ChangeTheGame these are the exact type kids I work with. They are mostly first generation students who have decent grades. The vast of majority of them are looking at regional public schools in the state of Texas. Most of the high achievers already have very involved parents and they know the process. The ones I work with need SAT/ACT prep help and instructions on how to apply for financial aid.
Thank you for your service @Grainraiser. I had a mentor like you who guided me through the college admissions process long ago. My mom made many sacrifices to give me a shot at college, but she could not help much with the college admissions process. The process can be an overwhelming one for a 1st gen student with big dreams (standardized test prep, college and scholarship application deadlines, FAFSA completion, essays, getting recommendation letters, etc.). I have watched as some African-American parents/guardians employ a āhands off approachā with the college admissions process. I am always surprised when I see uninvolved parents/guardians in the āprocessā because funding a college education in 2020 is so expensive. I sometimes wonder if working to have more knowledgeable and involved parents/guardians earlier in the process should receive as much focus as the students. One thing that I have seen without fail on CC among the African-American students with many options are parents/guardians who have been very supportive and involved in their studentās college admissions process.
The most important thing for parents of Black students to figure out is that they need to know the perspectives, likes and dislikes of their student. Itās a path full of pitfalls for Black kids regarding the college search. There are a lot of wonderful schools in the USA, but many of them may not be a good academic or cultural fit for your daughter or son. Youāve got to talk to (and observe) your child. Your child may thrive at an LAC. Alternatively, your child may likely find her fit at a state flagship like UNC-Chapel Hill. I attended a very competitive private university. I did all the admissions ālegworkā for my child but always with a reminder that ultimately it was their choice
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Not sure if this is the best place to post this but Purdue has created new scholarships and supports for underserved college populations: https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2020/Q3/purdue-draws-record-number-of-high-achievers-from-historically-underserved-populations-through-new-emerging-leaders-science-scholars-program.html?fbclid=IwAR20wB-UjAvoMi4yfm2OUkows204GEhzCsz_MEzpdeVh32bK8HMCSEJpH5U
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Help! First time through the admissions process.
Good afternoon. Our Son is a senior at one of the Houstonās top private schools. He is among a handful of African-American students at the school. Unfortunately, due to the ongoing pandemic, we have been unable to visit the campus or meet with the admissions office to discuss my Sonās prospects for admission at various schools.
Midway through his junior year he sat for the ACT twice: October 2019 (30 ACT score) and February 2020 (30 ACT score), with a āsuper scoreā of 31 ACT. At his school, the average composite score on the ACT for the Class of 2021 is a 31. His scores put him in the ~95%+ nationally and ~96%+ statewide of all test takers.
He earned a cumulative 3.0 GPA through the end of his junior year - again, at a highly-competitive prep-school. As a side note, he was diagnosed with ADHD and experienced all of the challenges that diagnosis. However, as he matured and improved his time-management skills, his GPA had been trending upward year-over-year (9th Grade, 10th Grade and 11th Grade).
He plays lacrosse, is a member of various school organizations and clubs, and has participated in a fair number of community service activities throughout high school.
While I recognize that most colleges/universities pursue a āholisticā admissions process, his ACT score places him in the tops ~99.1% of African-American students around the Country. Based on my analysis of the most recent ACT Profile Report and other relevant data, no more than 1,300 African-American candidates will have scored equal to or better on the ACT or SAT equivalent.
For the last several months, we have been working with my Son and his guidance/admissions counselor to identify a list of colleges/universities and develop a strategy for the application process. My concern is that his school (2% African American) is applying a āone-size-fits-allā (80% White) approach to the counseling process. The school has little-to-no insight, perspective, data or other relevant experience counseling African-American students on the college admissions process and do not relationships with admissions offices seeking to identify and admit qualified African-American students.
As an African-American student, what are his prospects for admission to the following colleges/universities:
- Duke, Vanderbilt, Rice, Georgetown, Brown or similar
- Emory, University of Virginia, Wash University (St. Louis)
- Tulane, Southern Methodist University, Wake Forrest
I am not sure how (or if) family income fits into the analysis, but we would likely be considered an upper-middles class family.
Thank you for your help.
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@WilGarrison I believe I should be honest with you. I think his grades are low for the Duke, Vanderbilt, Rice, Georgetown, Brown, Emory, Washington University and the ACT score of 31 is low for those particular schools even for African American students. His above average test score will not make up for his low GPA unless he has amazing essays, recommendations and extracurricular activities to compensate for the low GPA. With that honesty, I still believe every college has exceptions to the rule and your son could be that. In my group of African American parents that applied to those schools last year across the country most of them had an average SAT of 1450 or ACT 33 and unweighted GPA of 3.9 and weighted of 4.2 and with that combination some of their kids still did not get in while others including mine received acceptance letters. I do not know if my feedback was helpful.
@trippfolsom I appreciate the honesty. My thinking is that it may have been a mistake to send him to a very competitive private school. His GPA certainly would be much higher at the public school down the street. He took the exam as a junior, but was unable to take it this year because of the pandemic. We are certainly making the point in his essay that the average score on the ACT for his class is a 31 and hope that sheds some light on the relative competition at his school.
Again, I appreciate the feedback as most of this information concerning admissions metrics has been fairly elusive. Iām also curious how the renewed focus on increasing diversity on college campuses will impact admissions this year and next.
