Anonymous
02/19/2026 10:17
Subject: Lessons learned: 2025-2026
Anonymous
02/19/2026 10:14
Subject: Lessons learned: 2025-2026
Any new wisdom you gathered in the last few weeks?
Anonymous
02/05/2026 18:10
Subject: Lessons learned: 2025-2026
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I think people are conflating different tiers of schools here. There is a difference between admission to a T10 and admission to a T30. I don’t think people have been saying you need to be something beyond average excellent to get into schools like Michigan, USC or Rice. And others, like Emory, take more than 30 percent of their ED1 applicants
Emory
USC
Michigan
All attainable for average excellent. Always have been. Just tailor all of those applications and spend weeks on every single one. Do not rush a thing.
And UVA. My average excellent kid got into Michigan and UVA early action. But they are OOS for both so might be different for instate kids?
Our non-DMV private sees a lot of UVA rejects who get into one of HYPSM.
It’s weird.
Mine, out of state, public school, rejected from UVa, but in at HYPSM. I'm curious what it was that led to rejection. His application was pretty strong.
What was his weighted GPA and SAT score? Uva is big on weighted Gpa.
We should have applied to a HYPSM but didn’t.
Our school doesn't weight, but I think around a 4.3 weighted. 3.98 UW. Is that too low for UVa? 35 ACT.
The ACT is at the 75th percentile (great!) but the weighted GPA is below the mean (75th percentile is a 4.5; median is a 4.4)
You cannot compare one school's weighted GPA to another's. And UVA certainly doesn't. Every school or district weighs differently. UVA looks at class selection/rigor and the grades you got in the classes.
Anonymous
02/05/2026 18:06
Subject: Lessons learned: 2025-2026
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I might have misread the group, but from what I learned from DCUM it made it seem like there is little hope for well rounded kids at T20. My well rounded DS got into Duke without any hook or some niche factor. So did his best friend to an Ivy.
Sample size of two, but my son almost did not apply as it seemed pointless to write the essays. If you have a well rounded kid, do apply.
Yeah, this is an old DCUM canard. In fact, well-rounded, average-excellent kids get into top 20 schools all the time. Our DMV public school (not a magnet or top-ranked) has kids getting into most if not all Ivies, Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Michigan, etc. most years, and these kids are almost without exception well-rounded and average-excellent.
My kid who falls in this category is in to Michigan and waiting on three more top 20 schools, including an Ivy. I wouldn’t be surprised by admission to none of them or all of them based on historical results.
For every kid with these stats and activities that are in, there are dozens who are not. The exception doesn’t disprove the rule.
Right, because these schools have single-digit acceptance rates. By definition, for every kid who gets in, 10-20 don’t. That doesn’t change the fact that the kids who do get in are often well-rounded and average-excellent; they’re not all or even mostly hooked or pointy or exceptional.
+1
I fell for the "need to be pointy to get into T20" thing last year and it is probably the most prevalent fallacy on DCUM. DS is in at one of HYPSM and from what we hear about his suitemates all except one are genuinely well rounded bright kids. The one exception is a recruited athlete which obviously is a hook.
Are you saying a kid who wants to major in Bio or Chem could have as good a chance getting into HYPMS just by getting top grades at a good HS, taking rigorous science classes, having no crazy national awards/published research paper/internship at NASA as any so-called pointy kids?
Not PP but it’s unlikely without a hook or attending a feeder school.
Anonymous
02/05/2026 18:05
Subject: Lessons learned: 2025-2026
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I think people are conflating different tiers of schools here. There is a difference between admission to a T10 and admission to a T30. I don’t think people have been saying you need to be something beyond average excellent to get into schools like Michigan, USC or Rice. And others, like Emory, take more than 30 percent of their ED1 applicants
Nope, not conflating anything. (And honestly you’re slicing the baloney pretty thin with this “T10 is different” thing.)
Our HS sends average-excellent kids to Ivies, Northwestern, Hopkins pretty much every year.
