Anonymous wrote:Again, the person who feels they wasted the money don't seem to be blaming the school. She's simply saying that it didn't work out for her kid. Even with a 2300+.

As has been stated many times on this and other blogs, discordant scores and grades do not do as all as concordant ones, regardless of the HS.

Again, the person who feels they wasted the money don't seem to be blaming the school. She's simply saying that it didn't work out for her kid. Even with a 2300+.

2310 wait listed at South Carolina?

My DD is currently at NCS. There are many, many opportunities for girls to take advantage of and grow as students. I notice most girls take advantage of these opportunities to grow and a few do not. I have to think when it comes time to apply to colleges their records speak for themselves. Not sure why people are blaming the school or counselors. By no means does my DD think that by just attending NCS will she get her top college picks.

As a NCS grad about to have her 35th reunion next month I hate to tell you but this is the same way NCS has always handled their college counseling. The top quartile get amazing advocacy and everyone else gets what they get. Jet the way thing go. And when we are talking about a system running this way for this long with different GCs it is just an institutional thing. Knowing it ahead of time is best and then help your daughter figure out how to showcase her strengths. NCS has lots of strengths which is why I sent my DD there but like I said best to know if there is a weakness so Nr blindsided by it.

PP here--make that DDs choice worked out. And, disappointing-the attitude, not the result.

I don't think applications to Harvard or other Ivy schools are the issue. The girls who apply to those schools are very well qualified. And I don't think the majority of the rest are seeking Harvard or like. However, all deserve assistance and do not deserve to be dismissed with the assumption that they are insisting on Ivy League schools. Or the general assumption that their expectations are out of bounds. Everyone is told to apply for reach, mid range and safety schools. (Although, we were stridently told not to use the term safety school) The school really is brushing aside good students. DS choice worked out, so we weren't disappointed with that. The attitude of NCS CG was disapointing.

Anonymous wrote:Things may have improved since our South Carolina- like wait listing. Again, we wasted the money. Best of luck to everybody!

That's good to hear. Maybe NCS administrators have been lurking here.

Things may have improved since our South Carolina- like wait listing. Again, we wasted the money. Best of luck to everybody!

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Some of this has to do with admissions advocacy, involvement and interest. It's not the chief factor, but it is a factor. NCS saves the interest for certain students. This is the disconnect. A B+ student with good test scores and activities should not be ignored. Is seems as if the school just wants to place these girls somewhere, anywhere. Not talking Ivy here-admissions just doesn't seem motivated other than to say "next".[/quote]

If true, that's a problem. Of course, NCS (or any school) can only advocate for so many people at Harvard, Yale, Stanford, etc. And they're likely to do that for the students who have the best chance of getting in there. However, every school has a majority of the class who's not getting into one of those places, and it should find the best realistic school for those students and advocate there (whether [b]Trinity, or USC, Wesleyan, U Mich, etc.[/b])[/quote]

The number of NCS who go to these and other excellent schools like these is very high.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some of this has to do with admissions advocacy, involvement and interest. It's not the chief factor, but it is a factor. NCS saves the interest for certain students. This is the disconnect. A B+ student with good test scores and activities should not be ignored. Is seems as if the school just wants to place these girls somewhere, anywhere. Not talking Ivy here-admissions just doesn't seem motivated other than to say "next".

If true, that's a problem. Of course, NCS (or any school) can only advocate for so many people at Harvard, Yale, Stanford, etc. And they're likely to do that for the students who have the best chance of getting in there. However, every school has a majority of the class who's not getting into one of those places, and it should find the best realistic school for those students and advocate there (whether Trinity, or USC, Wesleyan, U Mich, etc.)

Parent of NCS senior. NCS, like any school has its issues. IME/IMO, advocacy for all the girls during college admissions is one of its strengths. Obviously not all can go to Ivys or other top schools and some of the decisions at these schools have nothing to do with the college guidance office (number of recruited athletes and legacies). But the CG office works hard for all the girls and works the phones as appropriate. It seems that the above poster with the disappointed results had undue expectations. The school does not ignore underachievers and I am fairly sure that the parents knew about the problem and was probably given different expectations and goals for their child.

Anonymous wrote:Some of this has to do with admissions advocacy, involvement and interest. It's not the chief factor, but it is a factor. NCS saves the interest for certain students. This is the disconnect. A B+ student with good test scores and activities should not be ignored. Is seems as if the school just wants to place these girls somewhere, anywhere. Not talking Ivy here-admissions just doesn't seem motivated other than to say "next".

If true, that's a problem. Of course, NCS (or any school) can only advocate for so many people at Harvard, Yale, Stanford, etc. And they're likely to do that for the students who have the best chance of getting in there. However, every school has a majority of the class who's not getting into one of those places, and it should find the best realistic school for those students and advocate there (whether Trinity, or USC, Wesleyan, U Mich, etc.)

Some of this has to do with admissions advocacy, involvement and interest. It's not the chief factor, but it is a factor. NCS saves the interest for certain students. This is the disconnect. A B+ student with good test scores and activities should not be ignored. Is seems as if the school just wants to place these girls somewhere, anywhere. Not talking Ivy here-admissions just doesn't seem motivated other than to say "next".

I do not think specific to NCS. A 3.0 at any top school (public or private) will have challenges with college admissions if the right level of college applications is not chosen. A 3.0 at Whitman will not do as well as this child, if you think not doing well is going to a University of South Carolina type school is not doing well (I personally do not feel this way.)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wait listed at a school very similar to South Carolina.

I agree that NCS has some 'splaining to do if the student had a 3.0, 99-percentile scores, and this wait-list result remains the student's best option. Maybe the essays/recs were terrible, but that should be avoidable.

One problem might be that some big, out-of-DMV universities did not comprehend how that 3.0 at NCS was harder to get than most of the public 4.0s they see. NCS has to ensure that their students aren't being shortchanged in that regard.

Applying to a bunch of SLACs probably would have made sense here. Maybe Sewannee, Wheaton, or similar. Wherever she ends up going, I would bet there will be plenty of impressive students there, since there are just so many great kids out there and only a very limited number of top-25 freshman slots.

A kid with 3.0 and 99th percentile scores will have trouble with college admissions only if the child and parent allow it. I seriously doubt NCS or any other top tier private school advised the achools that this child got wait-listed. It sounds like a lot of reaches were applied to.
I am sorry that this happened, but I seriously do not think the school is to blame.

Whether the school is to blame or not (and I think it is -- their job is to know the child and guide the child to be the best they can be), the sobering takeaway is that, at NCS, a B average is either the bottom of the class (which explains college results) OR the middle of the pack at NCS gets waitlisted at a University of South Caroline type school (per the parent). Is University of South Carolina a reach for a middle of the pack student with excellent scores at one of the best regarded schools in the country? This is the disconnect.