A tale of two worlds

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here are two parents.

Parent A sent their child to the most rigorous and best regarded private school.

Parent B sent their child to the local public with 5/10 rating.

Both kids take the most rigorous classes. Both get As. But Parent A’s kid has to work very hard, even has to get tutoring in some areas. Parent B’s kid gets As effortlessly, he spends very little time studying.

Parent A’s kid does math team and a varsity sport, competitions and tournaments. They volunteer on regular basis.

Parent B’s kid does school band and spends his free time on video games. In the summer they work a little at a fast food restaurant to make money for video games.

Both kids have the same amount of APs.

Both kids have the same ACT score of 34. But kid A had to slave to prep for it while the kid B just walked in and got it without any prep.

Kid A will doubtfully be on very top of his class because the peers are overachievers and the competition is tough.

Kid B will most likely be on top of his class because it’s a low performing school and his grades are exceptional.

The questions are:
1) Who will get admitted to a selective college, and
2) Why was parent A so stupid to invest so much money and time to get into the right school, find the right tutors, coaches, ACT prep, etc.

So what you are saying is that Kid A has rich parents who can afford to put him in special sports programs (which is how he got good enough to make the varsity team) elite private school, and multiple expensive tutors, while kid B WORKS a job and does not have all the "best that money can buy!"
And people are critical of kid B?

He’s working for his video games….
Not to feed the family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Both will end up working for a C student from a top tier fraternity who spent most of his time socializing and networking.

Not anymore. This profile peaks at 22. While he gets a job way beyond what he actually deserves right out of college, he goes sideways through his 20s cycling through glorified sales roles every 18 months and then downward trajectory after that. He keeps up appearances but has nothing special to offer the workplace and stealthily lives off his parents’ diminished assets after they pass. He marries up to maintain lifestyle. College and educational investment was completely wasted on this guy. He is a hollow man.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Both will end up working for a C student from a top tier fraternity who spent most of his time socializing and networking.

This is true. And how life works.

Everyone here has always been playing the wrong game.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here are two parents.

Parent A sent their child to the most rigorous and best regarded private school.

Parent B sent their child to the local public with 5/10 rating.

Both kids take the most rigorous classes. Both get As. But Parent A’s kid has to work very hard, even has to get tutoring in some areas. Parent B’s kid gets As effortlessly, he spends very little time studying.

Parent A’s kid does math team and a varsity sport, competitions and tournaments. They volunteer on regular basis.

Parent B’s kid does school band and spends his free time on video games. In the summer they work a little at a fast food restaurant to make money for video games.

Both kids have the same amount of APs.

Both kids have the same ACT score of 34. But kid A had to slave to prep for it while the kid B just walked in and got it without any prep.

Kid A will doubtfully be on very top of his class because the peers are overachievers and the competition is tough.

Kid B will most likely be on top of his class because it’s a low performing school and his grades are exceptional.

The questions are:
1) Who will get admitted to a selective college, and
2) Why was parent A so stupid to invest so much money and time to get into the right school, find the right tutors, coaches, ACT prep, etc.

So what you are saying is that Kid A has rich parents who can afford to put him in special sports programs (which is how he got good enough to make the varsity team) elite private school, and multiple expensive tutors, while kid B WORKS a job and does not have all the "best that money can buy!"
And people are critical of kid B?

He’s working for his video games….
Not to feed the family.

And is kid A working at a fast food place for his varsity sport costs (including any rec leagues or lessons he got as a younger child that gave him the foundation to make the varsity team?) Or do rich mommy and daddy pay for it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You need to state what video games Kid B plays before we can answer.

Have heard AOs speak about kids who write essays about their video games….
It doesn’t end well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here are two parents.

Parent A sent their child to the most rigorous and best regarded private school.

Parent B sent their child to the local public with 5/10 rating.

Both kids take the most rigorous classes. Both get As. But Parent A’s kid has to work very hard, even has to get tutoring in some areas. Parent B’s kid gets As effortlessly, he spends very little time studying.

Parent A’s kid does math team and a varsity sport, competitions and tournaments. They volunteer on regular basis.

Parent B’s kid does school band and spends his free time on video games. In the summer they work a little at a fast food restaurant to make money for video games.

Both kids have the same amount of APs.

Both kids have the same ACT score of 34. But kid A had to slave to prep for it while the kid B just walked in and got it without any prep.

Kid A will doubtfully be on very top of his class because the peers are overachievers and the competition is tough.

