OP here.

I’m not arguing any of these things. My son is privileged. We get that. But he’s still nervous and disappointed and worried about getting into college (not top 50 schools btw).

(And don't deny that being able to pay for test prep and college coaches and fancy camps, are not an advantage. Many of you pay for them for that exact reason.)

I know this is a stressful time...but really some of you people are lamenting that your kid might have lost some small percentage of their privilege or advantage over other kids. It is kind of stunning to read how shaken you are competing on a more even playing field.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Applied to 10 schools, well within range for all but 2. Received 5 deferrals so far. Very discouraged. Trying to help him focus on next steps in deferral process. FWIW the schools he applied to are seeing insane application volume increase. For example, Auburn, where EA admits used to be around 75 percent and were 24 percent this year.

I thought we covered this last year. People need to be applying to MORE SAFETIES. Period. I am not trying to be harsh, it is what it is, unfortunately.

Well, as OP pointed out, many schools that were safeties last year aren’t this year.

Very, very bright classmate of DD rejected at a NESCAC this weekend, which really seemed more like a target than a reach for the kid. DD is just in shock as the kid is one of the brightest in their class and had legacy at college.

But if they have a 9% or 11% admit rate, the odds that kid would get rejected ~90%...so why are people shocked.

I swear, so many people seem incapable of doing math.

That's the most stupid and yet most popular argument ever. Do you really believe the chance for the top student of the class is the same as a below average student for top tier colleges?

DP: But most people who apply are at least in range, so you are in competition with other people who are also top of their class etc. etc. Everyone has access to the admitted students stats, they apply to schools where they have a good shot.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Auburn EA averages 4.21? fml

Remember grades are REALLY inflated.

My kid is in DCPS and for 18 months the entire school district did not give a grade lower than a B. (all C's and below were converted to "P"s which are not calculated into GPAs).
Then, if you signed your name on the papers, you got an A. The standards for As were ridiculously low. In quarters 3 and 4 of 20-21 all work was considered extra-credit. My son
and all his friends ended up with 300% in most classes.

This graduating class is screwed because so many kids have unusually high GPAs. The pool of high GPAs is much higher than usual.

This is so unfair. We live in an ordinary suburb (not DC) where kids have gotten real work and real grades ALL throughout the pandemic. My kids have As, Bs, and Cs on their report cards. SO FRUSTRATING.

Don't you understand, they are BETTER off. They got real work and that means real education.

Please see how warped your perspective is. You do not attend school for a GPA, you attend school to learn. Your kids were BETTER OFF. And the grades they received, they earned.

In Montgomery County, kids got real grades. My DD (usually all As) got Bs, Cs and even a D in the first semester of the pandemic. After she figured things out, she got As and Bs.

Agreed. My straight A student got three Bs when he went to on-line. Not saying the sky is falling but it is not true that pandemic inflated everyone’s grades. He does feel screwed by the temporary test optional since he with 1520 SAT is now in same pool with kids sub 1200. I know the SAT helps but in the past that 1170 peer would not get in anywhere over him and now the playing field is even. Maybe it is fair, not here to debate that but either way, sucks timing sucks him trying to get into 25-70 ranked schools.

He is NOT in the same pool. Any admissions officer will tell you that submitting a good score is helpful.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Auburn EA averages 4.21? fml

Remember grades are REALLY inflated.

My kid is in DCPS and for 18 months the entire school district did not give a grade lower than a B. (all C's and below were converted to "P"s which are not calculated into GPAs).
Then, if you signed your name on the papers, you got an A. The standards for As were ridiculously low. In quarters 3 and 4 of 20-21 all work was considered extra-credit. My son
and all his friends ended up with 300% in most classes.

This graduating class is screwed because so many kids have unusually high GPAs. The pool of high GPAs is much higher than usual.

This is so unfair. We live in an ordinary suburb (not DC) where kids have gotten real work and real grades ALL throughout the pandemic. My kids have As, Bs, and Cs on their report cards. SO FRUSTRATING.

Don't you understand, they are BETTER off. They got real work and that means real education.

Please see how warped your perspective is. You do not attend school for a GPA, you attend school to learn. Your kids were BETTER OFF. And the grades they received, they earned.

In Montgomery County, kids got real grades. My DD (usually all As) got Bs, Cs and even a D in the first semester of the pandemic. After she figured things out, she got As and Bs.

Agreed. My straight A student got three Bs when he went to on-line. Not saying the sky is falling but it is not true that pandemic inflated everyone’s grades. He does feel screwed by the temporary test optional since he with 1520 SAT is now in same pool with kids sub 1200. I know the SAT helps but in the past that 1170 peer would not get in anywhere over him and now the playing field is even. Maybe it is fair, not here to debate that but either way, sucks timing sucks him trying to get into 25-70 ranked schools.

The playing field is NOT even, so you don't hve to worry that that might have happened (horrors!). When your child exercises his option to submit a1520 SAT score, he will have an advantage over the kid who submits no score. So you can chill, okay?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are there rolling admission public colleges in Virginia?

VCU is the only one I can think of.

ODU is as well

Mary Washington as well.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are there rolling admission public colleges in Virginia?

VCU is the only one I can think of.

