Tricks and “lifehacks” that help getting into a better college

[Anonymous]

Apply as a minority even if you're white.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:choosing a less common major on the common app

True but only to a certain extent. You need to back it up with your curricular and extracurriculars. I don't think colleges will buy it when a kid who does mainly CS classes and clubs declares Latin as his major

but what if your course selection does back up
“East Asian studies” and also the CS major you really want in the end. Can’t you say you are considering majoring in EAS and then end up majoring in neuroscience or CS or whatever?

[Anonymous]

Get a job at the desired college your DC wants to attend. Try to get in the backdoor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok we all know about the straightforward things like good grades and extracurricular achievements, right?
What are some other things that aren’t obvious, may not be exactly ethical (but are legal!) and maybe cumbersome but that help?
So far I have thought about:
- quitting jobs and becoming low income for 6 years (2 years before college and 4 years of college)
- moving to a state that sends few people to certain colleges
- homeschooling
- giving the kid a Hispanic last name and not checking the race on application (no lying involved so..)
- transferring kid to a mediocre but safe high school

I mean I know most of these sound crazy but let’s entertain the thoughts?

- assets are considered as well as income
- geographic diversity is not a hook; still plenty of students looking to apply
- there are many reasons to homeschool. College admission is not one of them. Expect to need dual enrollment grades.
- even checking the box, Hispanic isn't as big a hook as you might think

Transferring to a mediocre but safe high school is the best suggestion in this list. It's realistic and the higher the GPA, the better. Just make sure sufficient AP courses and the student's desired activities are offered.

Interestingly, everyone vying to buy a house in a "good" school district (as opposed to a a good enough, say, rated 5-7) told me that the peer group is crucial, and they want their kids to be surrounded by certain kind of kids. Wouldn't then moving to a mediocre high school completely defeat the purpose?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Want to be a lawyer? Go to the cheapiest, easiest college possible & get a 4.0 GPA. Pour your time, money and energy into doing really well on the LSAT.

For sure the cheapiest.

Top law schools only care about grades & test scores.

I guess it depend on if the goal is a great education overall or a certain law school diploma.

Most people go to law school (which requires significant student loans) with the goal of getting a biglaw job. It’s not something you do for fun or to “find yourself.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok we all know about the straightforward things like good grades and extracurricular achievements, right?
What are some other things that aren’t obvious, may not be exactly ethical (but are legal!) and maybe cumbersome but that help?
So far I have thought about:
- quitting jobs and becoming low income for 6 years (2 years before college and 4 years of college)
- moving to a state that sends few people to certain colleges
- homeschooling
- giving the kid a Hispanic last name and not checking the race on application (no lying involved so..)
- transferring kid to a mediocre but safe high school

I mean I know most of these sound crazy but let’s entertain the thoughts?

- assets are considered as well as income
- geographic diversity is not a hook; still plenty of students looking to apply
- there are many reasons to homeschool. College admission is not one of them. Expect to need dual enrollment grades.
- even checking the box, Hispanic isn't as big a hook as you might think

Transferring to a mediocre but safe high school is the best suggestion in this list. It's realistic and the higher the GPA, the better. Just make sure sufficient AP courses and the student's desired activities are offered.

Interestingly, everyone vying to buy a house in a "good" school district (as opposed to a a good enough, say, rated 5-7) told me that the peer group is crucial, and they want their kids to be surrounded by certain kind of kids. Wouldn't then moving to a mediocre high school completely defeat the purpose?

OP used some backwards logic. Occasionally, a student from a low-performing “bad peer group” who rises to the top of their class, and has good test scores and ECs (especially if they’re, say, working 25 hours/week at McDonald’s) is seen as a “diamond in the rough” by AOs. That kid at the top of the class who gets into a bunch of top schools from a “bad” high school is usually a first-generation college applicant and/or a URM.

If you move your UMC kid to some random high school for 9th-12th, and their ECs are sailing, private pilots license, travel sports or studying abroad for a year of high school, I think AOs will see right through that.

[Anonymous]

Best one I saw was a kid that threw together a webpage that interviewed people in the field she ostensibly wanted to be in. She had good but not amazing test scores (maybe 1450 SAT). Got into an HYPSM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok we all know about the straightforward things like good grades and extracurricular achievements, right?
What are some other things that aren’t obvious, may not be exactly ethical (but are legal!) and maybe cumbersome but that help?
So far I have thought about:
- quitting jobs and becoming low income for 6 years (2 years before college and 4 years of college)
- moving to a state that sends few people to certain colleges
- homeschooling
- giving the kid a Hispanic last name and not checking the race on application (no lying involved so..)
- transferring kid to a mediocre but safe high school

I mean I know most of these sound crazy but let’s entertain the thoughts?

