Anonymous
Post 04/13/2025 14:03     Subject: Which level kid goes to which schools
Level one: HYPSM, Berkeley, UVA, etc.
Level two: BC, Tufts, Tulane, etc.
Level three: GMU, VT, JMU, etc.
Anonymous
Post 04/13/2025 13:52     Subject: Which level kid goes to which schools
Anonymous wrote:Hoping people come back and find their post and tell us outcomes or results?

NYC mom, are you here?


NYC mom! Things played out very similarly to my original post, but overall it was a hard year. I don't know full numbers yet but Ivy accepts seem to be down by a third overall, and it was particularly brutal for boys in STEM.

The bright spot was in the T20 non-Ivies, with more high-stats kids who might have tried for Ivies in years past committing ED to Chicago, Emory, Tufts, NU, WASP, etc. It's such a hard and awful compromise to make but for unhooked kids who held out for Ivy REA/RD, the ratio of surprises on the upside vs downside was probably 1:9 - and many of those kids also got straight rejected from what they thought were T50 targets. In other words, statistically these kids DC were far better off taking the non-Ivy ED - except you/they have to live with the "what if."
Anonymous
Post 04/13/2025 11:48     Subject: Which level kid goes to which schools
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This thread is a shockingly vivid reminder of how corrupt the entire college admissions process is. Top 10% of a private-school graduating class go to top 5 schools, next 10% go to the next 5... so the top *half* all go to T50 schools?

At my kid's public school, no one goes to any T50 school, not even the top 1% of a graduating class -- kids with perfect grades, 1580-1600 SATs, and course rigor generated in part by dual-enrolling at a local research university and out-performing the actual college students there.

I don't think your kids are smarter or working harder, but *half* of the kids at your kid's school are going to schools that *none* of the kids at my kid's school can even dream of attending. Good work buying your kid's success at the expense, in part, of my kid's success!

Of course, I already knew this was true, but seeing it exemplified so vividly in this discussion is nonetheless shocking.


That’s why it’s important to see your school’s data. It doesn’t matter how good your kid is. They were never going to get to begin with because the schools aren’t looking for kids from that high school.

My kids attend one of these “feeder” privates not in the DMV.
Top 50% generally gets into T25/30. But it’s important to not aim too high if you are close to 35-50%. A WashU/Emory ED strategy is best there.
Whole class absolutely gets into T50.

Agree what previous posters note on ranking. Nothing in counselor report indicates rank which is how these full pay kids get in “below” top 10%. That’s just a silly gimmick anyway.

A good private college counselor with a national presence who has served as an admissions officer can figure a lot of this out for you too with your school’s historic data.


For all the junior parents, read this thread and realize that your HS is the largest determining factor in outcomes.
Anonymous
Post 04/13/2025 11:40     Subject: Which level kid goes to which schools
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I don't believe this post for a minute. OP is either a troll or has bad data. Schools are even less likely to take very good but not amazing applicants from the NYC area (it is more competitive than DC comparatively). The hooks are even more important. They do have a similar trend of high stats rich kids without hooks heading to UChicago over the last several years.


Right? I think this is BS too. The assumption that mediocre private school students are just waltzing into Vanderbilt, Rice, Cornell, Berkeley, UCLA, Amherst, Michigan, Georgetown, Emory, and Stanford (!) is not borne out by reality. In fact, I'd say mediocre private school students are at a distinct disadvantage these days. The full pay gets them a boost at T50-100 schools, but does nothing for the highly selective universities.


You clearly don’t go to a private school.
Rice, Vanderbilt, Emory and Michigan do not take the top of our private’s HS class. Even Cornell. It’s more like top 50%….
Anonymous
Post 04/13/2025 11:34     Subject: Which level kid goes to which schools
Anonymous wrote:Non-DMV selective private:

--Top 10% or high stats + hook: HYP+ Columbia + Penn (Wharton), Duke
--High stats, missing national level ECs or hook: Northwestern, Brown, Penn, Dartmouth, Williams
—national ECs (stats irrelevant): Stanford; (and sometimes) Duke
--High stats + normal ECs OR some flaw on their record (like a bad grade or two) and hook - Cornell, Chicago, Rice, Vanderbilt, Amherst, Georgetown
--Mid stats + no hook - Michigan; UCLA; Cal; WashU; Emory


I think this one is mine. Sounds right.
Midwest selective private.
Accurate(ish) for my kid.
High GPA, national level ECs/hook (tier 1 EC), top LOR (best of my career) for primary subject but test optional/niche humanities major:

- admitted to a school in the 2nd row,
- WL in the third row,
- admitted to one school in the fourth row/WL at another, and
- admitted to two schools in the last row.
Anonymous
Post 04/13/2025 11:30     Subject: Which level kid goes to which schools
Hoping people come back and find their post and tell us outcomes or results?

NYC mom, are you here?
Anonymous
Post 03/24/2025 12:21     Subject: Which level kid goes to which schools
Anonymous wrote:How long before the you-know-who booster shows up because his/her school isn't being discussed?


Doesn't take long.
-not a booster
Anonymous
Post 03/24/2025 12:20     Subject: Which level kid goes to which schools
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This is a s/o of the Duke vs Northwestern post below.

Here is what I've noticed at our selective NYC public:

--Top 10% or high stats + hook: HYP + Columbia + Penn (Wharton, VIPER or Engineering) .
--High stats, missing national level ECs or hook: Duke, Georgetown, Northwestern, Brown, Penn
--High stats + normal ECs OR some flaw on their record (like a bad grade or two) - Cornell, Chicago, JHU - these kids do very well with ED to the latter two.
--Mid to lower stats + no hook - public school or T50 possibly with merit. Most parents won't pay full for that level.