ODU is as well

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Applied to 10 schools, well within range for all but 2. Received 5 deferrals so far. Very discouraged. Trying to help him focus on next steps in deferral process. FWIW the schools he applied to are seeing insane application volume increase. For example, Auburn, where EA admits used to be around 75 percent and were 24 percent this year.

I thought we covered this last year. People need to be applying to MORE SAFETIES. Period. I am not trying to be harsh, it is what it is, unfortunately.

Well, as OP pointed out, many schools that were safeties last year aren’t this year.

Very, very bright classmate of DD rejected at a NESCAC this weekend, which really seemed more like a target than a reach for the kid. DD is just in shock as the kid is one of the brightest in their class and had legacy at college.

But if they have a 9% or 11% admit rate, the odds that kid would get rejected ~90%...so why are people shocked.

I swear, so many people seem incapable of doing math.

That's the most stupid and yet most popular argument ever. Do you really believe the chance for the top student of the class is the same as a below average student for top tier colleges?

Well we are even, because I think YOU are stupid.

Really low performing kids don't tend to apply to top tier schools (unless they have money to throw away). There are MORE than 26,00 high schools in the US. So, even if only valedictorians applied to T20 SLAC's...the VAST majority would be rejected. Is this starting to sink in at all???

I'm not the PP, but in general I think a lot of DCUMs assume that ED is a significantly easier path to acceptance, especially at schools with higher ED rates of admission. Any school with an acceptance rate below 20% is by definition a reach. That includes most of the NESCACs. ED may give some boost, but remember that some substantial proportion of the ED acceptances go to recruited athletes and legacies. Especially at small LACs like the NESCACs, they have to fill a lot of teams with a relatively small student body! So it's not really clear or certain how much of a boost ED gives an unhooked applicant, even one with great stats. It's worth a shot - my kid was one of the lucky ones - but we were totally prepared for a rejection because of the factors above.

Anonymous wrote:Are there rolling admission public colleges in Virginia?

VCU is the only one I can think of.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Auburn EA averages 4.21? fml

Remember grades are REALLY inflated.

My kid is in DCPS and for 18 months the entire school district did not give a grade lower than a B. (all C's and below were converted to "P"s which are not calculated into GPAs).
Then, if you signed your name on the papers, you got an A. The standards for As were ridiculously low. In quarters 3 and 4 of 20-21 all work was considered extra-credit. My son
and all his friends ended up with 300% in most classes.

This graduating class is screwed because so many kids have unusually high GPAs. The pool of high GPAs is much higher than usual.

This is so unfair. We live in an ordinary suburb (not DC) where kids have gotten real work and real grades ALL throughout the pandemic. My kids have As, Bs, and Cs on their report cards. SO FRUSTRATING.

Don't you understand, they are BETTER off. They got real work and that means real education.

Please see how warped your perspective is. You do not attend school for a GPA, you attend school to learn. Your kids were BETTER OFF. And the grades they received, they earned.

In Montgomery County, kids got real grades. My DD (usually all As) got Bs, Cs and even a D in the first semester of the pandemic. After she figured things out, she got As and Bs.

Agreed. My straight A student got three Bs when he went to on-line. Not saying the sky is falling but it is not true that pandemic inflated everyone’s grades. He does feel screwed by the temporary test optional since he with 1520 SAT is now in same pool with kids sub 1200. I know the SAT helps but in the past that 1170 peer would not get in anywhere over him and now the playing field is even. Maybe it is fair, not here to debate that but either way, sucks timing sucks him trying to get into 25-70 ranked schools.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Applied to 10 schools, well within range for all but 2. Received 5 deferrals so far. Very discouraged. Trying to help him focus on next steps in deferral process. FWIW the schools he applied to are seeing insane application volume increase. For example, Auburn, where EA admits used to be around 75 percent and were 24 percent this year.

I thought we covered this last year. People need to be applying to MORE SAFETIES. Period. I am not trying to be harsh, it is what it is, unfortunately.

Well, as OP pointed out, many schools that were safeties last year aren’t this year.

Very, very bright classmate of DD rejected at a NESCAC this weekend, which really seemed more like a target than a reach for the kid. DD is just in shock as the kid is one of the brightest in their class and had legacy at college.

But if they have a 9% or 11% admit rate, the odds that kid would get rejected ~90%...so why are people shocked.

I swear, so many people seem incapable of doing math.

That's the most stupid and yet most popular argument ever. Do you really believe the chance for the top student of the class is the same as a below average student for top tier colleges?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Applied to 10 schools, well within range for all but 2. Received 5 deferrals so far. Very discouraged. Trying to help him focus on next steps in deferral process. FWIW the schools he applied to are seeing insane application volume increase. For example, Auburn, where EA admits used to be around 75 percent and were 24 percent this year.

I thought we covered this last year. People need to be applying to MORE SAFETIES. Period. I am not trying to be harsh, it is what it is, unfortunately.

Well, as OP pointed out, many schools that were safeties last year aren’t this year.

Very, very bright classmate of DD rejected at a NESCAC this weekend, which really seemed more like a target than a reach for the kid. DD is just in shock as the kid is one of the brightest in their class and had legacy at college.

But if they have a 9% or 11% admit rate, the odds that kid would get rejected ~90%...so why are people shocked.

I swear, so many people seem incapable of doing math.

OP, hope he gets good new soon. Please come back here and let us now - good luck!