Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are immigrants and clueless. Our URM DS is interested in a midsize school, urban or suburban, he is into economics/math and public health. Grades are average (3.6UW in rigorous private high school in DMV), SAT is 1480. Panic on board because deadlines are approaching and we still don't know where he would have any good chance of getting admitted. Help.

Especially if he’s full-pay, he could probably increase his odds by saying he’s a sociology major. If he’s a sociology major, maybe a place like Case Western or the University of Rochester would welcome him with trumpets.

Maybe he could also try applying to a place like Howard University, GWU or American University, then use the consortium to deal with any curriculum gaps. It seems as if being in D.C. or near the CMS headquarters in Baltimore, or near the National Center for Health Statistics in Hyattsville, might be better for a would-be health economist than going to the best health economics program.

I'm a previous poster: Anyone planning on a specialty in economics as a career would just focus on an economics degree (with strong math courses as a supplement) in undergrad. Graduate school is where the specialty would come in (Michigan, Hopkins, Wisconsin come to mind as having strength in numbers).

OP mentioned a quantitative econ and this sort of degree would be helpful for anyone interested in using economics later to study public policies (or anything data related in business too). Undergrads can learn strong economic theory and the mathematical and analytic tools that would be used in a job or an internship (statistics, econometrics, regression analyses, programming, data management, etc.). This is why I noted earlier that finding a school that has strong econ and public policy is a good option - if you have the econ skills, you can then apply them to study the policy. The tools needed are often very similar across policies - the specialty comes in (at grad school) in learning the literature of what has already been done.

Starting with an econ degree (or "maybe" a public policy degree with strong economics/analyses background) reflects better what current health economists did as undergraduates. People generally don't go to a health econ undergrad program. There's too much to learn in economics....maybe there will be a health econ course, just like there will be a labor econ course, on ones in development econ, environmental econ, game theory, etc (sticking with micro policy theme here...not macro since the interest is public health).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My dc is a senior majoring in econ and global health at Lehigh. I think your son’s stats could be a match.Their college of health is relatively new, but has great professors with solid reputations and connections and Econ is one of Lehigh’s longtime strengths. Opportunities for research with professors starting freshman year, opportunities for publication, and internships have been strong, and dc had two job offers in healthcare consulting by September to decide between, both over 95k base.

Lehigh and bucknell both suck for urm’s. I’m from Pa

Is your kid white?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your kid is black, they are def competitive for penn cas with a 1480

Also jhu and duke.

Esp if you apply early

In your case I wouldn’t and just go RD

These would all be schools with the econ/public policy courses/degrees needed for OP's DC's interests.

OP here. As much as I want to believe it, I don't know that the URM status would trump the lower GPA, even if it is from a Big 3! I guess no harm in trying RD?

What - you are a big 3 urm with a 1480? And that’s interested in public health?

This has to be a troll. You already know t20’s and t10 lacs will fight over your kid

Ok, not hypsm perhaps but I would bet 500 dollars your kid would get into penn Ed for cas.

In your shoes, I would actually be willing to give up something in hand at penn’s level and just go RD and spray 30 schools with the confidence of gaining optionality

Did you not see the discovery data released during the Harvard trial?

Urm’s with 1480 are not common

Urms with 1480 that are also from big 3 level schools, even less so

Seriously. You are URM, Big3, 3.65, 1480??

Your kid can write their ticket. Apply to a bunch of ivies.
3.65 would put your kid in the top 25% at my kid's Big3.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a bit shaken. I promise you I am not a troll. We were certainly not advised to apply to an Ivy by the school.
My kid is hoping for a T20 but we felt it would be a huge reach based on the published stats and that we should look at more realistic schools instead and apply EA.
I truly feel clueless now.

OP, I’m the PP with the junior son. It’s possible these posters are correct but I’d get some more “in real life” data points. There are a lot of posters on this site who are very bitter about the advantages given in the admissions process to URM and I’m concerned some of them are on this thread an overstating the advantage because they are convinced this process is a walk in the park if you are an URM.

Prior to the Harvard trial, there were much less “big data” points…

….the Harvard case blew all the data into the open

It is a walk in the park if you hit certain concrete thresholds such as op’s kid has

In fact there is more confidence to go into applications post Harvard (but pre scotus) because of the data released during discovery

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a bit shaken. I promise you I am not a troll. We were certainly not advised to apply to an Ivy by the school.
My kid is hoping for a T20 but we felt it would be a huge reach based on the published stats and that we should look at more realistic schools instead and apply EA.
I truly feel clueless now.

OP, stick with your instincts. This idea that your kid is just going to waltz into any ivy because he is black is a fantasy. The black kids I know from this area who got into ivys last year have multiple hooks (URM/sport, urm/alumni status, urm/first gen). You haven't said where your kid has visited. Is there a school he loves? URM status is going to give him a leg up in admissions. If there is a T20 he loves then I would absolutely encourage him to apply to it ED, but, he needs to make sure that the application presents a strong and compelling story for what he wants to study and why he wants to do it at that school. He may have a compelling application and still not get in. Manage expectations. Make sure he is applying EA to any schools he can. My own crystal ball says that with strong essays / supplements he could get into a T30 school. T40 - T50 is a safety for him.

Your kid is a good student and you've given him a great foundation. He is going to do great wherever he ends up.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a bit shaken. I promise you I am not a troll. We were certainly not advised to apply to an Ivy by the school.
My kid is hoping for a T20 but we felt it would be a huge reach based on the published stats and that we should look at more realistic schools instead and apply EA.
I truly feel clueless now.

