Anonymous
05/25/2025 22:30
Subject: Any high school teachers here who can give some frank talk about which types of students get into the top colleges?
25% of all Ivy students come from U.S. independent schools. Once international students are excluded, US public schools produce fewer than half of all Ivy students.
That statistic is probably the most mind blowing considering that 83% of all US high school students attend a public high school.
That statistic is probably the most mind blowing considering that 83% of all US high school students attend a public high school.
Anonymous
05/25/2025 22:28
Subject: Any high school teachers here who can give some frank talk about which types of students get into the top colleges?
Anonymous wrote:teachers often don't know where their star students end up.Anonymous wrote:For some reason there are endless college counselors doing marketiing podcasts, for admissions officers giving interviews, parents stating this is what worked for their child, etc. We get this information and try to use it to see what our own child should be doing.
However, missing from all this talk is the actual teachers who teach these kids, see what kind of grades they get, the impact on their high school community, what the letters of recommendations say, etc.
Out of all these stakeholders you would think that a teacher who sees year after year particular kids getting into college would be in the best position to see what works.
For some reason, we never seem to get their wisdom.
For college? Sure they do.
Anonymous
05/25/2025 22:27
Subject: Any high school teachers here who can give some frank talk about which types of students get into the top colleges?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Feeder school aka mostly private
Huh? are you a teacher at a feeder/private? If so, this response makes no sense because we know that only a selective group from any given private gets into top schools.
You’re incorrect. The facts say otherwise.
+1
Anonymous
05/25/2025 22:22
Subject: Any high school teachers here who can give some frank talk about which types of students get into the top colleges?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Feeder school aka mostly private
Huh? are you a teacher at a feeder/private? If so, this response makes no sense because we know that only a selective group from any given private gets into top schools.
You’re incorrect. The facts say otherwise.
Anonymous
05/25/2025 22:12
Subject: Any high school teachers here who can give some frank talk about which types of students get into the top colleges?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:At our FCPS, the kids getting into top 10 schools + ivies are overwhelmingly from these 3 categories:
ROTC with very good grades/SATs who are usually also getting appointed to one of the military academies
Underrepresented minorities with good grades/SATs This is the biggest group. Our school is almost entirely upper middle class, if that make a difference. Some are immigrant families, not from asia though.
Music students with very good grades and high SATs. Not necessarily music majors though, just good enough at an instrument or vocally to submit a very high level music supplement.
I don't recall the last time a high stat white or asian kid from our high school got into an Ivy level school without music or ROTC. Based on our school, the biggest hooks are URM, ROTC and music, all 3 with high grades and SATs.
As an FCPS teacher, I fully agree. ROTC and/or URM students are getting into top schools. I haven't seen the music hook, but maybe it's not as big at my school.
No athletes?
Anonymous
05/25/2025 22:11
Subject: Any high school teachers here who can give some frank talk about which types of students get into the top colleges?
Anonymous wrote:Feeder school aka mostly private
Huh? are you a teacher at a feeder/private? If so, this response makes no sense because we know that only a selective group from any given private gets into top schools.
Anonymous
05/25/2025 22:06
Subject: Re:Any high school teachers here who can give some frank talk about which types of students get into the top colleges?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Editors of the school newspaper. Legacies. Athletes. Especially weird ones like Crew. Or URM that has an amazing story and stats to back it up.
My DS was all of the above on what you mention and still was rejected by 75% of the schools he applied to! He's going to Purdue engineering but felt like he should have gotten into something better.
I think your son has lost some perspective in the course of the college admissions process. At the graduate level, Purdue ranks #5 on the US News list of Best Engineering Schools. (Yes, he's going for undergrad, but we also know that it's great at engineering at that level.)
Anonymous
05/25/2025 22:01
Subject: Any high school teachers here who can give some frank talk about which types of students get into the top colleges?
Anonymous wrote:At our FCPS, the kids getting into top 10 schools + ivies are overwhelmingly from these 3 categories:
ROTC with very good grades/SATs who are usually also getting appointed to one of the military academies
Underrepresented minorities with good grades/SATs This is the biggest group. Our school is almost entirely upper middle class, if that make a difference. Some are immigrant families, not from asia though.
Music students with very good grades and high SATs. Not necessarily music majors though, just good enough at an instrument or vocally to submit a very high level music supplement.
I don't recall the last time a high stat white or asian kid from our high school got into an Ivy level school without music or ROTC. Based on our school, the biggest hooks are URM, ROTC and music, all 3 with high grades and SATs.
As an FCPS teacher, I fully agree. ROTC and/or URM students are getting into top schools. I haven't seen the music hook, but maybe it's not as big at my school.
