Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Went through this just this year. Dream school was an ivy, kid well within range, multiple publications, etc. Rejected ED and that led to an update to all the RD schools (new publications, work on the hill). Admitted to another ivy RD. Ended up in a very happy place for her -- one of the strongest seven sisters.

What I'd encourage you to discuss with DD is not so much what the "brand" of the dream school is, but rather what she wants to get out of it. Education, experience, network / alums, path to envisioned future and how her choice would play in interviews etc. is ultimately going to prove more important than the bumper sticker you get to buy.

So much in this country now is about building brand hype and the appearance of being "elite". Other than playing into the competitiveness for "prestige" for many here (and in this city), there's little value to this and very little correlation to the quality of the education received. Look at metrics like % of graduates who ultimately go on to get a PhD, professor profiles and publications, student ratings of quality of life, commitment of alums, etc.

Stanford is great. So are about 50 other US schools.

You were doing pretty well until the last sentence. Your implication that there are "about 50" US schools on par with Stanford is ridiculous.

Not the PP to whom you're responding, but your boosterism is showing. You're misreading the PP. It's not about any school being "on par" with any other, it's about realizing there is NO one university or college that is perfect. The intense need to compare schools and always find every one of them lacking, except the poster's preferred name brand/"Top 10"/Ivy etc. -- it's so narrow. And it's damaging to kids, who absorb that thinking from their parents and then are crushed if they don't get into the one school that they've been told has no peers anywhere, ever, in any subject.

Anonymous wrote:Went through this just this year. Dream school was an ivy, kid well within range, multiple publications, etc. Rejected ED and that led to an update to all the RD schools (new publications, work on the hill). Admitted to another ivy RD. Ended up in a very happy place for her -- one of the strongest seven sisters.

What I'd encourage you to discuss with DD is not so much what the "brand" of the dream school is, but rather what she wants to get out of it. Education, experience, network / alums, path to envisioned future and how her choice would play in interviews etc. is ultimately going to prove more important than the bumper sticker you get to buy.

So much in this country now is about building brand hype and the appearance of being "elite". Other than playing into the competitiveness for "prestige" for many here (and in this city), there's little value to this and very little correlation to the quality of the education received. Look at metrics like % of graduates who ultimately go on to get a PhD, professor profiles and publications, student ratings of quality of life, commitment of alums, etc.

Stanford is great. So are about 50 other US schools.

DP from way earlier on the thread and -- OP, this, above. Especially the bold. This PP is right on. The whole "dream school" problem is that it limits both kids' and parents' vision of what a college education is really for. There are so many schools out there that could have unique, creative approaches to the subjects in which your student is interested. But so many families on these threads seem not to give any thought to the student's possible major(s), or to colleges' academic approaches, course structure, opportunities for research/writing/unique projects etc. Be careful that "dream school" thinking doesn't obscure all the other places where there could be an education that's a better fit for the student.

To PP above -- congratulations to your student on finding the right place where she's happy! Same happened with my DD.

And what do you as the oracle consider acceptable? 3? 10? 35?

Anonymous wrote:Went through this just this year. Dream school was an ivy, kid well within range, multiple publications, etc. Rejected ED and that led to an update to all the RD schools (new publications, work on the hill). Admitted to another ivy RD. Ended up in a very happy place for her -- one of the strongest seven sisters.

What I'd encourage you to discuss with DD is not so much what the "brand" of the dream school is, but rather what she wants to get out of it. Education, experience, network / alums, path to envisioned future and how her choice would play in interviews etc. is ultimately going to prove more important than the bumper sticker you get to buy.

So much in this country now is about building brand hype and the appearance of being "elite". Other than playing into the competitiveness for "prestige" for many here (and in this city), there's little value to this and very little correlation to the quality of the education received. Look at metrics like % of graduates who ultimately go on to get a PhD, professor profiles and publications, student ratings of quality of life, commitment of alums, etc.

Stanford is great. So are about 50 other US schools.

You were doing pretty well until the last sentence. Your implication that there are "about 50" US schools on par with Stanford is ridiculous.

Went through this just this year. Dream school was an ivy, kid well within range, multiple publications, etc. Rejected ED and that led to an update to all the RD schools (new publications, work on the hill). Admitted to another ivy RD. Ended up in a very happy place for her -- one of the strongest seven sisters.

What I'd encourage you to discuss with DD is not so much what the "brand" of the dream school is, but rather what she wants to get out of it. Education, experience, network / alums, path to envisioned future and how her choice would play in interviews etc. is ultimately going to prove more important than the bumper sticker you get to buy.

So much in this country now is about building brand hype and the appearance of being "elite". Other than playing into the competitiveness for "prestige" for many here (and in this city), there's little value to this and very little correlation to the quality of the education received. Look at metrics like % of graduates who ultimately go on to get a PhD, professor profiles and publications, student ratings of quality of life, commitment of alums, etc.

Stanford is great. So are about 50 other US schools.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DS is a sophomore in MCPS school, was an ISEF finalist this year. He has been doing STEM research since middle school,. Perfect GPA so far 4.0W, and 4.6 W, has taken 5 AP's with 5's, SAT 1560 that he took couple months back. He is a the President of the school science club and organizes activities in the area. He also plays violin and has made to county and state leavels.
What can he do to increase his chances to get into a school like Stanford?

ISEF is a great accolade, congrats!

Has he won any violin competitions? Does he do anything outside of science?

