Stunningly Impressive BASIS College Results

[Anonymous]

I have no idea if there’s been a thread on this already, as I’ve largely weaned myself off of this sub-forum, but BASIS DC’s graduating class has some amazing college results. Looking just at where kids are going (vice the multiple choices they had), out of a class of 41 or so, I count: Harvard, Yale, Pomona, Harvey Mudd, Dartmouth, 3-4 Univ of Penn, Navy Academy, Brown, and many more impressive schools.

While kids have always gotten into top schools from BASIS, it seems over one-quarter of this year’s class is going to an Ivy. I wonder why this year is so much more impressive than prior years? (A couple of years ago there was a thread about how unimpressive BASIS’ results were.)

[Anonymous]

It is impressive to see many DC high schoolers who are so driven and passionate about their goals and dreams and want to make a positive impact on our society, and they are going to a variety of different colleges that are the best fit for them and will support them to make those goals a reality.
It is impressive to see students building depth and character beyond the superficiality of an association to a label and what college do you go to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have no idea if there’s been a thread on this already, as I’ve largely weaned myself off of this sub-forum, but BASIS DC’s graduating class has some amazing college results. Looking just at where kids are going (vice the multiple choices they had), out of a class of 41 or so, I count: Harvard, Yale, Pomona, Harvey Mudd, Dartmouth, 3-4 Univ of Penn, Navy Academy, Brown, and many more impressive schools.

While kids have always gotten into top schools from BASIS, it seems over one-quarter of this year’s class is going to an Ivy. I wonder why this year is so much more impressive than prior years? (A couple of years ago there was a thread about how unimpressive BASIS’ results were.)

Yes, so proud of these kids, impressed with the school, and grateful that we made the decision to lottery and go and stay.

Also on the list --McGill, Wesleyan, the Harvey Mudd student got a full scholarship, etc. truly impressive class, and no one can argue that BASIS is increasingly doing something right. They do feel like they keep making adjustments to the curriculum and student life, and it's going in the right direction.

[Anonymous]

How many of the students are legacies?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How many of the students are legacies?

My kid is in a lower high school grade and knows most of the senior class. She does not know of a single legacy but there are probably some.

I’m curious whether all BASIS schools are seeing better results this year, which would suggest the brand name means something. Or is it just BASIS DC that’s having unusually stellar results?

[Anonymous]

The OP asked “I wonder why this year is so much more impressive than prior years?”.
This sort of question requires dissecting the trajectories of those students: Legacies? Did they win any national competitions? Any major achievements that made them stand out?Stellar SAT scores?

[Anonymous]

I find it hard to believe that BASIS DC is full of Ivy League legacies

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I find it hard to believe that BASIS DC is full of Ivy League legacies

Why not? Many legacy parents would send their kids to public schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I find it hard to believe that BASIS DC is full of Ivy League legacies

My kids aren’t at an age where BASIS is an option but it sure seems “good enough” to send my kids there. It’s a threshold, not a continuous variable. This seems to be the case with a lot of alums I know who want to stay in the city? If a kid is driven enough, the school is good enough (same with Walls and JR).

I don’t anticipate legacy will be a thing though by the time my kids graduate, at least at my former institutions

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I find it hard to believe that BASIS DC is full of Ivy League legacies

Why?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I find it hard to believe that BASIS DC is full of Ivy League legacies

There are many UMC Capitol Hill families with kids at BASIS. Know of Princeton and Yale legacy parents with kids at BASIS, though no idea if their kids are in the 2025 class.

It's probably not full of legacies, but it definitely has a bunch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find it hard to believe that BASIS DC is full of Ivy League legacies

There are many UMC Capitol Hill families with kids at BASIS. Know of Princeton and Yale legacy parents with kids at BASIS, though no idea if their kids are in the 2025 class.

It's probably not full of legacies, but it definitely has a bunch.

Legacy doesn't do much nowadays, and some universities and colleges no longer consider it.

