is THIS really what it takes for non-hooked kids to get into HYPS?

[Anonymous]

The truth of the matter is, these "super" kids are a mile wide an 1" deep. They get very good at discussing other people's work like it was their own. They get very good at parroting things they don't really understand.

I learned long ago to avoid this kind of kid in my university lab. They do nothing. They care more about checking boxes than actually doing work.

[Anonymous]

BA. My Ivy bound son who has similar credentials is not the smartest kid I know. He is the hardest working and is kind and dependable. Why do u feel the need to be so hostile? I'm sure your child will do fine. Why do u attack mine?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The truth of the matter is, these "super" kids are a mile wide an 1" deep. They get very good at discussing other people's work like it was their own. They get very good at parroting things they don't really understand.

I learned long ago to avoid this kind of kid in my university lab. They do nothing. They care more about checking boxes than actually doing work.

Perhaps you should paint with such a broad stroke. I know a lot of kids who are not at Ivys are are set to go next year. Not a single one fits your description. The ones who "parroted" didn't make the cut.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:BA. My Ivy bound son who has similar credentials is not the smartest kid I know. He is the hardest working and is kind and dependable. Why do u feel the need to be so hostile? I'm sure your child will do fine. Why do u attack mine?

Thank you. You are also describing my DS to at t. Tearing down kids who get accepted to these school seems to be a hobby for some people.

[Anonymous]

Yawn. Big whoop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child has a profile that is close to that but he does not have straight As (3.7) or high SAT ... He is dyslexic, he won't even get accepted to UMD.

PlAys instrument
Hundreds of volunteer hours because he enjoys it starting in 6th
Plays on 2 sports teams at the highest level, always captain
Helped raise $200k with his friend that has cancer
Created his own company
Clubs
Knows sign language
Has worked a summer job since he was in 6th grade
Is a soccer referee

He does these things because he likes them. He will go somewhere good enough and be fine.

Why do you think your son will not get into UMD because he has dyslexia? My DC with dyslexia was admitted to the UMD-CP Honors College this year.

His verbal SAT is too low. His counselor said its not probable. He has all Bs in English.

What was your child's GPA/SAT.

NP. What about the Johns Hopkins program? It is set up specifically for students with LDs. Presumably dyslexia would count.

[Anonymous]

This profile isn't all that different from 20 years ago. When I got into H I had:
* 3 sports, captain in one, multiple year coach's award in another
* Major statewide competition winner 2 years running
* President of National Honor Society
* Class president
* Don't remember GPA, but it was good
* SAT: 800 V, 690 M, 800 W
* Founder of one school club, officer in others

The only thing I don't remember was counting community service hours. That seems new to me. Although if it had been a thing, I would have had a lot.

I know that admissions for HYPS+ have become somewhat more competitive. But I don't buy that it's an order of magnitude difference, or that "the profile" is an unreasonable or superhuman ask.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This profile isn't all that different from 20 years ago. When I got into H I had:
* 3 sports, captain in one, multiple year coach's award in another
* Major statewide competition winner 2 years running
* President of National Honor Society
* Class president
* Don't remember GPA, but it was good
* SAT: 800 V, 690 M, 800 W
* Founder of one school club, officer in others

The only thing I don't remember was counting community service hours. That seems new to me. Although if it had been a thing, I would have had a lot.

I know that admissions for HYPS+ have become somewhat more competitive. But I don't buy that it's an order of magnitude difference, or that "the profile" is an unreasonable or superhuman ask.

Wow, that's a crappy math score.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This profile isn't all that different from 20 years ago. When I got into H I had:
* 3 sports, captain in one, multiple year coach's award in another
* Major statewide competition winner 2 years running
* President of National Honor Society
* Class president
* Don't remember GPA, but it was good
* SAT: 800 V, 690 M, 800 W
* Founder of one school club, officer in others

The only thing I don't remember was counting community service hours. That seems new to me. Although if it had been a thing, I would have had a lot.

I know that admissions for HYPS+ have become somewhat more competitive. But I don't buy that it's an order of magnitude difference, or that "the profile" is an unreasonable or superhuman ask.

