Which level kid goes to which schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is a shockingly vivid reminder of how corrupt the entire college admissions process is. Top 10% of a private-school graduating class go to top 5 schools, next 10% go to the next 5... so the top *half* all go to T50 schools?

At my kid's public school, no one goes to any T50 school, not even the top 1% of a graduating class -- kids with perfect grades, 1580-1600 SATs, and course rigor generated in part by dual-enrolling at a local research university and out-performing the actual college students there.

I don't think your kids are smarter or working harder, but *half* of the kids at your kid's school are going to schools that *none* of the kids at my kid's school can even dream of attending. Good work buying your kid's success at the expense, in part, of my kid's success!

Of course, I already knew this was true, but seeing it exemplified so vividly in this discussion is nonetheless shocking.

Average SAT at our school is 1500. So, I get that the top of the pool does better at our school, but it's a different pool. It was hard to get into it in the first place.

I have a kid who is 50% at our school - with a 1520 SAT - and it pretty much sucks for college stuff. Otherwise, it's been an excellent high school experience.

Exactly. it can be a double edged sword at these feeder privates: hard to stand out when half the school has 1500
+ and are competing against each other in the highest rigor classes.

And a majority of the class are legacies or double legacies at Ivies.

Speaking deciles means nothing without accounting for legacies, development, URM, etc. Our school sends many kids every year to Harvard and Stanford, for ex, but the vast majority of these are hooked. Are many of them in the top "decile"? Yes, but not at all. But I can assure you the very top kids in the class who are unhooked are passed over for the most part in favor of the hooked kids. It's especially bad at Harvard and Stanford, but this logic filters down through the other Ivies.

It's now illegal to look at URM status.

That has loopholes bigger than the Great Lakes. The "community" essay about the impact of racism on your life, videos, Black Student Union clubs, etc. are all proxies for the same thing.

Stanford is using AI to scan for certain words in the essays. I can imagine what words they are looking for.

[Anonymous]

The spreadsheet for college admissions is always organized by the girls. It’s like those spreadsheets they do for prom dresses.
Perhaps a private school thing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Having had a girl and a boy go through the college admissions process at a private school, I will tell you the girls know a lot more about everyone’s scores, stats, and special hooks. Boys are just not as in the weeds on this stuff and frankly don’t care as much.

So if you are a girl mom and have good Intel, that counts for a lot

++yes indeed they made rank lists and kept track of each others' GPAs plus they edit each other's common app essays in AP LIT in 11th grade after the AP, and go over how to enter GPA, scores, courses into common app. They know everything about each other including ECs. My son knows nothing and his friends do not talk but the girls are starting to pepper him with questions after teachers called him out as high scorer on a few things. I am the one who showed him naviance, where his sister was and how he is definitely near the very top for gpa. He is nonchalant and clueless, probably better that way.

My senior DD and her friends had REA/ED Google sheets /lists for everyone in their privates class - girls updated as info came out with a column for hooks.

It was sooo detailed. With a few hours they know results of who got in where. Feel like it’s so organized! I bet the CCO doesn’t have spreadsheets that up to date.

That’s not healthy.

How awful. I’m glad I don’t live in the DMV. My kid is only at the Emory/Wash U/Tufts level and I’m very proud of what they achieved to get there and I hope they feel good about their imperfect self as well. I’m glad they’re somewhere where they’re not looked at as “less than” for not being at your HYP level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Having had a girl and a boy go through the college admissions process at a private school, I will tell you the girls know a lot more about everyone’s scores, stats, and special hooks. Boys are just not as in the weeds on this stuff and frankly don’t care as much.

So if you are a girl mom and have good Intel, that counts for a lot

++yes indeed they made rank lists and kept track of each others' GPAs plus they edit each other's common app essays in AP LIT in 11th grade after the AP, and go over how to enter GPA, scores, courses into common app. They know everything about each other including ECs. My son knows nothing and his friends do not talk but the girls are starting to pepper him with questions after teachers called him out as high scorer on a few things. I am the one who showed him naviance, where his sister was and how he is definitely near the very top for gpa. He is nonchalant and clueless, probably better that way.

My senior DD and her friends had REA/ED Google sheets /lists for everyone in their privates class - girls updated as info came out with a column for hooks.

It was sooo detailed. With a few hours they know results of who got in where. Feel like it’s so organized! I bet the CCO doesn’t have spreadsheets that up to date.

