Help with least competitive of the three colleges: Duke, Brown, Dartmouth

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:do you not have naviance scattergrams? There's really no way for people on this board to guess at chances. My feeling is that Dartmouth is the easiest of the three. But it's a gut feeling. (I think Duke is hardest.)

naviance doesn't have much data since it's a small school. There has been no acceptances at Dartmouth RD. Not sure if that is because they dislike our school or that they have already admitted legacies and are done admitting from our school.

That’s bizarre that you would think that they “dislike” your school rather than jumping to the more obvious conclusion that your tiny private didn’t produce competitive candidates for a highly competitive university.

Some colleges just don't like certain high schools. Back in my day I remember my competitive public high school had some admissions patterns that made absolutely no sense and no one would get into certain schools - if I recall Amherst hated us - kids would get into Williams, Harvard, Yale but rejected by Amherst. Very odd.

And you attributed that to “hate” by a particular admissions office to your public high school, rather than realizing that Amherst is a tiny, highly competitive liberal arts college with an undergrad student body 1/4 the size of Harvard’s? Your conclusion is…very odd.

NP this happens. Our public HS college counselor says this about one ivy. Never accepted someone from our school ever. My friend’s kid is at a feeder private HS outside the DMV area. Their college counselor says Yale doesn’t really accept kids from their school. Kids apply annually and get into other places but not Yale.

That’s because Yale has a small undergrad class and most high schools in the country won’t have a single student accepted to Yale. That’s not uncommon-it’s just the entitlement of private school kids thinking they should be accepted because they are privileged big fish swimming in a tiny pond.

That’s not why. In decades and decades at our public, yale has not accepted a student.

Do you think it’s some ancient feud where today’s admissions officer for your region at Yale had a grandparent who was angered by someone at your large public school? How has the hatred towards your school continued over so many “decades and decades.”

No, I think it’s bc they disregard certain schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's relationship-based in some regions, especially schools like Dartmouth. Admissions can't take every exceptionally qualified private school kid in Fairfax County, VA or Bergen County, NJ. They have a few go-to schools where a favored alum/donor/whoever went, there's some shared history or lineage there, and unfortunately that checks the box for the region. The other schools aren't on a blacklist, there just aren't enough spots for their kids because a different school (or schools) is preferred.

How is this news? Have you not seen this?
https://interactives.thecrimson.com/2024/news/feeders

[Anonymous]

and this article might help you all, struggling with this:

https://rise.crimsoneducation.org/bdsa-articles/will-attending-a-private-high-school-boost-your-chances-of-ivy-league-admission

https://www.ivycoach.com/the-ivy-coach-blog/ivy-league/private-feeder-schools-to-the-ivies/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's relationship-based in some regions, especially schools like Dartmouth. Admissions can't take every exceptionally qualified private school kid in Fairfax County, VA or Bergen County, NJ. They have a few go-to schools where a favored alum/donor/whoever went, there's some shared history or lineage there, and unfortunately that checks the box for the region. The other schools aren't on a blacklist, there just aren't enough spots for their kids because a different school (or schools) is preferred.

Which is lame. Demographics and schools and where strong students are these days have changed so much in recent years. The better universities are on top of this and have their regional reps that are aware.

Meanwhile, Dartmouth behaves likes it's still 1962. You must go to Brearley or Horace Mann or Phillips Exeter, or be an institutional need - athlete, FGLI, niece of a Board member, and so on - to be considered. Very pathetic. Strong students will have a better shot at Brown and Duke. Dartmouth admissions are ridiculously antiquated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it's relationship-based in some regions, especially schools like Dartmouth. Admissions can't take every exceptionally qualified private school kid in Fairfax County, VA or Bergen County, NJ. They have a few go-to schools where a favored alum/donor/whoever went, there's some shared history or lineage there, and unfortunately that checks the box for the region. The other schools aren't on a blacklist, there just aren't enough spots for their kids because a different school (or schools) is preferred.

Which is lame. Demographics and schools and where strong students are these days have changed so much in recent years. The better universities are on top of this and have their regional reps that are aware.

Meanwhile, Dartmouth behaves likes it's still 1962. You must go to Brearley or Horace Mann or Phillips Exeter, or be an institutional need - athlete, FGLI, niece of a Board member, and so on - to be considered. Very pathetic. Strong students will have a better shot at Brown and Duke. Dartmouth admissions are ridiculously antiquated.

they hired a new head of Admissions last year from Penn. Very precise with yield management (no WL at all).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it's relationship-based in some regions, especially schools like Dartmouth. Admissions can't take every exceptionally qualified private school kid in Fairfax County, VA or Bergen County, NJ. They have a few go-to schools where a favored alum/donor/whoever went, there's some shared history or lineage there, and unfortunately that checks the box for the region. The other schools aren't on a blacklist, there just aren't enough spots for their kids because a different school (or schools) is preferred.

Which is lame. Demographics and schools and where strong students are these days have changed so much in recent years. The better universities are on top of this and have their regional reps that are aware.

Meanwhile, Dartmouth behaves likes it's still 1962. You must go to Brearley or Horace Mann or Phillips Exeter, or be an institutional need - athlete, FGLI, niece of a Board member, and so on - to be considered. Very pathetic. Strong students will have a better shot at Brown and Duke. Dartmouth admissions are ridiculously antiquated.

We are at a Baltimore private and sen one to three to Dartmouth every year. I don’t think your characterization is correct.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it's relationship-based in some regions, especially schools like Dartmouth. Admissions can't take every exceptionally qualified private school kid in Fairfax County, VA or Bergen County, NJ. They have a few go-to schools where a favored alum/donor/whoever went, there's some shared history or lineage there, and unfortunately that checks the box for the region. The other schools aren't on a blacklist, there just aren't enough spots for their kids because a different school (or schools) is preferred.

Which is lame. Demographics and schools and where strong students are these days have changed so much in recent years. The better universities are on top of this and have their regional reps that are aware.

Meanwhile, Dartmouth behaves likes it's still 1962. You must go to Brearley or Horace Mann or Phillips Exeter, or be an institutional need - athlete, FGLI, niece of a Board member, and so on - to be considered. Very pathetic. Strong students will have a better shot at Brown and Duke. Dartmouth admissions are ridiculously antiquated.

We are at a Baltimore private and sen one to three to Dartmouth every year. I don’t think your characterization is correct.

Agree, this is completely false. My unhooked kid is there and his friends are across a massive array of high schools and geographies (and none actually that went to any of the schools you named).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“Least competitive” isn’t really a think when you’re taking about schools with acceptance rates like these. Need to go down the rankings list for that, even from a rigorous private.

Do all applicants apply with 4.0?
Sadly the school is a bit grade deflationary.

Then what matters is your school's placement rate with these particular colleges. I will say that one of mine had a similar profile and none of these were on the list, even though DS was a legacy at one.

[Anonymous]

My DD graduated from a top private with rigor pre-covid and also had a very strong ACT... she had like 2 year end B+ grades and did not get into any ivys or duke or JHU. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Try Cornell ED or Northwestern ED.
Both more forgiving of those B+ in ED.

All bets are off for RD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you're at a school like St Albans that has significant grade deflation, a few B+s unrelated to proposed major won't kill an AP to Duke or Brown with a 1550 SAT, good APs and solid extracurriculars and full pay.

Grade deflation doesn't exist.