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Are you unhappy that URM students are getting some spots? Think about the racist legacies in your family. Yes, they did this. |
Which school? B and S seem to be doing as well as ever this year |
Don't know who you are asking this question - but my answer is not unhappy about URM. Against legacy 100%. |
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It has become increasingly hard for upper middle class "regular" white kids because of the proliferation of international, first generation and under represented minority applicants. Also, the Common Application and Test Optional has lowered barriers for applicants to toss in submissions to many more schools with the push of a button and no additional effort. The general barriers to entry, writ large, is a good thing, but is an eye-opener for parents who went through the process before 2015 or so, and particularly since COVID. |
The landscape has been changing all along, not just now. It's not just about the "hooks" or going test-optional. Admissions to US universities is a global market now, and because Covid caused a massive disruption, there is probably a "bump" of foreign applicants that probably made it even more difficult for everyone this year. Good news is that this bump is likely to be temporary, but the trend is toward more internationalization of education, esp US colleges that are coveted worldwide, in a large part because of their holistic admission standards that ensure that people's life choices aren't entirely shaped by 3 high-stakes exams taken at age 17. As far as local privates are concerned, let's look at some nos. Picking GDS because of the large share of the graduating class who have posted on the Insta page (nearly 100), and the general vibe on DCUM about this school's college outcomes not being as good as previous year's (Sidwell and Maret's have arguably been better than in 2022). 61 of 98 GDS kids on this page are going to either a top-50 college, top-20 Liberal arts college, or their foreign equivalents (global top 20). That is 62% of the graduating class who have posted so far. The rest are going to a mix of large universities with great resources and opportunities (e.g. Indiana, Vermont, Colorado), nice liberal arts colleges (e.g. Oberlin, Scripps), colleges with special history or appeal (HBCUs), or foreign unis popular with local students (e.g. St Andrews). 21% is going to a T20 ranked school, including 12 to Ivies. Whatever the landscape is, these are objectively good outcomes. As a parent of a younger high schooler, I would take the odds of a fifth of the class going to a T20 school (some of the best unis in the world), another 14% going to a great liberal arts college, a total of more than 60% going to colleges that are highly selective, and the rest going to places that can all provide a great education. Sidwell, NCS/STA, Potomac, Maret outcomes are probably comparable or better. |
| Public school parent of a pretty average white boy with fun ECs ping pong, ultimate, student govt, fundraisers all mid-level leadership roles, straight A's MCPS style, who paid zero for a very good education. Sure occasionally bathroom doors were locked, and he didn't make his school soccer team. His one plus is he got to apply as Princeton's legacy thanks to his dad. He is not a "remarkable" kid compared to some of his private school friends - one in particular who comes to mind is a great kid whose son did outward bound summers, volunteering in South America during breaks, and accomplished musician who will NOT be joining him in an Ivy league this year. I feel like we made a great choice and wanted to add this as a perspective. It's been tough for ALL kids with covid and for those of you on the fence about continuing private, I promise it is not so bad. He also has a friend group going to very similar schools as the private lists. And many will go to community college. We applied him for private in 9th and he got all waitlists for the top 3 he wanted. He did get into Field, Landon, and Bullis but we decided to "try" his public. Again, just a different view that I wanted to share. |
Nice post, and congrats to your DS. He is not "average", in that he seems very well-rounded, academically solid, and probably comes across as an engaging personality with solid achievements and good leadership qualities. The legacy helped, but unless you are a big donor, it would have mattered only at the margin. Well done to him. Pretty much the same qualities you have described including the legacy, except for the "white" part (but not URM), would apply to a good private school friend of my son, who is at an Ivy currently. And we have heard of a few others from other schools through our networks. Basically, academically solid, well-rounded boys from with good leadership skills, probably with legacy as a boost, getting into top colleges. |
Yep, my son was in a pool of about 4 kids who were the top kids in his public middle school (all As, 98%+ SSAT scores, etc) who applied and got into top privates for 9th. He has about a half dozen friends who applied and were not accepted to private because their scores and grades were lower. Well, fast forward 4 years and the lower achieving kids who were shut out from private high school are going to BETTER colleges from DCPS. My son and the high achievers (who continue to high achieve) are going to notably worse colleges from private. And they did about 4 times the work during the past 4 years. It's wild and it's so out of my control that it's hard to even be upset because I am 100% confident that we made the right choice for my kid's academic growth. It's also what the system wants at this point in time (2023). Kids who attend a large urban public (regardless of what they are actually learning) is what is in vogue. But I think its something that everyone should be aware of who is making this decision. |
Oh, that is too bad. After all your posts the last few years, we were all really hoping your DS and his high achieving friends got the college spots that are rightfully theirs. Those public school low achievers only got in because it’s on trend. |
Maybe those friends had the same scores or better and didn't end up in private because their parents couldn't afford it. Kids make up reasons to save face. |
Dumb feedback. What I don't understand is the argument of the public schools being a hook is that some of these parents have the same HHI as I do so even if they are in a very mixed socioeconomic school - don't admissions see the parents are rich? Why is their public hardship a plus? |
No, just take my post at face value. There was nothing hidden behind the scenes. The weaker kids stayed in public, worked far less hard in high school and are now going to better colleges. I know the kids and the parents. |
You are completely ignoring the fact that the majority of T20 admits you are quoting have a hook of some kind. The problem with looking at these lists from the outside (and as someone with NO knowledge of the specific graduating class) is that you see this large amount of great outcomes as an attainable set. But if you don't have the hook (or often - multiple hooks) that those students had, your chances of admittance to these schools is MUCH lower. You need to remember that LOTS of kids at GDS (and Sidwell) have hooks. (This is not meant as a "woe is me", "its not fair" or any negativity at all....just the facts...) if you have a high achieving white child without hooks in these schools, you are likely to be set aside because there are MANY other strong students applying from your school that can provide ALL of the following - full pay, very strong gpa/testscores, AND an institutional priority. Also warning - for those of you Ivy degree folks - this might help but it might not if you don't ALSO have a second hook to add to the equation. And if you have just the legacy hook, your kid will ALSO need to be a stellar stats/ec kid. |
And you seem to be rather presumptuous in your assumption that I (the poster you are responding to) is from the "outside" and have no knowledge about this class. In an anonymous forum, that's quite an assumption. Equally problematic is the assumption that all of the kids with apparently great outcomes from this (or similar) school - more than 60% of the class - have what you call "hooks". You have also ignored the possibility that some of the so-called hooks are also spectacularly qualified students who would have gotten into the same colleges even with a different skin tone or ethnicity. Finally, I know of quite a few "high-achieving white kids" from this school and others, from both 2022 and 2023 graduating classes, who are going to excellent colleges. And many others who have done very well but whose parents seem to think they deserve better, which is also quite presumptuous on their part. |