- assets are considered as well as income
- geographic diversity is not a hook; still plenty of students looking to apply
- there are many reasons to homeschool. College admission is not one of them. Expect to need dual enrollment grades.
- even checking the box, Hispanic isn't as big a hook as you might think

Transferring to a mediocre but safe high school is the best suggestion in this list. It's realistic and the higher the GPA, the better. Just make sure sufficient AP courses and the student's desired activities are offered.

Interestingly, everyone vying to buy a house in a "good" school district (as opposed to a a good enough, say, rated 5-7) told me that the peer group is crucial, and they want their kids to be surrounded by certain kind of kids. Wouldn't then moving to a mediocre high school completely defeat the purpose?

That’s exactly why it’s so impressive when a kid without an academic peer group excels.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok we all know about the straightforward things like good grades and extracurricular achievements, right?
What are some other things that aren’t obvious, may not be exactly ethical (but are legal!) and maybe cumbersome but that help?
So far I have thought about:
- quitting jobs and becoming low income for 6 years (2 years before college and 4 years of college)
- moving to a state that sends few people to certain colleges
- homeschooling
- giving the kid a Hispanic last name and not checking the race on application (no lying involved so..)
- transferring kid to a mediocre but safe high school

I mean I know most of these sound crazy but let’s entertain the thoughts?

- assets are considered as well as income
- geographic diversity is not a hook; still plenty of students looking to apply
- there are many reasons to homeschool. College admission is not one of them. Expect to need dual enrollment grades.
- even checking the box, Hispanic isn't as big a hook as you might think

Transferring to a mediocre but safe high school is the best suggestion in this list. It's realistic and the higher the GPA, the better. Just make sure sufficient AP courses and the student's desired activities are offered.

Interestingly, everyone vying to buy a house in a "good" school district (as opposed to a a good enough, say, rated 5-7) told me that the peer group is crucial, and they want their kids to be surrounded by certain kind of kids. Wouldn't then moving to a mediocre high school completely defeat the purpose?

Depends on the high school. There is, after all, a continuum among high schools. Mediocre doesn't mean bad. It just means not crazy competitive for grades and club opportunities. If there are still a core group of good students (they all take the honors courses together), there will be plenty of peers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:3:2 engineering programs.

What are these?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:3:2 engineering programs.

What are these?!

https://undergrad.admissions.columbia.edu/apply/combinedplan

https://undergrad.admissions.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/2022-05/Combined%20Plan%20Affiliates%202021-22.pdf

Same goes for WUSTL & Case Western.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok we all know about the straightforward things like good grades and extracurricular achievements, right?
What are some other things that aren’t obvious, may not be exactly ethical (but are legal!) and maybe cumbersome but that help?
So far I have thought about:
- quitting jobs and becoming low income for 6 years (2 years before college and 4 years of college)
- moving to a state that sends few people to certain colleges
- homeschooling
- giving the kid a Hispanic last name and not checking the race on application (no lying involved so..)
- transferring kid to a mediocre but safe high school

I mean I know most of these sound crazy but let’s entertain the thoughts?

- assets are considered as well as income
- geographic diversity is not a hook; still plenty of students looking to apply
- there are many reasons to homeschool. College admission is not one of them. Expect to need dual enrollment grades.
- even checking the box, Hispanic isn't as big a hook as you might think

Transferring to a mediocre but safe high school is the best suggestion in this list. It's realistic and the higher the GPA, the better. Just make sure sufficient AP courses and the student's desired activities are offered.

Strangely enough, there are no mediocre high school within about 20-30 miles of where I live. Students from poor areas are bussed to good schools. And what is sufficient APs? How many? And also that’s where middle college comes in, right?

[Anonymous]

I learned this from DCUM: Move to Louisiana for grades 9-12, make sure your kid gets a 1450 on the SAT, apply ED to Tulane and you’re guaranteed admission.

[Anonymous]

loving this thread!

[Anonymous]

Live in a college town or very close to a college, and send your kid to the “best” high school there. For example, move to Philly & send your child to Germantown Friends School to strategize getting into Penn.