S and M are rare (most commonly high stats URM); no one gets into Dart or Vandy, for whatever reason

Curious if this is similar to other selective/feeder schools.

Pretty accurate for DMV but would probably put Columbia down a notch and put Duke up a notch to the top tier. Might also put Vandy on the same level as JHU, Chicago etc.


Lol these Duke lovers they are on like every single damn thread
Anonymous
Post 03/24/2025 11:40     Subject: Re:Which level kid goes to which schools
Can people come back and post their senior's results this year - along with your HS "levels"? Are they holding up this year or not?
Anonymous
Post 03/17/2025 12:18     Subject: Which level kid goes to which schools
The top stats kids at our Philly burb public usually do really well, but in regular decision, not early. Three - four every year to Penn (it's clear our school has a relationship with them), 2-3 to HYP, then a smattering of Cornell, Northwestern, Chicago. These days, the kids seem to be applying to fewer reaches and being okay with attending Penn State (usually in the honors program).
Anonymous
Post 03/17/2025 11:47     Subject: Which level kid goes to which schools
Anonymous wrote:This is a s/o of the Duke vs Northwestern post below.

Here is what I've noticed at our selective NYC public:

--Top 10% or high stats + hook: HYP + Columbia + Penn (Wharton, VIPER or Engineering) .
--High stats, missing national level ECs or hook: Duke, Georgetown, Northwestern, Brown, Penn
--High stats + normal ECs OR some flaw on their record (like a bad grade or two) - Cornell, Chicago, JHU - these kids do very well with ED to the latter two.
--Mid to lower stats + no hook - public school or T50 possibly with merit. Most parents won't pay full for that level.

S and M are rare (most commonly high stats URM); no one gets into Dart or Vandy, for whatever reason

Curious if this is similar to other selective/feeder schools.


My kids was a top 10% high stat kid no hook. Accepted off waitlist to an Ivy (husband and mine Alma Mater). But ended up going to a t50 (at the time) Private in the west coast instead. We were really upset but it was his decision. It ended up being the right fit. He is now going back to our Alma Mater for Law School.
Anonymous
Post 03/17/2025 10:38     Subject: Re:Which level kid goes to which schools
Anonymous wrote:curious for people who have seniors at some of these HS, do you plan to come back and post where your kid got in (connecting your post to your older post about your HS)? I wonder if things will change this year - so much uncertainty, that old trends may not carry over.


I'm the OP of that post. I'll definitely update! So far it seems to be playing out similarly, except I noticed more high stats kids (like mine) taking a pass at the Ivy lottery and locking in with ED to a non-Ivy.
Anonymous
Post 03/17/2025 09:56     Subject: Which level kid goes to which schools
Has anyone compared a private high school's "school profile" to a public high school's? I mean it's night and day. Of course, the outcomes are different. They almost have to be.
Anonymous
Post 03/17/2025 09:36     Subject: Re:Which level kid goes to which schools
curious for people who have seniors at some of these HS, do you plan to come back and post where your kid got in (connecting your post to your older post about your HS)? I wonder if things will change this year - so much uncertainty, that old trends may not carry over.
Anonymous
Post 03/07/2025 12:10     Subject: Which level kid goes to which schools
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This thread is a shockingly vivid reminder of how corrupt the entire college admissions process is. Top 10% of a private-school graduating class go to top 5 schools, next 10% go to the next 5... so the top *half* all go to T50 schools?

At my kid's public school, no one goes to any T50 school, not even the top 1% of a graduating class -- kids with perfect grades, 1580-1600 SATs, and course rigor generated in part by dual-enrolling at a local research university and out-performing the actual college students there.

I don't think your kids are smarter or working harder, but *half* of the kids at your kid's school are going to schools that *none* of the kids at my kid's school can even dream of attending. Good work buying your kid's success at the expense, in part, of my kid's success!

Of course, I already knew this was true, but seeing it exemplified so vividly in this discussion is nonetheless shocking.


That’s why it’s important to see your school’s data. It doesn’t matter how good your kid is. They were never going to get to begin with because the schools aren’t looking for kids from that high school.

My kids attend one of these “feeder” privates not in the DMV.
Top 50% generally gets into T25/30. But it’s important to not aim too high if you are close to 35-50%. A WashU/Emory ED strategy is best there.
Whole class absolutely gets into T50.

Agree what previous posters note on ranking. Nothing in counselor report indicates rank which is how these full pay kids get in “below” top 10%. That’s just a silly gimmick anyway.

A good private college counselor with a national presence who has served as an admissions officer can figure a lot of this out for you too with your school’s historic data.


Your high school's data is the ONLY real thing that matters. All of the questions and rules on this site (top 5% vs. top 10%) are irrelevant because it's not based on your HS data.
It's clear AOs evaluate private schools very differently based on the #s and percentages of the class admitted.


every person asking for advice going forward should have to review this entire thread to understand variation of outcomes and why.


+1. I will also add that I have no proof that it tipped the scales but when my kid was asked by their college counselor what was their top schools of the ones they applied to EA, there was zero hesitation about their #1 choice and it’s a school that wants you to want them.


Last week, our private's CCO had a meeting with us and DC to ask about ranking top remaining RD choices. Kid is already in at selective (t20/25) public OOS flagships. But wanted a "ranking" of top 3 remaining choices - now as of March 1. I wonder if that's why? What does this group think?

Do other private HS do this now? Is for WL and preparing to "make calls"? They took notes.