Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Great idea, but I need to question the rationale for limiting it to only these 3 schools. There are about 400 FRL kids at HB Woodlawn and Yorktown that get left out, while kids from $$$$ Aurora Hills and Lyon Village who have all the advantages but not top grades get the benefit. And wouldn’t we want people to seek transfers as needed to balance enrollment? This discourages that.

The implementation is going to have unintended and undesirable consequences. In the interest of being truly equitable, this program should be implemented district wide. GMU is a state school, affordable, and with an improving state and national profile every year. Good students from all types of families are choosing to go there. It’s not equitable to offer this program to some students and not others.

Those poor HB and YHS kids. They never get a break.

This is dumb. There are some HB and YHS kids who need a break. Is it fewer than the kids at the other high schools? Sure.

But this isn't the purpose of the program. It is GMU's goal to increase representation in applications. YHS and HB don't really advance that goal. You advance that goal by targeting schools like WHS where 75% of students are non-white, not by targeting schools that are 25% white.

This is a GMU initiative and GMU has pursued this agreement with high-FRL schools across districts - this is not an APS initiative, nor is it APS-exclusive.

The students at YHS and HB have significant resources to help them succeed. Resources at schools like Wakefield are stretched way way farther and far more students overall need more breaks.

Exactly. Wake and WL are two of the most diverse schools in the DMV. This helps GMU.

What is this helping ? Why would gmu be helped?

My guess is since WHS annd WL are very diverse by local standards, GMU hopes to increase underrepresented minorities. Especially now that Affirmative Action is no longer an option. Yorktown on the other hand is more or less your typical affluent high school in the dmv.

GMU And underrepresented minorities don’t go in the same sentence. They aren’t lacking a minority demographic among students.

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, but it's GMU.

You’re a jerk. Do better.

Yeah, but it's GMU.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Great idea, but I need to question the rationale for limiting it to only these 3 schools. There are about 400 FRL kids at HB Woodlawn and Yorktown that get left out, while kids from $$$$ Aurora Hills and Lyon Village who have all the advantages but not top grades get the benefit. And wouldn’t we want people to seek transfers as needed to balance enrollment? This discourages that.

The implementation is going to have unintended and undesirable consequences. In the interest of being truly equitable, this program should be implemented district wide. GMU is a state school, affordable, and with an improving state and national profile every year. Good students from all types of families are choosing to go there. It’s not equitable to offer this program to some students and not others.

Those poor HB and YHS kids. They never get a break.

This is dumb. There are some HB and YHS kids who need a break. Is it fewer than the kids at the other high schools? Sure.

But this isn't the purpose of the program. It is GMU's goal to increase representation in applications. YHS and HB don't really advance that goal. You advance that goal by targeting schools like WHS where 75% of students are non-white, not by targeting schools that are 25% white.

This is a GMU initiative and GMU has pursued this agreement with high-FRL schools across districts - this is not an APS initiative, nor is it APS-exclusive.

The students at YHS and HB have significant resources to help them succeed. Resources at schools like Wakefield are stretched way way farther and far more students overall need more breaks.

Exactly. Wake and WL are two of the most diverse schools in the DMV. This helps GMU.

What is this helping ? Why would gmu be helped?

My guess is since WHS annd WL are very diverse by local standards, GMU hopes to increase underrepresented minorities. Especially now that Affirmative Action is no longer an option. Yorktown on the other hand is more or less your typical affluent high school in the dmv.

Yorktown still has 10% or so FRL. FRL isn’t a perfect proxy for race. There are well off minorities who live were, as well as not so well off white people living in great grandma’s 1940’s rambler. But none of that matters because there’s also plenty of well off white kids who will get the benefit, too.

Definitely true. There are plenty of very well off white kids at Wakefield and WL. But those students are unlikely to go to GMU, and the university is reaching out to the other students may not have as many college options.

Along those lines, the program should probably be expanded to Yorktown. But that will likely not happen.

The acceptance rate at George Mason University is 90%.

This program is about catching students who wouldn't even know how to apply.

If you are reading this website, your kid can get into GMU without this special admissions program.

Announcement
https://www.apsva.us/post/three-aps-high-schools-partner-with-george-mason-university-to-offer-students-direct-admission-to-college/

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wakefield, W-K, and the career center will now offer a direct admission to college for any students with a GPA Of 3.25 or above. It is only offered at those schools because it is designed to target schools with a higher rate of free and reduced lunch. This is going to be good for a lot of kids.

