Sara Harberson Application Nation

[Anonymous]

If Sara is so good why did her daughter go to Dickinson?

[Anonymous]

Because Dickinson was likely a good fit for her child.

[Anonymous]

I had this thought also; however, we don't know how Dickinson compares with her child's abilities. Perhaps Dickinson was a reach for her daughter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wait, what exactly did AN do? This post is weird.

You addressed this to me. She has these Zoom calls where she talks about how AOs evaluate applications. She should know as she was an AO.

One of the first things she addressed was the school profile. Something we had never heard of. So I dug ours up. Checked to make sure it was accurate and found the “mistake”!!! Had I not been in AN, I would not have known what a school profile was. Understanding the importance helped me advocate for it to be changed. I did not tell our school about SH/AN. After she mentioned it, I googled, found a book by another former AO that addressed the importance of the profile and then used the book in my talks with the school.


Jeff Selingo just had a talk about the importance of Math in college admissions. I haven’t watched it yet (have the link) but when a kid has gone beyond Calc BC, colleges love it! My kid only took BC as a senior. It was the hardest level of math in our school. The previous years, my kid took High Honors which is more rigorous than honors and weighted as such. According to the inaccurate school profile which forgot to mention High Honors Math, my kid had NOT taken most rigorous math offered by school - and as a stem major, would have been dinged by AOs. SH enlightened me about the importance and my kid was admitted to MIT and another HYPSM.

I hope that helps! Like I said, my kid had much more but I think showing colleges Math rigor was crucial to results.

I'm confused by what was the mistake. If your kid took Calc BC as a senior, wasn't that the most rigorous math offered? If High Honors Math is more rigorous than Calc BC, why would your kid take it before Calc BC?

Grades 9, 10 and 11 were High Honors Math, called Enriched Math at our school, and Grade 12 was AP Calc Bc.

School profile did not show Enriched Math at all. At most schools, Enriched is LOWER than Honors so the kids who took it were SOL — without the school profile showing the higher weighting for Enriched as it did in previous years, it looked like they had taken the lower math for 3 years and suddenly switched to AP Calculus AB/BC in 12th.

Just a really bizarre situation that should never have happened! Of course they should never have named it Enriched Math but again most parents don’t understand this stuff. And my family is done with Enriched Math so we do not care!

I get it now. That's a dumb name. Not sure why your school has to be all creative and can't call the same classes Algebra 2, Pre-Calc, and Calc AB, which is what they are called at most public schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If Sara is so good why did her daughter go to Dickinson?

I asked that last year and got dumped on. Of course it is something a little strange. What “she” accomplishes personally (for her kid) is a reflection of what she can accomplish for other kids. No different from who the kids of plastic surgeons, SAT tutors, dermatologist, etc. show as their kids’ results.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If Sara is so good why did her daughter go to Dickinson?

I asked that last year and got dumped on. Of course it is something a little strange. What “she” accomplishes personally (for her kid) is a reflection of what she can accomplish for other kids. No different from who the kids of plastic surgeons, SAT tutors, dermatologist, etc. show as their kids’ results.

Not fair to dump on Sara’s daughter’s choice of school, when we don’t her, her strengths and her values. She’s her own person and will find her own way. Growing up in the shadow of well-known, affluent parents has its own challenges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If Sara is so good why did her daughter go to Dickinson?

I asked that last year and got dumped on. Of course it is something a little strange. What “she” accomplishes personally (for her kid) is a reflection of what she can accomplish for other kids. No different from who the kids of plastic surgeons, SAT tutors, dermatologist, etc. show as their kids’ results.

Good that you got dumped on The girl was a minor child at the time and should not be discussed specifically by name on this board. Also inappropriate to discuss now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If Sara is so good why did her daughter go to Dickinson?

Do better, please. This is an 18 or 19 year old you are talking about online.

[Anonymous]

As I mentioned above, it is a valid question. It is not a ding on Dickinson or the kid. It is a ding on a person and company selling expertise in an area where people are not paying her rates for the only reason of results.

[Anonymous]

It's not a valid question because you have no idea whether Dickinson was the best admissions outcome that could've been achieved under the circumstances (which are, as noted above, none of your business).

Do you think it's ever reasonable to expect admissions to a T20/T50/whatever school utilizing these services if the applicant is a poor student with bad test scores?

[Anonymous]

SH's entire focus is on schools ranked above T75. Every single thing about her is getting into colleges in the range of T75 to T200. If you don't believe me, believe her soundbite "America's college counselor". She is focussed on the market where majority of the people are going to school and they are not T75.

So some of her advice is actively positively determinantal to T20 schools.

[Anonymous]

Why not Dickinson?

Sara was a counselor at a top school (Penn, wasn't it?) plus attended Hamilton and worked at F&M. I do believe she knows the business.

She probably realizes fit is most important, all these schools at a certain level (top 75 let's say. especially with SLACs) will prepare any kid well for their next step.

She probably realizes that anyone can get just a good education at Dickinson as one could get at a top ranked SLAC.

And it sounds like her daughter is doing well at Dickinson so good for her.

[Anonymous]

In my experience she gives very good advice for a fraction of the cost of a private counselor.
Two in college now with great fits - thanks largely to AN advice

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why not Dickinson?

Sara was a counselor at a top school (Penn, wasn't it?) plus attended Hamilton and worked at F&M. I do believe she knows the business.

She probably realizes fit is most important, all these schools at a certain level (top 75 let's say. especially with SLACs) will prepare any kid well for their next step.

She probably realizes that anyone can get just a good education at Dickinson as one could get at a top ranked SLAC.

And it sounds like her daughter is doing well at Dickinson so good for her.

Agree…except some kids don’t want a T75 school and would be unhappy if that was the choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If Sara is so good why did her daughter go to Dickinson?

I asked that last year and got dumped on. Of course it is something a little strange. What “she” accomplishes personally (for her kid) is a reflection of what she can accomplish for other kids. No different from who the kids of plastic surgeons, SAT tutors, dermatologist, etc. show as their kids’ results.

This is a vile perspective so I’m glad you got dumped on. Do you see the role of the private counselor as “helping” the student get into the most prestigious school possible, or providing guidance and managing expectations in what is a complicated and daunting process to the uninitiated? You and plenty others on this board would say the former, so I hope you all feel good about buying your kid a spot at whatever school you think is “prestigious” enough. The counselor’s role should be to help the kid put their best foot forward. Not every kid’s foot lands in Cambridge or Palo Alto. And none of even think to consider what personal choices may have motivated that decision like a merit award or proximity to home. I’m not really a SH person but for gods sake leave her kid out of it.