Anonymous wrote:I don't understand all this push for first-gen. I was first-gen back when it wasn't a thing. If anything it was an embarrassment. But I succeeded on my own. Why should first gen students whose only claim to a seat is to be born to parents who didn't make it through college, take a seat over a, say, TJ kid who has busted her butt for 10 years, prepped, taken the tests, taken the SAT subject matter tests, done the ECs, done the community service, etc. etc. etc.? Or put another way, why are the first-gen taking precedence over other important categories like URM? Athletes? Legacies? low-income?

At a lot of schools, first-gen significantly overlaps with URM and low-income. Colleges are getting to hype their PR message and rankings (which now contains a Pell grant metric) without changing their admissions process and outcomes that much.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those who were not accepted - this year is turning out to be a VERY tough year - I am not believing some of the stats I am seeing here - somewhat like the disbelief with the stats and rejections or deferrals for UVA this year

Here's what I'm learning from this board and college confidential. A 4.3 or above sounds really impressive. Then you learn that these schools have a 6.0 scale. So doesn't that make a 4.3 like a C+ average. With so much inflation in grades from the NoVa publics, college admissions has become a total nightmare.

I don't think it is as much HS grade inflation as the state colleges wanting mostly minorities. Sadly, the only lesson that is being learned by these kids, who have worked their tails off, by their own accord - without being prompted or Tiger parented, is that they don't matter. It is a hell of a message to send a kid, really.

That, and this is exactly what the TJ reform was about, so I foresee some backlash in the near future - if we are being honest here. Public education, across the board, is at risk of reform now.

I think the current movement by colleges is not so indirectly backlash of the Felicity Huffman debacle - way to stereotype white people, public schools and colleges - not all whites are a product of trust funds.

No. None of these schools are mostly minorities. Read somewhere recently that VA Tech is only about 7% African American. Yes, there are other minorities, but please don’t fall back on that false claim.

I don't understand all this push for first-gen. I was first-gen back when it wasn't a thing. If anything it was an embarrassment. But I succeeded on my own. Why should first gen students whose only claim to a seat is to be born to parents who didn't make it through college, take a seat over a, say, TJ kid who has busted her butt for 10 years, prepped, taken the tests, taken the SAT subject matter tests, done the ECs, done the community service, etc. etc. etc.? Or put another way, why are the first-gen taking precedence over other important categories like URM? Athletes? Legacies? low-income?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Guessing here, without direct knowledge, that a high stats ED kid stands a far better chance of admission than EA. They are really trying to shift to becoming a school of opportunities for those who haven’t had opportunities. If you are high stats and committed, that’s one thing. If you’re using it as one of 5 safety schools, they’d rather skip over you and offer the opportunity to someone who needs it. There are some casualties here: high stats kids for whom VT is first choice but they didn’t apply ED. Chances are good those kids will be accepted through the waitlist; sadly many move in.

Keep in mind also, they will be reabsorbing those who deferred this year. Likely many more than usual.

+1 They've made it clear that increasing enrollment of first-gen and underrepresented groups is a huge priority. If you aren't that and VT is your first choice you really should apply ED. My son didn't want to commit to ED because he wanted to give UVA a shot (rejected there). I was really nervous about that decision but it worked out OK as he did get in to VT.

Don't know if that is really true but if it is - those who came with pitchforks at magnet high schools need to understand that the equity movement cannot be just contained to one high school. It will spread to VT and UVA and all of higher education slowly but surely.

The ptichforks are coming for higher ed, too - I guarantee that.

PP here. Should I have told her to rewrite her essay, and be sure to include that she is second generation - not that it would matter, one iota. Are you kidding me??

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Guessing here, without direct knowledge, that a high stats ED kid stands a far better chance of admission than EA. They are really trying to shift to becoming a school of opportunities for those who haven’t had opportunities. If you are high stats and committed, that’s one thing. If you’re using it as one of 5 safety schools, they’d rather skip over you and offer the opportunity to someone who needs it. There are some casualties here: high stats kids for whom VT is first choice but they didn’t apply ED. Chances are good those kids will be accepted through the waitlist; sadly many move in.

Keep in mind also, they will be reabsorbing those who deferred this year. Likely many more than usual.

+1 They've made it clear that increasing enrollment of first-gen and underrepresented groups is a huge priority. If you aren't that and VT is your first choice you really should apply ED. My son didn't want to commit to ED because he wanted to give UVA a shot (rejected there). I was really nervous about that decision but it worked out OK as he did get in to VT.

Don't know if that is really true but if it is - those who came with pitchforks at magnet high schools need to understand that the equity movement cannot be just contained to one high school. It will spread to VT and UVA and all of higher education slowly but surely.

