Anonymous
Post 02/04/2026 08:10     Subject: Experienced Moms: Help With A Prediction For College Results For RD?
Anonymous wrote:Parent pf HS and college kids who also happens to be an academic here, and I'm just gonna say that it's only 1 in a million HS kid who is capable of contributing in any meaningful way to faculty research/publishing. Admissions knows this and understand that it's either rigged by parent connections or by pay-to-play. But they like to tout ridiculous stats about their entering class so they may reward kids who have this BS on their applications. Or they may not.

Parents encourage your exceptional kids to do exceptional things on their own. Don't fall for this BS, especially if it costs you money.


Fellow STEM researcher and agree with you. I did get hired as a lab tech as a high schooler back in the 90s, but nobody told me to apply for this because this would look good on college apps. I was just really eager to be in a lab. It was a valuable and rewarding experience but definitely not something that made me a better scientist in the grand scheme of things. It seems like many more kids get involved in "research" now as admissions counselors and parents encourage this. And don't get me started on "publications." It's harder to sense whether all this activity is an honest signal of unusual early interest anymore. This a problem with the current admissions frenzy, I guess. Whenever unusual activities do signal genuine interest, the word gets out and they lose their meaning.
Anonymous
Post 02/04/2026 07:41     Subject: Experienced Moms: Help With A Prediction For College Results For RD?
Anonymous wrote:DD got into the honors program (with merit) at UMass and honors program at UMD. Deferred MI, deferred MIT (this is why there's no ED). Do the honors program acceptances indicate top tier schools in March? I realize you're not fortune tellers but I was hoping if you've seen honors acceptances EA you might have seen what happens next. Major is STEM. Great and relevant ecs. 1590 SAT. 4.0 unweighted and no ranking in the school. This wait is hard. CMU, Northwestern, Hopkins and a variety of ivies plus the deferrals are what we're waiting on.


It depends on her peers at her HS. Our kid is a HS senior at a big public school, and she has a sense of who the top students are at her HS. With having top ECs, she will likely get 2-3 of her remaining choices. If she's one of dozens with rigor, high test scores, perfect GPA, and great ECs, then it's much more of a lottery.
Anonymous
Post 02/04/2026 07:33     Subject: Re:Experienced Moms: Help With A Prediction For College Results For RD?
I wonder why she was deferred by UMich?
Anonymous
Post 02/04/2026 07:27     Subject: Experienced Moms: Help With A Prediction For College Results For RD?
I know a girl with similar stats: same SAT score, one of the top 3 students at her school, and STEM major. Exceptional math ability and impressive STEM awards and activities. Was denied MIT, Princeton, Yale. Got into Penn, JHU, Cornell, CMU. But it is all really random, OP. We do not know your how any one kid's essays and letters of recommendation will strike the particular people who end up reading their application. Or whether they will be having a good day or bad day. Other kids with high stats from the same school get accepted to and rejected by a different set of top schools, and I can't really make sense of it.

But I do predict your DD will get into a number of schools she will be very happy with, as long as she doesn't set her sights on any one particular school because the process is too unpredictable. Good luck and I hope you come back to update at the end of the process.
Anonymous
Post 02/04/2026 07:09     Subject: Experienced Moms: Help With A Prediction For College Results For RD?
Parent pf HS and college kids who also happens to be an academic here, and I'm just gonna say that it's only 1 in a million HS kid who is capable of contributing in any meaningful way to faculty research/publishing. Admissions knows this and understand that it's either rigged by parent connections or by pay-to-play. But they like to tout ridiculous stats about their entering class so they may reward kids who have this BS on their applications. Or they may not.

Parents encourage your exceptional kids to do exceptional things on their own. Don't fall for this BS, especially if it costs you money.
Anonymous
Post 02/04/2026 07:03     Subject: Experienced Moms: Help With A Prediction For College Results For RD?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My kid had the same stats last year. Admitted Michigan EA, UVA OOS EA, UNC honors, UCLA, UGA honors but outright rejected Cornell RD.


Was this coming from a public school that’s not a feeder? From most feeder publics and privates that don’t grade inflate, 4.0+1590+good ECs related to the major would definitely get into at least 1 Ivy and multiple T20 if you go RD


It was coming from a feeder private.

Saying that a 4.0/1590 would "definitely get into at least 1 Ivy and multiple T20 if you go RD is just not true!!!

There are a zillion examples to the contrary on here as well as hundreds on Reddit, etc.
I personally knew a half dozen kids last year.
Stop spreading false hopes and a bunch of crap like this!!
Anonymous
Post 02/04/2026 06:56     Subject: Experienced Moms: Help With A Prediction For College Results For RD?
Anonymous wrote:My kid had the same stats last year. Admitted Michigan EA, UVA OOS EA, UNC honors, UCLA, UGA honors but outright rejected Cornell RD.