The exact population who can't afford the instate tuition at GMU and other VA state schools. Yes, they get in, and yes, some will get aid - not much bc in state you don't get much aid - than take out loans. And after a semester, or maybe even a whole year, realize it is unaffordable to continue. Or they will get a full time job and limp along getting grades just enough to keep them in school if they are lucky.

I no longer think these kind of programs should be hailed as an achievement but instead look at these equity efforts as window dressing and a bit exploitative of students who need more support than just getting their foot in the door.

You are giving this program way more impact and purpose than it has. It's just admission. They still need to meet the qualifications. It's not intended to address affordability - it is intended to increase applications from minority students, rich or poor.

And it can still make college attainable for some of the students you are focusing on by granting them admission (when they may not otherwise be accepted through the regular application process) and offering an opportunity for them to save half the cost of a 4 year degree by living at home and commuting if necessary.

“It’s just admission.” Have you known anyone applying to college in the last 15 years?

Yes, many, including my own kids. Knowing you are already accepted at a school greatly reduces the anxiety, stress, and chaos of researching and visiting and applying to more schools. Particularly for the targeted population of this program, it can greatly simplify a complex process for students who are English as second language students/whose parents do not speak English, and more notably for first generation college students whose parents are entirely unfamiliar with the college application process. Also, if you're a local student who looks at the costs for college and believe there's no way you can make it work, having an admissions offer from a nearby college (1) encourages you to look into it (2) makes it far easier to just work with that one college to see how/if you can afford it and (3) slashes the cost you're looking to cover if you can commute there rather than pay for room and board in addition to tuition and fees.

People are complaining because the program only applies to students attending certain schools instead of being offered to all schools, or just to low income students. That's why I said it's just admission. It's not offering a free ride or even any financial assistance at all. Just an expedited admission acceptance for qualifying (GPA with college tract coursework, certain school).

Anonymous wrote:APS to offer direct path to college at GMU at 3 high schools

Sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen

Based on?

Giving a slightly easier admissions path for first gen & EL students isn’t illegal.

Although I’m sure the POS parents trying to trash our schools will find some excuse.

Anonymous wrote:Going to HB is a choice, so…

+1 I’ll be over here waiting for the rush of families who leave HB so they have guaranteed admission at one state school

APS to offer direct path to college at GMU at 3 high schools

Sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wakefield, W-K, and the career center will now offer a direct admission to college for any students with a GPA Of 3.25 or above. It is only offered at those schools because it is designed to target schools with a higher rate of free and reduced lunch. This is going to be good for a lot of kids.

The exact population who can't afford the instate tuition at GMU and other VA state schools. Yes, they get in, and yes, some will get aid - not much bc in state you don't get much aid - than take out loans. And after a semester, or maybe even a whole year, realize it is unaffordable to continue. Or they will get a full time job and limp along getting grades just enough to keep them in school if they are lucky.

I no longer think these kind of programs should be hailed as an achievement but instead look at these equity efforts as window dressing and a bit exploitative of students who need more support than just getting their foot in the door.

You are giving this program way more impact and purpose than it has. It's just admission. They still need to meet the qualifications. It's not intended to address affordability - it is intended to increase applications from minority students, rich or poor.

And it can still make college attainable for some of the students you are focusing on by granting them admission (when they may not otherwise be accepted through the regular application process) and offering an opportunity for them to save half the cost of a 4 year degree by living at home and commuting if necessary.

“It’s just admission.” Have you known anyone applying to college in the last 15 years?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Great idea, but I need to question the rationale for limiting it to only these 3 schools. There are about 400 FRL kids at HB Woodlawn and Yorktown that get left out, while kids from $$$$ Aurora Hills and Lyon Village who have all the advantages but not top grades get the benefit. And wouldn’t we want people to seek transfers as needed to balance enrollment? This discourages that.

The implementation is going to have unintended and undesirable consequences. In the interest of being truly equitable, this program should be implemented district wide. GMU is a state school, affordable, and with an improving state and national profile every year. Good students from all types of families are choosing to go there. It’s not equitable to offer this program to some students and not others.

Those poor HB and YHS kids. They never get a break.

This is dumb. There are some HB and YHS kids who need a break. Is it fewer than the kids at the other high schools? Sure.

But this isn't the purpose of the program. It is GMU's goal to increase representation in applications. YHS and HB don't really advance that goal. You advance that goal by targeting schools like WHS where 75% of students are non-white, not by targeting schools that are 25% white.

