Here are the stats at results for three of my kids who went to Arlington public high schools.

HS class of 2000: 3.8/3.9 weighted GPA, 7/8 AP classes. SAT score low 1300s. Admitted UVA, Notre Dame. Waitlisted William & Mary, Vanderbilt, Richmond

HS class of 2005: 4.2+ weighted GPA, 9/10 APs, SAT low 1300s, ACT 32. Admitted William & Mary, Carleton, Grinnell. Rejected Brown, Wesleyan.

HS class of 2009: 4.0 weighted GPA, 8/9 APs, SATs mid 1200s, ACT 28/29. Admitted UVA (off waitlist in June), UW-Madison, VTech. Waitlisted William and Mary, Boston College

High school class of 2000.

Unhooked suburban public school kid who somehow got into Harvard early. Ranked 6th-10th in my class (I know I wasn't in the top 5 but was just out of it), lots of honors classes, club sports.

I graduated high school in 1985. I don't remember the ugly details but suffice to say I was fortunate to grow up at time when a solidly mediocre kid like me could get into a decent college. I'm sure a kid with my stats today would be gently steered toward community college by a guidance counselor. I got into Syracuse, Maryland, Florida, Indiana and Emerson College. Went to Florida.

Graduated high school in 2002. Mine isn’t so interesting - I went to a public state non-flagship because they gave me a boat load of money. 4.1 weighted GPA from a well-regarded public HS, 32 ACT, 3 AP’s with 4’s and 5’s on all tests, lots of honors classes.

DH’s is more interesting. He graduated in 2000 from a not at all well-regarded inner ring suburban public HS. Valedictorian, Eagle Scout, took all AP’s offered which was not many, did college classes in high school, lots of STEM extracurriculars. He doesn’t remember his test scores or exact GPA.

Accepted at Cornell, Pitt, Penn State, Case Western.
Rejected at Michigan, MIT, Stanford, Penn, and Johns Hopkins.

My co-worker son, AA, attended Notre Dame in 1987 with a 1.94GPA and 705 score on the SAT. His younger son, also AA, attended Duke in 1988 with a 1.98 GPA and 700 score on the SAT. Both played Football for the Universities and neither graduated with a degree.

I think it is much easier today than 1987 and 1988 for college athletes to attend well known universities with lousy grade in money making sports such as football and basketball.

1990 grad. Small town PA high school that began offering AP classes in 1991. I was 2nd in my class of 200, 1400 SAT. Band, newspaper, mock trial.

I only applied to Penn State because my sister went there and my mother said it would be convenient. I was clueless and wish I had submitted a few more applications.

Early 2000s

1490 SAT, 800 on math, high 700s on the extra SATs
3.98 GPA, full IB Diploma
5/1200 class ranking
Volunteered as CPR instructor for the Red Cross
Volunteered many other organizations
VP and President of clubs
National business competition awards

Went to MIT
Only college not admitted to was Stanford that accepted a bunch of early admission people from my high school

2004 - 3.5 GPA no APs (school didn’t even have them). 31 ACT. UWisc and got into a couple other big flagship schools.

1988 - African American - Deep south public high school
Top 10 in class of 500+
GPA unweighted 3.88
2 APs --AB Cal - 3; English Language & Comp - 4
Student Government - 2 yrs
National Honor Society
National Achievement Scholarship
780 Achievement Test - History; 620 - Math 1
SAT - 1280 on best single test but don't remember superscore

4/4 -- Harvard, Duke, Wake Forest, Emory
Full ride offered at WF & Emory; partial Duke; massive financial aid/grant/scholarship - Harvard
Accepted Harvard

Graduated in 1985 from very socioeconomically and racially diverse high school in SF Bay Area. I had a 4.0 GPA with 5 AP classes, although back then, we took them senior year, so colleges didn't see your AP scores. 1470 SAT. Valedictorian. I was a serious debater, but I don't think I was very good. Some other extracurriculars like Academic Decathlon and Mock Trial. I have arrived at an age when it is easier to remember 30 years ago than 30 days ago.

Back then, University of CA schools announced decisions before Xmas. I got into Berkeley, so I only applied to 3 other schools (!). Got into and attended Harvard. Needless to say, it wouldnt happen today.

Some other things that have changed since then include the internet, which gives kids so much more info about schools not in their backyards. Also, when I went to college, plane flights and long distance phone service had just been deregulated. Without that, my middle class family would have found it difficult to send me to school across the country.

I don't remember my exact stats, but I know I was in the bottom half of my class and ACT was 25. I went to Villanova - totally not possible today!!!!

Anonymous wrote:I graduated in 1985 and wouldn't be able to tell you my GPA or SAT scores if my life depended on it....

Seriously! I was 1986. Who are these people who remember every stat, every activity, etc. I find that extremely odd.

Anonymous wrote:Midwestern HS known for its high teen pregnancy rate, 1988
SAT 1240, 700 M, 540 V
GPA 3.3, a couple APs
93% class but they didn't weight classes
Musician

Accepted Wellesley, Mt. Holyoke, Wash U St. L, Bates, Kenyon, Middlebury

Rejected Amherst, Harvard, Northwestern, U Miami Ohio

I’m surprised you didn’t get into Miami. I went there in the mid-‘80s with a slightly lower SAT. I did no SAT prep, but then no one I knew did. About the same GPA, but I can’t really remember what it was exactly

Anonymous wrote:Zero APs
Zero sports

Somehow got into Middlebury early decision

And my GPA was below 90

Zero APs
Zero sports

Somehow got into Middlebury early decision