Anonymous
05/25/2025 21:26
Subject: Any high school teachers here who can give some frank talk about which types of students get into the top colleges?
At our FCPS, the kids getting into top 10 schools + ivies are overwhelmingly from these 3 categories:
ROTC with very good grades/SATs who are usually also getting appointed to one of the military academies
Underrepresented minorities with good grades/SATs This is the biggest group. Our school is almost entirely upper middle class, if that make a difference. Some are immigrant families, not from asia though.
Music students with very good grades and high SATs. Not necessarily music majors though, just good enough at an instrument or vocally to submit a very high level music supplement.
I don't recall the last time a high stat white or asian kid from our high school got into an Ivy level school without music or ROTC. Based on our school, the biggest hooks are URM, ROTC and music, all 3 with high grades and SATs.
ROTC with very good grades/SATs who are usually also getting appointed to one of the military academies
Underrepresented minorities with good grades/SATs This is the biggest group. Our school is almost entirely upper middle class, if that make a difference. Some are immigrant families, not from asia though.
Music students with very good grades and high SATs. Not necessarily music majors though, just good enough at an instrument or vocally to submit a very high level music supplement.
I don't recall the last time a high stat white or asian kid from our high school got into an Ivy level school without music or ROTC. Based on our school, the biggest hooks are URM, ROTC and music, all 3 with high grades and SATs.
Anonymous
05/25/2025 21:00
Subject: Any high school teachers here who can give some frank talk about which types of students get into the top colleges?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Feeder school aka mostly private
lol facts say otherwise
Public’s do better overall
Hmmm. There are maybe a dozen feeder public schools and most of them are magnets
Anonymous
05/25/2025 18:41
Subject: Any high school teachers here who can give some frank talk about which types of students get into the top colleges?
Public school math teacher of 28 years here. But I am just a regular person giving my opinion, like all of you.
It seems to be authenticity and the truly stand out kids. They are extremely smart, took classes and ECs and all of the extras because of their interests and not only to build a resume to get into these schools. They had personalities and excellent interpersonal skills. After that it was all luck because only a small fraction of the kids got into the schools you are talking about.
It was never about being hooked, donations or full pay.
It seems to be authenticity and the truly stand out kids. They are extremely smart, took classes and ECs and all of the extras because of their interests and not only to build a resume to get into these schools. They had personalities and excellent interpersonal skills. After that it was all luck because only a small fraction of the kids got into the schools you are talking about.
It was never about being hooked, donations or full pay.
Anonymous
05/25/2025 18:37
Subject: Any high school teachers here who can give some frank talk about which types of students get into the top colleges?
Anonymous wrote:Feeder school aka mostly private
I’ve seen privates with mediocre placements. Magnet schools are more reliable feeders.
Anonymous
05/25/2025 18:25
Subject: Any high school teachers here who can give some frank talk about which types of students get into the top colleges?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I think what these feeder high schools have in common is that they are very selective to begin with. Philips Exeter rejects 86% of the students who apply and accepts just 14%. Of those 14% top students who are invited to attend, they get to engage in a wonderfully deep and challenging curriculum that was developed for their students (unlike generic College Board APs). It's no wonder they send a far higher rate of kids to Princeton etc. The kids are smart and talented to begin with, and then they spend 4 years at a terrific school being challenged alongside very motivated and bright peers.
Then why an 18 page thread about how apparently attending public school purportedly places applicants at a competitive advantage?
https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1270900.page
on average public schools do better. but there is smaller group of top feeder privates that are far different in selectivity than a run of the mill private that they do the best of all. you have to compete to enter (not just write a check) so they're already working with the best students.
Anonymous
05/25/2025 18:01
Subject: Re:Any high school teachers here who can give some frank talk about which types of students get into the top colleges?
Anonymous wrote:Editors of the school newspaper. Legacies. Athletes. Especially weird ones like Crew. Or URM that has an amazing story and stats to back it up.
Or just URM. Double points if URM at a feeder private.
I was curious to see if the Supreme Court stuff would impact admissions for AA kids from DC's high school, and it did not. High stats URM did far better than unhooked high stats white (and especially Asian kids). Harvard and Stanford took the two top AA kids in the grade. DC happens to be good friends with both these kids (small school) and I'm fairly certain neither were secretly sitting on big awards or top GPAs. Race was the hook. It is what it is. (My kid didn't apply to H or S, so no sour grapes here).
Anonymous
05/25/2025 17:58
Subject: Any high school teachers here who can give some frank talk about which types of students get into the top colleges?
Everyone but white middle class kids