Parents: Input Would Be Great

Parent Cafe
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<p>Hello All. My son is a junior at a competitive public high school in Bergen County, NJ. We are caucasian, and so therefore are not an underrepresented minority. I am asking for your input because so far in his college search he has found Williams, Georgetown, Yale, Dartmouth, and Princeton to be his goals (like every ambitious high school student). I am simply trying to get a better idea of where he stands in the admissions process. It is for this reason I am asking for your input. Any and all responses would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again!</p>

<p>GPA-95.4 (no idea what that is in 4.0 scale)
Class Rank-unknown, school doesnt rank, but I'm pretty sure he is in top 10% of his 231 student class
SAT I- 2260 (780 m, 720 v, 760 w)
SAT II's-not yet taken, will take 3, he seems certain he can get above 700 on each
8 AP tests, including 6 AP courses (doing micro and macro economics as an independent study)
-All other courses honors</p>

<p>EC's
-Varsity Indoor Track, Outdoor Track, and Football (average athelete but plays 3 sports)
-Varsity Debate Team Captain
-8 years of piano including Carnegie Hall performance
-Peer Leadership
-French National Honor Society
-Business Club President</p>

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<p>anyone at all?</p>

3

<p>why don't you look at the common data sets for each of those schools and then answer your own question. I don't know how much you know about statistics but these are reach schools and once you look at the stats you will understand that there is not a guarantee.</p>

<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=76444&highlight=common+data+sets%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=76444&highlight=common+data+sets&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

4

<p>Mr.G:</p>

<p>Few parents comment on chances posts, since only one or two on this board actually works in a college admissions or finaid office. Also, without knowing his proposed major (art history vs classics vs pre-professional vs nuclear physics), it's hard to make suggestions.</p>

<p>Statistically, your S is a "fit", but, as you probably know by now, the schools you list are a big reach for everyone - with GTown being slightly less so. Personally, I like to call the Ivies and Williams 'lottery' schools, unless you are a direct descendent of Bill Gates or Warren Buffett. That being said, it comes down to essays, recs and the passion in his EC's. </p>

<p>Your S might also consider slightly less selective schools, such as Colgate, Bowdoin, Bates, Middlebury (if he likes NE rural). Also, add some safeties with early or rolling admissions, so a positive response arrives early next fall. Good luck.</p>

5

<p>I would second the suggestion to look at the data sheets for these schools -- and then realize that even if he fits the stats PERFECTLY for the Ivies his chances are still very slim.</p>

<p>So, make sure his final list contains a couple reaches, a few matches, and a couple safeties. Try to make sure he doesn't fall in love with any one or two schools. If he ends up at a match or safety school (which is most likely) you don't want him to feel disappointed! Your attitude about all the schools on his visit/final list will help him with that.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

6

<p>Does your school do weighted and unweighted GPA's? </p>

<p>Our hs is also on the 100 point (not 4.0) scale. With your S' GPA (assuming it's unweighted) and SATs, he is "in the running," meaning it makes sense for him to include the schools on his list as his reach schools. Students from our hs with similar stats (slightly higher SATs) were more often waitlisted or denied at those schools than they were accepted. Hard to believe, but true. It is not as though they were not qualified; they were. It is just that there are thousands of other applicants to those schools equally qualified.</p>

<p>So he should not abandon his goal of attending one of those schools. But he simply must find schools he is also excited about with higher admit rates. Bluebayou has given you some suggestions, but if you post more about his criteria (fields of interest, atmosphere he wants, size, type of location....), you will find that folks here can make wonderful suggestions. Schools with higher admit rates where he is above the median SAT will be his match schools.</p>

<p>Then he needs at least two schools where his SATs put him in the top 25% and the school has admit rates of around 50% or better. These will be his safeties. Ideally, the safety schools will have EA or rolling admissions.</p>

<p>He is a strong candidate, very strong. But no one - no matter how strong - can make the mistake of focusing only on the uber-selective schools. Search for andi's Picking Up the Pieces thread for a reality check.</p>

7

<p>He's picked five very good schools where he has a good chance of admission. Unfortunately, he also has a good chance of being denied at all five. So he needs to fill out his list with 4-5 less-selective schools, including one where: (a) his admission is guaranteed; (b) the cost is affordable for him and his family and (c) he'd enjoy attending.</p>

8

<p>You might also have him look at similar school outside your area. That would add a bit of diversity to his application...along with everything stated above.</p>

9

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<p>Here's a bit of admissions truth learned by hard experience: Your son has a better chance of NOT being admitted than of being admitted. Nothing about his outstanding record screams that he has a "good" chance of being admitted. That is just the way that admissions to super-selective schools is.</p>

<p>He has plenty of reach schools picked out. No need to put any more effort there. As others have said, where you need to focus your attention is on the match and safety schools. . .it's a mistake to only focus on the reach schools.</p>

10

<p>One of the things you might want to do is go to the forum for the particular schools on his list. Do a search and pull up the ED or SCEA decisions that came out in December. By looking at those and seeing the credentials of the various kids who were accepted, rejected, and deferred, you'll have a much better idea of what these posters are talking about. You will be stunned to see boatloads of students with stats as good or better than your son who were rejected by schools such as your son hopes to attend. </p>

<p>When I first came to this board, I innocently assumed that things were the same as when I went to school. Big mistake. If I went to Brown for grad school, I thought, then surely my son could attend for undergrad. (He had been there one summer and really liked it.) His stats were very similar to your son's....the very same SAT I score, gpa just a smidgeon higher from a competitive private school, and college courses from U Chicago. I quickly learned that things weren't so easy! </p>

