WSJ: the Secrets of Elite College Admissions

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's shocking to me is the income breakpoint--$175,000 a year! Granted that's just one school and not a super-well-endowed one. But under 175K is hardly poor. I guess on the flip side, I'm also surprised that a family at that income level qualifies for $35,000 in need-based aid.

the cost to attention is 74k, after tax, that the majority of HHI

Assuming no savings....

Why would you need $35k/yr in FA if you have savings?

average 529 for an 18 year old is something like 27k, assume twice that and you have not quite one year's cost. I think at least 200k in a 529 would be a reasonable expectation to get through a 75k a year school without crushing the parents- I doubt many people have more that than a year's salary socked away in 529s (other than DCUM posters who manage to cram in $1 million while discussing their middle class existences)

[Anonymous]

Davidson College, Emory University and the University of Washington, aren’t exactly “elite.” They are solid, high ranking schools. Elite would be like T10.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's shocking to me is the income breakpoint--$175,000 a year! Granted that's just one school and not a super-well-endowed one. But under 175K is hardly poor. I guess on the flip side, I'm also surprised that a family at that income level qualifies for $35,000 in need-based aid.

the cost to attention is 74k, after tax, that the majority of HHI

Assuming no savings....

Why would you need $35k/yr in FA if you have savings?

average 529 for an 18 year old is something like 27k, assume twice that and you have not quite one year's cost. I think at least 200k in a 529 would be a reasonable expectation to get through a 75k a year school without crushing the parents- I doubt many people have more that than a year's salary socked away in 529s (other than DCUM posters who manage to cram in $1 million while discussing their middle class existences)

I agree, but is that average among 529 users only? I doubt the average American college student has $27k in a 529!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Davidson College, Emory University and the University of Washington, aren’t exactly “elite.” They are solid, high ranking schools. Elite would be like T10.

Any reason to think the admissions process would be any different at a T10?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's shocking to me is the income breakpoint--$175,000 a year! Granted that's just one school and not a super-well-endowed one. But under 175K is hardly poor. I guess on the flip side, I'm also surprised that a family at that income level qualifies for $35,000 in need-based aid.

the cost to attention is 74k, after tax, that the majority of HHI

Assuming no savings....

Why would you need $35k/yr in FA if you have savings?

average 529 for an 18 year old is something like 27k, assume twice that and you have not quite one year's cost. I think at least 200k in a 529 would be a reasonable expectation to get through a 75k a year school without crushing the parents- I doubt many people have more that than a year's salary socked away in 529s (other than DCUM posters who manage to cram in $1 million while discussing their middle class existences)

I agree, but is that average among 529 users only? I doubt the average American college student has $27k in a 529!

of 529 users in the article I read. Even that is a drop in the bucket- 1 year in state school, a fraction of a year in a private school. Tuition is totally detached from reality, this doesn't seem sustainable, but people have been saying that for a long time now

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Davidson College, Emory University and the University of Washington, aren’t exactly “elite.” They are solid, high ranking schools. Elite would be like T10.

There are 4K colleges/unis in the US.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's shocking to me is the income breakpoint--$175,000 a year! Granted that's just one school and not a super-well-endowed one. But under 175K is hardly poor. I guess on the flip side, I'm also surprised that a family at that income level qualifies for $35,000 in need-based aid.

the cost to attention is 74k, after tax, that the majority of HHI

Assuming no savings....

Why would you need $35k/yr in FA if you have savings?

average 529 for an 18 year old is something like 27k, assume twice that and you have not quite one year's cost. I think at least 200k in a 529 would be a reasonable expectation to get through a 75k a year school without crushing the parents- I doubt many people have more that than a year's salary socked away in 529s (other than DCUM posters who manage to cram in $1 million while discussing their middle class existences)

Uhh plenty of state schools and ctcl schools with merit end up being just over $27k/yr. Expensive schools are a choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's shocking to me is the income breakpoint--$175,000 a year! Granted that's just one school and not a super-well-endowed one. But under 175K is hardly poor. I guess on the flip side, I'm also surprised that a family at that income level qualifies for $35,000 in need-based aid.

the cost to attention is 74k, after tax, that the majority of HHI

Assuming no savings....

Why would you need $35k/yr in FA if you have savings?

average 529 for an 18 year old is something like 27k, assume twice that and you have not quite one year's cost. I think at least 200k in a 529 would be a reasonable expectation to get through a 75k a year school without crushing the parents- I doubt many people have more that than a year's salary socked away in 529s (other than DCUM posters who manage to cram in $1 million while discussing their middle class existences)

Uhh plenty of state schools and ctcl schools with merit end up being just over $27k/yr. Expensive schools are a choice.

so the average 529 holder has 1 year of tuition saved- if the kids gets merit. Got it

[Anonymous]

I think it was uncool to describe that one Emory kid in such detail. He and his HS classmates definitely know who he is!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's shocking to me is the income breakpoint--$175,000 a year! Granted that's just one school and not a super-well-endowed one. But under 175K is hardly poor. I guess on the flip side, I'm also surprised that a family at that income level qualifies for $35,000 in need-based aid.

the cost to attention is 74k, after tax, that the majority of HHI

Assuming no savings....

Why would you need $35k/yr in FA if you have savings?

average 529 for an 18 year old is something like 27k, assume twice that and you have not quite one year's cost. I think at least 200k in a 529 would be a reasonable expectation to get through a 75k a year school without crushing the parents- I doubt many people have more that than a year's salary socked away in 529s (other than DCUM posters who manage to cram in $1 million while discussing their middle class existences)

Uhh plenty of state schools and ctcl schools with merit end up being just over $27k/yr. Expensive schools are a choice.

so the average 529 holder has 1 year of tuition saved- if the kids gets merit. Got it

Plenty of kids have to suffer because their parents didn’t save a dime. So $0 in tuition saved. Look I’m not defending this system but $27k saved + $27k in loans + work + parent plus loans is what most kids have to deal with—that is, IF they’re lucky enough that their parents saved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

The original readers gave him a score of 2 out of 5 in that category, observing that he wanted to major in pre-med “but we don’t see activities to support that,” one of the admissions officers said.

other than taking all available bio and chem classes, how exactly does a high school kid demonstrate a love of premed?

"Taking"? More like 5s on those stem AP exams. Plus 3-4 years of volunteering at children's hospital, "research" at local university or lab, summer pre-med camps, passionate letter of rec from MD mentor. And bundling all of this into a story, a narrative, on what kind of doctor and what motives you to want to be that kind of doctor.

[Anonymous]

I really hope that Scranton Joe does something about this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Davidson College, Emory University and the University of Washington, aren’t exactly “elite.” They are solid, high ranking schools. Elite would be like T10.

There are 4K colleges/unis in the US.

So what? Nobody really cares about schools outside the top 15. People definitely don't care about Davidson, Emory, and Washington. Fine schools of course, but honestly, nobody cares. Just like nobody cares about UVA outside of the DMV. It's just a good state school. Maybe -- maybe -- people will assume you're preppy and were in Greek life, but that's the extent of the UVA reputation outside of DMV.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I really hope that Scranton Joe does something about this.

Speaking of there, University of Scranton is a CTCL and offers decent merit aid. Not elite of course.

[Anonymous]

There are only, what, <25,000 avail freshman seats at the top 15 universities for 4 million American 12th graders (plus global applicants)?

Even with the stats, unless you're rich and connected (and/or an URM), it's always going to be a roll of the dice to get into truly elite colleges.