Banneker-Key?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP here. I'm disappointed for my child who has perfect grades, perfect scores (ACT-presidential scholar candidate, 5s in 5 APs, 800 in 3 subject tests), strong ECs with leadership, and completed a prestigious summer program at Yale. Admitted to UMD Honors, but no B-K. Yes, I was expecting it for no reason other than me foolishly thinking how can it look any better?

Deferred from Yale EA, Michigan, Virginia. Ivy day and the rest of March looks very bleak. I can't help but to think the recommendations were weak or that college counselor approved weak essays. It's a crapshoot, it's random---until it's your child then it feels very personal and very lonely.

Did your DC go to a public or private HS? Curious , seems very odd no acceptance to Michigan.

I am sorry I know this is hard.

Michigan deferred the very top students and admitted the group right below to protect yield. If the top kids write the follow up letter that was requested, they will likely get in.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Whatever the heck that is. And no, I'm not going to Google it.

It's a UMD thing, equivalent to UVA's Jefferson Scholars.

Sorry, dear, it's not equivalent to the Jefferson. There are far more B-K awards than the Jefferson, they're not all full tution, and it's not nearly as prestigious.

What a dumbs$$ thing to say. UVa folks never disappoint...

Except that it's true. The Jefferson is far more selective.

"more selective" just means UVa is not as generous with merit scholarships. i am not sure why that's a good thing.

+1,000,000

If the choice is between more merit aid and offering better financial aid, I'm not sure merit is a good thing. Merit aid largely feeds schools bidding against each other for students who in many cases can already afford college. Jefferson at UVA is run by an affiliated foundation, not by the university.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:MOCO
1600/36
Toughest course load, perfect GPA
Great mix of ECs including sports, service and leadership.
EA into HYSP
In at Honors

No BK in portal. Maybe they all aren't out yet? Not that my kid "deserves" one, but it would be surprising that they are not in the running

Unfortunately not in the running. My kid has similar stats. Nothing in portal.

Do parents have advanced degrees? That knocks the kids out.

Why would that matter?

What?

My understanding is that the BK is geared toward certain groups and goals, and that children of highly educated parents are not thought to benefit from the BK, or utilize it, as much as others

This is wrong. Banneker was a black only scholarship program that got struck down by the Supreme Court in mid 90s which then combined with Key scholarship was given to all races based on merits. While they can't use race as determining factor, UMD still tries to maintain the spirit of Banneker scholarship. This is why sometimes, CC and other places, you will hear URM kids with lower stats offered B/K scholarships.

Your statement seems to support, not discredit the original statement.

I'm not on either side of this particular argument. However, it is misguided to think that the BK goes to MD's top scholars, that is not the case, there are specific things that the BK committee is looking for to fill the 150 spots. Not getting into the BK running should in no way concern parents about their child's other prospects.

I don't believe anyone said that or even implied that. We both have masters, our kids got it and our kids, just like many kids who get rejected, had top stats/accomplishments. UMD gets more top stat kids than seats they have for B/K. Many kids with perfect stats get rejected.

The implication throughout this thread is that it goes to the top students (stats, accomplishments, etc) that apply to UMD. This is resoundingly untrue. There are very specific categories that the BK fills. I'm sure your kids are great, but there were more accomplished seniors that were not included in the BK field.

Says who? UMD BK website says they are.

It does not.

Let it go. Bitterness is nasty.

Actually, my kid second kid got an interview. My higher stats and more accomplished, at the same point in his life, first kid did not. Second is engineering and female.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MOCO
1600/36
Toughest course load, perfect GPA
Great mix of ECs including sports, service and leadership.
EA into HYSP
In at Honors

No BK in portal. Maybe they all aren't out yet? Not that my kid "deserves" one, but it would be surprising that they are not in the running

Unfortunately not in the running. My kid has similar stats. Nothing in portal.

Do parents have advanced degrees? That knocks the kids out.

Why would that matter?

What?

My understanding is that the BK is geared toward certain groups and goals, and that children of highly educated parents are not thought to benefit from the BK, or utilize it, as much as others

This is wrong. Banneker was a black only scholarship program that got struck down by the Supreme Court in mid 90s which then combined with Key scholarship was given to all races based on merits. While they can't use race as determining factor, UMD still tries to maintain the spirit of Banneker scholarship. This is why sometimes, CC and other places, you will hear URM kids with lower stats offered B/K scholarships.

Your statement seems to support, not discredit the original statement.

I'm not on either side of this particular argument. However, it is misguided to think that the BK goes to MD's top scholars, that is not the case, there are specific things that the BK committee is looking for to fill the 150 spots. Not getting into the BK running should in no way concern parents about their child's other prospects.

I don't believe anyone said that or even implied that. We both have masters, our kids got it and our kids, just like many kids who get rejected, had top stats/accomplishments. UMD gets more top stat kids than seats they have for B/K. Many kids with perfect stats get rejected.

The implication throughout this thread is that it goes to the top students (stats, accomplishments, etc) that apply to UMD. This is resoundingly untrue. There are very specific categories that the BK fills. I'm sure your kids are great, but there were more accomplished seniors that were not included in the BK field.

Says who? UMD BK website says they are.

It does not.

Let it go. Bitterness is nasty.

Actually, my kid second kid got an interview. My higher stats and more accomplished, at the same point in his life, first kid did not. Second is engineering and female.

Not sure what your point is. B/K tries to be 50/50 boys/girls. At best you have one data point. And they probably applied in different years. Too many differences to draw any kind of conclusions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whatever the heck that is. And no, I'm not going to Google it.

It's a UMD thing, equivalent to UVA's Jefferson Scholars.

