Would a big donation help with admission?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You are going to have to walk a very fine line not to ruffle anyone’s feathers.

Lol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know it's obnoxious but how abhorrent is it to offer a big donation when applying to a private? How would one go about doing so? Is it ever done? I'm not in the dcum area but I imagine it would be a similar type of culture across private schools. I was thinking the equivalent of 5 years of tuition for this school. Does everyone do that anyway so it's not a big deal and not a boost at all?

Ask Lori Loughlin

That's completely different. That was fraud via a sports coach, bypassing the development office.

[Anonymous]

How do the schools work today?

Do they admit based on how rich they think you are?
And expect you to donate before the next sibling comes up?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, OP. People buy their kids’/grandkids’ seats all the time. Make sure you mention to the “development” folks that you are a prospective parent. Very excited and hoping little Larlo has a chance for admission next year. Know it’s so very competitive but really hoping and wishing he gets a chance.

Big smiles!!

Only if they have been affiliated with the school. And been giving for years. Not one big donation right before admissions. OP would be seen as giving a bribe.

Bribing *whom*?

Am I bribing Doordash to deliver Chow mein?

Paying the company that sells the service isn't a bribe; it's a bid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You’ll be shooting your self in the foot. The only time it’s appropriate to do this is if you are an alum or a grandparent was. Otherwise it’s crass. How many rich parents can afford to do what you are doing? Tons. Money is a flush in DC and NYC.

The schools do it all the time. You may think it’s crass but there it is. Where do you think the term development admit comes from?

The schools do it all the time but it has to be in an innocuous fashion. Like the head of school recommending you as a good donor. Or you expressing an interest in the school and donating for multiple years before you actually do admissions. Whipping out your check book and saying how much is bribery. And frankly five years of tuition, let’s say 300k, these schools are so competitive most rich people can do that if they thought that guaranteed them a place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, OP. People buy their kids’/grandkids’ seats all the time. Make sure you mention to the “development” folks that you are a prospective parent. Very excited and hoping little Larlo has a chance for admission next year. Know it’s so very competitive but really hoping and wishing he gets a chance.

Big smiles!!

Only if they have been affiliated with the school. And been giving for years. Not one big donation right before admissions. OP would be seen as giving a bribe.

It IS a bribe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You’ll be shooting your self in the foot. The only time it’s appropriate to do this is if you are an alum or a grandparent was. Otherwise it’s crass. How many rich parents can afford to do what you are doing? Tons. Money is a flush in DC and NYC.

The schools do it all the time. You may think it’s crass but there it is. Where do you think the term development admit comes from?

The schools do it all the time but it has to be in an innocuous fashion. Like the head of school recommending you as a good donor. Or you expressing an interest in the school and donating for multiple years before you actually do admissions. Whipping out your check book and saying how much is bribery. And frankly five years of tuition, let’s say 300k, these schools are so competitive most rich people can do that if they thought that guaranteed them a place.

Yup. It’s a bribe. Pay to play at the expensive privates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You’ll be shooting your self in the foot. The only time it’s appropriate to do this is if you are an alum or a grandparent was. Otherwise it’s crass. How many rich parents can afford to do what you are doing? Tons. Money is a flush in DC and NYC.

The schools do it all the time. You may think it’s crass but there it is. Where do you think the term development admit comes from?

The schools do it all the time but it has to be in an innocuous fashion. Like the head of school recommending you as a good donor. Or you expressing an interest in the school and donating for multiple years before you actually do admissions. Whipping out your check book and saying how much is bribery. And frankly five years of tuition, let’s say 300k, these schools are so competitive most rich people can do that if they thought that guaranteed them a place.

Yup. It’s a bribe. Pay to play at the expensive privates.

So why should the school take your bribe over everyone else’s bribe. Do you know how many wealthy folks there are that would be willing to pay to play? You need to have a good excuse to have a veneer of respectability.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, OP. People buy their kids’/grandkids’ seats all the time. Make sure you mention to the “development” folks that you are a prospective parent. Very excited and hoping little Larlo has a chance for admission next year. Know it’s so very competitive but really hoping and wishing he gets a chance.

Big smiles!!

Only if they have been affiliated with the school. And been giving for years. Not one big donation right before admissions. OP would be seen as giving a bribe.

Bribing *whom*?

Am I bribing Doordash to deliver Chow mein?

Paying the company that sells the service isn't a bribe; it's a bid.

