Do you know a kid who was screwed in the college process in last few years?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m flabbergasted that anyone believes there is a committee room with AOs dutifully discussing candidates, carefully pouring over applications, hand selecting those golden nuggets whose stories bring warmth to their hearts. Parents of kids that got in thinking their kids crafted a cohesive story that resonated above all others while parents of kids who didn’t get in bemoan not focusing on a different angle in the essay.

People this is all being done with enrollment management software, consultants, and temporary workers checking off boxes in a rubric while watching White Lotus or YouTube videos of dancing pandas. AI is now being used in some software and I guarantee it will increase fast. Some enrollment management software packages even target admits before they apply grabbing data you didn’t think was part of the equation.

Universities are not transparent about this because they understand how it would be received.

Anyone listen to the most recent YCBK podcast?

“I have a question about AI being used in college admissions. I recently came from a presentation where the presenter talked about AI tools are being used for application screening, the interview process and decision support. For example, they said that AI tools are employed to efficiently review and analyze application materials such as transcript, recommendation letters and personal essays helping admissions officers manage their large volumes of applications.

He also said some institutions utilize AI-powered chatbots to conduct preliminary interviews or to transcribe and analyze interviews with applicants aiming to streamline the evaluation process. And he also said that AI models assist in predicting applicant success by analyzing various data points, thereby supporting admissions decisions and potentially reducing reliance on standardized test scores.”

“I think it would be really helpful for reading transcripts. We have a lot of human power. There are probably four or five people in our office who are full-time transcript evaluators.

If you're reading a transcript that is really straightforward, like a public school that has an AB or AP or IB curriculum, you don't really need a human to review that transcript. That should be done by AI because that frees us up to do the more important work of understanding students. I guess what I'm saying is I don't think we should be fearful of it.

One thing that I have heard from reps who are using AI is how cautious they're being with it and that they're double-checking everything and that it's a way for them to narrow down the pool so that they can better use the time and manpower that they have to do the really important work. And even if that is reviewing essays, there are some times when I have read a whole essay and I'm having a hard time understanding it, and I will copy and paste it into ChatGPT and say, can you give me a summary of this[…]”


From Your College Bound Kid | Admission Tips, Admission Trends & Admission Interviews: How Are Admissions Offices Using AI to Evaluate Students, May 14, 2025

If they're using AI to assess students, I'm more sympathetic to students using AI to write applications. AI is then envaluating AI.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I really think if schools went back to having class rank, college decisions would make a lot more sense to parents.

Not really. You’re not competing against kids from your school but from schools across the country. Being ranked in the top 10 at your school guarantees nothing. Harvard rejects countless valedictorians.

Moreover, the rank will be determined purely by gpa but admissions is determined by much more. If a lower ranked kid at your school got into a better college, then that kid had something else (ECs, essay, whatever) but that higher-ranked kids parents will still be big mad about it.

Incorrect, you are always competing first with other applicants from your school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I really think if schools went back to having class rank, college decisions would make a lot more sense to parents.

Not really. You’re not competing against kids from your school but from schools across the country. Being ranked in the top 10 at your school guarantees nothing. Harvard rejects countless valedictorians.

Moreover, the rank will be determined purely by gpa but admissions is determined by much more. If a lower ranked kid at your school got into a better college, then that kid had something else (ECs, essay, whatever) but that higher-ranked kids parents will still be big mad about it.

Incorrect, you are always competing first with other applicants from your school.

Incorrect, you are competing with the entire country, especially to the most selective colleges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I really think if schools went back to having class rank, college decisions would make a lot more sense to parents.

Not really. You’re not competing against kids from your school but from schools across the country. Being ranked in the top 10 at your school guarantees nothing. Harvard rejects countless valedictorians.

Moreover, the rank will be determined purely by gpa but admissions is determined by much more. If a lower ranked kid at your school got into a better college, then that kid had something else (ECs, essay, whatever) but that higher-ranked kids parents will still be big mad about it.

Incorrect, you are always competing first with other applicants from your school.

Incorrect, you are competing with the entire country, especially to the most selective colleges.

DP

Yes you are competing with the entire world. But the first filter is you are going to be compared with your own HS peers. If you do not make this cut, everything is mute.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I really think if schools went back to having class rank, college decisions would make a lot more sense to parents.

Not really. You’re not competing against kids from your school but from schools across the country. Being ranked in the top 10 at your school guarantees nothing. Harvard rejects countless valedictorians.

Moreover, the rank will be determined purely by gpa but admissions is determined by much more. If a lower ranked kid at your school got into a better college, then that kid had something else (ECs, essay, whatever) but that higher-ranked kids parents will still be big mad about it.

Incorrect, you are always competing first with other applicants from your school.

Incorrect, you are competing with the entire country, especially to the most selective colleges.

DP

Yes you are competing with the entire world. But the first filter is you are going to be compared with your own HS peers. If you do not make this cut, everything is mute.

Okay. It's an intensely competitive, cutthroat, rat race. It continues once you get there. It's not for everyone but it works some people and that's okay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:25% of Asian kids score 1400+ on the SAT.