Kid B will most likely be on top of his class because it’s a low performing school and his grades are exceptional.

The questions are:
1) Who will get admitted to a selective college, and
2) Why was parent A so stupid to invest so much money and time to get into the right school, find the right tutors, coaches, ACT prep, etc.

So what you are saying is that Kid A has rich parents who can afford to put him in special sports programs (which is how he got good enough to make the varsity team) elite private school, and multiple expensive tutors, while kid B WORKS a job and does not have all the "best that money can buy!"
And people are critical of kid B?

He’s working for his video games….
Not to feed the family.

And is kid A working at a fast food place for his varsity sport costs (including any rec leagues or lessons he got as a younger child that gave him the foundation to make the varsity team?) Or do rich mommy and daddy pay for it?

Barking up the wrong tree hon

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You need to state what video games Kid B plays before we can answer.

Have heard AOs speak about kids who write essays about their video games….
It doesn’t end well.

This.
Kid B should not mention the gaming unless he has other activities to back up his interests. Schools want active engaged vibrant students on campus, not ones sitting in their dorm rooms gaming in solitude. It’s actually a real issue.

[Anonymous]

Stop obsessing over other kids. Especially otjer imaginary kids. Especially when based on false scenarios.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kid B may have a better chance of getting into a high ranked college because they “stand out” at a mediocre school but will be less prepared to actually do well in college and may either flunk out or have to switch majors to an easier one.

Nope. Kid B got a 34 ACT with no prep. They’re intrinsically smart. They’ve already got what it takes, no tutors/prep/tiger parenting necessary. This kid will do well no matter where s/he goes to college. And I bet his/her parents are smart enough to know that and not blow 300k on college.

Kid B for the win.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here are two parents.

Parent A sent their child to the most rigorous and best regarded private school.

Parent B sent their child to the local public with 5/10 rating.

Both kids take the most rigorous classes. Both get As. But Parent A’s kid has to work very hard, even has to get tutoring in some areas. Parent B’s kid gets As effortlessly, he spends very little time studying.

Parent A’s kid does math team and a varsity sport, competitions and tournaments. They volunteer on regular basis.

Parent B’s kid does school band and spends his free time on video games. In the summer they work a little at a fast food restaurant to make money for video games.

Both kids have the same amount of APs.

Both kids have the same ACT score of 34. But kid A had to slave to prep for it while the kid B just walked in and got it without any prep.

Kid A will doubtfully be on very top of his class because the peers are overachievers and the competition is tough.

Kid B will most likely be on top of his class because it’s a low performing school and his grades are exceptional.

The questions are:
1) Who will get admitted to a selective college, and
2) Why was parent A so stupid to invest so much money and time to get into the right school, find the right tutors, coaches, ACT prep, etc.

College admissions are too unpredictable to opine on 1).

But as to 2, even assuming arguendo B has better chance at a selective college, A will end up at a perfectly good college and will have a much better foundation to succeed there than A will. So it wasn’t “stupid” for A’s parent to go that route. For some of us, getting into an elite college is not and end in and of itself. It’s really more about the education and preparation. I’d gladly sacrifice 50 ranking points on USNWR for a more rigorous, better college preparatory HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Both will get in.

Kid B will have a hard time keeping up with Kid A.

Kid A's parent will get Kid A better summer internships.

Kid B will go home for the summer and flip burgers again.

Kid A may have better luck finding a prestige job after graduation.

Kid B will have some trouble getting foot in door but will eventually figure life out.

Kid A will repeat the high-cost, high-intensity parenting they were exposed to. At some point Kid A and or their kid may need mental health meds.

Kid B will have a lower life earning trajectory but will be happier for being kept off a tread mill. Kid B will employ a similar parenting style to parents. As a result, their kid may need to drop down 1 level of college selectivity due to increased application pressure on tippy top schools.

There will be no DCUM by then.

The End!

Like the green beret from the other thread?

[Anonymous]

The funny thing is that they'll probably end up doing similar jobs for similar pay.

Unless kid A's parents are super connected, which you haven't mentioned.

[Anonymous]

Super prepped 34 v. unprepared 34? I wonder who's going to do better in diffeqs...

That aside, parents of A didn't know that A was mediocre. They aimed for and could afford a school with a higher ceiling, in the off chance that their kid could reach that ceiling.

[Anonymous]

Neither gets in, obviously.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Both will end up working for a C student from a top tier fraternity who spent most of his time socializing and networking.

C students socializing and networking among themselves?
Hoping one of them has a super rich dad??