But are these accepts all ED or hooked?
Anonymous
02/05/2026 17:59
Subject: Lessons learned: 2025-2026
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I might have misread the group, but from what I learned from DCUM it made it seem like there is little hope for well rounded kids at T20. My well rounded DS got into Duke without any hook or some niche factor. So did his best friend to an Ivy.
Sample size of two, but my son almost did not apply as it seemed pointless to write the essays. If you have a well rounded kid, do apply.
Yeah, this is an old DCUM canard. In fact, well-rounded, average-excellent kids get into top 20 schools all the time. Our DMV public school (not a magnet or top-ranked) has kids getting into most if not all Ivies, Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Michigan, etc. most years, and these kids are almost without exception well-rounded and average-excellent.
My kid who falls in this category is in to Michigan and waiting on three more top 20 schools, including an Ivy. I wouldn’t be surprised by admission to none of them or all of them based on historical results.
For every kid with these stats and activities that are in, there are dozens who are not. The exception doesn’t disprove the rule.
Right, because these schools have single-digit acceptance rates. By definition, for every kid who gets in, 10-20 don’t. That doesn’t change the fact that the kids who do get in are often well-rounded and average-excellent; they’re not all or even mostly hooked or pointy or exceptional.
+1
I fell for the "need to be pointy to get into T20" thing last year and it is probably the most prevalent fallacy on DCUM. DS is in at one of HYPSM and from what we hear about his suitemates all except one are genuinely well rounded bright kids. The one exception is a recruited athlete which obviously is a hook.
Are you saying a kid who wants to major in Bio or Chem could have as good a chance getting into HYPMS just by getting top grades at a good HS, taking rigorous science classes, having no crazy national awards/published research paper/internship at NASA as any so-called pointy kids?
Anonymous
02/03/2026 10:32
Subject: Lessons learned: 2025-2026
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I think people are conflating different tiers of schools here. There is a difference between admission to a T10 and admission to a T30. I don’t think people have been saying you need to be something beyond average excellent to get into schools like Michigan, USC or Rice. And others, like Emory, take more than 30 percent of their ED1 applicants
Emory
USC
Michigan
All attainable for average excellent. Always have been. Just tailor all of those applications and spend weeks on every single one. Do not rush a thing.
And UVA. My average excellent kid got into Michigan and UVA early action. But they are OOS for both so might be different for instate kids?
Our non-DMV private sees a lot of UVA rejects who get into one of HYPSM.
It’s weird.
Mine, out of state, public school, rejected from UVa, but in at HYPSM. I'm curious what it was that led to rejection. His application was pretty strong.
What was his weighted GPA and SAT score? Uva is big on weighted Gpa.
We should have applied to a HYPSM but didn’t.
I’m a diff person but dc also rejected uva. 1590 SAT and 4.9 weighted, rigorous classes, deferred HYP. I don’t really understand the uva rejection but we’re oos and the naviance shows no clear pattern. The rejections and acceptance are in the same places.
It all seems very unpredictable.
If Yale, deferral is meaningful. Harvard defers everyone it doesn’t accept , not sure about Princeton.
Anonymous
02/03/2026 10:25
Subject: Lessons learned: 2025-2026
Anonymous wrote:New year, new thread, same old (or maybe you have new) shit to add to this thread.
The ED admissions “bump” that applicants get is exaggerated by: (1) admissions of recruited athletes (especially at SLACs); and (2) the high quality of the ED applicant pool.
Anonymous
02/03/2026 07:49
Subject: Lessons learned: 2025-2026
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I think people are conflating different tiers of schools here. There is a difference between admission to a T10 and admission to a T30. I don’t think people have been saying you need to be something beyond average excellent to get into schools like Michigan, USC or Rice. And others, like Emory, take more than 30 percent of their ED1 applicants
Emory
USC
Michigan
All attainable for average excellent. Always have been. Just tailor all of those applications and spend weeks on every single one. Do not rush a thing.
