similar to what everyone else has said, My D is what would be considered average here on CC. No steller GPA or test scores, but good EC’s and essays. She did get into what we considered her dream/reach school, but we applied early on (all apps were in by Nov 1st). She got her first admit in a rolling admissions school (indiana), and once that happened she decided she no longer needed to apply to any further safeties other than the other one she also had applied to… That took some pressure off. She got into a good match school during EA. She really wanted to do ED in her dream school, but we said no, as we did not know what the financials would provide. Well it turned out great, in that not only did she get in , but they gave her merit.
in the end
Safety schools -2 got in both
match - got in EA
what we considered reaches , but one could have been more of a match,
2 in
I read here in the parents groups of all these great kids who got into high end schools, as well as some who have gotten rejected. The most surprising thing is that the very top students are not only getting rejected from the top 20 schools, but waitlisted at schools they might consider safety due to what is called yield protection (you wont really come here). I think the kids who are not perfect, and find good fits, are faring so much better in this process. the amount of acceptances in the GPA 3.0 to 3.4 parent forum is amazing.
Just to add, I have an S19. What i have learned here, has me totally rethinking his list. He will get great test scores, and will have decent grades (better than D), but barely any EC’s. i dont have any fantasies that he will even get into the state flagships. he also wants a popular major. He will apply to a few reaches, but we will have safeties all set up.
A big thank you to all of you who took the time to respond to this thread. It’s very much appreciated. I just want to clarify that I am not thinking in terms of top 20 schools, although you never know how things will pan out when D is a senior and ready to apply. Top 60 schools would be nice:) Also, I agree with many of you that fit is so incredibly important. That guides all the research I do when looking for colleges. I also know what my D likes especially since she saw and loved Bucknell, so what I do is look for similar types of schools with a wide variety of acceptance rates. I just get thrown when I read about kids with great stats and ECs getting waitlisted or rejected from schools that I would think they would be qualified for. Again, thanks so much!!!
@sdl0625 EC’s are tricky, because if always feels like there isn’t enough time to do everything that one would need to do to stand out. If your son is a soph, then there is still time. My feeling is that if there’s nothing he wants to do he can always do volunteer work in an area of interest. That’s more meaningful than joining some school club that has no meaning.
@citymama9 As for test scores, we were advised by a Clemson admissions counselor, as well as our school guidance counselor to send all test scores. Clemson said they only look at the best and don’t care about others.
The test score strategy varies. Some very top schools require all. Most allow you to pick and choose. I wouldn’t just blindly do so, though. Understand what testing is required and the superscoring policy at each school, then decide what to send. I think a very low score can smudge their perception of an applicant even if it is followed by a higher score (no matter what they say).
For those following the 3.0 - 3.4 thread I have some massive updates coming. It’s really exciting to see how well our kids have done!
For test scores it varies by school so check first before just sending all. All those little fees add up!
I wanted to comment on a post a while back that suggested it your student was accepted everywhere it was not an appropriate list. I disagree. If you are chasing merit monies regardless of your stats, you need to look at schools that are matches and safeties stats wise. My S17 did not apply to a single reach for this reason and was accepted everywhere with merit $.
I will also say that the EC versus GPA rigor, rank and test score result really varies by school. In my S17’s results it was clear which schools valued one more than another or were more holistic and it showed in merit awards. Surprisingly to me one of his better offers (in terms of where he fell in relation to their top amounts offered) came from a school I did not expect.
I have an S19. He should test quite well. GPA and EC’s will be ok but not earth shattering.
I expect him to target a similar range of schools as his lower stat better EC brother. I do think the decent (3.6-3.8) low 30’s ACT student may have it the hardest in some ways as they’ve got a chance at more selective schools but they aren’t the target student for those schools either. Those are the kids I am seeing have a rougher season.
I would encourage OP to think past top 60 as an arbitrary cutoff.
@eandesmom I was just throwing out the top 60 as a way of saying I’m not focusing on tippy top schools. I haven’t looked at the “list” recently. D has had all A’s except for 2 B’s at the moment. Hopefully,unless things fall apart she should be able to get into a top 60 school (whatever that means). Then again, who knows. I’m really not looking at rankings though.
When looking at rankings, make sure that you know what you are looking at. Some schools may be highly ranked , but their individual departments may not be as highly regarded. Also when looking at selectivity, realize that many things besides academics have increased selectivity including sports and popularity so do your homework.
We will cast a broad net next year with D18. Ideal for us would be instate CA publics but with over 100,000 applications to UCLA and 85,000 to SDSU there will be no sure instate safeties. Seems hard to fathom that these application numbers have doubled in just a few years making it much more competitive. Thankfully there are good OOS options, that may be competitive with instate given generous merit.
Very important to target 2-3 schools that you really want to go to, and let the university know it. They do like to take kids that have a strong desire to be there.
@citymama9 I think you are being very smart and strategic, doing good research and asking good questions. I have no doubt that you will help your D craft an appropriate list. That in turn should lessen some (but not all) of the worries you have. Your D is lucky to have you in her corner!
I’m thankful S 18 is not terribly competitive, nor are we planning to try for that should he score amazingly on SAT. It will be fit, fit, fit for him. And he also does not care at all where he goes…S16 was a crazy experience.
@GnocchiB Aw, thank you so much for saying that. I tend to be a bit neurotic and quite the worrier, but even when I’m stressing I remain hopeful. I think what helps is knowing that there are some wonderful schools out there that aren’t impossible to get in to. I am also realizing that one may need to leave the Northeast to find some really good options. What you said to me goes for you too. Your son is lucky to have you:)
I just want to share something that I just learned that puts things into perspective. My D was out from school on Wed and Thurs with a cold. She returned yesterday, and she found out what French HW she missed. She told her teacher that she would do it over the weekend and hand it in Monday. He told her not to worry about it and that he would just give her credit for it since she’s always been so good at getting her work in. She said, “Oh no, I want to do it. It will probably be helpful to me”. This may sound silly, but when I heard this, it was at that moment I knew that whatever happens she will be okay. I knew then that she was a “real student” and I was prouder than ever, lol.
The last couple of years my imperfect kid and my friend’s also imperfect kids got into all kinds of good schools I thought impossible following some of the hype out there. So yes if you kid has to go to Middlebury and an acceptance to Skidmore or Brandeis is a disaster then yes there is a problem. But I am yet to see the good student that put some effort into his/her apps and did not get at least one good acceptance. If you have your eye in a variety of good schools with a bit higher acceptance rates I think you will be more than ok. I don’t know your specifics but with the right compromises there are always solutions. Some people are surely obsessed with the top schools. They “research” and find out that MIT and Harvard have the best math departments and it is downhill after that. I am dying every time that I hear that. Like you really need to research to find out that MIT has a good math department. After a lot of research they compromise and add Harvey Mudd and they treat it as the safety. And of course Cornell is the lesser ivy. Ok rant over.
Find the right school for your kid and ignore the competition.
My kids got into elite schools, but one of them hates it.
He would have been happier at our state flagship, IMO.