews w/applicant + afrotc head?

Anonymous wrote:LCPS 2024
4.0/4.7 - 1530
5s on 12 AP exams and one 3 APUSH
AFROTC type 1 scholarship
No sports, no volunteering, no clubs
Applied to engineering
Rejected: Rice, Princeton, Brown, Columbia
WL: CMU, Brown, Vanderbilt, UMich
Accepted: GT, UIUC, UVA, VT, Case Western, Northwestern, Cornell (attending)