Anonymous
05/22/2026 07:39
Subject: UVA or bust
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Move to a rural VA county and be at the very top of the class with max rigor at the county HS.
Seriously. Applicants are compared with other students from their HS - for many many colleges. Big fish in smaller rural pond has the best odds for acceptance at many colleges.
Or, just move to a lower performing NOVA high school, take all the rigourous courses, get more leadership positions, play all the sports, get more house for your money, and keep your higher paid DMV job. It worked out for our kid. Third year at UVA.
This. You don't have to move to a rural area. Just go to one of the crappy high schools. But recognize your kid may not be as well prepared for the rigor of college.
Not sure I follow. Is the kid from a “crappy high school” that gets 5s on ten AP exams less prepared than the kid from a non-crappy high school, with similar grades, better prepared for college?
The crappy high schools tend to have lower AP and IB scores.
It's all on the Virginia department of education website.
The average scores are lower overall, but there are still kids who gets 5s (and whatever a good IB score is). Again, at these high schools, the number of kids admitted is much smaller.
All of this, plus these kids get these grades despite not having that smart peer group to motivate them. I keep reading posts of parents on this forum say that having a large group of high achieving schoolmates is a plus in choosing high schools.
Anonymous
05/22/2026 06:03
Subject: UVA or bust
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Move to a rural VA county and be at the very top of the class with max rigor at the county HS.
Seriously. Applicants are compared with other students from their HS - for many many colleges. Big fish in smaller rural pond has the best odds for acceptance at many colleges.
Or, just move to a lower performing NOVA high school, take all the rigourous courses, get more leadership positions, play all the sports, get more house for your money, and keep your higher paid DMV job. It worked out for our kid. Third year at UVA.
This. You don't have to move to a rural area. Just go to one of the crappy high schools. But recognize your kid may not be as well prepared for the rigor of college.
Not sure I follow. Is the kid from a “crappy high school” that gets 5s on ten AP exams less prepared than the kid from a non-crappy high school, with similar grades, better prepared for college?
The crappy high schools tend to have lower AP and IB scores.
It's all on the Virginia department of education website.
The average scores are lower overall, but there are still kids who gets 5s (and whatever a good IB score is). Again, at these high schools, the number of kids admitted is much smaller.