Harvard has a secret back door for ultra-rich kids with lousy grades

[Anonymous]

What does Harvard University do when faced with well-connected applicants — the children of mega-donors or other highly influential people — who have less-than-ideal SAT scores and GPAs?

The put them on the Z-List, according to a college admissions coach.

That means the students are advised to matriculate after taking a gap year, making them so-called “data ghosts” — meaning their lackluster academic statistics are not reported in the incoming freshman class.

That way Harvard doesn’t take a hit to its stellar academic averages — or institutional rankings.

“If Harvard doesn’t want the student hurting their US News and World Report ranking with their GPA and test scores, they admit them through the Z list,” Brian Taylor, managing partner of Manhattan-based college admissions firm Ivy Coach, told The Post. (While Harvard’s Law and Medical Schools both pulled out of US News and World Report’s college rankings, the university at large has not.)

“It often means that the student really doesn’t qualify for admission on their own.”

Although Harvard is the only school with a so-called “Z-List,” Taylor said other elite schools exploit similar loopholes to get students with inconvenient stats in the door.
The most common way is exploiting the transfer process.

Because US News and World Report doesn’t count transfer students’ statistics in their ranking calculations, some schools funnel in lower-performing students that way.

According to Taylor, Cornell exploits a “guaranteed transfer” system in which applicants with sub-par test scores or GPAs are told to do their freshman year of college elsewhere then re-apply.

If they maintain a certain grade point average during their freshman year — typically a B-average — they’re guaranteed admission to Cornell as a second-year transfer student.

“I don’t think it’s right that Cornell does that. It’s not fair to their peer institutions,” Taylor said.

https://nypost.com/2023/11/06/news/harvards-secret-backdoor-for-ultra-rich-under-qualified-kids/

[Anonymous]

Boarding school kids (think Phillips Andover) who are high quality, but not among the highest X applicants get these offers, too.

[Anonymous]

I don't think this problem is as big as they make it sound. Harvard admits very few transfers. I do know athletes get an admission break (just knowledge from the sport I play). Harvard had medalists that weren't qualified academically.

[Anonymous]

It's American culture and American way

[Anonymous]

They provide diversity. Otherwise there would be too many smart students. Come on, get with the times!

[Anonymous]

Duplicate of https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/642101.page#10899210

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What does Harvard University do when faced with well-connected applicants — the children of mega-donors or other highly influential people — who have less-than-ideal SAT scores and GPAs?

The put them on the Z-List, according to a college admissions coach.

That means the students are advised to matriculate after taking a gap year, making them so-called “data ghosts” — meaning their lackluster academic statistics are not reported in the incoming freshman class.

That way Harvard doesn’t take a hit to its stellar academic averages — or institutional rankings.

“If Harvard doesn’t want the student hurting their US News and World Report ranking with their GPA and test scores, they admit them through the Z list,” Brian Taylor, managing partner of Manhattan-based college admissions firm Ivy Coach, told The Post. (While Harvard’s Law and Medical Schools both pulled out of US News and World Report’s college rankings, the university at large has not.)

“It often means that the student really doesn’t qualify for admission on their own.”

Although Harvard is the only school with a so-called “Z-List,” Taylor said other elite schools exploit similar loopholes to get students with inconvenient stats in the door.
The most common way is exploiting the transfer process.

Because US News and World Report doesn’t count transfer students’ statistics in their ranking calculations, some schools funnel in lower-performing students that way.

According to Taylor, Cornell exploits a “guaranteed transfer” system in which applicants with sub-par test scores or GPAs are told to do their freshman year of college elsewhere then re-apply.

If they maintain a certain grade point average during their freshman year — typically a B-average — they’re guaranteed admission to Cornell as a second-year transfer student.

“I don’t think it’s right that Cornell does that. It’s not fair to their peer institutions,” Taylor said.

https://nypost.com/2023/11/06/news/harvards-secret-backdoor-for-ultra-rich-under-qualified-kids/

And your point is what? Because someone’s SAT score wasn’t great they are a drag on the student body? It’s not like transferring into Harvard is easy. You have to have had terrific grades at the college you transfer from. And last I checked how you actually do in college is a better predictor of how you do in college that the SAT is.

[Anonymous]

Nothingburger.

If you aren't on a list, then z list stats aren't relevant to your admissions chances, and z list students aren't relevant to your courses or academic references/recommendations.

[Anonymous]

At Harvard you would occasionally meet someone who shared a last name with one of the dorms (Dunster, Elliott, etc.) They tended not to be the sharpest tools in the shed but clearly there was some sort of preference list for people whose family had gone to Harvard since the founding. But that’s probably true everywhere, isn’t it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What does Harvard University do when faced with well-connected applicants — the children of mega-donors or other highly influential people — who have less-than-ideal SAT scores and GPAs?

The put them on the Z-List, according to a college admissions coach.

