Need Affirmative?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At a visit at one of the WASP schools last spring, the AO giving the info session mentioned that they were "need affirmative," suggesting that applicants with high financial need were given a boost in the admissions process. Does anyone have information or experience about this? I don't see how it would work if the school is, as they claim to be, "need blind," as they wouldn't even know who has high financial need. But maybe their version of "need blind" means that need won't hurt you, but it can help you.

Someone is lying or misunderstanding. The question is "who?"

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/07/24/upshot/ivy-league-elite-college-admissions.html


"
Some colleges are already doing what they call “need-affirmative admissions,” for the purpose of selecting more students from the low end of the income spectrum, though they often don’t publicly acknowledge it for fear of blowback.

There is a tool, Landscape from the College Board, to help determine if an applicant grew up in a neighborhood with significant privilege or adversity. But these colleges have no knowledge of parents’ income if students don’t apply for financial aid.
"

2-year old article is out of date. Landscape has been discontinued.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At a visit at one of the WASP schools last spring, the AO giving the info session mentioned that they were "need affirmative," suggesting that applicants with high financial need were given a boost in the admissions process. Does anyone have information or experience about this? I don't see how it would work if the school is, as they claim to be, "need blind," as they wouldn't even know who has high financial need. But maybe their version of "need blind" means that need won't hurt you, but it can help you.

All of WASP claim to be need blind. Why not identify the school?

If schools aren't actually need-blind, they should own it.

I’m guessing it’s Williams. The term “need-blind” does not appear anywhere prominently on their website. It does on the site of Amherst, Swarthmore, and Pomona.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Logically, if someone has high need, they probably didn't have the resources, quality of education, support, or opportunities that applicants from rich families did. The child of lawyers in McLean shouldn't be judged by the same academic standards as the child of a single mother who never attended college from Anacostia. E.g., someone from that background who has a 1400 SAT score and a 3 on a few APs will probably do much better in college than the lawyer's kid with a 1550 and 5s on a dozen APs.

The actual data shows that SAT scores predict the same across SES. In other words, on average, a rich kid who scores a 1400 performs the same as a poor kid that scores a 1400.

I'd be interested in a citation. I am pro standardized test: They can uncover smart kids in poor schools, where straight As don't mean much.

But personally, I know that one of the reasons my kids had strong grades, test scores, and college admissions essays is that we provided them a lot of help, including nagging them to do their homework, explaining math to them, and so on. A kid who did somewhat worse (but still well) without any parental help, or while holding down a job or taking care of a younger sibling, is much harder working and probably smarter than my kids and will likely do much better in college. Of course, that doesn't mean accepting kids who are really unprepared.