That’s not healthy.

How awful. I’m glad I don’t live in the DMV. My kid is only at the Emory/Wash U/Tufts level and I’m very proud of what they achieved to get there and I hope they feel good about their imperfect self as well. I’m glad they’re somewhere where they’re not looked at as “less than” for not being at your HYP level.

Tufts is below Emory and WashU. Trying to sneak Tufts in is kind of comical. Nice try.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Having had a girl and a boy go through the college admissions process at a private school, I will tell you the girls know a lot more about everyone’s scores, stats, and special hooks. Boys are just not as in the weeds on this stuff and frankly don’t care as much.

So if you are a girl mom and have good Intel, that counts for a lot

++yes indeed they made rank lists and kept track of each others' GPAs plus they edit each other's common app essays in AP LIT in 11th grade after the AP, and go over how to enter GPA, scores, courses into common app. They know everything about each other including ECs. My son knows nothing and his friends do not talk but the girls are starting to pepper him with questions after teachers called him out as high scorer on a few things. I am the one who showed him naviance, where his sister was and how he is definitely near the very top for gpa. He is nonchalant and clueless, probably better that way.

My senior DD and her friends had REA/ED Google sheets /lists for everyone in their privates class - girls updated as info came out with a column for hooks.

It was sooo detailed. With a few hours they know results of who got in where. Feel like it’s so organized! I bet the CCO doesn’t have spreadsheets that up to date.

That’s not healthy.

How awful. I’m glad I don’t live in the DMV. My kid is only at the Emory/Wash U/Tufts level and I’m very proud of what they achieved to get there and I hope they feel good about their imperfect self as well. I’m glad they’re somewhere where they’re not looked at as “less than” for not being at your HYP level.

Tufts is below Emory and WashU. Trying to sneak Tufts in is kind of comical. Nice try.

Don't be obtuse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Having had a girl and a boy go through the college admissions process at a private school, I will tell you the girls know a lot more about everyone’s scores, stats, and special hooks. Boys are just not as in the weeds on this stuff and frankly don’t care as much.

So if you are a girl mom and have good Intel, that counts for a lot

++yes indeed they made rank lists and kept track of each others' GPAs plus they edit each other's common app essays in AP LIT in 11th grade after the AP, and go over how to enter GPA, scores, courses into common app. They know everything about each other including ECs. My son knows nothing and his friends do not talk but the girls are starting to pepper him with questions after teachers called him out as high scorer on a few things. I am the one who showed him naviance, where his sister was and how he is definitely near the very top for gpa. He is nonchalant and clueless, probably better that way.

My senior DD and her friends had REA/ED Google sheets /lists for everyone in their privates class - girls updated as info came out with a column for hooks.

It was sooo detailed. With a few hours they know results of who got in where. Feel like it’s so organized! I bet the CCO doesn’t have spreadsheets that up to date.

That’s not healthy.

How awful. I’m glad I don’t live in the DMV. My kid is only at the Emory/Wash U/Tufts level and I’m very proud of what they achieved to get there and I hope they feel good about their imperfect self as well. I’m glad they’re somewhere where they’re not looked at as “less than” for not being at your HYP level.

Listen to yourself. only at a top 30 level? Perspective is needed nowadays.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The spreadsheet for college admissions is always organized by the girls. It’s like those spreadsheets they do for prom dresses.
Perhaps a private school thing?

Mom of a private school daughter here and…huh? Prom dress spreadsheets? That’s not a private school thing. That’s not even a thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is a shockingly vivid reminder of how corrupt the entire college admissions process is. Top 10% of a private-school graduating class go to top 5 schools, next 10% go to the next 5... so the top *half* all go to T50 schools?

At my kid's public school, no one goes to any T50 school, not even the top 1% of a graduating class -- kids with perfect grades, 1580-1600 SATs, and course rigor generated in part by dual-enrolling at a local research university and out-performing the actual college students there.

I don't think your kids are smarter or working harder, but *half* of the kids at your kid's school are going to schools that *none* of the kids at my kid's school can even dream of attending. Good work buying your kid's success at the expense, in part, of my kid's success!

Of course, I already knew this was true, but seeing it exemplified so vividly in this discussion is nonetheless shocking.

Average SAT at our school is 1500. So, I get that the top of the pool does better at our school, but it's a different pool. It was hard to get into it in the first place.