OP, I’m the PP with the junior son. It’s possible these posters are correct but I’d get some more “in real life” data points. There are a lot of posters on this site who are very bitter about the advantages given in the admissions process to URM and I’m concerned some of them are on this thread an overstating the advantage because they are convinced this process is a walk in the park if you are an URM.

Anonymous wrote:I am a bit shaken. I promise you I am not a troll. We were certainly not advised to apply to an Ivy by the school.
My kid is hoping for a T20 but we felt it would be a huge reach based on the published stats and that we should look at more realistic schools instead and apply EA.
I truly feel clueless now.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a bit shaken. I promise you I am not a troll. We were certainly not advised to apply to an Ivy by the school.
My kid is hoping for a T20 but we felt it would be a huge reach based on the published stats and that we should look at more realistic schools instead and apply EA.
I truly feel clueless now.

OP, I’m the PP with the junior son. It’s possible these posters are correct but I’d get some more “in real life” data points. There are a lot of posters on this site who are very bitter about the advantages given in the admissions process to URM and I’m concerned some of them are on this thread an overstating the advantage because they are convinced this process is a walk in the park if you are an URM.

I really think OPs. son will do extremely well in admissions and will have most doors open. A 3.65 from my kid's Big3 school is a really good GPA for any kid. It likely puts one in the top 25% of the class. About 20% of the class goest to the Ivy League.
Add in URM and you're really golden. This is not me being bitter but rather honest about OP's kid.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a bit shaken. I promise you I am not a troll. We were certainly not advised to apply to an Ivy by the school.
My kid is hoping for a T20 but we felt it would be a huge reach based on the published stats and that we should look at more realistic schools instead and apply EA.
I truly feel clueless now.

OP, I’m the PP with the junior son. It’s possible these posters are correct but I’d get some more “in real life” data points. There are a lot of posters on this site who are very bitter about the advantages given in the admissions process to URM and I’m concerned some of them are on this thread an overstating the advantage because they are convinced this process is a walk in the park if you are an URM.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a bit shaken. I promise you I am not a troll. We were certainly not advised to apply to an Ivy by the school.
My kid is hoping for a T20 but we felt it would be a huge reach based on the published stats and that we should look at more realistic schools instead and apply EA.
I truly feel clueless now.

OP: Is your son African American ? If so, then a 1480 SAT and a 3.6 GPA from an elite private school should open a lot of doors.

To be blunt, it would help to know the basis for claiming URM status.

Anonymous wrote:I am a bit shaken. I promise you I am not a troll. We were certainly not advised to apply to an Ivy by the school.
My kid is hoping for a T20 but we felt it would be a huge reach based on the published stats and that we should look at more realistic schools instead and apply EA.
I truly feel clueless now.

Anonymous wrote:I am a bit shaken. I promise you I am not a troll. We were certainly not advised to apply to an Ivy by the school.
My kid is hoping for a T20 but we felt it would be a huge reach based on the published stats and that we should look at more realistic schools instead and apply EA.
I truly feel clueless now.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your kid is black, they are def competitive for penn cas with a 1480

Also jhu and duke.

Esp if you apply early

In your case I wouldn’t and just go RD

These would all be schools with the econ/public policy courses/degrees needed for OP's DC's interests.

OP here. As much as I want to believe it, I don't know that the URM status would trump the lower GPA, even if it is from a Big 3! I guess no harm in trying RD?

What - you are a big 3 urm with a 1480? And that’s interested in public health?

This has to be a troll. You already know t20’s and t10 lacs will fight over your kid

Ok, not hypsm perhaps but I would bet 500 dollars your kid would get into penn Ed for cas.

In your shoes, I would actually be willing to give up something in hand at penn’s level and just go RD and spray 30 schools with the confidence of gaining optionality

Did you not see the discovery data released during the Harvard trial?

Urm’s with 1480 are not common

Urms with 1480 that are also from big 3 level schools, even less so

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I recommend also considering schools that have strong quantitative econ and the broader lens of public policy. The skills needed to apply economics to public health are the same as those to apply to public policy and at an undergrad level, it probably won't make much of a difference. (But I'd check course options for these public policy programs).

Agree that UVA and UMD will fit the bill. Michigan and Wisconsin are also strong (stronger actually) in the large public realm. William and Mary also has a strong econ/public policy department.

I haven't looked - but I'd also bet that schools that have a hospital associated with it are decent choices to have some overlap in econ/public policy with health.....I'm thinking: Emory, Tufts, USC, Vanderbilt, Duke. We know of a public health economist at Carnegie Melon (not sure in what capacity though) so that could be an option.

Aren’t those all reaches with that gpa and those scores though? Im not the OP but I am working with my jr on a list of schools, slightly higher GPA from a top public (will prob be about a 3.8 unweighted, 11 APs total) not an URM, no hooks, and I’m considering all those schools as reaches.

Midsize and not a reach is a bit of a unicorn. There are huge schools and tiny schools but not many midsize ones.

Your kid is nothing like op’s kid

Yours isn’t URM!

And you didn’t mention your spawn’s test scores

Op’s kid has a 1480 As a urm….I would spray t20 and t10 lac’s…I will guaruntee that they would get Atleast 2/30 acceptances just by blindly doing that

True - my kid isn’t an URM. Test scores should be similar (a jr so hasn’t taken official test but practices putting him around a similar score) I know URM helps but I would have thought you still need realistic backups.