Parents of Ivy admits — what were their ECs?

[Anonymous]

So tired of all the advice that kids have to be pointy. My kid rising sophomore is a regular kid with interests in sports, sneakers, and girls.

Somehow in the next two years, he’s supposed to develop deep intellectual interests, do innovative research, or somehow be the best in his field at something.

Is this real, or do normal kids have a chance at Ivy admissions? Parents of Ivy admits, can you share what your kids ECs were?

[Anonymous]

My DC is at Princeton. He was not pointy. Big public high school. Strong GPA, class rigor, test scores, etc. He played a varsity sport throughout HS, was in the audition-only jazz choir. Strong writer, enjoyed learning, good relationships with his teachers. Not a legacy, not a recruited athlete, not URM. We joke that maybe he got in because he was homecoming king.

[Anonymous]

I know at least five “average excellent” kids admitted to Ivies (Brown, Yale, Dartmouth) this year. No hooks, not pointy—just kids with excellent grades/scores, strong involvement/leadership (normal HS things like team captain, newspaper editor).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So tired of all the advice that kids have to be pointy. My kid rising sophomore is a regular kid with interests in sports, sneakers, and girls.

Somehow in the next two years, he’s supposed to develop deep intellectual interests, do innovative research, or somehow be the best in his field at something.

Is this real, or do normal kids have a chance at Ivy admissions? Parents of Ivy admits, can you share what your kids ECs were?

I have two kids at ivies and they were super pointy.

I think any college that is taking 1 out of every 25 apps should be tossed onto your list as a "why not?" and not something your should package your kids childhood around. if your kid is naturally pointy, I think that's probably a plus.

if you kid doesnt have a deep intellectual interest, do research, or is the best in his area of strength, I'd take a closer look at colleges take 1 in 10 or 1 in 5...

[mmoommoo]

My observation is that ivies occasionally take some well-rounded kids. Our application will focus on top 25 school, not necessarily ivies. But will apply to a couple of ivies just in case luck hits us.

[Anonymous]

Who cares

[Anonymous]

Has it ever occurred to any of you that if “packaging” is what gets a kid into an Ivy, maybe students at Ivies aren’t more exceptional than smart kids at other elite schools who packaged less or not at all? People set on Ivies seem to think it’s the student cohort - not the education, per se - that makes the Ivies great, but if the cohort is mostly smart kids artificially made to look amazing, maybe the cohort is more like the emperor with few clothes. Just something to consider.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has it ever occurred to any of you that if “packaging” is what gets a kid into an Ivy, maybe students at Ivies aren’t more exceptional than smart kids at other elite schools who packaged less or not at all? People set on Ivies seem to think it’s the student cohort - not the education, per se - that makes the Ivies great, but if the cohort is mostly smart kids artificially made to look amazing, maybe the cohort is more like the emperor with few clothes. Just something to consider.

I think that is true. Packaged networkers with no substance are getting in, not the best and brightest.

[Anonymous]

honestly, packaging kids is hard. i am not sure ivy league kids are packaged. doesn't mean they are always the best and brightest, though many are.

[Anonymous]

One Ivy kid I know has alumni parents and is also a stellar student with a long volunteering record.
The other has no hooks. He's the typical Asian STEM violin kid. Still got in.

So I don't know, OP.

[Anonymous]

Just let your kid be a kid and apply where they will.

Stop with the "Ivy or bust" mentality. There are a ton of fabulous schools out there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has it ever occurred to any of you that if “packaging” is what gets a kid into an Ivy, maybe students at Ivies aren’t more exceptional than smart kids at other elite schools who packaged less or not at all? People set on Ivies seem to think it’s the student cohort - not the education, per se - that makes the Ivies great, but if the cohort is mostly smart kids artificially made to look amazing, maybe the cohort is more like the emperor with few clothes. Just something to consider.

possibly, but those same kids get a lot of opportunities. it's like saying prepping for SAT maybe gives you a falsely high SAT. it is what it is.

[Anonymous]

Newbie parent here. What does "pointy" mean?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just let your kid be a kid and apply where they will.

Stop with the "Ivy or bust" mentality. There are a ton of fabulous schools out there.

I agree. By all means, I think kids should 'shoot their shot' if they are competitive, but I think the obsession is not healthy. Though, I understand how easy it is to get sucked into and fight against the current and FOMO. We all want what's best for our kids and it can be difficult to know that that truly is amidst the noise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Newbie parent here. What does "pointy" mean?

particularly deep in a one or two (complementary) subject area that shows up in academic choices, extracurriculars, and achievements