I have a kid who is 50% at our school - with a 1520 SAT - and it pretty much sucks for college stuff. Otherwise, it's been an excellent high school experience.

Exactly. it can be a double edged sword at these feeder privates: hard to stand out when half the school has 1500
+ and are competing against each other in the highest rigor classes.

And a majority of the class are legacies or double legacies at Ivies.

Speaking deciles means nothing without accounting for legacies, development, URM, etc. Our school sends many kids every year to Harvard and Stanford, for ex, but the vast majority of these are hooked. Are many of them in the top "decile"? Yes, but not at all. But I can assure you the very top kids in the class who are unhooked are passed over for the most part in favor of the hooked kids. It's especially bad at Harvard and Stanford, but this logic filters down through the other Ivies.

It's now illegal to look at URM status.

That has loopholes bigger than the Great Lakes. The "community" essay about the impact of racism on your life, videos, Black Student Union clubs, etc. are all proxies for the same thing.

Stanford is using AI to scan for certain words in the essays. I can imagine what words they are looking for.

Source? Curious since my overrepresented-in-multiple-respects DC was admitted to Stanford while openly stating exactly who he is - a non-FGLI Asian male STEM kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Having had a girl and a boy go through the college admissions process at a private school, I will tell you the girls know a lot more about everyone’s scores, stats, and special hooks. Boys are just not as in the weeds on this stuff and frankly don’t care as much.

So if you are a girl mom and have good Intel, that counts for a lot

++yes indeed they made rank lists and kept track of each others' GPAs plus they edit each other's common app essays in AP LIT in 11th grade after the AP, and go over how to enter GPA, scores, courses into common app. They know everything about each other including ECs. My son knows nothing and his friends do not talk but the girls are starting to pepper him with questions after teachers called him out as high scorer on a few things. I am the one who showed him naviance, where his sister was and how he is definitely near the very top for gpa. He is nonchalant and clueless, probably better that way.

My senior DD and her friends had REA/ED Google sheets /lists for everyone in their privates class - girls updated as info came out with a column for hooks.

It was sooo detailed. With a few hours they know results of who got in where. Feel like it’s so organized! I bet the CCO doesn’t have spreadsheets that up to date.

That’s not healthy.

How awful. I’m glad I don’t live in the DMV. My kid is only at the Emory/Wash U/Tufts level and I’m very proud of what they achieved to get there and I hope they feel good about their imperfect self as well. I’m glad they’re somewhere where they’re not looked at as “less than” for not being at your HYP level.

Listen to yourself. only at a top 30 level? Perspective is needed nowadays.

PP posted whose kid is “only” at that level. I should have put “only” in quotes. I was poking fun at DCUM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is a shockingly vivid reminder of how corrupt the entire college admissions process is. Top 10% of a private-school graduating class go to top 5 schools, next 10% go to the next 5... so the top *half* all go to T50 schools?

At my kid's public school, no one goes to any T50 school, not even the top 1% of a graduating class -- kids with perfect grades, 1580-1600 SATs, and course rigor generated in part by dual-enrolling at a local research university and out-performing the actual college students there.

I don't think your kids are smarter or working harder, but *half* of the kids at your kid's school are going to schools that *none* of the kids at my kid's school can even dream of attending. Good work buying your kid's success at the expense, in part, of my kid's success!

Of course, I already knew this was true, but seeing it exemplified so vividly in this discussion is nonetheless shocking.

Average SAT at our school is 1500. So, I get that the top of the pool does better at our school, but it's a different pool. It was hard to get into it in the first place.

I have a kid who is 50% at our school - with a 1520 SAT - and it pretty much sucks for college stuff. Otherwise, it's been an excellent high school experience.

Exactly. it can be a double edged sword at these feeder privates: hard to stand out when half the school has 1500
+ and are competing against each other in the highest rigor classes.

And a majority of the class are legacies or double legacies at Ivies.

Speaking deciles means nothing without accounting for legacies, development, URM, etc. Our school sends many kids every year to Harvard and Stanford, for ex, but the vast majority of these are hooked. Are many of them in the top "decile"? Yes, but not at all. But I can assure you the very top kids in the class who are unhooked are passed over for the most part in favor of the hooked kids. It's especially bad at Harvard and Stanford, but this logic filters down through the other Ivies.

It's now illegal to look at URM status.

That has loopholes bigger than the Great Lakes. The "community" essay about the impact of racism on your life, videos, Black Student Union clubs, etc. are all proxies for the same thing.

