Read it and weep: this is how rich kids get into the Ivy League

[Anonymous]

This is a great read about a very high-end college consultant who claims a 94% track record of getting kids into their top 3 schools: https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/college-admissions-educational-consultants-command-education.html?utm_medium=s1&utm_source=tw&utm_campaign=nym

It's a takedown of the admissions process but also of the consultant himself, who seems like a very successful scam artist.

[Anonymous]

Already posted and discussed at length

[Anonymous]

Honestly I felt stressed reading this. This kind of set up would be horrible for my kid. Too stressful and I am not sure worth it even if you are wealthy.

[Anonymous]

I love the comment from Yale:

Mark Dunn, senior associate director of undergraduate admissions at Yale, also said “no” to an interview but wrote in an email, “In my opinion, working with an IEC can ultimately work against an applicant.” He continued in part, “An application can also seem overly engineered in a way that makes us question what motivated a student to pursue the commitments they’ve included with their activities list, or simply why they are presenting themselves in a way that seems like what they think an admissions committee wants.”

Why can't reporters be bothered to ask follow up questions? Yale is essentially saying this thing that the subject of the article doesn't work while the article says it does? How hard is it to ask Yale admissions to explain the discrepancy between their comment and the data presumably viewed by the author

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love the comment from Yale:

Mark Dunn, senior associate director of undergraduate admissions at Yale, also said “no” to an interview but wrote in an email, “In my opinion, working with an IEC can ultimately work against an applicant.” He continued in part, “An application can also seem overly engineered in a way that makes us question what motivated a student to pursue the commitments they’ve included with their activities list, or simply why they are presenting themselves in a way that seems like what they think an admissions committee wants.”

Why can't reporters be bothered to ask follow up questions? Yale is essentially saying this thing that the subject of the article doesn't work while the article says it does? How hard is it to ask Yale admissions to explain the discrepancy between their comment and the data presumably viewed by the author

The punchline is that the IECs and the AOs are
both frauds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honestly I felt stressed reading this. This kind of set up would be horrible for my kid. Too stressful and I am not sure worth it even if you are wealthy.

+1. I know some people who have gone this route. The consulting firms substantially improved their kids' SATs and ACTs as a result of intensive drills, and they shaped the kids' high school experiences. The kids had to do all sorts of "leadership" activities and ECs in high school that they didn't necessarily enjoy. The companies helped write "their" admissions essays, coached them on how to interview, and told them what to wear. The upside was that these students did get into good universities (my kid met one of them at Stanford, and the others went to T25 universities) and almost certainly did much better in that respect than they would have done otherwise. The downside is the kids are compulsive resume posters on social media and in everyday conversation. It's like they're absolutely desperate to prove their worth by listing the boxes they've ticked off. One, when you meet her, will immediately start telling you how good she is at this and that and tabulate all of her achievements and experiences. She gives off a narcissistic vibe, but I think the sad reality is she's been coached so hard to be "good enough" that she has little sense of self-worth outside her accomplishments.

[Anonymous]

Eh, the kids get in because they are super rich. All schools love the super rich. The “passion project” is just a rationale and a way to scam their parents out of $$$$.

[Anonymous]

Here’s what gets me:
$480k for the admissions counseling
$240k for private high school
$360k for the Ivy

$1m for the eight year process. How would that ever pay off? If you’ve got $1m, why not “go to public high school then a state flagship and I’ll put $800k in trust for you”?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here’s what gets me:
$480k for the admissions counseling
$240k for private high school
$360k for the Ivy

$1m for the eight year process. How would that ever pay off? If you’ve got $1m, why not “go to public high school then a state flagship and I’ll put $800k in trust for you”?

Managing director positions or even research heads can make low seven figures in one year. Maybe these parents have made that calculation.

Or more likely, the parent is an MD or other bigwig and can spend that money with no sweat - and still put away money for the kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here’s what gets me:
$480k for the admissions counseling
$240k for private high school
$360k for the Ivy

$1m for the eight year process. How would that ever pay off? If you’ve got $1m, why not “go to public high school then a state flagship and I’ll put $800k in trust for you”?

In some social circles that $800k is baseline and means less than the Ivy+ degree. Anyone can inherit money (Paris Hilton, Kanye's children) but having Yale on your social resume is priceless

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here’s what gets me:
$480k for the admissions counseling
$240k for private high school
$360k for the Ivy

$1m for the eight year process. How would that ever pay off? If you’ve got $1m, why not “go to public high school then a state flagship and I’ll put $800k in trust for you”?

Don't worry, they likely also have a trust.

[Anonymous]

Ivy Mom here. You can encourage your child to develop her talents and be interesting to colleges without paying a penny to someone like this. This is for very rich people who cannot be bothered with paying much attention to their children.

[Anonymous]

Sounds like this service acts as an accountability and career coaching service during high school to remind them to get work done, and where to apply for ECs and job/internships. But that fails to develop the student's own internal drive and motivation; they are simply reacting to the coach telling/reminding them what to do. It might help you get in a door, but the kid is going to be reliant on this "white glove" service for life. People need grit to succeed at college and after in their careers.

[Anonymous]

"Ivy Mom". Just vomit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here’s what gets me:
$480k for the admissions counseling
$240k for private high school
$360k for the Ivy

$1m for the eight year process. How would that ever pay off? If you’ve got $1m, why not “go to public high school then a state flagship and I’ll put $800k in trust for you”?

The $1 M is for the Mrs. degree. That’s how you ensure top grandchildren.