Just talk to all the Big 3 legacy parents whose kids didn't get into their alma maters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have no idea if there’s been a thread on this already, as I’ve largely weaned myself off of this sub-forum, but BASIS DC’s graduating class has some amazing college results. Looking just at where kids are going (vice the multiple choices they had), out of a class of 41 or so, I count: Harvard, Yale, Pomona, Harvey Mudd, Dartmouth, 3-4 Univ of Penn, Navy Academy, Brown, and many more impressive schools.

While kids have always gotten into top schools from BASIS, it seems over one-quarter of this year’s class is going to an Ivy. I wonder why this year is so much more impressive than prior years? (A couple of years ago there was a thread about how unimpressive BASIS’ results were.)

Impressive results.

Kudos to these kids!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find it hard to believe that BASIS DC is full of Ivy League legacies

There are many UMC Capitol Hill families with kids at BASIS. Know of Princeton and Yale legacy parents with kids at BASIS, though no idea if their kids are in the 2025 class.

It's probably not full of legacies, but it definitely has a bunch.

Legacy doesn't do much nowadays, and some universities and colleges no longer consider it.

Just talk to all the Big 3 legacy parents whose kids didn't get into their alma maters.

Different issue...PP didn't think there were many legacies at Princeton...just making it clear that Basis does draw from many UMC families, some of which confer legacy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find it hard to believe that BASIS DC is full of Ivy League legacies

My kids aren’t at an age where BASIS is an option but it sure seems “good enough” to send my kids there. It’s a threshold, not a continuous variable. This seems to be the case with a lot of alums I know who want to stay in the city? If a kid is driven enough, the school is good enough (same with Walls and JR).

I don’t anticipate legacy will be a thing though by the time my kids graduate, at least at my former institutions

And also - as someone who works at a university - sorry, the "legacy" trope is moronic. (That's the nicest word I could come up with.) Every time I hear it, I have an instant Princess Bride "you keep using that word, it does not mean what you think it means" reaction. Look, I get that the misperception lingers in large part because it's a useful "whatabout whatabout whatabout" rhetorical device for people who support traditional affirmative action. The implication is that the legacy kids are all homogenous morons and their parents buy their way in or otherwise leverage connections to give them an advantage over more objectively qualified candidates. That these action somehow represent a determinative thumb on the scale, and a high legacy acceptance rate indicates...something or other nefarious or unfair, for reasons.

But the reality - and this fact may shock you, hope you're seated - is that people whose parents were motivated, intelligent and accomplished enough (and yes, in all likelihood, privileged enough, with all the educational and upbringing advantages that brings) to graduate from a selective university within the past 20-30 years or so are likely to both 1) be fairly diverse, 2) have children who achieve similar attainment in those categories and 3) understand the specific attributes their target school seeks in an applicant in a deep and exceptional way that parents who did not attend that institution may not. iow: smart parents have smart kids, and people who lived in a culture for several of their formative years understand it organically in ways those who did not have that experience can't. Film at 11.

When people say "legacy" they make it sound like they're talking about, I don't know, C-student dumb as rocks Jared Kushner's dad buying his kid's way into Harvard. Which he did. You know where Jared Kushner's dad went to school? Hofstra. (those of you who didn't grow up in the NYC area may have to google this one. Let's just say: not a selective institution.) Malia Obama - who by all accounts sounds like a brilliant and accomplished young woman with a stellar pre-college education, even if her last name were "Smith" - was a "legacy" and Jared Kushner was not. Should Harvard NOT admit Malia Obama, because "omg legacy UNFAIR!!1!" ? Give me a freaking break.

The legacy admittance rate is just a reminder that we don't live in a classless society and that exceptional attainment is not achieved in a vacuum. Are the SAT scores, GPAs, extracurriculars, application essays for legacies generally of significantly lower quality than the general student population? It's actually the opposite where I work. And for those cases where they're on the bubble, the interview is almost always stellar in terms of demonstrating their sincere commitment to attend the specific school to which they're applying if they're admitted - which is actually the top currency for admissions offices...and again, this is where parental advantage in preparation comes in. And if you have a problem with this, again: please take it up with capitalism, but there's nothing unethical about it. Their parents prepared them well, so they performed well on a critical metric. Full stop.

[Thank you for attending my annual TED rant on this topic]