I don’t want this to get into a political discussion. The question I’m posing will take as a given that after he got decisions t this year Hogg became a celebrity. There’s no need to discuss his views. Admissions officers likely know who he is and what he’s done.
His admission results based on his pre-celebrity status were mediocre as a certain tv host commented. This wasnt suprsing because despite Decent grades and pretty good EC’s ( producer of school tv show and teen reporter for local paper ) his SAT scores were pretty blah ( he told TMZ they were a 1270…those Ivy leasgue TMZ staffers of course asked (not joking… their non field staff is largely from HYS))
Now he’s taking a gap year to work on election/ voter registration and the gun control issues. Will his celebrity status and work he’s done be a big hook. I imagine it would be at some schools but not sure it will help at the UCs where he focused last time. So hook? How much will this boost his chances? Could it hurt him? We just had a discussion of this at the hs college counselor office where I volunteer, mainly because it’s an interesting circumstance. Some thought this made him a shoo in at places he couldn’t have gotten in last time. Curious as to what people think.
I would guess that private schools would love him. He and his classmates were thrust into the spotlight unwillingly, but he and several others have grabbed their celebrity and used it to advance the agenda they’ve decided to work on. Leadership, passion-- that’s what they say they want, and that’s what he’s showing them.
Previously, Hogg looked like thousands of other students. Now he doesn’t. Of course they’ll want him.
I have not seen any reporting that says Hogg was planning to go to UC Irvine after his gap year. His mom said, “He will not be going to college this year because he’s decided to take a year off and work on the midterm elections.” That does not sound to me like a commitment to Irvine. Which reporting have I missed?
@“Cardinal Fang” Exactly. I’ve seen no reporting that he committed. The LA Times story this week said he had made no decisions about what he will eventually do.
" The question I’m posing will take as a given that after he got decisions t this year Hogg became a celebrity."
Were they before or after? The shooting took place on 2/14 and the students became outspoken on the issue really quickly. I’d assume his “celebrity” was already known.
@doschicos It seems like the process would have been well underway by the time he came to the forefront with his SATs likely putting him in a rejection pile pretty early on. A school would have to be digging back through that. He said within a few weeks that he’d been rejected by his " safety "
I have had similar thoughts as the OP about David Hogg. It will be interesting to see how this thread plays out. My guess is that he will not be attending Irvine.
A lot of kids have been saying that they were rejected by their “safety” this year, esp. in UC and selective CalState admissions (see the long-running thread in Parents Forum). As we all know from hanging out here, there are plenty of students (parents and guidance counselors included) who have underestimated the selectivity in admissions these days and applied out-of-date standards to reach/match/safety schools.
If he were my son I’d suggest a gap year and an entirely different batch of schools to apply. He’d be a shoo in at many, many institutions where I’m sure he was tossed aside this year. I may not agree with nearly anything out of his mouth, but he certainly would make a more interesting classmate than some other kids who maybe were more grinders of grades.
@TomSrOfBoston His father draws a full FBI pension from what I understand and he emphasized in interviews that he was well aware of costs and was very lucky that his parents Were able to have been saving for college from before he was born.
He previously lived in CA so I don’t blame him for wanting to return.
I would think any number of excellent schools would scoop him up. He has risen above a horrible experience and I’m sure his parents are very proud. I have good wishes for all the students of Parkland. Shame on the pundit who taunted him over his acceptances.
Very smart to take a gap year. Like Malia Obama before him, he has an extraordinary opportunity for a unique experience right now. May as well seize it. College will still be there.
For those who disagree with Hogg: Suppose you were making admissions decisions. Would you accept him?
For those who generally agree with Hogg: Imagine he had instead, because of a terrible experience beyond his control, become a celebrity advocating a position you disagree with, with similar passion and success. Would you accept him?
If you disagree, would you be hired to make that decision?
I have to admit, that crossed my mind too. But if he got into UCI, he has to be a pretty good candidate, no?
I would totally take the year. Who knows what he will se/hear/experience this year? Who knows, maybe he can make a change. At worst, he gets an incredible experience.
He was obviously a solid candidate: top greats, great ECs, OK SATs. Everyone here could probably list, of the top of their heads, twenty fine schools that would have been solid targets. We all know this game.
Point is, he is now much more attractive as a candidate, and should expect that schools that previously would have tossed his application aside now would woo him.
Don’t know if he has officially committed to UCI, but he had a 4.2 gpa and yes, he applied to CA schools because he family lived there and loved it. His dad was the FBI guy in charge of LAX.