<p>Hi everyone! My in-state sophomore son received his first PSAT results (reflecting no preparation), and that has me wondering how he would fare in the Winter 2012 W&M admission's process if these scores, translated into SAT scores, never improved. Since he loves W&M, I wanted an impartial assessment on his future admission's chance with the below scores/grades/EC's. </p>
<p>Note: I realize the insanity of asking for a chance so far in advance of his senior year, but I'm sure someone will, one day, ask to assess a middle or elementary school student! I wont look so crazy then :)</p>
<p>Thanks!!</p>
<p>Objective Stuff:
Gender: male
State: In state
Legacy: both mom/dad are W&M grads; Dad has 2 degrees from W&M; Plus
six aunt/uncles are W&M grads too, making it a family school of sorts!
Projected SAT I (using actual PSAT): 1860 (M: 690, CR: 590, W: 580)
Unweighted GPA: 3.7 (Weighted GPA: 4.4)
Rank: 10 or 11 out of 100 (around top 10%)
School Type: Private school with deep connections to W&M
Course Rigor: IB diploma candidate (or will be)most rigorous curriculum offeredl
Major Awards: Received a Gold Key for 2d art (Scholastic Art and Writing contest)</p>
<p>Other Stuff:
Working artist (has sold many paintings since 9th grade)
Will apply as Studio Art major (not sure this matters)
HS tennis for 2 years (probably wont play last 2 yearsso as to devote more time
creating art in the studio)
o French Club for 4 years
o Model UN for 4 years
Volunteer/Community service: 150+ hours by end of Senior Year </p>
<p>Summer Activities:
o VCU Summer Art Intensive summer school
o Commissioned art paintings (for neighbors) as a job</p>
<p>Uhhhh, 186 as a sophomore, it can only go higher. He might pull off a 200+/2000+ SAT with more prep. I don’t see why he wouldn’t get in, double alumni, male, instate, etc. </p>
<p>He could easily improve his writing by 100pts just through his English classes and prep books.
Math, he would probably get 700+ by the time he actually takes it.
CR, I wouldn’t know - it’s hardest to improve (In my opinion). I guess just read and do prep.</p>
<p>I’m no expert but I don’t see why he wouldn’t get in if he keeps it up. But no one can truly tell until he’s done with his junior year and has taken the actual SAT.</p>
<p>Thank you for taking the time to respond. It’s nice to hear that you believe he has a solid chance. Someone just told me a few minutes ago that nearly 60% of instate legacy applicants get accepted. I hope this stat is true (or even close). Anyway, he needs to keep working hard and improve his test scores. But, in the meantime (at least for today), I’ll just walk around with a smile on my face :)</p>
<p>W&M Grad, your post made me smile. I think your S is doing a terrific job in a rigorous program and he has talent in the arts to boot. My S’s PSAT score raised significantly between sophomore and junior year without any test prep at all. I believe the educational environment your S is in will help him to raise his as well. Keep up the good work and good luck to him!</p>
<p>Hi W&M grad. Our S was just admitted ED. He is a legacy, in state,male. Consider having your S take the SAT/ACT 2-3 times. Our S took the SAT 2x and ACT 1x. If W&M is your S 1st choice , consider ED. This year ,admissions admitted 50%, 30% deferred,20% denied. You can see there is a higher percentage rate of admission w/ ED compared to RD. Good Luck. Go Tribe!!</p>
<p>Blueshoe-- Im glad I made you smile, and thanks for the encouraging words! Is your son a senior and applying now?</p>
<p>Berliner Congratulations! You must be so proud (and relieved)! Thats great advice about taking both the ACT and SAT! I guess W&M (and other schools) just look at (and then report out) the highest scores. Also, he will definitely consider EDthe only issue is the loss of the ability to shop b/w schools for best financial aid package. But, that might not be that big of a deal.</p>
<p>Eagles for Lifegreat point about the smaller pool!</p>
<p>What they said, admissions for ED is 50%, so it much be higher for instate and lower for out of state to average out that 50%. So for IS, it would actually help your son.</p>
<p>pluee00- I guess ED is the way to go! I saw an article (NYT or W. Post) that ranked top Universities in order of “best ED differential” (e.g. huge boost to go ED). W&M was 3rd best! However, I also heard ED acceptance % can be misleading as recruited athletes and other hooked applicants (like legacy!! yea!) make-up a huge proportion of the ED pool.</p>