+1 I went to a private school on an academic scholarship (and I wouldn’t have been attending without it for sure!) and I always understood that the school was a business and they accepted students that would improve their business. Sometimes that was kids like me to boost their standardized tests scores/college admissions results, and sometimes that was kids like the children of minor Saudi royalty whose parents paid for the new fitness center. If it’s bribery, I’m glad my classmates parents bribed their way in to pay for my robotics club and high quality music lessons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, OP. People buy their kids’/grandkids’ seats all the time. Make sure you mention to the “development” folks that you are a prospective parent. Very excited and hoping little Larlo has a chance for admission next year. Know it’s so very competitive but really hoping and wishing he gets a chance.

Big smiles!!

Only if they have been affiliated with the school. And been giving for years. Not one big donation right before admissions. OP would be seen as giving a bribe.

Bribing *whom*?

Am I bribing Doordash to deliver Chow mein?

Paying the company that sells the service isn't a bribe; it's a bid.

+1 I went to a private school on an academic scholarship (and I wouldn’t have been attending without it for sure!) and I always understood that the school was a business and they accepted students that would improve their business. Sometimes that was kids like me to boost their standardized tests scores/college admissions results, and sometimes that was kids like the children of minor Saudi royalty whose parents paid for the new fitness center. If it’s bribery, I’m glad my classmates parents bribed their way in to pay for my robotics club and high quality music lessons.

Minor Saudi royalty is different from the average wealthy Joe Schmoe who thinks 300k will buy his or her way in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, OP. People buy their kids’/grandkids’ seats all the time. Make sure you mention to the “development” folks that you are a prospective parent. Very excited and hoping little Larlo has a chance for admission next year. Know it’s so very competitive but really hoping and wishing he gets a chance.

Big smiles!!

Only if they have been affiliated with the school. And been giving for years. Not one big donation right before admissions. OP would be seen as giving a bribe.

Bribing *whom*?

Am I bribing Doordash to deliver Chow mein?

Paying the company that sells the service isn't a bribe; it's a bid.

+1 I went to a private school on an academic scholarship (and I wouldn’t have been attending without it for sure!) and I always understood that the school was a business and they accepted students that would improve their business. Sometimes that was kids like me to boost their standardized tests scores/college admissions results, and sometimes that was kids like the children of minor Saudi royalty whose parents paid for the new fitness center. If it’s bribery, I’m glad my classmates parents bribed their way in to pay for my robotics club and high quality music lessons.

Minor Saudi royalty is different from the average wealthy Joe Schmoe who thinks 300k will buy his or her way in.

I don’t know OP’s finances (or the finances of anyone else I went to school with tbh) or whether she’ll be
*able* to buy her kid’s spot at the school, I’m just pushing back against the notion that it’s morally reprehensible if she does.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, OP. People buy their kids’/grandkids’ seats all the time. Make sure you mention to the “development” folks that you are a prospective parent. Very excited and hoping little Larlo has a chance for admission next year. Know it’s so very competitive but really hoping and wishing he gets a chance.

Big smiles!!

Only if they have been affiliated with the school. And been giving for years. Not one big donation right before admissions. OP would be seen as giving a bribe.

Bribing *whom*?

Am I bribing Doordash to deliver Chow mein?

Paying the company that sells the service isn't a bribe; it's a bid.

+1 I went to a private school on an academic scholarship (and I wouldn’t have been attending without it for sure!) and I always understood that the school was a business and they accepted students that would improve their business. Sometimes that was kids like me to boost their standardized tests scores/college admissions results, and sometimes that was kids like the children of minor Saudi royalty whose parents paid for the new fitness center. If it’s bribery, I’m glad my classmates parents bribed their way in to pay for my robotics club and high quality music lessons.

Minor Saudi royalty is different from the average wealthy Joe Schmoe who thinks 300k will buy his or her way in.

I don’t know OP’s finances (or the finances of anyone else I went to school with tbh) or whether she’ll be
*able* to buy her kid’s spot at the school, I’m just pushing back against the notion that it’s morally reprehensible if she does.

Telling you how it works. They will love your money but you have to give your money in a way that doesn’t make them look bad or copping out.

[Anonymous]

It won't work at every school, but it will at some. It must be done delicately. If you're throwing money at this problem, hire an independent school admissions consultant. They will know the unwritten rules and who to contact.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You’ll be shooting your self in the foot. The only time it’s appropriate to do this is if you are an alum or a grandparent was. Otherwise it’s crass. How many rich parents can afford to do what you are doing? Tons. Money is a flush in DC and NYC.

Jared Kushner's parents did it for Harvard and they were not alumni.

[Anonymous]

I have seen this work.
A kid applied to 5+ schools for 6th and was admitted to none coming from public.
Grandparents contacted the development office at each school prior to admissions for 7th and kid was admitted to 3/5 schools.

Of note, the kid has somewhat struggled at this school during high school---mostly B's, a few C's.
Ultimately, the schools are pretty good at predicting who will thrive and if parents force an override during admissions it doesn't always work out best for the student.