Fighting for Fractions .. roughly 2% of college students go to a "top 30" school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why is everyone fighting so hard to get their kids into a "top 30-ish" school?

Less than 5% of college students attend a top 50 college. About 2.4% of college students in the US attend a top 30 college. Roughly 1% attend a "top 20" college. What is the point in fighting to be such a tiny fraction of college students.

For internships and jobs after. For grad school, medical and law school placement. For the contacts one makes at such places.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:US is designed around the idea of competition and freedom to compete. Everyone gets a chance to wrestle to the top of the heap, instead of being forced to stay lower class or upper class.

That’s not true. Most Ivy League schools and other top colleges are disproportionately filled with wealthy students, which shows how wealth and power tend to remain concentrated among those who already have them. Many high-achieving students are denied admission not because of a lack of merit, but because they lack advantages such as influence, legacy status, or institutional “hooks.” The admissions system is not fair, nor is it a level playing field.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is everyone fighting so hard to get their kids into a "top 30-ish" school?

Less than 5% of college students attend a top 50 college. About 2.4% of college students in the US attend a top 30 college. Roughly 1% attend a "top 20" college. What is the point in fighting to be such a tiny fraction of college students.

Simple math: 2-3% go to the top30ish. Most parents with top 20% kids think their kids are top 2-3% and thus entitled to it. Grade inflation has made the problem much worse, when 10-15% of students at many high schools graduate with 4.0uw, over 50% with 4.0+ Weighted. 25-30 years ago, one kid maybe two would have 4.0uw.
Same with the Top10/ivy, under 1% of college students attend: Most parents with top 10% kids think they are top1% and thus entitled to a spot. Factor in hooked spots and unless you are truly a 99%ile kid you have no realistic shot nor would the school be a great fit. If parents were able to more accurately assess where their student stood relative to the pool it would cause less wasted reaching.
As a parent with a 99.9%ile kid, top everything academically+creative, as well as a 98%ile kid as well as a 92-93rd%ile kid, the difference between their academic potential is clear, despite the fact that all qualified for at least some portion of the academically gifted and talented program in our public schools. We moved to private for 4th-6th-7th and all were tracked into different math groups and the differences were suddenly very apparent.

This is compounded by children's activities. Most parents think that their children have outstanding EC activities which sets them apart. In most cases they don't. How many times do parents say that their kids have leadership positions? When in reality they are president of a club with 10 kids in it and that there are over 50 clubs in high school. Or they have a non-profit which the parents started and run for their kid.

These parents also think that their kid has a great essay. They probably don't.

[Anonymous]

Kids who are in top tracks in grade school and middle school may not be at the top of the class by senior year of high school. It’s premature for most parents to think they have a top 1%er in the earlier grades

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is everyone fighting so hard to get their kids into a "top 30-ish" school?

Less than 5% of college students attend a top 50 college. About 2.4% of college students in the US attend a top 30 college. Roughly 1% attend a "top 20" college. What is the point in fighting to be such a tiny fraction of college students.

Simple math: 2-3% go to the top30ish. Most parents with top 20% kids think their kids are top 2-3% and thus entitled to it. Grade inflation has made the problem much worse, when 10-15% of students at many high schools graduate with 4.0uw, over 50% with 4.0+ Weighted. 25-30 years ago, one kid maybe two would have 4.0uw.
Same with the Top10/ivy, under 1% of college students attend: Most parents with top 10% kids think they are top1% and thus entitled to a spot. Factor in hooked spots and unless you are truly a 99%ile kid you have no realistic shot nor would the school be a great fit. If parents were able to more accurately assess where their student stood relative to the pool it would cause less wasted reaching.
As a parent with a 99.9%ile kid, top everything academically+creative, as well as a 98%ile kid as well as a 92-93rd%ile kid, the difference between their academic potential is clear, despite the fact that all qualified for at least some portion of the academically gifted and talented program in our public schools. We moved to private for 4th-6th-7th and all were tracked into different math groups and the differences were suddenly very apparent.

