DC PS3 lottery question regarding ranking- and impact on waitlist

[Anonymous]

Thanks 9:59. Perhaps there is no better way to do it, but it seems unfair that I could rank Peabody 6th, and get in - and remain on a waitlist at SWS, whereas someone OOB could rank Peabody first and still have a snowball's chance in hell of getting in... But then, I have no idea what would be "fair" either...

[Anonymous]

Your impulse is a generous one, but this is the benefit you get when you are inbounds for a decent school like Peabody. Hopefully the waiting list system they are implementing this year will help kids match with schools more easily.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The lottery works on a "stable matching" system. You have your ranking of the schools (1 through 6) and the schools ranking of you and everyone else that has applied to them (in-bounds, sibling, proximity, etc). The lottery will then add a random number to their rankings of students as a form of a tie breaker. They then add students to the schools based on the schools rankings and correct it based on your rankings. Once those temporary assignments are fixed they finalize the lists and publish it. You will be only given 1 seat in the lottery, and any ranking ABOVE your accepted seat will be added to a waitlist.

It's all based on a system designed by Nobel Prize winning economist Alvin Roth - http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/economics/laureates/2012/popular-economicsciences2012.pdf

If I wasn't married I'd propose on the spot. I don't even care about gender. Love that there are other geeks on this board. I can't wait to read that paper. Coffee in hand, its spooling from my printer as we speak.