Common app essay and identity

[Anonymous]

We have to start naming these college consultants. Are they just some mom who helped their kid apply to college or someone with RECENT experience and connections?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are checking race box after we did not for prior child. Transparency is what they want …

The race boxes don't matter. The application review portal used by AOs does not display the boxes.

The universities have additional race box they use for demographics, reported…

I don’t trust anything. Period

+1

We were expressly told by counselor to leave it blank (on common app and school app) in 2024. If they don’t need it, can’t use it then why have a box at all ?!?!!!!

The race box is used by the university's institutional research office to report data required by the Department of Education.* It is not allowed to be used by the admissions office following the US Supreme Court opinion in the SFFA case.

*required by the Department of Education for enrolled students and published in the college's Common Data Set.

Exactly. That other poster is informed. Who exactly do you think is reviewing this data with a microscope thus coming cycle? I’ll give you a hint: he’s orange. So- they don’t want to submit anything ambiguous. Check the box this year- where past years it was none of their business so no box mattered

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are checking race box after we did not for prior child. Transparency is what they want …

The race boxes don't matter. The application review portal used by AOs does not display the boxes.

The universities have additional race box they use for demographics, reported…

I don’t trust anything. Period

+1

We were expressly told by counselor to leave it blank (on common app and school app) in 2024. If they don’t need it, can’t use it then why have a box at all ?!?!!!!

The race box is used by the university's institutional research office to report data required by the Department of Education.* It is not allowed to be used by the admissions office following the US Supreme Court opinion in the SFFA case.

*required by the Department of Education for enrolled students and published in the college's Common Data Set.

Exactly. That other poster is informed. Who exactly do you think is reviewing this data with a microscope thus coming cycle? I’ll give you a hint: he’s orange. So- they don’t want to submit anything ambiguous. Check the box this year- where past years it was none of their business so no box mattered

My unhooked kid didn’t check any boxes and was admitted everywhere unhooked RD. This year I’m also suggesting my Senior check it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As long as you have high stats, I wouldn’t worry about it. It’s an admit whether or not you write about it.

It could be a reason not to admit though? If TO? And biracial?

This year TO becomes highly controversial. The TO admit has to be super strong elsewhere this year.

I am not sure what it will take to overcome TO this year, recruited athlete, legacy?
I don’t think grades alone do it, there are too many kids with GPA and high test scores

[Anonymous]

I trust nothing. There is a lot they “are” or “aren’t” supposed to do….doesn't mean they adhere…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As long as you have high stats, I wouldn’t worry about it. It’s an admit whether or not you write about it.

It could be a reason not to admit though? If TO? And biracial?

TO is over if you are applying to a top school.

It wasn't over last year if you had "something special".....meaning hooked.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As long as you have high stats, I wouldn’t worry about it. It’s an admit whether or not you write about it.

It could be a reason not to admit though? If TO? And biracial?

This year TO becomes highly controversial. The TO admit has to be super strong elsewhere this year.

They always had to be. No one is being admitted with low grades and without extraordinary accomplishments TO. At least not in T20 in our experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As long as you have high stats, I wouldn’t worry about it. It’s an admit whether or not you write about it.

It could be a reason not to admit though? If TO? And biracial?

This year TO becomes highly controversial. The TO admit has to be super strong elsewhere this year.

I am not sure what it will take to overcome TO this year, recruited athlete, legacy?
I don’t think grades alone do it, there are too many kids with GPA and high test scores

It was never just grades last year. If you were Test Optional at our private school, to get into private T20, you need to be a special kind of pointy kid with an accomplished resume that schools fought over. Those kids typically got into multiple private T20 (yes, test-optional).
Sometimes it's music with a Grammy or something a notch lower. Or theater and the schools really want the kid. Or art and kid's work is sold at Art Basel. Or some weird niche dressage or archery sport at the Olympics. You get the drift.
Imo, these kids STILL get in next year, too.
It's not legacy kids.

[Anonymous]

Common sense dictates that is not the case last year, but will be tightened significantly this year.

Half of Vandy admits went TO last year. It’s not possible to find so many Grammies. Apply some critical thinking please folks.

What kind of fantasy world you guys living in? Grammy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Common sense dictates that is not the case last year, but will be tightened significantly this year.

Half of Vandy admits went TO last year. It’s not possible to find so many Grammies. Apply some critical thinking please folks.

What kind of fantasy world you guys living in? Grammy?

Vanderbilt is not moving back to test required. But those admitted TO will have stellar everything else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hearing many private counselors are advising not to mention anything about racial, ethic or religious identity in common app essay given current Trump admin oversight and general cautiousness in college GC office.

Do we agree?

App Nation (Sara Harberson) isn't "approving" any personal essay topics related to heritage/identity. I've seen TikToks from other private counselors (influencers) as well advising to stay away from these topics as much as humanly possible.
Don't think it makes sense to do that now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Common sense dictates that is not the case last year, but will be tightened significantly this year.

Half of Vandy admits went TO last year. It’s not possible to find so many Grammies. Apply some critical thinking please folks.

What kind of fantasy world you guys living in? Grammy?

Vanderbilt is not moving back to test required. But those admitted TO will have stellar everything else.

Where did Vandy find so many little geniuses?

[Anonymous]

This year Vandy TO admits cut down to 10%.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This year Vandy TO admits cut down to 10%.

That changes their student vibe. They won't do it. Have you met the Chancellor? He's quite good at this and close to the current admin.
Plus the Vanderbilt TO we know are usually ED.....rarely RD......

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have to start naming these college consultants. Are they just some mom who helped their kid apply to college or someone with RECENT experience and connections?

I hope you realize that anyone can hang a shingle, call themselves a consultant and talk about their “connections”. If a mom has helped her kid get into HYPSM, the “consultants” get mad. But really they have no education themselves and have rarely managed to get an unhooked kid into HYPSM.