This is compounded by children's activities. Most parents think that their children have outstanding EC activities which sets them apart. In most cases they don't. How many times do parents say that their kids have leadership positions? When in reality they are president of a club with 10 kids in it and that there are over 50 clubs in high school. Or they have a non-profit which the parents started and run for their kid.

These parents also think that their kid has a great essay. They probably don't.

Literally everyone thinks their kid has a great essay that made admissions officers cry. I've seen that posted so many times, you'd think AOs were sitting around wringing out handkerchiefs.
99% of T30 admit essays are fine, and don't really move the needle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD found her people at her school. She is surrounded by fun, social kids who are smart and hard-working. They are at a rigorous school, so they all understand that people have to grind, and they’ll often study together in between meals and social activities. It has made it much easier to balance social life and studying because everyone understands and is in the same boat.

Exactly my ivy kid's experience.

FYI these experiences are also available at other schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is everyone fighting so hard to get their kids into a "top 30-ish" school?

Less than 5% of college students attend a top 50 college. About 2.4% of college students in the US attend a top 30 college. Roughly 1% attend a "top 20" college. What is the point in fighting to be such a tiny fraction of college students.

Simple math: 2-3% go to the top30ish. Most parents with top 20% kids think their kids are top 2-3% and thus entitled to it. Grade inflation has made the problem much worse, when 10-15% of students at many high schools graduate with 4.0uw, over 50% with 4.0+ Weighted. 25-30 years ago, one kid maybe two would have 4.0uw.
Same with the Top10/ivy, under 1% of college students attend: Most parents with top 10% kids think they are top1% and thus entitled to a spot. Factor in hooked spots and unless you are truly a 99%ile kid you have no realistic shot nor would the school be a great fit. If parents were able to more accurately assess where their student stood relative to the pool it would cause less wasted reaching.
As a parent with a 99.9%ile kid, top everything academically+creative, as well as a 98%ile kid as well as a 92-93rd%ile kid, the difference between their academic potential is clear, despite the fact that all qualified for at least some portion of the academically gifted and talented program in our public schools. We moved to private for 4th-6th-7th and all were tracked into different math groups and the differences were suddenly very apparent.

This is compounded by children's activities. Most parents think that their children have outstanding EC activities which sets them apart. In most cases they don't. How many times do parents say that their kids have leadership positions? When in reality they are president of a club with 10 kids in it and that there are over 50 clubs in high school. Or they have a non-profit which the parents started and run for their kid.

These parents also think that their kid has a great essay. They probably don't.

Literally everyone thinks their kid has a great essay that made admissions officers cry. I've seen that posted so many times, you'd think AOs were sitting around wringing out handkerchiefs.
99% of T30 admit essays are fine, and don't really move the needle.

Why do schools still request essays?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is everyone fighting so hard to get their kids into a "top 30-ish" school?

Less than 5% of college students attend a top 50 college. About 2.4% of college students in the US attend a top 30 college. Roughly 1% attend a "top 20" college. What is the point in fighting to be such a tiny fraction of college students.

Simple math: 2-3% go to the top30ish. Most parents with top 20% kids think their kids are top 2-3% and thus entitled to it. Grade inflation has made the problem much worse, when 10-15% of students at many high schools graduate with 4.0uw, over 50% with 4.0+ Weighted. 25-30 years ago, one kid maybe two would have 4.0uw.
Same with the Top10/ivy, under 1% of college students attend: Most parents with top 10% kids think they are top1% and thus entitled to a spot. Factor in hooked spots and unless you are truly a 99%ile kid you have no realistic shot nor would the school be a great fit. If parents were able to more accurately assess where their student stood relative to the pool it would cause less wasted reaching.
As a parent with a 99.9%ile kid, top everything academically+creative, as well as a 98%ile kid as well as a 92-93rd%ile kid, the difference between their academic potential is clear, despite the fact that all qualified for at least some portion of the academically gifted and talented program in our public schools. We moved to private for 4th-6th-7th and all were tracked into different math groups and the differences were suddenly very apparent.

