Genuine HPY candidate

[Anonymous]

Describe the kid who genuinely belongs at HPY, minus the hooks. In other words, who is the genuine admit? And, please, don’t say tough courses, good grades, great test scores. That’s obvious. I’m looking for a type of individual.

[Anonymous]

Outside of that, extracurriculars and other life experiences. Even then, it's a crapshoot. Each of them get over 50K applications a year, so it's largely a numbers game.

[Anonymous]

They’re looking for future leaders, so leadership and a polished, positive attitude are important. Also pay lip service at least to service commitments.

[Anonymous]

it's about which pair of AO with 3 and 22 months experience respectively reads the app.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:it's about which pair of AO with 3 and 22 months experience respectively reads the app.

Don't you think that admissions officers are given directions to look for certain qualities ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:it's about which pair of AO with 3 and 22 months experience respectively reads the app.

Don't you think that admissions officers are given directions to look for certain qualities ?

Sure they are but, nevertheless, they are all different people w/ different backgrounds

[Anonymous]

We know a truly talented kid who is the smartest kid I have ever encountered. He is over the top good at anything and everything he does. He stands out from all the other high stats kids including my kids who have perfect grades, test scores and very well rounded. I have no doubt that the boy will have his choice in colleges. He is a stand out among a sea of smart kids.

[Anonymous]

I think this is interesting. Once you remove the obvious (classes, grades and test scores), most people don’t know what makes a good HPY candidate. Got one vote up thread for leadership. It’s particularly interesting because those on DCUM with kids rejected from Ivies are sure there’s discrimination or a lottery effect going on, but I don’t know how such conclusions can be made if people don’t even know what makes an effective candidate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:it's about which pair of AO with 3 and 22 months experience respectively reads the app.

Don't you think that admissions officers are given directions to look for certain qualities ?

They are and there are parents paying consultants a lot of money so that their kids who have none of those qualities appear to have all of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think this is interesting. Once you remove the obvious (classes, grades and test scores), most people don’t know what makes a good HPY candidate. Got one vote up thread for leadership. It’s particularly interesting because those on DCUM with kids rejected from Ivies are sure there’s discrimination or a lottery effect going on, but I don’t know how such conclusions can be made if people don’t even know what makes an effective candidate.

OP said no hooks and most of the class will have hooks. My ideal HYP candidate would be a kid who is good enough academically and also good enough at a sport to play in the ivy league or whose dad is rich enough that the development office will reach out to admissions or famous enough that whatever mechanism is in place to make sure that a governor's kid or fortune 500 ceo's kid is accepted kicks in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Outside of that, extracurriculars and other life experiences. Even then, it's a crapshoot. Each of them get over 50K applications a year, so it's largely a numbers game.

. Not true. Harvard gets about 60k, Yale about 50k and Princeton about 40k applications.

[Anonymous]

Achieving in at least one field at the level of a successful elite 23-year old in that field. For example, doing and publishing original cutting-edge research, publishing a front-page social justice series in a local or national newspaper, composing and conducting their own musical, leading an important political movement, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:it's about which pair of AO with 3 and 22 months experience respectively reads the app.

Don't you think that admissions officers are given directions to look for certain qualities ?

sure, but those certain qualities are called hooks. Model UN + valedictorian + 3 sport non-recruited athlete + lead in play + being kind neighbor .. not hooks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Achieving in at least one field at the level of a successful elite 23-year old in that field. For example, doing and publishing original cutting-edge research, publishing a front-page social justice series in a local or national newspaper, composing and conducting their own musical, leading an important political movement, etc.

The vast majority of kids at these schools have done none of these things.

[Anonymous]

Being a lax bro with the application profile of a Bay Area magnet-school striver Wasian.

Being a Bay Area magnet-school striver Wasian with the application profile of a lax bro.

It's all about differentiation and overturning expectations/stereotypes.

(But there's nothing beyond hooks now anyway, really.)