Ivy League results so far? who is making it in?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These schools are always several steps ahead, just when you think you figured out their formula, they flip the script. They are looking for genuine intellectual ability, rare talent and kids who are not "created" by parents and college consultants. They have their ways of figuring this out. It's less about the schools they come from, once you pass the academic bar, the rest weighs a lot more.

HYP grad here. The top schools stay a few steps ahead but you’d be surprised at how many kids without ultra-rare talents figure out the formula and make it in.

Hence the influx of recent Water Polo "enthusiasts".

I live in California and water polo is like religion out here. Trust me, there is no shortage of great players. East coast poseurs will not fool anyone.

True, but East coast teams are not going to recruit 100% of the team from CA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This athlete thing at Ivy's and other top schools is very frustrating. I'm happy for the girl who is an athlete and got into Penn, but my DS had very similar stats (actually higher test scores) and is well rounded with strong extracurriculars in music and sports (just not a top athlete) plus is a legacy. You would think that schools care more about well rounded, bright students than whether or not you are a top athlete. Sorry, guess it's sour grapes, but Ivy's don't even give athletic scholarships, though they clearly they find a way to make it work for athletes who they want to recruit.

I'm not sure why you find this frustrating. The Ivies (not Ivy's, btw) recognize that, generally speaking, it is much more difficult and takes much more dedication/hard work to become an elite athlete than to be "well rounded." I can also guarantee you that recruited athletes at Ivies are "bright," just like your DS. I would think (as many others, I'm sure) that Ivies would rather have a student who was able to become an elite athlete while also succeeding in school than a student who may have had slightly better stats with run-of-the mill ECs. Honestly, I think this is a no brainer.

+1 Very well said, PP.

U would be surprised how many athletes at Ivies are not that bright....same w donor $$$ kids

This is true. More so for the donors than the athletes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These schools are always several steps ahead, just when you think you figured out their formula, they flip the script. They are looking for genuine intellectual ability, rare talent and kids who are not "created" by parents and college consultants. They have their ways of figuring this out. It's less about the schools they come from, once you pass the academic bar, the rest weighs a lot more.

HYP grad here. The top schools stay a few steps ahead but you’d be surprised at how many kids without ultra-rare talents figure out the formula and make it in.

Hence the influx of recent Water Polo "enthusiasts".

I live in California and water polo is like religion out here. Trust me, there is no shortage of great players. East coast poseurs will not fool anyone.

True, but East coast teams are not going to recruit 100% of the team from CA.

https://www.gocrimson.com/sports/mwaterpolo/2018-19/roster - 13 California, 2 NJ, 1 CT, 1 TX
https://www.gocrimson.com/sports/wwaterpolo/2017-18/roster - 9 CA, 3 FL, 1 IL, 1 Canada
https://goprincetontigers.com/roster.aspx?roster=2488&path=mwpolo - 17 CA, 1 MD, 1 DC, 1 Jamaica, 1 PA, 1 TX
https://goprincetontigers.com/roster.aspx?roster=2498&path=wwpolo 15 CA, 1 MD, 1 CT, 1 FL

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter made it into Harvard yesterday. Public School, top of class, musician in a national ensemble.

Congrats!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Anonymous]

I'm the white mom of a white kid, and I'm a little tired of all the sniping about Ivy League affirmative action.

Affirmative action is at least as important for the white kids in a school as it is for the URM kids.

Our children may never have to do complicated math when they grow up. They may not have to read novels or poetry for work, or know what atoms are in a methane molecule. But they will all have to interact with different kinds of people. Being able to do that well could be a matter of life or death. In a country like the United States, intentionally operating monocultural schools is a grave mistake.

[Anonymous]

This thread. 13 pages. For exactly 9 first-hand accounts of who got in.