<p>W&M Grad, my S is in his second year of college now, but my D is a sophomore in high school this year. Like your S, she is talented in the arts and is in a music magnet for violin performance. She is taking a challenging courseload as well and is a very good student. We have not yet received her PSAT scores, but expect her to score in the same range as your S as this was her first time testing.</p>
<p>Blueshoe, that’s great that you have your D in a magnet school which will allow her to fully develop her gift. Is your S at W&M or are you interested in W&M for your D? What advice do you have in terms of prepping for the SAT? I stumbled upon a rich SAT resource from a veritable genius who’s CC moniker is SilverTurtle (see link below). I will encourage my son to review this guide and take SAT sample exams over the course of the summer. I’ve heard that pricey SAT preps are no better, and maybe worse, than just digging in a leveraging material like the below (or Princeton Review book). thoughts?</p>
<p>W&M Grad, my S is at another Virginia state school and is very happy. My D is not sure where she wants to go as of yet. I have taken on the role of college scout and am doing some preliminary ground work for her. William and Mary is definitely a school she will consider!</p>
<p>As for the SAT, my S was a very good test taker and like I said didn’t do any test prep outside of using the collegeboard question of the day. My D has been doing the question of the day as well for about a year. I have seen siverturtle’s guide and have read xiggi’s method of which I have explained to my D. I plan on purchasing her collegeboard’s bluebook to prep with this summer.</p>
<p>Have you been on the Parent’s of the HS class of 2013 thread? Many of these parents have older children and offer all kinds of valuable advice.</p>
<p>Glad your son is thinking about continuing the family legacy at W&M.</p>
<p>Certainly being a legacy will be a plus factor for him. W&M is for life after all! He should certainly take the advice given and take his first SAT or ACT in his junior year allowing him time to take the test again (or to try the other exam) before applying. W&M considers only the best outcome from a student’s standardized-test-taking.</p>
<p>While W&M does not consider intended major (so no student can apply to W&M as any kind of major – they simply apply to W&M), he should certainly consider making a fine art submission for our art faculty to review. Just as we rely on coaches to let us know who the most talented athletes are, we rely on our fine arts faculty to tell us who the most talented artists are.</p>
<p>The ED pool is not majority legacies or athletes. The only major difference between our regular and ED pools is that the ED pool is more in-state than out-of-state while the RD pool is the opposite. As already mentioned however, our admission rates are higher during ED so that’s something to keep in mind.</p>
<p>Also consider taking advantage of the opportunity to interview on campus the summer before the senior year.</p>
<p>Thanks W&M Admissions person! William and Mary IS for life—and the BEST place to get an education for someone looking for the affordability of a state research university combined with the intimacy and quality of a private Liberal Arts College. What a unique blend :)</p>
<p>I really appreciate your advice. My son will absolutely submit the Fine Arts supplement; and he will interview the summer before his senior year!</p>
<p>Follow-up RD-ED Question:
Does the “bump” of being a legacy decrease from ED to RD? Or, is the impact on the decision the same across pools?</p>
<p>The legacy plus factor is the same ED and RD. The biggest difference with ED is that it’s a pool of 1100 vs a pool of 12,000. It’s easier for any given student to stand out in the smaller pool.</p>
<p>One last question for W&M Admissions (I promise; then this post should end).</p>
<p>If let’s say 300-350 legacy applicants apply each year, typically what % apply ED vs RD? is it 50%-50%? 75% ED vs 25% RD? You may not know this, but a guess would be appreciated!</p>
<p>We don’t have exact statistics but the majority of our legacy applicants apply RD (as is true with most of our applicants). There is certainly a smaller percentage of legacies in the ED pool than there is the RD pool. But regardless of which deadline you utilize, we consider legacy an equally strong plus factor in either but of course the competition is stiffer period in RD than ED.</p>
<p>Ask as many questions as you’d like. We’re here to help!</p>