Where are posters getting the idea that a sh!t ton of Big 3 students are getting financial aid? It’s no where near the “majority” according to their websites - it’s more like 1/4 to 1/3, and even those students are typically paying tens of thousands a year.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:First, the term big 3 is not helpful. These private schools are all very different and lumping them together does not produce a useful data point.

My take is that seniors at my kid’s school are doing just fine. It is definitely true that it is no longer the 1950s where a third of the class got into Harvard, Yale and Princeton. The landscape is vastly more competitive for everyone, including private schools. But I would hold my head high to be at a number of the schools where graduates plan to matriculate.

Kids (beyond athletes) have been accepted to Chicago (in droves), UVA, Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, Hopkins, UNC, Notre Dame, Davidson, Williams, BC, and Tulane off the top of my head. At other privates, the list feels pretty similar for the kids I know. Also, UMD (if you are in-state) was not as difficult an admit as a PP claimed.

My kid loved high school and is excited for college. That is enough for me to consider tuition a worthwhile investment for our family.

Is this STA?
It sounds like it by the kids I know. The school is doing well.

And most of these kids are hooked

If it is the kids I am thinking of, parents went to different schools than they will.

Anonymous wrote:I understand that not many on this forum have empathy for Big 3 kids. That's fine and even understandable, but the nastiness is misplaced and not very nice. These are kids after all.

Plenty of these kids are on full financial aid or have parents working in gov't who sacrifice a LOT to send their kids to private school. Make no mistake, the real "rich kids" at these schools are fine. Their parents still make a donation, use their status/fame, or have a powerful pal make a call to the Ivy admissions office. Everyone sees it. Those aren't the kids who've gotten screwed once again this year.

If you stretched to pay tuition for "Big 3 private" and thought this meant you will get into a T20 school, you were misinformed. You should do it for the education your kid gets. Bright, smart kids will do just fine anywhere and most in the Big3 will get into many T80-100 schools if they would just apply to targeted ones outside the T20-30. You are no different than a smart kid who went to public HS in FCPS or HCPSS, well except for the fact their parents did not directly pay $30K+ per year for HS. Top 20-30 schools are NOT a target or Safety for ANYONE. Just because you spent $30K+ for HS tuition does not change that. 95% of kids applying to the T20 schools would be ideal candidates. But with 40K+ applying to EACH school and only 1400-2000 slots at most of them, 95%+ of them will get denied. Applying to all 20 does NOT statistically increase your chances of getting accepted by much---just like buying 20 tickets for MegaMillions does not statistically increase your chances by much. Fact is majority who apply will get turned down.

But if you have a well curated list of colleges applications, you will have good targets (hint they need acceptance rates above 25%minimum and your kid needs to be at/+ 50-75% and your kid should get into 1-2 of them and most of their safeties.
The people who claim "bloodbath" seem to be those that thought Tufts was a Target because "it's not T20" yet has single digit acceptance rates, or NEU is a Target, despite there being 90K+ applications and a single digit acceptance rate, etc. I feel for these kids because they have been taught "it's T20 or bust and their life is ruined", nobody guided them to have a balanced list of choices and to have them focus on their real targets and real safeties and find ones they will actually like to attend. Because if you truly pick the right targets and safeties, your kid should have 1-2 of targets and safeties at a minimum they get accepted to.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:First, the term big 3 is not helpful. These private schools are all very different and lumping them together does not produce a useful data point.

My take is that seniors at my kid’s school are doing just fine. It is definitely true that it is no longer the 1950s where a third of the class got into Harvard, Yale and Princeton. The landscape is vastly more competitive for everyone, including private schools. But I would hold my head high to be at a number of the schools where graduates plan to matriculate.

Kids (beyond athletes) have been accepted to Chicago (in droves), UVA, Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, Hopkins, UNC, Notre Dame, Davidson, Williams, BC, and Tulane off the top of my head. At other privates, the list feels pretty similar for the kids I know. Also, UMD (if you are in-state) was not as difficult an admit as a PP claimed.

My kid loved high school and is excited for college. That is enough for me to consider tuition a worthwhile investment for our family.

Is this STA?
It sounds like it by the kids I know. The school is doing well.

And most of these kids are hooked

Anonymous wrote:OP you are correct. I'm also the parent of a senior and the Big 3 results in terms of top 20 schools are worse this year than in the past for unhooked Big 3 kids.

Love them or hate them, the top private school kids are working their butts off and not seeing a correlation with high acceptance rates at competitive schools.