Only 4% of White and 1% of Hispanic and Black kids do.

Asians are underrepresented at elite schools given their high grades and board scores.

It's almost better to be an Asian who doesn't score well, middling academics but raises truffle sniffing pigs or builds racing yachts. An Asian stereotype is an automatic ding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I really think if schools went back to having class rank, college decisions would make a lot more sense to parents.

Not really. You’re not competing against kids from your school but from schools across the country. Being ranked in the top 10 at your school guarantees nothing. Harvard rejects countless valedictorians.

Moreover, the rank will be determined purely by gpa but admissions is determined by much more. If a lower ranked kid at your school got into a better college, then that kid had something else (ECs, essay, whatever) but that higher-ranked kids parents will still be big mad about it.

Incorrect, you are always competing first with other applicants from your school.

This be true.
Two kids in NYC selective high schools. If you could look at the Naviance for these schools... one of my children's middle school classmates opted for a non-competitive high school just so they could end up graduating top of the class. That strategy worked out well. I wish I had been that savvy for my kids.

[Anonymous]

Every single student that went to a school that continues to drop in the rankings like Tufts, WFU, Tulane, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:25% of Asian kids score 1400+ on the SAT.

Only 4% of White and 1% of Hispanic and Black kids do.

Asians are underrepresented at elite schools given their high grades and board scores.

It's almost better to be an Asian who doesn't score well, middling academics but raises truffle sniffing pigs or builds racing yachts. An Asian stereotype is an automatic ding.

💯 accurate this cycle for the kids we know

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:25% of Asian kids score 1400+ on the SAT.

Only 4% of White and 1% of Hispanic and Black kids do.

Asians are underrepresented at elite schools given their high grades and board scores.

It's almost better to be an Asian who doesn't score well, middling academics but raises truffle sniffing pigs or builds racing yachts. An Asian stereotype is an automatic ding.

I don't know that a class full of students that score well is a richer environment and one that includes pig farmers and boat builders. And I don't think it matters whether the pig Farmers, the boat builders or the test takers are Asian or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:25% of Asian kids score 1400+ on the SAT.

Only 4% of White and 1% of Hispanic and Black kids do.

Asians are underrepresented at elite schools given their high grades and board scores.

It's almost better to be an Asian who doesn't score well, middling academics but raises truffle sniffing pigs or builds racing yachts. An Asian stereotype is an automatic ding.

I don't know that a class full of students that score well is a richer environment and one that includes pig farmers and boat builders. And I don't think it matters whether the pig Farmers, the boat builders or the test takers are Asian or not.

Agree, except, pig farmers and boat builders are all manufactured by admissions consultants or parents.

The AO's seem to have essentially given up, and now they seem to think "we know 90% of them fake, but if we take 100 pig farmers, boat makers, etc. 10 of them might be true".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:25% of Asian kids score 1400+ on the SAT.

Only 4% of White and 1% of Hispanic and Black kids do.

Asians are underrepresented at elite schools given their high grades and board scores.

It's almost better to be an Asian who doesn't score well, middling academics but raises truffle sniffing pigs or builds racing yachts. An Asian stereotype is an automatic ding.

I don't know that a class full of students that score well is a richer environment and one that includes pig farmers and boat builders. And I don't think it matters whether the pig Farmers, the boat builders or the test takers are Asian or not.

Agree, except, pig farmers and boat builders are all manufactured by admissions consultants or parents.

The AO's seem to have essentially given up, and now they seem to think "we know 90% of them fake, but if we take 100 pig farmers, boat makers, etc. 10 of them might be true".

Plenty of young people have interests that they pursue. Stop hanging out with b******* artists and get to know some young people with integrity

[Anonymous]

The number of fake charities that were set up and continue to be set up, show the enduring power of these.

On the other hand, even if the parents and grandparents are the ones doing the work, society does benefit from these charities, even if they are only of 3.5 years duration.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Every single student that went to a school that continues to drop in the rankings like Tufts, WFU, Tulane, etc.

This doesn’t matter, in a year or two they’ll change the rankings again, and the 20 to 50 rankings will be completely different. Certainly the dei factors won’t stay in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I really think if schools went back to having class rank, college decisions would make a lot more sense to parents.

Not really. You’re not competing against kids from your school but from schools across the country. Being ranked in the top 10 at your school guarantees nothing. Harvard rejects countless valedictorians.

Moreover, the rank will be determined purely by gpa but admissions is determined by much more. If a lower ranked kid at your school got into a better college, then that kid had something else (ECs, essay, whatever) but that higher-ranked kids parents will still be big mad about it.

Incorrect, you are always competing first with other applicants from your school.

Incorrect, you are competing with the entire country, especially to the most selective colleges.

DP

Yes you are competing with the entire world. But the first filter is you are going to be compared with your own HS peers. If you do not make this cut, everything is mute.

Nah. A school that has tens of thousands of applications is simply not going to make separate piles of applications by high school and make its first cut decision by comparing the applicants within each pile.