Was this coming from a public school that’s not a feeder? From most feeder publics and privates that don’t grade inflate, 4.0+1590+good ECs related to the major would definitely get into at least 1 Ivy and multiple T20 if you go RD
Anonymous
Post 02/04/2026 06:29     Subject: Experienced Moms: Help With A Prediction For College Results For RD?
No this is crazy.
You are gong to get some wild help. Why bother
Anonymous
Post 02/04/2026 06:27     Subject: Experienced Moms: Help With A Prediction For College Results For RD?
Maybe one of those you listed. I would love the present acceptances and not expect more.
Anonymous
Post 02/04/2026 01:47     Subject: Experienced Moms: Help With A Prediction For College Results For RD?
Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t let people here discourage you. Your kid is competitive for any of those schools and it’s just a crap shoot -/ if I had to put money on it, I’d guess she’d get into at least one, but I’m not a betting person. If she doesn’t get into any, I would not stress about it or take it personally — it’s just bad luck but her current options are really great.


+1
Anonymous
Post 02/03/2026 23:05     Subject: Experienced Moms: Help With A Prediction For College Results For RD?
Anonymous wrote:Thank you all and I will report back! From what I know of Princeton she does seem like a fit there but it seems strange to even think that. Like we're shooting too high. Especially now with the two deferrals. She did apply to Princeton and Cornell FWIW. She IS happy with her choices already, UMD has excellent engineering options. For the DD with similar stats...what did she choose?

Cornell freshman and having a great year! Cmu didn’t fit her vibe. MI a little TOO big. Also considered Emory, wash u, and gu if your DD applied to any of those schools. GU was also top contender.
Anonymous
Post 02/03/2026 23:04     Subject: Experienced Moms: Help With A Prediction For College Results For RD?
Anonymous wrote:IMHO it comes down to those great and relevant ECs you reference and how good a job your student did tying herself to a unique aspect of the major applied for. Also, what do you expect the LORs to look like?

I had a top stats student with solid well rounded ECs and I suspect good not amazing LORs 3 years ago. Got into a good number of strong schools and honors colleges but not the top 10-25 level where she was at top 25 % of the school’s stats.

This year I have a top stats student that got into one of the schools you listed ED and I suspect she would have gotten into probably every other school she planned to apply to except possibly Yale and Stanford, but those were possible.

The difference: unique and deep ECs that aligned with the story re what she wanted to study. A unique national award that showed a solidly unusual level of creativity. And LOR where her teachers were likely saying she was one in a million. Oh, and how she worked on her essays. It was painful to watch but they were original, thoughtful and specific to how she was bringing a unique perspective to what she would be studying.

Both great smart kids, the older one is a naturally stronger student but she is shy and keeps her thoughtfulness closely held. The second wears her heart on her sleeve and makes everyone around her laugh constantly.

The second also learned from watching her sister struggle in this process and used that as motivation to go above and beyond.

The older one, by the way, is doing great in college, there are so many great schools, not just 25.


Just here to say we had almost the *exact* same situation with our two. The eldest had a really tough process but is now thriving at her school - so happy and set up for success in the future. We can only dream our second, who will be attending an objectively more prestigious school in the fall, ends up with as positive an experience.
Anonymous
Post 02/03/2026 23:00     Subject: Re:Experienced Moms: Help With A Prediction For College Results For RD?
Anonymous wrote:Keep us posted Op, we’re routing for her!


+1

She sounds amazing! But beyond that, it’s impossible to predict. Please let us know how it goes!

In the meantime, I know how hard it is to wait. DC was deferred ED, deferred EA Michigan, in at Maryland (honors).

All the other applications, including some on your list … at this point, we just have to wait and see.

Once your kid meets the 75% for a schools stats, I genuinely think it’s impossible to predict. Between the institutional priorities of that particular moment in time at each individual school, and other factors and preferences that seem to shift subtly year to year, it’s pretty opaque.

Enjoy these next six weeks with your DD. Once April hits, I hear it starts to go by very, very fast. 💗
Anonymous
Post 02/03/2026 22:55     Subject: Re:Experienced Moms: Help With A Prediction For College Results For RD?
Anonymous wrote:Honors program acceptances just confirm that your DC has amazing stats, which is a dime a dozen and a pre-rec for elite school admits. All honors colleges look for is stats, to be honest with you. I can see Michigan converting in RD, but definitely not MIT. MIT EA defer slots in RD are reserved for athletes and world-class students who they might need 1-5 more of after reviewing RD applications. CMU is possible, Northwestern doesn't fit your child one bit. Hopkins maybe but STEM there is crazy competitive. Princeton could work if low income / first gen / URM, maybe Cornell. The other ivies will be random.


The info about MIT is not correct. There have been several kids at our private in last five years who were deferred EA ar MIT and admitted RD. They were NOT athletes or world class students, just very impressive smart kids.
Anonymous
Post 02/03/2026 22:53     Subject: Experienced Moms: Help With A Prediction For College Results For RD?
My kid had the same stats last year. Admitted Michigan EA, UVA OOS EA, UNC honors, UCLA, UGA honors but outright rejected Cornell RD.