are the top kids you know even applying to the Ivies and other top 20 schools?

[Anonymous]

My cisgender white/asian kid CW major with top scores didn't bother with the Ivies, but did apply to the adjacent ivies like Stanford, MIT, knowing full well that they won't get in.

We are a donut hole family. I cannot pay $80K per year for college. I have another child, and we have crap health insurance, and as we get older, we have more health issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Plenty of people apply to the Ivies and then keep quiet about it.

+1

[Anonymous]

My double-hooked older son got rejected from Stanford the cycle before last. My equally-hooked younger son has decided not to apply this year. The extra essays and questions on the application make it too arduous for a slim-to-none chance of acceptance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Plenty of people apply to the Ivies and then keep quiet about it.

+1

We are only quiet because of the reaction from others. They ask where your kid is applying and if you mention any ivues or top schools you get weird responses and attitudes.

We really don’t care about rejection from Ivies. It’s a lottery. We will buy the lottery ticket (application fee). My son exceeds the academic requirements- grades, test scores, great ECs/recs, 5s on all APs, etc. so it’s not personal if rejected. He understands that and doesn’t have a clear front runner or hopes tied to any particular school which I think is the best way to go about it.

And, of course, he is applying to safeties too. A mixed list.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My cisgender white/asian kid CW major with top scores didn't bother with the Ivies, but did apply to the adjacent ivies like Stanford, MIT, knowing full well that they won't get in.

We are a donut hole family. I cannot pay $80K per year for college. I have another child, and we have crap health insurance, and as we get older, we have more health issues.

Is this creative writing major?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Plenty of people apply to the Ivies and then keep quiet about it.

Maybe. But I think the trend is the other way. Smart kids aren't bothering with Harvard, Yale, and Princeton. That's for the try-hards and the status-obsessed. I think the real competition is a little further down the list - Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Rice, Berkeley, Duke, Notre Dame, Michigan.

Kids aren't idiots. They can see what's what. If you're not hooked, it's pointless to apply to Harvard or Yale. Whereas a little further down the list, it seems like you can get in on merit and grit and talent and hard work. So that's what the smart kids are gunning for. It feels more controllable.

[Anonymous]

Based on Naviance, not at all true at our large public high school. In fact I calculated that 1 out of every 5 seniors at the school applied to Harvard last year. Delusional! And considering nobody has been admitted from our school in the past 7 years, a real waste of time.

I agree I don’t hear a lot of talk about visits to HYP etc but the Naviance numbers suggest tons of kids are applying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Based on Naviance, not at all true at our large public high school. In fact I calculated that 1 out of every 5 seniors at the school applied to Harvard last year. Delusional! And considering nobody has been admitted from our school in the past 7 years, a real waste of time.

I agree I don’t hear a lot of talk about visits to HYP etc but the Naviance numbers suggest tons of kids are applying.

But the (very few) kids who do get in are unquestionably the top students, so yes, it appears they are applying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Plenty of people apply to the Ivies and then keep quiet about it.

Maybe. But I think the trend is the other way. Smart kids aren't bothering with Harvard, Yale, and Princeton. That's for the try-hards and the status-obsessed. I think the real competition is a little further down the list - Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Rice, Berkeley, Duke, Notre Dame, Michigan.

Kids aren't idiots. They can see what's what. If you're not hooked, it's pointless to apply to Harvard or Yale. Whereas a little further down the list, it seems like you can get in on merit and grit and talent and hard work. So that's what the smart kids are gunning for. It feels more controllable.

Obviously more kids still applying to the Ivies, hence the microscopic acceptance rate. But sure, lots of schools below 10 acceptance rates now. Still very few unhooked kids locally being admitted to the schools you mentioned. You are just buying a lottery ticket to a different group of schools.

[Anonymous]

No idea whatsoever. I don't ask other kids what they are doing as far as college apps. I mind

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Plenty of people apply to the Ivies and then keep quiet about it.

Maybe. But I think the trend is the other way. Smart kids aren't bothering with Harvard, Yale, and Princeton. That's for the try-hards and the status-obsessed. I think the real competition is a little further down the list - Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Rice, Berkeley, Duke, Notre Dame, Michigan.