Stanford is using AI to scan for certain words in the essays. I can imagine what words they are looking for.

Source? Curious since my overrepresented-in-multiple-respects DC was admitted to Stanford while openly stating exactly who he is - a non-FGLI Asian male STEM kid.

I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if loads of schools are doing this. Congrats to your kid! They still want to keep up diversity too though however they can.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is a shockingly vivid reminder of how corrupt the entire college admissions process is. Top 10% of a private-school graduating class go to top 5 schools, next 10% go to the next 5... so the top *half* all go to T50 schools?

At my kid's public school, no one goes to any T50 school, not even the top 1% of a graduating class -- kids with perfect grades, 1580-1600 SATs, and course rigor generated in part by dual-enrolling at a local research university and out-performing the actual college students there.

I don't think your kids are smarter or working harder, but *half* of the kids at your kid's school are going to schools that *none* of the kids at my kid's school can even dream of attending. Good work buying your kid's success at the expense, in part, of my kid's success!

Of course, I already knew this was true, but seeing it exemplified so vividly in this discussion is nonetheless shocking.

Average SAT at our school is 1500. So, I get that the top of the pool does better at our school, but it's a different pool. It was hard to get into it in the first place.

I have a kid who is 50% at our school - with a 1520 SAT - and it pretty much sucks for college stuff. Otherwise, it's been an excellent high school experience.

Exactly. it can be a double edged sword at these feeder privates: hard to stand out when half the school has 1500
+ and are competing against each other in the highest rigor classes.

And a majority of the class are legacies or double legacies at Ivies.

Speaking deciles means nothing without accounting for legacies, development, URM, etc. Our school sends many kids every year to Harvard and Stanford, for ex, but the vast majority of these are hooked. Are many of them in the top "decile"? Yes, but not at all. But I can assure you the very top kids in the class who are unhooked are passed over for the most part in favor of the hooked kids. It's especially bad at Harvard and Stanford, but this logic filters down through the other Ivies.

It's now illegal to look at URM status.

That has loopholes bigger than the Great Lakes. The "community" essay about the impact of racism on your life, videos, Black Student Union clubs, etc. are all proxies for the same thing.

Stanford is using AI to scan for certain words in the essays. I can imagine what words they are looking for.

Source? Curious since my overrepresented-in-multiple-respects DC was admitted to Stanford while openly stating exactly who he is - a non-FGLI Asian male STEM kid.

I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if loads of schools are doing this. Congrats to your kid! They still want to keep up diversity too though however they can.

Thank you for your kind note re. DC, and yes, I do recognize that many schools make a special effort to cultivate diversity - but I didn’t think they were doing so through AI, which still has such a long way to go before effectively replacing human judgment (if ever!).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is a shockingly vivid reminder of how corrupt the entire college admissions process is. Top 10% of a private-school graduating class go to top 5 schools, next 10% go to the next 5... so the top *half* all go to T50 schools?

At my kid's public school, no one goes to any T50 school, not even the top 1% of a graduating class -- kids with perfect grades, 1580-1600 SATs, and course rigor generated in part by dual-enrolling at a local research university and out-performing the actual college students there.

I don't think your kids are smarter or working harder, but *half* of the kids at your kid's school are going to schools that *none* of the kids at my kid's school can even dream of attending. Good work buying your kid's success at the expense, in part, of my kid's success!

Of course, I already knew this was true, but seeing it exemplified so vividly in this discussion is nonetheless shocking.

Average SAT at our school is 1500. So, I get that the top of the pool does better at our school, but it's a different pool. It was hard to get into it in the first place.

I have a kid who is 50% at our school - with a 1520 SAT - and it pretty much sucks for college stuff. Otherwise, it's been an excellent high school experience.

Exactly. it can be a double edged sword at these feeder privates: hard to stand out when half the school has 1500
+ and are competing against each other in the highest rigor classes.

And a majority of the class are legacies or double legacies at Ivies.

Speaking deciles means nothing without accounting for legacies, development, URM, etc. Our school sends many kids every year to Harvard and Stanford, for ex, but the vast majority of these are hooked. Are many of them in the top "decile"? Yes, but not at all. But I can assure you the very top kids in the class who are unhooked are passed over for the most part in favor of the hooked kids. It's especially bad at Harvard and Stanford, but this logic filters down through the other Ivies.

It's now illegal to look at URM status.

