Evaluating kids in the context of their specific high school peer group

[Anonymous]

This post is so funny to me. I already posted I got it. I now wish people had to state whether they did or not when they post so I can gauge where they are at in all this lol.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I followed it all, I must be in too deep with the madness!

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To OP: what are you talking about? You vomit words at us and expect immediate understanding. What is this?

YCBK Jan 8 2024 had good new info.

This is a just a string of letters and numbers? What is YCBK?????

Your College Bound Kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I followed it all, I must be in too deep with the madness!

Same here. I thank the OP for posting this for us; I want to listen to the podcast now. There are some insights I want more details on.

[Anonymous]

I don't know why people who don't get it need to bash the OP. Try googling it first! It's like the people who say, "I've never heard of that school; it must be bad." Often, it says a lot more about you than it does about the school. Come in with curiosity instead of attacking people. OP was trying to be helpful. I think there are a lot of trolls in this forum who like to stir things up.

I understood you, OP. And, if you are a regular listener to YCBK, your notes will make even more sense. I haven't listened to this one yet, but based on your summary, I will listen later today.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is such a nonsensical mix of rambles.

Ditto. Hopefully, mom is not " helping" with essays.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know why people who don't get it need to bash the OP. Try googling it first! It's like the people who say, "I've never heard of that school; it must be bad." Often, it says a lot more about you than it does about the school. Come in with curiosity instead of attacking people. OP was trying to be helpful. I think there are a lot of trolls in this forum who like to stir things up.

I understood you, OP. And, if you are a regular listener to YCBK, your notes will make even more sense. I haven't listened to this one yet, but based on your summary, I will listen later today.

Exactly and even if you haven’t heard of YCBK, using context clues most should have been discernible if you’re not new to the scene.

[Anonymous]

YCBK or Your College Bound Kid is a very popular podcast discussing the topic of college admissions.

Their latest episode was discussing a question from a parent listener who was asking whether college admission committees took the rigor of the school curriculum - vs that of other high schools - into account when rating students academic achievements. The discussion led to the type of elements that applications are judged on and the OP was focusing on a few of the non-obvious / not publicized ones. Having just listened to the episode, what she wrote makes perfect sense. For those that did not, I can see how it needs a little framework to digest properly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:YCBK or Your College Bound Kid is a very popular podcast discussing the topic of college admissions.

Their latest episode was discussing a question from a parent listener who was asking whether college admission committees took the rigor of the school curriculum - vs that of other high schools - into account when rating students academic achievements. The discussion led to the type of elements that applications are judged on and the OP was focusing on a few of the non-obvious / not publicized ones. Having just listened to the episode, what she wrote makes perfect sense. For those that did not, I can see how it needs a little framework to digest properly.

This makes so much more sense. Thank you!

[Anonymous]

I had never heard of the podcast but I went and looked it up and listened to one episode (not the one OP mentioned).

It was helpful, but between the callers in the podcast and the vibe of OP’s post, I can’t help but think of two college tour guides we recently had at selective schools who both ended their tours by telling us that they had chosen this school because their moms told them to. Not even kidding. This whole process has become such an all-consuming hobby for parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had never heard of the podcast but I went and looked it up and listened to one episode (not the one OP mentioned).

It was helpful, but between the callers in the podcast and the vibe of OP’s post, I can’t help but think of two college tour guides we recently had at selective schools who both ended their tours by telling us that they had chosen this school because their moms told them to. Not even kidding. This whole process has become such an all-consuming hobby for parents.

What do you think this forum-topic is?

[Anonymous]

The point on yielding makes me think yield protection is real based on your applicant profile (and especially your high school).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had never heard of the podcast but I went and looked it up and listened to one episode (not the one OP mentioned).

It was helpful, but between the callers in the podcast and the vibe of OP’s post, I can’t help but think of two college tour guides we recently had at selective schools who both ended their tours by telling us that they had chosen this school because their moms told them to. Not even kidding. This whole process has become such an all-consuming hobby for parents.

What do you think this forum-topic is?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I followed it all, I must be in too deep with the madness!

same

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It was helpful, but between the callers in the podcast and the vibe of OP’s post, I can’t help but think of two college tour guides we recently had at selective schools who both ended their tours by telling us that they had chosen this school because their moms told them to. Not even kidding. This whole process has become such an all-consuming hobby for parents.

Well, YCBK tries to promote "fit" and "making the most of your college experience" as goals for applicants to strive for, and to not overemphasize "prestige" as a factor. However, a lot of their audience does have "highly popular" schools on their lists so perhaps that's why their content has a slant or tone that you detected. Back in the day, they originally focused on getting admissions and application information to people that didn't have the same kind of access to advice that other families might have.

Occasionally, they discuss topics that many schools and counselors don't publicly air often. One of these topics is demonstrated interest, another is the role of testing (as well as how testing is leveraged). These are interesting topics, especially if one is interested in a school but is wondering if they should spend the time and money to visit campus, or what score is "good enough" coming from Awesome Feeder School vs Humble Hardworking School. While a lot of people think this is pandering to those aiming for the popular schools, it also does make a difference to those applying to a midrange/upper midrange school with a 3.5 gpa and 1380 sat. Is that good enough coming from Awesome Feeder School? Since this episode was trying to discuss this topic, it is kind of interesting... even if you are aiming for Wisconsin or Indiana or Occidental or Chapman or UFlorida or UMiami...