I know the UC system quite well, having had children successfully apply and be admitted to both Berkeley and UCLA, and unfortunately a 3.5 is not within that automatic admit formula for Berkeley or UCLA. Start planning alternatives now.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Sidwell limits applications? Limits the # of Ivies? How?

That's one stop sign I'd run. Sorry, the best interests of my kid wouldn't be dictated by a college counselor at any school.

There's no way to run that stop sign. Sidwell won't send the transcript to more than 9 schools, although it's possible to apply to multiple UCs and have it count as one because the information only has to be sent once. If that doesn't work for you, Sidwell is not a good fit for your family.

And that is exactly what we will do when the time comes as the west coast is a great 'safety' for my laid back, sun loving kid who has no problem attending UCLA or Yale (gotta get in first). That's just the way DC rolls and no problem with that.

As long as you're serious about your major, you're going to get it regardless where you attend. Period.

Your statement displays ridiculous East Coast hubris and ignorance about the UC system. The only UC campus where your son might possibly have a "safety" admissions would be UC Merced. UCLA is THE most competitive of the entire UC system -- yes -- even more than Berkeley. It has a 14% admissions rate for out-of-state students, but its admissions process prioritizes in-state students. It also considers "opportunities and challenges," i.e. what kind of opportunities did your child have and what kinds of challenges has he overcome? So, a privileged kid from an elite DC private school will not necessarily have a leg up over an in-state student with a lower GPA and test scores who comes from Compton -- especially if your attitude of entitlement shines through.

The previous posters have already sorted the confusion out.

One poster mentioned that they knew a debater who went on to Harvard from a W school. A W school referred not to a debate school in Washington, DC (a logical but in this case incorrect assumption), but rather to a high school that begins with a W in Montgomery County (likely Whitman).

Anonymous wrote:It is common knowledge that GDS is the "number one" Harvard feeder school in DC --it's been that way for decades....

Why are there always trollsome posts along these lines? Clearly the trolls are not associated with any of the local private or public schools, just some persons trying to create trouble.

It is common knowledge that GDS is the "number one" Harvard feeder school in DC --it's been that way for decades....

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the only real EC hook is athletic recruitment.

We know someone recruited to Harvard for debate from a W. school.

If you know a student who was "recruited to Harvard for debate from a W[ashington] school", I assume that school would likely be GDS, as it is the only private school in DC itself that competes in policy debate on the national circuit.

Not to mentioned GDS's track record of sending a lot of its students to Harvard.

But of course. It is the D.C. feeder to Harvard.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the only real EC hook is athletic recruitment.

We know someone recruited to Harvard for debate from a W. school.

and that former debate coach at Northwestern. He has like 5 SCOTUS clerks in his alumni group!

What's so noteworthy about Scottish clerks?

You could say that about almost every thread on this board.

My guess is the bottom quarter is 3.25 and below. Top quarter 3.8 or so.