And UVA. My average excellent kid got into Michigan and UVA early action. But they are OOS for both so might be different for instate kids?
Our non-DMV private sees a lot of UVA rejects who get into one of HYPSM.
It’s weird.
Mine, out of state, public school, rejected from UVa, but in at HYPSM. I'm curious what it was that led to rejection. His application was pretty strong.
What was his weighted GPA and SAT score? Uva is big on weighted Gpa.
We should have applied to a HYPSM but didn’t.
I’m a diff person but dc also rejected uva. 1590 SAT and 4.9 weighted, rigorous classes, deferred HYP. I don’t really understand the uva rejection but we’re oos and the naviance shows no clear pattern. The rejections and acceptance are in the same places.
It all seems very unpredictable.
4.9 how? Can you list what classes they took each year of hs?
Anonymous
02/03/2026 07:47
Subject: Lessons learned: 2025-2026
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I think people are conflating different tiers of schools here. There is a difference between admission to a T10 and admission to a T30. I don’t think people have been saying you need to be something beyond average excellent to get into schools like Michigan, USC or Rice. And others, like Emory, take more than 30 percent of their ED1 applicants
Emory
USC
Michigan
All attainable for average excellent. Always have been. Just tailor all of those applications and spend weeks on every single one. Do not rush a thing.
And UVA. My average excellent kid got into Michigan and UVA early action. But they are OOS for both so might be different for instate kids?
Our non-DMV private sees a lot of UVA rejects who get into one of HYPSM.
It’s weird.
Mine, out of state, public school, rejected from UVa, but in at HYPSM. I'm curious what it was that led to rejection. His application was pretty strong.
What was his weighted GPA and SAT score? Uva is big on weighted Gpa.
We should have applied to a HYPSM but didn’t.
I’m a diff person but dc also rejected uva. 1590 SAT and 4.9 weighted, rigorous classes, deferred HYP. I don’t really understand the uva rejection but we’re oos and the naviance shows no clear pattern. The rejections and acceptance are in the same places.
It all seems very unpredictable.
In state it is pretty straightforward. Out of state, I can understand why your child is rejected. He is most likely going to get into a T20 and UVA does not see your son accepting UVA offer especially with OOS tuition. Michigan also does this and it is perfectly understandable.
DS got into HYP, UVA, Duke and deferred at Michigan. We are in Virginia.
Anonymous
02/03/2026 07:17
Subject: Lessons learned: 2025-2026
You can get into UVA ED with 4.4, 11 AP, good/strong EC with a unsubmitted 1370 SAT to college of arts and sciences.
Anonymous
02/03/2026 06:42
Subject: Lessons learned: 2025-2026
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I think people are conflating different tiers of schools here. There is a difference between admission to a T10 and admission to a T30. I don’t think people have been saying you need to be something beyond average excellent to get into schools like Michigan, USC or Rice. And others, like Emory, take more than 30 percent of their ED1 applicants
Emory
USC
Michigan
All attainable for average excellent. Always have been. Just tailor all of those applications and spend weeks on every single one. Do not rush a thing.
And UVA. My average excellent kid got into Michigan and UVA early action. But they are OOS for both so might be different for instate kids?
Our non-DMV private sees a lot of UVA rejects who get into one of HYPSM.
It’s weird.
Mine, out of state, public school, rejected from UVa, but in at HYPSM. I'm curious what it was that led to rejection. His application was pretty strong.
What was his weighted GPA and SAT score? Uva is big on weighted Gpa.
We should have applied to a HYPSM but didn’t.
I’m a diff person but dc also rejected uva. 1590 SAT and 4.9 weighted, rigorous classes, deferred HYP. I don’t really understand the uva rejection but we’re oos and the naviance shows no clear pattern. The rejections and acceptance are in the same places.
It all seems very unpredictable.
