Need more target schools for engineering…ideas?

Catcherinthetoast
Sun, 04 Sep 2022 14:30:42 +0000

Thewib:

Kid also has 8 years of coding experience doing full stack web apps, teaches coding to younger kids, 8 years of competitive gymnastics, head of a few clubs.

I think context matters here. Your kid is extremely accomplished and academically worthy. Consider however the numbers.

Sounds like your kid will be in the (pick a number) top 5% of students applying to colleges. The vast majority of the kids applying to top tier schools however comes from that top 5%. Your kids apparent superiority to the other 95% of kids is now irrelevant.

Back to numbers. Many AOs have been quoted indicating that half or more of the applicants they review would be worthy. So basically using back of the envelope math a school with a 5% acceptance rate translates into a 10% acceptance rate for kids like yours. This doesn’t account for the reality that some “super” achievers take up multiple acceptance slots while ED further limits spots for those that slip to RD.

The fallacy and disappointment typically comes when parents think 5% acceptance rate, plus kid in top 5%, plus multiple schools equals at least one elite acceptance. It simply doesn’t work that way.

It comes down to a base case of being really smart, driven and worthiness followed by institutional needs, being great (plus something), a little luck, an essay that strikes a nerve etc. No one is diminishing your kid but people are earnestly responding to the reality that even the most talented of kids are often disappointed. She is no longer competing in the smaller HS pool in which she has thrived but needs to stand out in a global ocean of talent. A bit hyperbolic but it’s a slow sunday😀

Good luck.