<p>I live in VA and know some really top students who didn’t get into UVA or William & Mary this year as the competition is really tough. All of these students did however get into other state schools (and we have an abundance of very good ones).</p>
<p>What I do see that is a little paranoid are parents of younger students ( elementary school age) who are panicking already because they are somehow convinced that “no one” gets into these schools.</p>
<p>There’s also a prestige factor operating here.</p>
<p>For many top students, the flagship is as low on the academic food chain as they ever imagined going, and for good reason. </p>
<p>If Flagship U appears on your resume, nobody will ever know whether you went there because you couldn’t get into Prestige U or because you couldn’t afford Prestige U. But if Lesser State College appears on your resume, everyone will know that you went there because you couldn’t get into Flagship U.</p>
<p>Since NYS does not have a flagship university I don’t think the same issue applies here as it does in the other 49 states. However, many parents have been shocked to discover that former safety schools in the SUNY system, such as New Paltz in our neighborhood, have become very difficult to gain admission to ove the past 2-3 years.</p>
<p>I have a son in engineering at UICU. He did early admissions and got in with 30 ACT and later students with better ACT’s didn’t get in. Interestingly I have heard that admissions doesn’t even look at the application (essays) but just at GPA and ACT. My other son said the essays were essentially short answer questions. He spent less than 30 minutes on them. He also got into UICU. He had a 33 ACT and I think that got him in. He his headed out to California UC-Irvine. OOS rates, but that is another story.</p>
<p>U of M (Michigan) has been increasingly difficult to get into for in-state kids for several years now. From a non-involved perspective it’s been a good thing because it has increased the caliber of students greatly at Michigan State compared to a decade ago making State not a shoe-in for some kids which pushes them into the directional colleges improving the caliber of their students…the competitiveness doesn’t really “hurt” anyone except you find many UofM parents with kids at State and State parents with kids at GVSU and so on and so on so the legacy waters get muddier but that’s about all that happens. For instance, a couple decades ago the only (public) place in Michigan you could get a (real) engineering degree was UofM or Northern, but now many of the colleges support engineering programs. The colleges themselves are more diverse in their offerings. There isn’t an engineering school, a teaching school, a pre-med school, etc. The other “good thing” about the publics is that while they are more stats driven in their admissions they also know the state public high schools very well so they can easily differentiate what those stats really mean in the big picture. In general and from anecdotally watching our friends go through admissions seasons through the years the unis do a pretty good job of selection. I think this is also an important reason to understand where your public high school is in the “pecking order” when your child applies to a public uni. The 3.7 unweighted from one high school can be very different from a 3.7 unweighted from another high school in the state. There is a high school the next district over whose top scholars potentially might not even be in the top 30% of our high school, but when you see where the colleges acceptances for those students end up being within the public unis you can easily see how this plays out in the admission process.</p>
<p>There’s an article in the Chicago Tribune today about the “clout list” at UIUC - basically our politicians are at it again, flexing their muscles and using their clout to get their friends and relatives in at the expense of more qualified applicants. Business as usual here in the Land of Lincoln.</p>
<p>Echo what Motherdear said in post 3 for in state for Virginia girls and add the additional factor of Northern Virginia residency and well-roundedness making William & Mary a tough admit…</p>
<p>Admission to UF is pretty competitive these days. The school is considered a great value (although tuition is sure to creep up), and it’s very affordable for Florida residents coming in with Bright Futures money. At the same time, they’re supposedly pushing for increased rankings. This year’s UF decisions thread had a good number of posts from denied students with 1300 plus SAT scores.</p>
<p>cptofthehouse -</p>
<p>Does Ohio U have more of a rah-rah atmosphere and big college experience than Pitt? (re: your post 15) Just curious…</p>
<p>Perhaps the parental “paranoia” springs from a quiet resentment or unsatifield sense of entitlement. Why should my little johnny, no whom I have lavished tuition, special programs, endless taxi driving, get into the school my tax dollar are paying for.</p>
<p>I know it is illogical, but I think that deep down, parents really do feel entitled to state flagship admission.</p>
<p>With all its flaws, at least the Texas system is concrete and objective. If a kid doesn’t make the cut, parents can blame the kid.</p>
<p>Here in CA, all kinds of issues are at play with the UCs. With all due respect to graduates from either place, we basically have two flagships: Berkeley in the north and UCLA in the south. With the state budget crisis looming large, this will continue the ugly scenario of reduced enrollment coupled with ever rising fees/tuition.</p>
<p>The idea of “holistic admissions” is anything but transparent to most people, which raises the level of anxiety. Some of the UCs even go so far as to publish the point system they use in reviewing applications, which just goes to generate more questions.</p>
<p>Anxiety levels will raise another notch in the LA region, probably elsewhere. LAUSD just announced a virtual end to K-8 summer school, and only “credit recovery” classes for those in HS. LACCD says it will only offer one of two summer sessions, meaning a squeeze for HS who wanted to study ahead, check off a UC requirement like a class in visual/performance arts, etc.</p>
<p>It’s going to be a lonnnnnnng summer.</p>
<p>Politicians kids are getting ahead of the line at UIUC? I am shocked, shocked. (joke) It happens everywhere.</p>
<p>Dudedad, since I have never been at Ohio U, I cannot personally say. Friends whose kids have gone there indicate that it has the “flagship uni” feel as it is a big college in a small town area. The college is THE thing in Athens, Ohio, from what I have been told. </p>
<p>Everyone I know who had a kid at OU has been pleased with the school, and it is a popular option for those who feel the Ohio State is way too big. I know a number of families in western PA whose kids’ first choice for college was Penn State but have OU, MIami of Ohio, UWV as their next choices rather than Pitt or Temple or the smaller state schools or branches of Penn State. Miami of O and OU have some excellent programs that have students seeking those schools for those merits as well.</p>
<p>momofthreeboys-
Regarding state schools in Michigan where one could go (historically) for engineering: I think you meant Michigan Tech instead of Northern? Probably a minor point (LOL-- concerning a major), but I don’t think Northern has an engineering school to this day.</p>
<p>I saw the same report on UIUC and thought it was a non story. Happens everywhere. Spare me the faux outrage that people with oodles of money make a short list. Happens at Harvard too.</p>