Sorry DCUM middle class, your kids are screwed for college

[Anonymous]

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/college-acceptance-rates-ivy-league-schools-wealth.html

Basically it seems athlete, monied donor, first gen (the new proxy for race), legacy are about it.

I hate the examples that so many books give for how the balance the athletic “allotment” - they may need a piccolo player in the band. I was in the band at an Ivy; it’s run by the students and there is zero interaction with administrators other than permission to play at games and rent buses. It is nothing like the bureaucracy advocating for athletics. I guess MAYBE at a Big10 school with world class marching band? But theater and music and debate teams at T25 schools aren’t coordinating with admissions about their future slots or participating population, that’s just a polite fiction, there just isn’t enough administrative support to even make those assessments let alone factor into admittance.

I think the article is actually under reporting the dead zone salary - $222k in manhattan?! I’m guessing probably $150k to $500k — they are looking for donors and two Fed employees making $180k aren’t going to be writing big checks.

[Anonymous]

Screwed from getting into an Ivy in order to get a Federal job? Kids can go to GMU if they want to make $180K. I'm not sure of what we're being screwed out of.

[Anonymous]

That’s not middle class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That’s not middle class.

It is totally middle class. My husband and I are teachers and we are solidly middle class. We make the amount that is in the range of the title of the article: "Kids whose parents make $158,200 to $222,400 a year have the worst odds of acceptance".

If you make $40 an hour that is around $80,000 a year. Two working parents would make $160k. What crazy world do you live where $40 an hour isn't middle class.

[Anonymous]

Yes, we’ve been complaining about that here for years. That’s why our high stat, heavy EC, volunteer kids mostly end up taking a scholarship to Big State U. Our kids are too privileged for a hand up and not privileged enough for a handout. No one cares about them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, we’ve been complaining about that here for years. That’s why our high stat, heavy EC, volunteer kids mostly end up taking a scholarship to Big State U. Our kids are too privileged for a hand up and not privileged enough for a handout. No one cares about them.

Your kid’s education was subsidized both by the state and by a scholarship but you didn’t get a handout?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That’s not middle class.

It is totally middle class. My husband and I are teachers and we are solidly middle class. We make the amount that is in the range of the title of the article: "Kids whose parents make $158,200 to $222,400 a year have the worst odds of acceptance".

If you make $40 an hour that is around $80,000 a year. Two working parents would make $160k. What crazy world do you live where $40 an hour isn't middle class.

You don’t need an ivy school. Public State schools are absolutely good and a fraction of the cost.

But— back to the article. It’s not entirely honest, I don’t think.

For example say a school gets a lot of applicants but can only accept 1,000.

But this school is known as a long shot for anyone unless you’re a big donor so the tiny amount of richest rich kids (there are fewer of them than anybody else) apply there 500, 200 are accepted. That group has a 40% acceptance rate.

Then poor kids who couldn’t afford the ECs, the private high schools, didn’t have the ability to do any of the extra stuff (that costs money!) and went to a average HS that didn’t offer many AP classes—they know they have little to no chance of getting in so even though there are a lot of them. Not many apply. 1000 apply and 200 are accepted. 20% rate for that group.

Then you have the UMC and UC (but not obscenely rich)—who while overall less numerous than the previous group send in way more applications because there’s still a lot of the, compared to the richest segment.

But this group is definitely wealthy enough to have gotten there kids private tutors, SAT prep, have a house in a really nice suburb that has schools that offer a lot of AP, had the support and funding from parents to do all that extra stuff colleges like to see on applications. Maybe even hired a college admissions counselor—they send in 5000 applications because they know their kids’ profiles are impressive enough and are well-rounded just like these colleges say they want to see. I mean, you as parents have been grooming them their entire lives to be successful! And they are the most numerous of acceptances at 600… but that’s only a 12% admit rate due to the large number of applications.

This is a very simplified version of what happens.



As the article itself points out “All of which is to say there’s a real disadvantage here, but it’s impacting kids who, as a group, have had most every advantage in life”

But please. Continue to complain about how unfair it is that even though you’re wealthy you’re just not wealthy enough

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, we’ve been complaining about that here for years. That’s why our high stat, heavy EC, volunteer kids mostly end up taking a scholarship to Big State U. Our kids are too privileged for a hand up and not privileged enough for a handout. No one cares about them.

Your kid’s education was subsidized both by the state and by a scholarship but you didn’t get a handout?

No, they earned it with high stats and crazy hard work and they raise the test score and GPA stats for the school in return. As opposed to just the pure luck of being born into a wealthy or political family and getting an Ivy education that will continue to make them more wealthy than their state U middle class peers even if they had lower stats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, we’ve been complaining about that here for years. That’s why our high stat, heavy EC, volunteer kids mostly end up taking a scholarship to Big State U. Our kids are too privileged for a hand up and not privileged enough for a handout. No one cares about them.

Your kid’s education was subsidized both by the state and by a scholarship but you didn’t get a handout?

No, they earned it with high stats and crazy hard work and they raise the test score and GPA stats for the school in return. As opposed to just the pure luck of being born into a wealthy or political family and getting an Ivy education that will continue to make them more wealthy than their state U middle class peers even if they had lower stats.

I hate the hard work argument. MANY students work incredibly hard, not just yours, who was born with a silver spoon up their behind.

[Anonymous]

Screwed because you're obsessed with colleges where it's statistically unlikely to be accepted?

Really, it's a self-imposed situation. If you just look beyond the few dozen schools that are like that and get excited about the hundreds (thousands?) of others, this process isn't nearly as stressful.

[Anonymous]

Such a misleading headline!
And so common on DCUM.
The article is about getting into "Ivies", not getting into "college."
And things will be changing in the coming years, esp. with the publics - where grades, test scores and ECs are going to gain favor again as admissions criteria.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, we’ve been complaining about that here for years. That’s why our high stat, heavy EC, volunteer kids mostly end up taking a scholarship to Big State U. Our kids are too privileged for a hand up and not privileged enough for a handout. No one cares about them.

Your kid’s education was subsidized both by the state and by a scholarship but you didn’t get a handout?

Man why do kids living in poverty get all the breaks!!!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, we’ve been complaining about that here for years. That’s why our high stat, heavy EC, volunteer kids mostly end up taking a scholarship to Big State U. Our kids are too privileged for a hand up and not privileged enough for a handout. No one cares about them.

Your kid’s education was subsidized both by the state and by a scholarship but you didn’t get a handout?

No, they earned it with high stats and crazy hard work and they raise the test score and GPA stats for the school in return. As opposed to just the pure luck of being born into a wealthy or political family and getting an Ivy education that will continue to make them more wealthy than their state U middle class peers even if they had lower stats.

Well I’m glad you think your kid is special but nobody else does.

They can definitely be rewarded for their superb work with massive merit aid at the University of Alabama or even full scholarships at many midrange (but very nice) private schools that cost $55k a year and not $90k a year.

Tim Cook, who is CEO of the richest corporation in human history, went to Auburn.

The current President of the United States went to U Delaware. The VP went to Howard. The Speaker of the House went to Louisiana State.

Success comes from talent and work, nobody hands it out at Yale.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That’s not middle class.

The post was titled. “DCUM middle class”

That’s absolutely what was described.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That’s not middle class.

Two cops meet on the job, get married. Awwwww.

HHI of two married DMV police officers with 18 years of experience: $200,000.