He has a shot. Mine got into 3 T10/Ivies, did not apply to Stanford or Harvard, not interested in those two. Yours has a chance with ISEF, but upping the awards , service and/or EC variety is not a bad idea.

If yours takes violin with a umd prof, our kids have the same teacher. Email me!

DS has been very actively involved in research in the medical fields with researchers from UMD. He has a paper accepted for publication in a peer reviewed journal. He has also presented his NIH research at a science conference (paid for by UMD). He has been taking private lessons in violin and qualified for all state and county since middle school. He is applying for congressional medal gold by end of junior year

This is a great combo. Use it for extra leverage when he applies for scholarships like Coolidge, Coke etc as these will also enhance the app value. If anything, I'd try to add something complimentary. You have an outstanding kid (isef, nih) with a standard breadth of profile (violin, science, service). The violin is good but not super noteworthy, and a lot of science kids are violinists. If he is looking for something to add, maybe creative writing, art, theatre, cooking, composing or sports. Just to help him stand out from other outstanding peers with similar interests.

He will also want to work on an excellent essay and very college specific essay supplements. Also, if he is good enough on violin, putting together a music supplement of contrasting pieces. His paper will make a nice research/writing supplement.

Finally, he has achieved so much as a sophomore, maybe he should also have some down time. This may pair with some creative endeavors.

Good luck!

How do you have 10 AP as rising senior? Ours says none as freshman. Only encourages one as soph. Can do 2 if you push it. So how does yours (unless TJ I guess) have 10 done. I can't even figure it out?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DS is a sophomore in MCPS school, was an ISEF finalist this year. He has been doing STEM research since middle school,. Perfect GPA so far 4.0W, and 4.6 W, has taken 5 AP's with 5's, SAT 1560 that he took couple months back. He is a the President of the school science club and organizes activities in the area. He also plays violin and has made to county and state leavels.
What can he do to increase his chances to get into a school like Stanford?

ISEF is a great accolade, congrats!

Has he won any violin competitions? Does he do anything outside of science?

He has a shot. Mine got into 3 T10/Ivies, did not apply to Stanford or Harvard, not interested in those two. Yours has a chance with ISEF, but upping the awards , service and/or EC variety is not a bad idea.

If yours takes violin with a umd prof, our kids have the same teacher. Email me!

DS has been very actively involved in research in the medical fields with researchers from UMD. He has a paper accepted for publication in a peer reviewed journal. He has also presented his NIH research at a science conference (paid for by UMD). He has been taking private lessons in violin and qualified for all state and county since middle school. He is applying for congressional medal gold by end of junior year

Anonymous wrote:My DS is a sophomore in MCPS school, was an ISEF finalist this year. He has been doing STEM research since middle school,. Perfect GPA so far 4.0W, and 4.6 W, has taken 5 AP's with 5's, SAT 1560 that he took couple months back. He is a the President of the school science club and organizes activities in the area. He also plays violin and has made to county and state leavels.
What can he do to increase his chances to get into a school like Stanford?

ISEF is a great accolade, congrats!

Has he won any violin competitions? Does he do anything outside of science?

He has a shot. Mine got into 3 T10/Ivies, did not apply to Stanford or Harvard, not interested in those two. Yours has a chance with ISEF, but upping the awards , service and/or EC variety is not a bad idea.

If yours takes violin with a umd prof, our kids have the same teacher. Email me!

My DS is a sophomore in MCPS school, was an ISEF finalist this year. He has been doing STEM research since middle school,. Perfect GPA so far 4.0W, and 4.6 W, has taken 5 AP's with 5's, SAT 1560 that he took couple months back. He is a the President of the school science club and organizes activities in the area. He also plays violin and has made to county and state leavels.
What can he do to increase his chances to get into a school like Stanford?

Being a recruited athlete helps ENORMOUSLY. Anyone who tells you differently is wrong. That said, neither Stanford or Harvard will be possible if they don’t need the position. DS is a baseball catcher and some schools had a junior and senior catchers on their rosters and they weren’t interested. Luckily Dartmouth had only one senior catcher and DS got to start his sophomore year. DD will be applying as recruited as well and already has been guided to the schools that see a future void in her position.

A great essay/essays really can put your child over the top. Also EA status.

Nothing is guaranteed, of course, but nothing is off limits. Your child has a good change. Congratulations!

Anonymous wrote:How does Brown evaluate applicant? Similar to Harvard and Stanford? Or different? May be easier and so could be the target?

Brown is a high reach for everyone. A target for no one. RD acceptance rate was something like 3.5%

Anonymous wrote:How does Brown evaluate applicant? Similar to Harvard and Stanford? Or different? May be easier and so could be the target?

Is this OP? If so, I don’t think you are taking in the advice you’ve been given here. Brown is also not a realistic option for an unhooked kid. If anything, they give more weight to legacies than the other top schools do (other than MIT, which doesn’t consider legacy status at all).

Anonymous wrote:My rising senior DD is in an FCPS top school. High stats, perfect SAT, 10 AP's with 4 and 5's. She plays a niche sport and has many service hours in her related sport. She will not be applying as an athlete recruit. Her dream school is Stanford. What are the chances for someone from East coast to get to Stanford. Harvard versus Stanford, any advice?

Without hooks like recruited athlete, big donation, URM, legacy, media star, it’s going to be difficult to get in either, no matter how accomplished your applicant is.