Kids aren't idiots. They can see what's what. If you're not hooked, it's pointless to apply to Harvard or Yale. Whereas a little further down the list, it seems like you can get in on merit and grit and talent and hard work. So that's what the smart kids are gunning for. It feels more controllable.

This is false no matter how many times you say it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Plenty of people apply to the Ivies and then keep quiet about it.

+1

We are only quiet because of the reaction from others. They ask where your kid is applying and if you mention any ivues or top schools you get weird responses and attitudes.

We really don’t care about rejection from Ivies. It’s a lottery. We will buy the lottery ticket (application fee). My son exceeds the academic requirements- grades, test scores, great ECs/recs, 5s on all APs, etc. so it’s not personal if rejected. He understands that and doesn’t have a clear front runner or hopes tied to any particular school which I think is the best way to go about it.

And, of course, he is applying to safeties too. A mixed list.

That's off. When people tell me they're applying to Ivies nothing ever comes to mind.

When people tell me they go/got into an Ivy I think either (1) they're rich (2) took out too many loans and aren't fiscally responsible or (3) poor. But those are just thoughts, not things I say or contort my face to show because I never know which of the 3 it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Plenty of people apply to the Ivies and then keep quiet about it.

Maybe. But I think the trend is the other way. Smart kids aren't bothering with Harvard, Yale, and Princeton. That's for the try-hards and the status-obsessed. I think the real competition is a little further down the list - Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Rice, Berkeley, Duke, Notre Dame, Michigan.

Kids aren't idiots. They can see what's what. If you're not hooked, it's pointless to apply to Harvard or Yale. Whereas a little further down the list, it seems like you can get in on merit and grit and talent and hard work. So that's what the smart kids are gunning for. It feels more controllable.

You are completely clueless. Smart kids apply to both sets of schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Plenty of people apply to the Ivies and then keep quiet about it.

+1

We are only quiet because of the reaction from others. They ask where your kid is applying and if you mention any ivues or top schools you get weird responses and attitudes.

We really don’t care about rejection from Ivies. It’s a lottery. We will buy the lottery ticket (application fee). My son exceeds the academic requirements- grades, test scores, great ECs/recs, 5s on all APs, etc. so it’s not personal if rejected. He understands that and doesn’t have a clear front runner or hopes tied to any particular school which I think is the best way to go about it.

And, of course, he is applying to safeties too. A mixed list.

That's off. When people tell me they're applying to Ivies nothing ever comes to mind.

When people tell me they go/got into an Ivy I think either (1) they're rich (2) took out too many loans and aren't fiscally responsible or (3) poor. But those are just thoughts, not things I say or contort my face to show because I never know which of the 3 it is.

You sound jealous and petty.

I’m happy for friends and family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Plenty of people apply to the Ivies and then keep quiet about it.

+1

We are only quiet because of the reaction from others. They ask where your kid is applying and if you mention any ivues or top schools you get weird responses and attitudes.

We really don’t care about rejection from Ivies. It’s a lottery. We will buy the lottery ticket (application fee). My son exceeds the academic requirements- grades, test scores, great ECs/recs, 5s on all APs, etc. so it’s not personal if rejected. He understands that and doesn’t have a clear front runner or hopes tied to any particular school which I think is the best way to go about it.

And, of course, he is applying to safeties too. A mixed list.

That's off. When people tell me they're applying to Ivies nothing ever comes to mind.

When people tell me they go/got into an Ivy I think either (1) they're rich (2) took out too many loans and aren't fiscally responsible or (3) poor. But those are just thoughts, not things I say or contort my face to show because I never know which of the 3 it is.

You sound jealous and petty.

I’m happy for friends and family.

Not sure how I'm jealous or petty, seeing as both my husband and I went to an Ivy. Now 2 of my children do and likely the 3rd will too. I was poor. I didn't pay anything or take out loans. My husband's parents paid for his education so he also has no loans. My children, like my husband, benefit from us having the money to afford to be full pay for each of them.