Anonymous
02/03/2026 01:01
Subject: Lessons learned: 2025-2026
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I think people are conflating different tiers of schools here. There is a difference between admission to a T10 and admission to a T30. I don’t think people have been saying you need to be something beyond average excellent to get into schools like Michigan, USC or Rice. And others, like Emory, take more than 30 percent of their ED1 applicants
Emory
USC
Michigan
All attainable for average excellent. Always have been. Just tailor all of those applications and spend weeks on every single one. Do not rush a thing.
And UVA. My average excellent kid got into Michigan and UVA early action. But they are OOS for both so might be different for instate kids?
Our non-DMV private sees a lot of UVA rejects who get into one of HYPSM.
It’s weird.
Mine, out of state, public school, rejected from UVa, but in at HYPSM. I'm curious what it was that led to rejection. His application was pretty strong.
What was his weighted GPA and SAT score? Uva is big on weighted Gpa.
We should have applied to a HYPSM but didn’t.
Our school doesn't weight, but I think around a 4.3 weighted. 3.98 UW. Is that too low for UVa? 35 ACT.
No, not low for UVA.
Although it’s widely seen that 4.5 is the easiest way to get in.
It's not possible to have a 4.5 from our school by the end of junior year. The APs are strictly capped by grade level. That's too bad if that's the reason kids are rejected! I'm thankful he got a full careful reading where he was accepted. But it's very interesting to see the kids we know who were accepted in the ED round to UVa from out of state - they were good students but not the best students.
Anonymous
02/02/2026 23:57
Subject: Lessons learned: 2025-2026
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Understand the role of institutional priorities and how few slots outside of that actually remain in regular decision. Lots of old links on here.
If you are early in the process, think about how you can hit a double or trifecta with some of these priorities: (legacy/donor/undersubscribed major/geo diversity/demo diversity/qualities to directly match new university programming/centers)
Here's info on institutional priorities:
https://ingeniusprep.com/blog/athlete-legacy-admissions-advantage/
A Simplified Example: How a Class of 100 Might Be Allocated
Priority Category Approximate % of Seats
Recruited Athletes 10%
Legacy / Donor / Faculty Kids 12–15%
Full-Pay International 10%
First-Gen / Low-Income 10–15%
Underrepresented Majors 10%
Mission-Aligned Profiles 10%
Academic Standouts 25–30%
I do think one of the reasons my kid got into a T10 RD (legacy) last cycle was because DC hit 4 IPs (donor; legacy; underrepresented major; mission-aligned priorities).
Don’t quite understand the international full-pay bit when there’re plenty of domestic full-pay parents?
I think it's now Legacy + Donor. Not Legacy / Donor.
Anonymous
02/02/2026 23:55
Subject: Lessons learned: 2025-2026
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I think people are conflating different tiers of schools here. There is a difference between admission to a T10 and admission to a T30. I don’t think people have been saying you need to be something beyond average excellent to get into schools like Michigan, USC or Rice. And others, like Emory, take more than 30 percent of their ED1 applicants
Emory
USC
Michigan
All attainable for average excellent. Always have been. Just tailor all of those applications and spend weeks on every single one. Do not rush a thing.
And UVA. My average excellent kid got into Michigan and UVA early action. But they are OOS for both so might be different for instate kids?
Our non-DMV private sees a lot of UVA rejects who get into one of HYPSM.
It’s weird.
Mine, out of state, public school, rejected from UVa, but in at HYPSM. I'm curious what it was that led to rejection. His application was pretty strong.
What was his weighted GPA and SAT score? Uva is big on weighted Gpa.
We should have applied to a HYPSM but didn’t.
Our school doesn't weight, but I think around a 4.3 weighted. 3.98 UW. Is that too low for UVa? 35 ACT.
No, not low for UVA.
Although it’s widely seen that 4.5 is the easiest way to get in.
Well, it’s BELOW the mean, so how else would you describe it. Unhooked students need to be aiming for the 75thpercentile which is a 4.5. If you go look at the stats given on the recent UVA EA results thread, you’ll see that every single acceptance hit the 75th percentile across the board.