Sorry, dear, it's not equivalent to the Jefferson. There are far more B-K awards than the Jefferson, they're not all full tution, and it's not nearly as prestigious.

What a dumbs$$ thing to say. UVa folks never disappoint...

Except that it's true. The Jefferson is far more selective.

"more selective" just means UVa is not as generous with merit scholarships. i am not sure why that's a good thing.

+1,000,000

If the choice is between more merit aid and offering better financial aid, I'm not sure merit is a good thing. Merit aid largely feeds schools bidding against each other for students who in many cases can already afford college. Jefferson at UVA is run by an affiliated foundation, not by the university.

UVa is not known for generous FA either. As you said even Jeff is not by the Uni.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The top 0.5% of students is still 15,000. That's just over last year's entire Ivy league enrollment.

Then you need to make room for URMs, football teams, legacy...etc

The number of students accepted into the T20 is far greater than 15000. I agree that stats are not the only determining factor but according to the parent this kid has demonstrated academic excellence on a consistent basis (straight As) and has strong ECs. If a kid kid like that is deferred by colleges that are in ranked in the 25-30 range.

For the ivies, no it really isn't because yields are so high. 2023: 21,168 accepted, 14,536 enrolled.

https://www.ivycoach.com/2023-ivy-league-admissions-statistics/

I don't have stats for the entire T20 but this is close

https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/universities-colleges-where-students-are-eager-to-enroll

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: At some point, stats don't mean much. No top-20 will come after your kid solely based on stats.

Yes, from that point only bank account matters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For many families and kids, this might be their first "rejection" ever in life (but certainly not the last one). It can be very difficult to accept. It also means as kids grow up and start moving from a small pond to bigger ponds, they will find out there are a lot of smart people out there.

it's actually 'from small pond to Lake Michigan'

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: At some point, stats don't mean much. No top-20 will come after your kid solely based on stats.

Yes, from that point only bank account matters.

Which colleges are you referring to specifically?

Of the USN T20, only Wash U and UCLA are not need-blind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: At some point, stats don't mean much. No top-20 will come after your kid solely based on stats.

Yes, from that point only bank account matters.

Which colleges are you referring to specifically?

Of the USN T20, only Wash U and UCLA are not need-blind.

Send DM, I have a bridge to sell you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Of the USN T20, only Wash U and UCLA are not need-blind.

https://www.ivycoach.com/the-ivy-coach-blog/college-admissions/2-reasons-need-blind-admissions-farce/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP here. I'm disappointed for my child who has perfect grades, perfect scores (ACT-presidential scholar candidate, 5s in 5 APs, 800 in 3 subject tests), strong ECs with leadership, and completed a prestigious summer program at Yale. Admitted to UMD Honors, but no B-K. Yes, I was expecting it for no reason other than me foolishly thinking how can it look any better?

Deferred from Yale EA, Michigan, Virginia. Ivy day and the rest of March looks very bleak. I can't help but to think the recommendations were weak or that college counselor approved weak essays. It's a crapshoot, it's random---until it's your child then it feels very personal and very lonely.

This is pretty much my kid. Are you in a top MOCO school? GC told us only legacies and URM got in.

GC is wrong. That is totally not true. Next door neighbor got into Yale. Not a legacy, or any of the other things just a great smart kid from an MCPS high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Of the USN T20, only Wash U and UCLA are not need-blind.

https://www.ivycoach.com/the-ivy-coach-blog/college-admissions/2-reasons-need-blind-admissions-farce/

Yeah everybody trots out that one old article from Bev "I charge rich Chinese $1M to help them with their apps!" Taylor.

All she presents is speculation. Not one shred of evidence. Not one of the thousands of former admissions professionals at T20 schools has ever come forth to dispel the lie. It's the greatest secret conspiracy since the moon landing. She even contradicts herself and admits they make the decisions need blind in this very article: "Most knew well and good that their school wasn’t actually need blind — but they said an applicant’s ability to pay didn’t factor into the admissions equation anyway. After all, doing so was their job." Need blind! In this very article!

So, you linked to an article where the headline supported your incorrect belief, but the body of it supports the opposite. Fail!

Bev knows that the financial aid question on the common app is blacked out for admissions people and that it is a setting in the college's admin portal. But she lies. Why? It's right there a few PP later: "“If you can afford our services, you can afford the full cost of tuition. Don’t apply for aid."

Ivy Coach is the one who is not need blind.

Colleges that say they are need blind in admissions are so. Believe otherwise at your own peril.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: She even contradicts herself and admits they make the decisions need blind in this very article: "Most knew well and good that their school wasn’t actually need blind — but they said an applicant’s ability to pay didn’t factor into the admissions equation anyway. After all, doing so was their job." Need blind!.

No, she does not contradict herself, but you can read it the way you want it, at your own peril.
She says "Most knew well and good that their school wasn’t actually need blind" but said the opposite, because that's their job, to advertise for their school and get record number of applicants and have low acceptance rate and useless rankings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: She even contradicts herself and admits they make the decisions need blind in this very article: "Most knew well and good that their school wasn’t actually need blind — but they said an applicant’s ability to pay didn’t factor into the admissions equation anyway. After all, doing so was their job." Need blind!.

No, she does not contradict herself, but you can read it the way you want it, at your own peril.
She says "Most knew well and good that their school wasn’t actually need blind" but said the opposite, because that's their job, to advertise for their school and get record number of applicants and have low acceptance rate and useless rankings.

Interesting part of the quote you chose to cut out: "an applicant’s ability to pay didn’t factor into the admissions equation". Need blind!

You are like the movie marketer that takes a quote "This movie is a turkey that stinks to high heaven!" and edits that to "This movie is... heaven!"