That has loopholes bigger than the Great Lakes. The "community" essay about the impact of racism on your life, videos, Black Student Union clubs, etc. are all proxies for the same thing.

Stanford is using AI to scan for certain words in the essays. I can imagine what words they are looking for.

Source? Curious since my overrepresented-in-multiple-respects DC was admitted to Stanford while openly stating exactly who he is - a non-FGLI Asian male STEM kid.

I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if loads of schools are doing this. Congrats to your kid! They still want to keep up diversity too though however they can.

Thank you for your kind note re. DC, and yes, I do recognize that many schools make a special effort to cultivate diversity - but I didn’t think they were doing so through AI, which still has such a long way to go before effectively replacing human judgment (if ever!).

Totally agree, I think it reminds me news report about UNC (I’m sure others too) using AI to do a basic writing level score. Not the same thing, but I just have to think they are likely using it in some form or soon will. I don’t know…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is a shockingly vivid reminder of how corrupt the entire college admissions process is. Top 10% of a private-school graduating class go to top 5 schools, next 10% go to the next 5... so the top *half* all go to T50 schools?

At my kid's public school, no one goes to any T50 school, not even the top 1% of a graduating class -- kids with perfect grades, 1580-1600 SATs, and course rigor generated in part by dual-enrolling at a local research university and out-performing the actual college students there.

I don't think your kids are smarter or working harder, but *half* of the kids at your kid's school are going to schools that *none* of the kids at my kid's school can even dream of attending. Good work buying your kid's success at the expense, in part, of my kid's success!

Of course, I already knew this was true, but seeing it exemplified so vividly in this discussion is nonetheless shocking.

Average SAT at our school is 1500. So, I get that the top of the pool does better at our school, but it's a different pool. It was hard to get into it in the first place.

I have a kid who is 50% at our school - with a 1520 SAT - and it pretty much sucks for college stuff. Otherwise, it's been an excellent high school experience.

Exactly. it can be a double edged sword at these feeder privates: hard to stand out when half the school has 1500
+ and are competing against each other in the highest rigor classes.

And a majority of the class are legacies or double legacies at Ivies.

Speaking deciles means nothing without accounting for legacies, development, URM, etc. Our school sends many kids every year to Harvard and Stanford, for ex, but the vast majority of these are hooked. Are many of them in the top "decile"? Yes, but not at all. But I can assure you the very top kids in the class who are unhooked are passed over for the most part in favor of the hooked kids. It's especially bad at Harvard and Stanford, but this logic filters down through the other Ivies.

It's now illegal to look at URM status.

That has loopholes bigger than the Great Lakes. The "community" essay about the impact of racism on your life, videos, Black Student Union clubs, etc. are all proxies for the same thing.

Stanford is using AI to scan for certain words in the essays. I can imagine what words they are looking for.

Per AO in a small meeting. Don’t want to out myself further.

[Anonymous]

Everyone will use AI to score the applications soon. Scanning LOR; essays and ECs.

Then AO read the applications afterwards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Having had a girl and a boy go through the college admissions process at a private school, I will tell you the girls know a lot more about everyone’s scores, stats, and special hooks. Boys are just not as in the weeds on this stuff and frankly don’t care as much.

So if you are a girl mom and have good Intel, that counts for a lot

++yes indeed they made rank lists and kept track of each others' GPAs plus they edit each other's common app essays in AP LIT in 11th grade after the AP, and go over how to enter GPA, scores, courses into common app. They know everything about each other including ECs. My son knows nothing and his friends do not talk but the girls are starting to pepper him with questions after teachers called him out as high scorer on a few things. I am the one who showed him naviance, where his sister was and how he is definitely near the very top for gpa. He is nonchalant and clueless, probably better that way.

My senior DD and her friends had REA/ED Google sheets /lists for everyone in their privates class - girls updated as info came out with a column for hooks.

It was sooo detailed. With a few hours they know results of who got in where. Feel like it’s so organized! I bet the CCO doesn’t have spreadsheets that up to date.

That’s not healthy.

How awful. I’m glad I don’t live in the DMV. My kid is only at the Emory/Wash U/Tufts level and I’m very proud of what they achieved to get there and I hope they feel good about their imperfect self as well. I’m glad they’re somewhere where they’re not looked at as “less than” for not being at your HYP level.

Tufts is not on that level. CMU, Notre Dame, Georgetown are better options.