It's true. It's on their website to have 40% of their incoming freshman class in 2022 be first gen or URM.

At least 40%.

How do you explain to a teen, with above those stats, that she isn't "good enough" for the school she wanted because her skin is the wrong color?? Now the teen thinks that no matter what she does, she won't be "good enough" for anyone. This topic isn't discussed in our house, and maybe that is the problem, but I certainly wasn't going to be the one to bring this harsh reality up. She is a passionate young lady, who loves to study, and has always initiated her interests on her own - we never pushed for anything, and maybe we should have, but we didn't (know any better), because we (the parents) are first generation. But second generation? Eff them, they get nothing. How on earth do I explain this to her?? She thinks her hard work and passion means nothing and has no place, and that none of it matters. Her stats are well outside and exceed the scattergram. She never thought hey would say no to her, because she showed interest and has everything they should want - any school really, but she wants this one, and we are having her make her own decisions. This school was her decision. She is really lost right now.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Guessing here, without direct knowledge, that a high stats ED kid stands a far better chance of admission than EA. They are really trying to shift to becoming a school of opportunities for those who haven’t had opportunities. If you are high stats and committed, that’s one thing. If you’re using it as one of 5 safety schools, they’d rather skip over you and offer the opportunity to someone who needs it. There are some casualties here: high stats kids for whom VT is first choice but they didn’t apply ED. Chances are good those kids will be accepted through the waitlist; sadly many move in.

Keep in mind also, they will be reabsorbing those who deferred this year. Likely many more than usual.

+1 They've made it clear that increasing enrollment of first-gen and underrepresented groups is a huge priority. If you aren't that and VT is your first choice you really should apply ED. My son didn't want to commit to ED because he wanted to give UVA a shot (rejected there). I was really nervous about that decision but it worked out OK as he did get in to VT.

Don't know if that is really true but if it is - those who came with pitchforks at magnet high schools need to understand that the equity movement cannot be just contained to one high school. It will spread to VT and UVA and all of higher education slowly but surely.

It's true. It's on their website to have 40% of their incoming freshman class in 2022 be first gen or URM.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Guessing here, without direct knowledge, that a high stats ED kid stands a far better chance of admission than EA. They are really trying to shift to becoming a school of opportunities for those who haven’t had opportunities. If you are high stats and committed, that’s one thing. If you’re using it as one of 5 safety schools, they’d rather skip over you and offer the opportunity to someone who needs it. There are some casualties here: high stats kids for whom VT is first choice but they didn’t apply ED. Chances are good those kids will be accepted through the waitlist; sadly many move in.

Keep in mind also, they will be reabsorbing those who deferred this year. Likely many more than usual.

+1 They've made it clear that increasing enrollment of first-gen and underrepresented groups is a huge priority. If you aren't that and VT is your first choice you really should apply ED. My son didn't want to commit to ED because he wanted to give UVA a shot (rejected there). I was really nervous about that decision but it worked out OK as he did get in to VT.

Don't know if that is really true but if it is - those who came with pitchforks at magnet high schools need to understand that the equity movement cannot be just contained to one high school. It will spread to VT and UVA and all of higher education slowly but surely.

Anonymous wrote:Anyone know if they start to pull from the wait list before 5/1 or only after?

Last year they went to the waitlist in early April. But some may not have been given a spot until late May.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those who were not accepted - this year is turning out to be a VERY tough year - I am not believing some of the stats I am seeing here - somewhat like the disbelief with the stats and rejections or deferrals for UVA this year

Here's what I'm learning from this board and college confidential. A 4.3 or above sounds really impressive. Then you learn that these schools have a 6.0 scale. So doesn't that make a 4.3 like a C+ average. With so much inflation in grades from the NoVa publics, college admissions has become a total nightmare.

What schools grade out of a 6?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Guessing here, without direct knowledge, that a high stats ED kid stands a far better chance of admission than EA. They are really trying to shift to becoming a school of opportunities for those who haven’t had opportunities. If you are high stats and committed, that’s one thing. If you’re using it as one of 5 safety schools, they’d rather skip over you and offer the opportunity to someone who needs it. There are some casualties here: high stats kids for whom VT is first choice but they didn’t apply ED. Chances are good those kids will be accepted through the waitlist; sadly many move in.

Keep in mind also, they will be reabsorbing those who deferred this year. Likely many more than usual.

+1 They've made it clear that increasing enrollment of first-gen and underrepresented groups is a huge priority. If you aren't that and VT is your first choice you really should apply ED. My son didn't want to commit to ED because he wanted to give UVA a shot (rejected there). I was really nervous about that decision but it worked out OK as he did get in to VT.

Yeah, I really hope that my 2nd child (10th grade) has a true #1 and can apply ED.