You havenāt revealed what he hopes to major in, nor whether classes related to that major reached a rigorous level and got A grades. The misc courses, electives, etc, are usually in cum GPA, but top adcoms will look at the transcript, cores.
The 31 can be fine, but itās subscores that will matter. Eg, if he has STEM dreams, the math and science courses, ACT subscores, and any SAT M/Sat2 should show a strong suit.
Itās not about where his ACT places him nationally. Itās where it places him in the pool of all competitive applicants to that college. Any explanation of this really should come from the GC. The big essay and any supp written answers have a different purpose.
If most or all of his core class grades are B, it can raise questions about the weekly energy devoted. We know some preps are arduous. (And that Houston offers some mighty strong candidates.) More info about that should be in the School Report the GC sends. All sorts of info can be there, for perspective on the hs rigor and achievements.
And of course, ECs matter.
He wants to be a doctor or pursue a career in biomedical research. His ACT sub-scores: Reading 35, Science 31, STEM 30, Math 29, English 28.
W/r/t his GPA, he has As and A- in AP Sciences/Physics, B+s in AP History, Bs in Chinese I and II, Bs in Math, Bs in English, and B- and B in Photography I and II. Again, his grades trend upward year-over year, with a 3.5 GPA his junior year and he appears to be on track for similar or better this fall. He got off to a slow start managing his academic time and sports, which has improved with maturity.
The good news: pre-med can be done at a wide range of colleges, not just super-selective ones.
The bad news: pre-med and medical school application is a highly competitive weed-out process. High college GPA and MCAT score are the minimum just to be considered, but there is plenty more beyond that to get admitted to medical school.
The bad news: medical school is enormously expensive generally.
The good news: if he is a Texas resident, Texas public medical schools are significantly less expensive than most medical schools.
I agree. Iām not a big fan of his ācurrentā career path. But I know kids between the ages of 18 - 22 change their minds all the time. My thinking has always been go to the best school that offers you admission, do really well and you will continue to have options moving forward.
Why not apply to your safety schools and moderate schools, and then apply to as many reach schools as you ways (assuming you have time to complete the applications and write the additional essays)? You miss 100% of the shorts you donāt take. Whatās the harm? Fear of rejection? As young AA men, get used to it.
@wilgarrison You will get more recommendations for your son if you create your own thread, which will get you more visibility on CC. Posters will have some good ideas for you and can help you create a reasonable, balanced college list.
@WilGarrison - When my D was applying to colleges we grossly underestimated the amount of essays and time involved in the application process. My D applied to 8 schools and had 19 unique essays to write along with keeping up her grades with very rigorous classes and all her ECs. Senior year grades do matter, and all but her rolling admission schools wanted to see first semester grades. No slacking off.
The competitive schools will have additional essay prompts. Then there are the honors college essays, and the scholarship essays. D thought she was āfinally doneā three times but a school would send an invite to some program or scholarship and there would be āone moreā essay to write.
In summary: donāt underestimate the time involved in crafting a solid application.
Hey @WilGarrison. I just wanted to say congratulations and to cheer your son and your family on during his college admissions process. My African American family lives in an Atlanta suburb where we have seen many other black families over the years get into schools like the ones you have mentioned and my son attended a summer program for minorities in STEM (CMU SAMS 2019) where almost all of the students went to relatively selective colleges and universities (less than 40% acceptance rates) and about half of the students are now attending top 25 USNWR schools.
You will get varying degrees of advice, but I hope your son āshoots his shotā (along with having a few safeties on his list) as the one thing that I have seen year after year is a small number of African American males who apply to selective institutions (especially in comparison to African American females). Since your son is currently leaning towards taking a pre-med track in undergrad, I am also attaching a list of undergraduate institutions that produce the most African American medical school applicants.
@WilGarrison Congratulations to your son for his interest in medicine. The AAMC list provided by @ChangeTheGame is a great place to start. Premed weeds out early and you need all of the support needed to persevere. This is where many HBCUs succeed because they are vested in their students. If your son is truly interested in medicine then BS/MD programs may be an option, especially those that are HBCU affiliated. Xavier has early assurance programs, Howard and Hampton have BS MD programs too. Search here for BD MD threads for more information if you think these might be a match. Also, look at specific HBCU medical schools for programs as well as the AAMC listings.
@ChangeTheGame Thank you for the words of encouragement and the list of of undergraduate institutions/AA med school applicants. The college applications process is crazy. I donāt recall it being this complicated/strategic when I applied. And with the pandemic in full swing, it has been difficult to get my Son excited about colleges that he hasnāt visited. Virtual tours are fine, but not the same. Thanks, again.
@wilgarrison i highly suggest you join the African american HS class of 2021 thread and look through African American HS class of 2020.
Also, any schools that you are thinking about for your son, please do the NPC for. You want to make sure that you can afford any school that your child may be accepted in, especially since you said you are middle income. I have seen it said that being middle class is often too much for financial aid but not enough to being able to pay tuition outright.
As someome that was new to the process like you last year, the NPC (net price calculator) really does open your eyes a bit.
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This is a really helpful thread. I learned so much through this and African American 2021 thread. I am a parent of a D24 and I went to a state school and it was relatively easy transfer after my CC. There is a ton of advice on here but not for BA or AA students so this is nice to see. I want to begin a thread for c/o 2024. Iāll take all the resources you all want to send in my PM. Thanks!
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