This is a national trend with test optional and the added impact of elite privates eliminating AP's makes it harder to compete.

So it is a bummer that yes, my kid works way harder than their sibling in public; yes, their big 3 private is more rigorous than public; yes, our kid in public may actually fare better in the admissions game. I think the money we spent on private was worth it in that it was the right fit for our kid, and I know they will be well-prepared for college.
But they sure as heck are not going to an Ivy, despite what, on paper, seem to be the right qualifications.

I disagree with the assessment that the results have been worse ofor top
20 schools, at least at my kid’s school.

OP you are correct. I'm also the parent of a senior and the Big 3 results in terms of top 20 schools are worse this year than in the past for unhooked Big 3 kids.

Love them or hate them, the top private school kids are working their butts off and not seeing a correlation with high acceptance rates at competitive schools.

This is a national trend with test optional and the added impact of elite privates eliminating AP's makes it harder to compete.

So it is a bummer that yes, my kid works way harder than their sibling in public; yes, their big 3 private is more rigorous than public; yes, our kid in public may actually fare better in the admissions game. I think the money we spent on private was worth it in that it was the right fit for our kid, and I know they will be well-prepared for college.
But they sure as heck are not going to an Ivy, despite what, on paper, seem to be the right qualifications.

I understand that not many on this forum have empathy for Big 3 kids. That's fine and even understandable, but the nastiness is misplaced and not very nice. These are kids after all.

Plenty of these kids are on full financial aid or have parents working in gov't who sacrifice a LOT to send their kids to private school. Make no mistake, the real "rich kids" at these schools are fine. Their parents still make a donation, use their status/fame, or have a powerful pal make a call to the Ivy admissions office. Everyone sees it. Those aren't the kids who've gotten screwed once again this year.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP here. I also have to add that your kids are ALREADY IN COLLEGE!

One is in college and the other is a senior headed to a 75-100 school.

You do not belong on this thread. Period. And yes you are obsessed. Very, very odd behavior for you to be here.

Very odd behavior for you to care so much or do you really think the DC “Big 3” are more special than top private schools in any other major city? Your arrogance and entitlement is stunning. I’m very thankful the parents at our private school are not like this.

I’m not a Big 3 parent.

Anonymous wrote:First, the term big 3 is not helpful. These private schools are all very different and lumping them together does not produce a useful data point.

My take is that seniors at my kid’s school are doing just fine. It is definitely true that it is no longer the 1950s where a third of the class got into Harvard, Yale and Princeton. The landscape is vastly more competitive for everyone, including private schools. But I would hold my head high to be at a number of the schools where graduates plan to matriculate.

Kids (beyond athletes) have been accepted to Chicago (in droves), UVA, Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, Hopkins, UNC, Notre Dame, Davidson, Williams, BC, and Tulane off the top of my head. At other privates, the list feels pretty similar for the kids I know. Also, UMD (if you are in-state) was not as difficult an admit as a PP claimed.

My kid loved high school and is excited for college. That is enough for me to consider tuition a worthwhile investment for our family.

The above is certainly STA.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:First, the term big 3 is not helpful. These private schools are all very different and lumping them together does not produce a useful data point.

My take is that seniors at my kid’s school are doing just fine. It is definitely true that it is no longer the 1950s where a third of the class got into Harvard, Yale and Princeton. The landscape is vastly more competitive for everyone, including private schools. But I would hold my head high to be at a number of the schools where graduates plan to matriculate.

Kids (beyond athletes) have been accepted to Chicago (in droves), UVA, Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, Hopkins, UNC, Notre Dame, Davidson, Williams, BC, and Tulane off the top of my head. At other privates, the list feels pretty similar for the kids I know. Also, UMD (if you are in-state) was not as difficult an admit as a PP claimed.

My kid loved high school and is excited for college. That is enough for me to consider tuition a worthwhile investment for our family.

Is this STA?
It sounds like it by the kids I know. The school is doing well.

Must be with the U Chicago reference...somehow Chicago and the school are tight. A crazy %age of the class (close to 20%) was accepted to Chicago.

I recognize the others from STA as well.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:First, the term big 3 is not helpful. These private schools are all very different and lumping them together does not produce a useful data point.

My take is that seniors at my kid’s school are doing just fine. It is definitely true that it is no longer the 1950s where a third of the class got into Harvard, Yale and Princeton. The landscape is vastly more competitive for everyone, including private schools. But I would hold my head high to be at a number of the schools where graduates plan to matriculate.