Yep, the valedictorian of my high school class of 1984 (and a good friend of mine) went to HYP and had a similar high school resume. She also was the smartest and most hardworking of my h.s. classmates. Nothing shallow about her--she was a true intellectual. And genuinely nice as well. Just a wonderful kid. She studied East Asian languages/civilizations and Econ, became fluent in Japanese, lived/worked in a Japan for several years, and eventually got her PhD. (Since I know someone will ask, no, she's not Asian.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This profile isn't all that different from 20 years ago. When I got into H I had:
* 3 sports, captain in one, multiple year coach's award in another
* Major statewide competition winner 2 years running
* President of National Honor Society
* Class president
* Don't remember GPA, but it was good
* SAT: 800 V, 690 M, 800 W
* Founder of one school club, officer in others

The only thing I don't remember was counting community service hours. That seems new to me. Although if it had been a thing, I would have had a lot.

I know that admissions for HYPS+ have become somewhat more competitive. But I don't buy that it's an order of magnitude difference, or that "the profile" is an unreasonable or superhuman ask.

Wow, that's a crappy math score.

Feel better now?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This profile isn't all that different from 20 years ago. When I got into H I had:
* 3 sports, captain in one, multiple year coach's award in another
* Major statewide competition winner 2 years running
* President of National Honor Society
* Class president
* Don't remember GPA, but it was good
* SAT: 800 V, 690 M, 800 W
* Founder of one school club, officer in others

The only thing I don't remember was counting community service hours. That seems new to me. Although if it had been a thing, I would have had a lot.

I know that admissions for HYPS+ have become somewhat more competitive. But I don't buy that it's an order of magnitude difference, or that "the profile" is an unreasonable or superhuman ask.

Wow, that's a crappy math score.

Feel better now?

The old SATs were much more difficult than the current ones. At some point the test was redesigned to forgo differentiation at the top. I had a 750 on math which was excellent at the time. I have heard the comparison that a score of 720 on the math SAT in the 1980's was equivalent to an 800 in the 2000's.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Feel better now?

The old SATs were much more difficult than the current ones. At some point the test was redesigned to forgo differentiation at the top. I had a 750 on math which was excellent at the time. I have heard the comparison that a score of 720 on the math SAT in the 1980's was equivalent to an 800 in the 2000's.

Scores were recentered in 1995. Before that, there were about a dozen 1600s in the country annually. Afterwards, there were several at each school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The state of college admissions today is quite shocking to me. I graduated high school in 2000, and I got accepted at some really impressive schools and so did my peers. My niece graduates from that same high school in a few weeks. Her GPA is higher than mine was PLUS she captained a Varsity team (I did not play a sport, nor did I hold a leadership position in any of my extracurricular clubs). She was rejected from schools in our home state that my friends and I scoffed at. I just can't believe the difference.

I don't understand what drives this phenomenon? Why is it so much harder today than 20 or even 10 years ago? (if it is harder).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This profile isn't all that different from 20 years ago. When I got into H I had:
* 3 sports, captain in one, multiple year coach's award in another
* Major statewide competition winner 2 years running
* President of National Honor Society
* Class president
* Don't remember GPA, but it was good
* SAT: 800 V, 690 M, 800 W
* Founder of one school club, officer in others

The only thing I don't remember was counting community service hours. That seems new to me. Although if it had been a thing, I would have had a lot.

I know that admissions for HYPS+ have become somewhat more competitive. But I don't buy that it's an order of magnitude difference, or that "the profile" is an unreasonable or superhuman ask.

I got in at the same time, and I agree that it's not an order of magnitude, at HYPM anyway. They took only the very best from my high-profile public--national level debaters, a few math people, etc. Only legacies had it much easier than today. The top-tier publics were much easier to get into though, as were some of the non-HYP Ivies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BA. My Ivy bound son who has similar credentials is not the smartest kid I know. He is the hardest working and is kind and dependable. Why do u feel the need to be so hostile? I'm sure your child will do fine. Why do u attack mine?

Thank you. You are also describing my DS to at t. Tearing down kids who get accepted to these school seems to be a hobby for some people.

You folks just don't get it or are poor at reading. OP is tearing no one down. Op is raising the issue that there is no room in top school for even above average kids. That it truly takes exceptionality these days to get into a top school. And OP is not complaining that their child will not get a good education elsewhere-- another comment repeated that OP Never said! The OP point is a factual observation, that it is not possible for a highly successful high performing student to gain a seat at a top school when the competition looks superhuman. And is Op is correct. End of story. Which is why there is solace to be taken in the fact that we have many great universities in US, not just the ivies.