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They are state schools so they are required to pull from the entire state and have a program in place to increase enrollment from less economically advantaged counties (so the bottom 80 counties out of the 100 in NC). The statement about competition is two-fold, 1 UNC and NC State are difficult to get into and reasonably priced and 2) the academic profile of a student at a Western Wake high school is well above average for the state as a whole. My son just graduated Panther Creek and in reading and counting the graduation brochure, over 30% of the senior class had a GPA over 4.25 (that's ~200 people out of 600+ in the senior class). I would expect similar profiles at the other Western Wake high schools, which increases the risk that the child becomes just a number for college admissions processes.
As a data point my son had 1B in 4 years of high school, took 10 APs and had a 1500 SAT/34 ACT, he got into UNC (and both his parents are alums). His girlfriend had a couple of Bs in high school (still above 4.25), slightly lower SAT/ACT got into NC state, but was wait listed at UNC (and had a more well rounded resume with more iobs/leadership stuff than he had - parents not alums, but a sibling currently attending).
This all sounds about right..
I think it should also be worth noting for the OP that while UNC and NCSU are the "Cream of the crop" in being the most selective and largest public universities in the state; the roster runs deep for solid in-state-tuition universities. App State and Wilmington are very popular as well and allow for students to "Get away" while still being in-state. ECU and Charlotte are also large and gaining in reputation. ECU in particular is very strong in pre-med, nursing, and teaching and Charlotte has a growing engineering program. The "bougie-cap" doesn't affect those schools as much.
The pipeline from high-performing CHCCS to Appalachian is a strong one in particular.
Also, if you move into one of the coveted Western Wake county school districts, admission to the local universities is cutthroat with many highly qualified students being wait listed or rejected from UNC or NC State.
That used to be the thing back in the day. Even these days, people prefer to send their kids to a low-performing school so they can "shine?"
How does this play for UNC if one is graduating from a place like Thales, Cary Academy, Durham Academy, etc?
That used to be the thing back in the day. Even these days, people prefer to send their kids to a low-performing school so they can "shine?"
How does this play for UNC if one is graduating from a place like Thales, Cary Academy, Durham Academy, etc?
It's all about the class rank.
The "cap" is more defacto than actual on-paper policy.
UNC doesn't technically have a"cap" on students from high-performing high schools....but what they do have is a heavy emphasis on students who "stand out"; for which the most significant metric (albeit an arbitrary one IMO) is class rank.
In many lower-performing or middle of the pack schools (mostly found in rural/less-prosperous areas of the state)..... a GPA above 4.0 can put a student in the top 10 of a 100-200 student class easily
In a Western Wake, CHCCS, or similarly "statused" private or charter school (mostly found in wealthier urban/suburban parts of the state)...... having a GPA above 4.0 barely puts a student in the top 50% of the class....and that's with a class size in the 500-700 range (at least in the public schools)
The only true "cap" which applies to all public universities in the state; is that 85% of admitted freshman are from NC which someone else referenced up-thread.
Thus a 4.25 GPAer from Scarsdale, NY will have a snowflake's chance in hell even compared to a 4.25 GPAer from Panther Creek HS.
Last edited by TarHeelNick; 08-12-2019 at 12:25 PM..
The "cap" is more defacto than actual on-paper policy.
UNC doesn't technically have a"cap" on students from high-performing high schools....but what they do have is a heavy emphasis on students who "stand out"; for which the most significant metric (albeit an arbitrary one IMO) is class rank.
In many lower-performing or middle of the pack schools (mostly found in rural/less-prosperous areas of the state)..... a GPA above 4.0 can put a student in the top 10 of a 100-200 student class easily
In a Western Wake, CHCCS, or similarly "statused" private or charter school (mostly found in wealthier urban/suburban parts of the state)...... having a GPA above 4.0 barely puts a student in the top 50% of the class....and that's with a class size in the 500-700 range (at least in the public schools)
The only true "cap" which applies to all public universities in the state; is that 85% of admitted freshman are from NC which someone else referenced up-thread.
Thus a 4.25 GPAer from Scarsdale, NY will have a snowflake's chance in hell even compared to a 4.25 GPAer from Panther Creek HS.
I see, but I thought class rank was an outdated way of looking at at student. Class rank was considered a big thing back when I was in school and it very important at the time. But going by class rank doesn't get you the best students.
Isn't a 4.0 GPA from Panther Creek worth more than a 4.0 GPA from Lenoir County schools? Just like a 4.0 GPA from Duke is better than a 4.0 GPA from ECU.
If I move I cannot put her in private school unless she was granted a scholarship and it's too late for that. This is my biggest fear about moving to NC. My daughter is really into learning and school.
Serious question do you think that public schools in the triangle so bad that they are incapable of teaching your daughter? Public school students from the triangle go to some of the most prestigious universities in the country.
I heard from a reliable source that State took exactly zero kids off the wait list this year.
For 2018-19, UNC was 22 people off the waitlist. Typically you wouldn't be notified until after May, so many people are so far along in the matriculation process they dont want to undo that work (roommates, deposits, etc.)
Also, if you move into one of the coveted Western Wake county school districts, admission to the local universities is cutthroat with many highly qualified students being wait listed or rejected from UNC or NC State.
can you dig deeper into this? I am trying to relocate to the area(The triangle is one of the best areas for life science jobs) but no luck as of yet. However, the in state tuition is a huge positive. Why is NC STATE so hard to get into? What is the main element that students are missing? Nc state, AT & t and also NC Central would be a huge step.
High demand for both UNC Chapel Hill and NCSU. UNC shows about a 25% acceptance rate, NCSU around 50%
Here are links to the basic data of those who got accepted. Of course, just like most Universities, I’m sure there are “unwritten” factors that go into who and how they choose to accept.
Also, keep in mind wherever you decide to move, you will have to establish residence to receive in-state tuition. Here they will want to see that you established yourself in the state for at least 12 months, and you plan on staying.
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If you are an athlete, does that help your chances or do you have to really stand out as a player. Or do they just care about academics only.
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