Kids (beyond athletes) have been accepted to Chicago (in droves), UVA, Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, Hopkins, UNC, Notre Dame, Davidson, Williams, BC, and Tulane off the top of my head. At other privates, the list feels pretty similar for the kids I know. Also, UMD (if you are in-state) was not as difficult an admit as a PP claimed.

My kid loved high school and is excited for college. That is enough for me to consider tuition a worthwhile investment for our family.

Is this STA?
It sounds like it by the kids I know. The school is doing well.

Must be with the U Chicago reference...somehow Chicago and the school are tight. A crazy %age of the class (close to 20%) was accepted to Chicago.

Anonymous wrote:First, the term big 3 is not helpful. These private schools are all very different and lumping them together does not produce a useful data point.

My take is that seniors at my kid’s school are doing just fine. It is definitely true that it is no longer the 1950s where a third of the class got into Harvard, Yale and Princeton. The landscape is vastly more competitive for everyone, including private schools. But I would hold my head high to be at a number of the schools where graduates plan to matriculate.

Kids (beyond athletes) have been accepted to Chicago (in droves), UVA, Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, Hopkins, UNC, Notre Dame, Davidson, Williams, BC, and Tulane off the top of my head. At other privates, the list feels pretty similar for the kids I know. Also, UMD (if you are in-state) was not as difficult an admit as a PP claimed.

My kid loved high school and is excited for college. That is enough for me to consider tuition a worthwhile investment for our family.

well, that depends on the major.

Anonymous wrote:First, the term big 3 is not helpful. These private schools are all very different and lumping them together does not produce a useful data point.

My take is that seniors at my kid’s school are doing just fine. It is definitely true that it is no longer the 1950s where a third of the class got into Harvard, Yale and Princeton. The landscape is vastly more competitive for everyone, including private schools. But I would hold my head high to be at a number of the schools where graduates plan to matriculate.

Kids (beyond athletes) have been accepted to Chicago (in droves), UVA, Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, Hopkins, UNC, Notre Dame, Davidson, Williams, BC, and Tulane off the top of my head. At other privates, the list feels pretty similar for the kids I know. Also, UMD (if you are in-state) was not as difficult an admit as a PP claimed.

My kid loved high school and is excited for college. That is enough for me to consider tuition a worthwhile investment for our family.

Is this STA?
It sounds like it by the kids I know. The school is doing well.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Big 3 senior parent. Hearing many RD bloodbath stories. Like zeroed out on targets and certainly reaches. I’m counting WL as a zero.

Have heard 5 or 6 of these just since last night.

RD was a waste this year. ED I and ED II are the only way now for a high/high middle stats kid who is unhooked or only hook is legacy. Legacy alone days are done. Legacy kids need a double hook and ED.

RD is not just a lottery but powerball lottery odds

I’m sure many here will troll this post.

What kind of schools are you talking about? Where will these kids end up attending?

All these dramatic posts are useless without actual college examples. We don't know if you're talking about top 20% kids getting shut out of Ivies or getting shut out of every top 50 school they applied to. Or worse-getting shut out period. These posts could literally mean any of the above. I'm a Big3 parent of a 10tb grader and I'd love to know what is actually meant (with examples)

Getting shutting out of Ivies for sure. And the rest of the Top 20.

Well that is obviously something one should expect. With single digit acceptance rates, and outside of ED, acceptance rates below 5%, majority of kids will get "shut out" without a hook, and being rich is not a hook. If your list of Targets and reaches includes only T20-30 schools, of course you will have a bloodbath and be a bit scared as May 1 approaches. Those schools are all reaches, and nobody's "target".

First, the term big 3 is not helpful. These private schools are all very different and lumping them together does not produce a useful data point.

My take is that seniors at my kid’s school are doing just fine. It is definitely true that it is no longer the 1950s where a third of the class got into Harvard, Yale and Princeton. The landscape is vastly more competitive for everyone, including private schools. But I would hold my head high to be at a number of the schools where graduates plan to matriculate.

Kids (beyond athletes) have been accepted to Chicago (in droves), UVA, Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, Hopkins, UNC, Notre Dame, Davidson, Williams, BC, and Tulane off the top of my head. At other privates, the list feels pretty similar for the kids I know. Also, UMD (if you are in-state) was not as difficult an admit as a PP claimed.

My kid loved high school and is excited for college. That is enough for me to consider tuition a worthwhile investment for our family.