This is a GMU initiative and GMU has pursued this agreement with high-FRL schools across districts - this is not an APS initiative, nor is it APS-exclusive.

The students at YHS and HB have significant resources to help them succeed. Resources at schools like Wakefield are stretched way way farther and far more students overall need more breaks.

Exactly. Wake and WL are two of the most diverse schools in the DMV. This helps GMU.

What is this helping ? Why would gmu be helped?

My guess is since WHS annd WL are very diverse by local standards, GMU hopes to increase underrepresented minorities. Especially now that Affirmative Action is no longer an option. Yorktown on the other hand is more or less your typical affluent high school in the dmv.

Yorktown still has 10% or so FRL. FRL isn’t a perfect proxy for race. There are well off minorities who live were, as well as not so well off white people living in great grandma’s 1940’s rambler. But none of that matters because there’s also plenty of well off white kids who will get the benefit, too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Great idea, but I need to question the rationale for limiting it to only these 3 schools. There are about 400 FRL kids at HB Woodlawn and Yorktown that get left out, while kids from $$$$ Aurora Hills and Lyon Village who have all the advantages but not top grades get the benefit. And wouldn’t we want people to seek transfers as needed to balance enrollment? This discourages that.

The implementation is going to have unintended and undesirable consequences. In the interest of being truly equitable, this program should be implemented district wide. GMU is a state school, affordable, and with an improving state and national profile every year. Good students from all types of families are choosing to go there. It’s not equitable to offer this program to some students and not others.

Those poor HB and YHS kids. They never get a break.

This is dumb. There are some HB and YHS kids who need a break. Is it fewer than the kids at the other high schools? Sure.

But this isn't the purpose of the program. It is GMU's goal to increase representation in applications. YHS and HB don't really advance that goal. You advance that goal by targeting schools like WHS where 75% of students are non-white, not by targeting schools that are 25% white.

This is a GMU initiative and GMU has pursued this agreement with high-FRL schools across districts - this is not an APS initiative, nor is it APS-exclusive.

The students at YHS and HB have significant resources to help them succeed. Resources at schools like Wakefield are stretched way way farther and far more students overall need more breaks.

Exactly. Wake and WL are two of the most diverse schools in the DMV. This helps GMU.

What is this helping ? Why would gmu be helped?

My guess is since WHS annd WL are very diverse by local standards, GMU hopes to increase underrepresented minorities. Especially now that Affirmative Action is no longer an option. Yorktown on the other hand is more or less your typical affluent high school in the dmv.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the real benefit is not having to go through the application process.

I don't quite see why they couldn't offer this to all APS students? What is the downside in offering it across the board? Clearly George Mason must not have wanted to agree to that.

They could have offered it to all high schoolers who qualify for FRE, regardless of high school.

This would land a lot better. Lots of kids at W-L, Career Center, and Wakefield don't need this option and yes even a few at Yorktown or HB could use it.

It isn't about affordability. It's about "underrepresented populations" which includes lower income students, as well as students of color who aren't necessarily so impoverished as to qualify for free meals. Many of them still wouldn't necessarily be willing/as supported going through the complicated process of college searches and applications. This makes it simpler - with them KNOWING they are admitted and being able to just focus on that rather than finding and applying to other schools that are probably harder for them to access for reasons beyond finances. Just being able to live at home and commute to GMU makes college more financially accessible for a lot of students.

Affirmative action is illegal now dum dum

That's why they're doing it this way, dum-dum.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wakefield, W-K, and the career center will now offer a direct admission to college for any students with a GPA Of 3.25 or above. It is only offered at those schools because it is designed to target schools with a higher rate of free and reduced lunch. This is going to be good for a lot of kids.

The exact population who can't afford the instate tuition at GMU and other VA state schools. Yes, they get in, and yes, some will get aid - not much bc in state you don't get much aid - than take out loans. And after a semester, or maybe even a whole year, realize it is unaffordable to continue. Or they will get a full time job and limp along getting grades just enough to keep them in school if they are lucky.

I no longer think these kind of programs should be hailed as an achievement but instead look at these equity efforts as window dressing and a bit exploitative of students who need more support than just getting their foot in the door.

You are giving this program way more impact and purpose than it has. It's just admission. They still need to meet the qualifications. It's not intended to address affordability - it is intended to increase applications from minority students, rich or poor.

And it can still make college attainable for some of the students you are focusing on by granting them admission (when they may not otherwise be accepted through the regular application process) and offering an opportunity for them to save half the cost of a 4 year degree by living at home and commuting if necessary.