Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD’s best friend had 29 ACT, 3.1 uw at MCPS, even two D’s, 4 C’s and then mix As/Bs and got into VT, Miami Ohio, Delaware, Indiana and ECU. Denied UMD, JMU, and South Carolina. Attending VT and is beyond thrilled. Counselor said VT was waste of time she would never get in. You never know, maybe they do read essays.....

Wow, that gives me hope. My DS has a 3.0 GPA at Sidwell but 1520 on the SAT and he is hoping to go to VT majoring in either economic or finance.

He could probably get in to William and Mary realistically, especially as a boy. If willing to pay for private, he could get into GW/American/Syracuse/BU/BC (maybe). Reaches would be Davidson. May be even ELON.

Those schools would not be an option for him because he is at Sidwell on 95% financial aid. We just barely have enough to cover his tuition & room/board for three years. We will likely have to get a loan for his last year assuming that he will graduate in 4 years.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD’s best friend had 29 ACT, 3.1 uw at MCPS, even two D’s, 4 C’s and then mix As/Bs and got into VT, Miami Ohio, Delaware, Indiana and ECU. Denied UMD, JMU, and South Carolina. Attending VT and is beyond thrilled. Counselor said VT was waste of time she would never get in. You never know, maybe they do read essays.....

Wow, that gives me hope. My DS has a 3.0 GPA at Sidwell but 1520 on the SAT and he is hoping to go to VT majoring in either economic or finance.

I’d be stunned if he didn’t. That’s a gaudy score. Love me some VT so definitely not knocking it, but we’ve seen most good-not-great kids in our Howard County public get in (though Engineering is a very different prospect).

Your child is in 9th grade...back away from college discussions. Do not go on college tours. DO not stress about this or make this a focus. Junior and senior year are stressful enough-- you do not want your kid feeling like a failure if they don't go to a top 50-100 school, and focusing on college at this young age is a recipe for disaster and unfulfilled expectations.

Many many kids with As and good test scores do not get into a T20 school-- there are lots of rejections no matter how good your grades are, so please for the sake of your kid, focus on the journey and finding happiness in HS, not the destination of college. There is plenty of time and there are plenty of schools

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD’s best friend had 29 ACT, 3.1 uw at MCPS, even two D’s, 4 C’s and then mix As/Bs and got into VT, Miami Ohio, Delaware, Indiana and ECU. Denied UMD, JMU, and South Carolina. Attending VT and is beyond thrilled. Counselor said VT was waste of time she would never get in. You never know, maybe they do read essays.....

Wow, that gives me hope. My DS has a 3.0 GPA at Sidwell but 1520 on the SAT and he is hoping to go to VT majoring in either economic or finance.

He could probably get in to William and Mary realistically, especially as a boy. If willing to pay for private, he could get into GW/American/Syracuse/BU/BC (maybe). Reaches would be Davidson. May be even ELON.

Anonymous wrote:DD’s best friend had 29 ACT, 3.1 uw at MCPS, even two D’s, 4 C’s and then mix As/Bs and got into VT, Miami Ohio, Delaware, Indiana and ECU. Denied UMD, JMU, and South Carolina. Attending VT and is beyond thrilled. Counselor said VT was waste of time she would never get in. You never know, maybe they do read essays.....

Wow, that gives me hope. My DS has a 3.0 GPA at Sidwell but 1520 on the SAT and he is hoping to go to VT majoring in either economic or finance.

In a year or two, go to the CTCL lecture. They give good (generic) advice about how to approach the college selection process. Whether or not you ever consider the schools on their list, you will come away with valuable suggestions on how to keep your sanity through the process.

Anonymous wrote:OP here: thanks for the psychology today series suggestion! Would be good to read in general. Also, I appreciate the last comment that college "isn't a reward for high school achievement." I don't want to join the tiger moms and honestly, I don't think it would work anyway... There's so much to consider and my main hope is that he has a good work ethic (eventually), a good sense of self and can deal with the mental ups and downs of life. I just have to remember that when I hear that everyone is on the engineering track and start to worry about the future. Just being honest.... Thx

OP - that blogger also wrote a great book about adolescent boys:

https://www.amazon.com/Hes-Not-Lazy-Empowering-Believe/dp/1454916877/ref=nodl_

Enjoy!

OP here: thanks for the psychology today series suggestion! Would be good to read in general. Also, I appreciate the last comment that college "isn't a reward for high school achievement." I don't want to join the tiger moms and honestly, I don't think it would work anyway... There's so much to consider and my main hope is that he has a good work ethic (eventually), a good sense of self and can deal with the mental ups and downs of life. I just have to remember that when I hear that everyone is on the engineering track and start to worry about the future. Just being honest.... Thx

Anonymous wrote:Having had four kids go through the process I'd strongly advise that you not even think about college or say anything to your kid about it for another year. I know that's hard to do, but trust me at this stage nothing you can do or say matters. Lots of kids start out with Bs and get serious later, and yes colleges are more competitive than ever but they still look favorably at the upward trend. Your kid is going to be just fine, and will be grateful later for you not putting on the pressure.

This is true, there's a huge difference in the mindset junior year and start of freshman year. Going on tours too early has little benefit and could cause harm. There will be a natural climb in motivation and ability. Sure there may be some school that's completely out of reach at this point (although, if so, it was probably out of reach before the freshman grades), but having a transcript that shows growth is good. College isn't a reward for HS achievement, it's the next step for someone who's outgrown HS.