That means the students are advised to matriculate after taking a gap year, making them so-called “data ghosts” — meaning their lackluster academic statistics are not reported in the incoming freshman class.

That way Harvard doesn’t take a hit to its stellar academic averages — or institutional rankings.

“If Harvard doesn’t want the student hurting their US News and World Report ranking with their GPA and test scores, they admit them through the Z list,” Brian Taylor, managing partner of Manhattan-based college admissions firm Ivy Coach, told The Post. (While Harvard’s Law and Medical Schools both pulled out of US News and World Report’s college rankings, the university at large has not.)

“It often means that the student really doesn’t qualify for admission on their own.”

Although Harvard is the only school with a so-called “Z-List,” Taylor said other elite schools exploit similar loopholes to get students with inconvenient stats in the door.
The most common way is exploiting the transfer process.

Because US News and World Report doesn’t count transfer students’ statistics in their ranking calculations, some schools funnel in lower-performing students that way.

According to Taylor, Cornell exploits a “guaranteed transfer” system in which applicants with sub-par test scores or GPAs are told to do their freshman year of college elsewhere then re-apply.

If they maintain a certain grade point average during their freshman year — typically a B-average — they’re guaranteed admission to Cornell as a second-year transfer student.

“I don’t think it’s right that Cornell does that. It’s not fair to their peer institutions,” Taylor said.

https://nypost.com/2023/11/06/news/harvards-secret-backdoor-for-ultra-rich-under-qualified-kids/

And your point is what? Because someone’s SAT score wasn’t great they are a drag on the student body? It’s not like transferring into Harvard is easy. You have to have had terrific grades at the college you transfer from. And last I checked how you actually do in college is a better predictor of how you do in college that the SAT is.

ok ok your smart kid is bad at taking tests

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think this problem is as big as they make it sound. Harvard admits very few transfers. I do know athletes get an admission break (just knowledge from the sport I play). Harvard had medalists that weren't qualified academically.

You're missing the math. For institutions that reject most applicants, letting just a few unqualified applicants get in from various pots (athletes, development, legacy, etc) actually does make a difference. It means the qualified unhooked will face extraordinarily steep odds to get in, not merely steep odds.

It doesn't make such a difference at less selective universities that are sometimes turned down by accepted students, where Z-list people are not clamoring to get in, and even if they did, the small dip in general acceptance rate wouldn't impact individual applicants quite so significantly.

[Anonymous]

Vandy does this too.

Mostly for new donors/big name CEOs.

[Anonymous]

Every school has this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What does Harvard University do when faced with well-connected applicants — the children of mega-donors or other highly influential people — who have less-than-ideal SAT scores and GPAs?

The put them on the Z-List, according to a college admissions coach.

That means the students are advised to matriculate after taking a gap year, making them so-called “data ghosts” — meaning their lackluster academic statistics are not reported in the incoming freshman class.

That way Harvard doesn’t take a hit to its stellar academic averages — or institutional rankings.

“If Harvard doesn’t want the student hurting their US News and World Report ranking with their GPA and test scores, they admit them through the Z list,” Brian Taylor, managing partner of Manhattan-based college admissions firm Ivy Coach, told The Post. (While Harvard’s Law and Medical Schools both pulled out of US News and World Report’s college rankings, the university at large has not.)

“It often means that the student really doesn’t qualify for admission on their own.”

Although Harvard is the only school with a so-called “Z-List,” Taylor said other elite schools exploit similar loopholes to get students with inconvenient stats in the door.
The most common way is exploiting the transfer process.

Because US News and World Report doesn’t count transfer students’ statistics in their ranking calculations, some schools funnel in lower-performing students that way.

According to Taylor, Cornell exploits a “guaranteed transfer” system in which applicants with sub-par test scores or GPAs are told to do their freshman year of college elsewhere then re-apply.

If they maintain a certain grade point average during their freshman year — typically a B-average — they’re guaranteed admission to Cornell as a second-year transfer student.

“I don’t think it’s right that Cornell does that. It’s not fair to their peer institutions,” Taylor said.

https://nypost.com/2023/11/06/news/harvards-secret-backdoor-for-ultra-rich-under-qualified-kids/

And your point is what? Because someone’s SAT score wasn’t great they are a drag on the student body? It’s not like transferring into Harvard is easy. You have to have had terrific grades at the college you transfer from. And last I checked how you actually do in college is a better predictor of how you do in college that the SAT is.

It is im fact easy to transfer for the super rich z listers. And B average is not terrific in a liberal arts curriculum. B average is bottom quarter of the class at most schools now, yet three quarts of the class aren't transferring to Harvard.

[Anonymous]

I think any school with a study abroad entry program where kids are students at foreign university (Northeastern, Boston U) also utilize not including the data in freshmen stats.

Those kids are generally full pay but not big donors.