<p>As you look ahead to next year, you might also want to consider a school that has rolling admissions. If you can find one your son likes (perhaps University of Michigan?--there are many others), it's possible to get a very early response from them in the fall. Then the pressure won't be quite so intense and you can concentrate on other matches and reaches. It's a lot better than sitting and sweating it out till April 1 with no idea of what will happen.</p>

<p>This doesn't mean he won't get into one of the schools you have in your list. It just means that you can't count on it. Acceptances at the high Ivies, for example, are all dipping down below 10%. That means that 90% of the applicants, most very qualified, are rejected. In our city (way down in wild Texas!), for instance, there are so many applicants for Princeton that the alumni interviewers are totally overwhelmed. The alums are being asked to do double the interviews they'd normally do, and they still can't get all the applicants interviewed in time. </p>

<p>This is a crazy business! Your son is obviously a very good student, and he'll eventually end up someplace great. But, for many of the students, even the best, there are a few bumps and disappointments along the road. The more you and your son learn about the process, the better hold you will have on things.</p>

<p>Don't just sit in an armchair. Go out and see the schools. Take a look at some that are a good "fit" for his interests and personality, but not quite as high up in the US News ranking. You may find he falls in love with a school that's not even on your initial list.</p>

<p>Best of luck and I hope you stay around! This is a great place to learn.</p>

11

<p>Just who is the original poster? Before more parents take their time replying, check out the below.</p>

<p>He posted Feb 21 asking about his chances at Muhlenberg:
"I'm a white male from a competitive public school in northern new jersey</p>

<p>SAT I- 620 m, 600 v, 620 w
SAT II's-none</p>

<p>Debate Team (9)
Football (9)
Indoor Track (10)
Camp Counselor
Volunteer at local hospital</p>

<p>my grandfather holds a high position in the Lutheran Board of America, so he holds some influence there</p>

<p>any suggestions would be greatly appreciated"</p>

<p>He posted yesterday on "What are my chances":</p>

<p>"My friend is a white male from northern new jersey
He is a junior and goes to a competitive public high school</p>

<p>he would like a feeling of where he stands:</p>

<p>Freshman Year (GPA - 88.5):</p>

<p>Journalism I - 83
Drama - 94
CP English - 94
CP World Civilizations I - 86
Algebra I - 90
CP Biology - 88
H French III - 79
Business Admin - 85
PE - 87/99 (1st semester/2nd sem)</p>

<p>Sophomore Year (GPA - 89.2):</p>

<p>H English II - 87
CP Am Hist - 92
CP Geometry - 94
Computer Science - 88
Hon Geo Phys - 85
Hon French IV - 82
Accounting - 92
Media/TV - 84
PE - 90/91</p>

<p>This year my courseload is a little harder. I made the mistake of
starting off with an easy schedule freshman year and pushing my way
into honors classes. This is my courseload for this year 1 semester
through already, gpa so far of 90.3:"</p>

<p>He posted the below Feb. 21 on "Chances":
"Where do i stand at Williams (1st choice), Georgetown, Yale, Princeton?</p>

<p>I'm currently a junior at a competitive high school in bergen county, nj
I'm a white male</p>

<p>GPA-95.4 (no idea what that is in 4.0 scale)
Class Rank-unknown, school doesnt rank, but surely in top 10% of 231 class
SAT I- 2260 (780 m, 720 v, 760 w)
SAT II's-not yet taken, will take 3, certain I can get above 700 on each
8 AP tests, including 6 AP courses (doing micro and macro economics as an independent study)
-All other courses honors</p>

<p>EC's
-Varsity Indoor Track, Outdoor Track, and Football (average athelete but play 3 sports)
-Varsity Debate Team Captain
-8 years of piano including Carnegie Hall performance
-Peer Leadership
-French National Honor Society"
-Business Club President</p>

<p>any and all responses will be greatly appreciated. thanks!"</p>

12

<p>Is it possible that more than one person is using the same screen name? Or is the OP just really confused? :confused:</p>

13

<p>I would urge you to consider Rutgers as a safety. With his credentials he might get a free ride.</p>

14

<p>My guess is that the OP is a high school student who wants feedback on possibilities for himself, including options if he raises his SAT scores. However, I wish he'd just be honest about what he's doing instead of passing himself off as a friend, parent and a student with varying scores.</p>

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<p>gee thanks Northstar Mom. I was fixin' to spend ten minutes on a Reply to this thread. glad you alerted us to possible OP issues.</p>

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<p>Hello all and thank you for your informative replies. In response to the fact that my son saw I was using this website, he and his friends began to use my screen name (with my permission) to post their own present statistics. I did not realize the confusion that might have caused, and am very sorry for it. Again, I thank you again for responding. Would Colgate be a good safety?</p>

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<p>A safety is a school accepting 50% or more of its applicants, where your SAT and GPA/class rank place you in the top 25% of all applicants, and which you would LOVE to attend. Colgate isn't even close.</p>

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<p>
[quote]
In response to the fact that my son saw I was using this website, he and his friends began to use my screen name (with my permission) to post their own present statistics.

[/quote]
well, that doesn't quite wash either since all of the early posts under this screen name were clearly from a student.</p>

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<p>I agree that an acceptance rate of 27% does not match the ideal 50% for a safety but an SAT of 1500 (V & M only) and a 95.4 GPA are pretty good numbers. Colgate's latest data shows the 25/75% to be 1330/1480.</p>

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<p>That's great, but it's not a safety, Likely, perhaps, but not a safety.</p>