Of those 9, we had:
2 recruited athletes (Penn and Brown)
2 national musical ensemble members (Harvard and Yale)
1 legacy (Cornell)
4 "regular" kids
: 1 had a 3.96 and 35 ACT (Penn)
: 1 had 1580 SAT, 2 800 SAT IIs and is top student tho not ranked (Yale)
: 1 4.2/4.0 gpa, 35 Act 800 780, 770 (Yale)
: 1 undefined (Yale)

I think that’s actually a pretty good snapshot. 22% athletes, 11% legacy. And it shows that you have to be the very tip-top kid in your class with impeccable scores to have a shot.

Again, I’m talking about actual first-hand accounts from this year, from people who know. Not a bunch of gossip or BS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread. 13 pages. For exactly 9 first-hand accounts of who got in.

Of those 9, we had:
2 recruited athletes (Penn and Brown)
2 national musical ensemble members (Harvard and Yale)
1 legacy (Cornell)
4 "regular" kids
: 1 had a 3.96 and 35 ACT (Penn)
: 1 had 1580 SAT, 2 800 SAT IIs and is top student tho not ranked (Yale)
: 1 4.2/4.0 gpa, 35 Act 800 780, 770 (Yale)
: 1 undefined (Yale)

I think that’s actually a pretty good snapshot. 22% athletes, 11% legacy. And it shows that you have to be the very tip-top kid in your class with impeccable scores to have a shot.

Again, I’m talking about actual first-hand accounts from this year, from people who know. Not a bunch of gossip or BS.

Out of 120 kids:
19 to Harvard (mostly athletes and $$$)
17 to Dartmouth (mostly athletes and legacies)
3 to Penn (legacies and $$$)

What people don’t realize is one out of every 4 Dartmouth student is an athlete. These schools want to check off as many boxes as possible per admitted kid. So if a kid is legacy plus a very high caliber athlete w decent grades, they are in. If they are URM plus play a musical instrument in the orchestra, check. Even better if full pay. So it goes....your chances are much better if you can tick many boxes esp the athlete box if you don’t have money. Legacy doesn’t count as much unless accompanied by other circumstances - family legacy going back generations, $$$, etc

[Anonymous]

What school is this, allegedly?

Also, this is not first-hand info in any meaningful way

[Anonymous]

No school in DMV sends more than 3-5 kids to Harvard

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No school in DMV sends more than 3-5 kids to Harvard

Some years the big three schools do send more than 5 kids to Harvard

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Potomac has a lot of insanely wealthy high tech families so per usual, there are probably a few legacies/high stakes donors in that number and maybe an athlete as well. And all also have to show a baseline of being pretty smart.

My kid is at Potomac. Yes wealthy families. But several of the patriarchs of the top families in terms of wealth, went to GW, Indiana, etc. I knew/knew about three of the Harvard kids last year (of the four that were admitted) and one was an athlete but the others were just bright unhooked kids that did super well and had good ECs.

What were their good ECs?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No school in DMV sends more than 3-5 kids to Harvard

Some years the big three schools do send more than 5 kids to Harvard

Exactly
No 1 school is sending 20 kids to Harvard.
Not TJ
Not GDS
Not even Andover

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No school in DMV sends more than 3-5 kids to Harvard

Some years the big three schools do send more than 5 kids to Harvard

Exactly
No 1 school is sending 20 kids to Harvard.
Not TJ
Not GDS
Not even Andover

You are not correct. I think some schools in the Boston areas do send 20 kids to Harvard in a good year (not any big three and not TJ). For example, Boston Latin had 22 kids accepted at Harvard last year. (93 graduates have attended from 2015-2018) https://www.bls.org/ourpages/auto/2013/5/24/55204166/College%20Acceptances%20Class%20of%202018.pdf But big individual 3s do send over 5 per year in a good year (small classes high percentage of kids at private elites). If you want your kid to go to a top school/elite private TJ is a risky proposition (big class, very difficult to be at the top, few acceptances percentage wise at top schools, hard for applicant to stand out).

[Anonymous]

I’m from Boston. Keep in mind that many Harvard professors live there too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m from Boston. Keep in mind that many Harvard professors live there too.

I am from Boston too! DC is in private (2nd tier) and have heard Nobles having a great admission year to Ivies.