This is compounded by children's activities. Most parents think that their children have outstanding EC activities which sets them apart. In most cases they don't. How many times do parents say that their kids have leadership positions? When in reality they are president of a club with 10 kids in it and that there are over 50 clubs in high school. Or they have a non-profit which the parents started and run for their kid.

These parents also think that their kid has a great essay. They probably don't.

Literally everyone thinks their kid has a great essay that made admissions officers cry. I've seen that posted so many times, you'd think AOs were sitting around wringing out handkerchiefs.
99% of T30 admit essays are fine, and don't really move the needle.

Why do schools still request essays?

yup, pointless unless you do it standardized testing style

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is everyone fighting so hard to get their kids into a "top 30-ish" school?

Less than 5% of college students attend a top 50 college. About 2.4% of college students in the US attend a top 30 college. Roughly 1% attend a "top 20" college. What is the point in fighting to be such a tiny fraction of college students.

Simple math: 2-3% go to the top30ish. Most parents with top 20% kids think their kids are top 2-3% and thus entitled to it. Grade inflation has made the problem much worse, when 10-15% of students at many high schools graduate with 4.0uw, over 50% with 4.0+ Weighted. 25-30 years ago, one kid maybe two would have 4.0uw.
Same with the Top10/ivy, under 1% of college students attend: Most parents with top 10% kids think they are top1% and thus entitled to a spot. Factor in hooked spots and unless you are truly a 99%ile kid you have no realistic shot nor would the school be a great fit. If parents were able to more accurately assess where their student stood relative to the pool it would cause less wasted reaching.
As a parent with a 99.9%ile kid, top everything academically+creative, as well as a 98%ile kid as well as a 92-93rd%ile kid, the difference between their academic potential is clear, despite the fact that all qualified for at least some portion of the academically gifted and talented program in our public schools. We moved to private for 4th-6th-7th and all were tracked into different math groups and the differences were suddenly very apparent.

This is compounded by children's activities. Most parents think that their children have outstanding EC activities which sets them apart. In most cases they don't. How many times do parents say that their kids have leadership positions? When in reality they are president of a club with 10 kids in it and that there are over 50 clubs in high school. Or they have a non-profit which the parents started and run for their kid.

These parents also think that their kid has a great essay. They probably don't.

Literally everyone thinks their kid has a great essay that made admissions officers cry. I've seen that posted so many times, you'd think AOs were sitting around wringing out handkerchiefs.
99% of T30 admit essays are fine, and don't really move the needle.

Why do schools still request essays?

Perhaps their days are numbered. I do love when people like to say that tests are biased but then you have the parents paying for expensive essay “editing”

[Anonymous]

Decades ago, I chose my alma mater—one of the so-called T10 schools in the U.S. News rankings—largely because of its location, not its ranking. At the time, perceptions of universities felt far more grounded than they do today. What I find puzzling now is why some people (perhaps Gen Z?) seem to believe that getting into a top school is the only path to a lucrative career. That certainly wasn’t the case in my day. Perhaps today’s economic conditions have turned college admissions into a rat race.

The real question is whether these rankings truly reflect our children’s talents or potential. I doubt they do. Yet some people treat a school’s name as a bragging right. The reality is that once you’re well into your career, no one cares where you went to school—it’s always about what you do with your life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is everyone fighting so hard to get their kids into a "top 30-ish" school?

Less than 5% of college students attend a top 50 college. About 2.4% of college students in the US attend a top 30 college. Roughly 1% attend a "top 20" college. What is the point in fighting to be such a tiny fraction of college students.

People like to be with their peers. 1% like to be with 1%, 5% be with 5%. 50%tile kids in a 1%tile environment would not be happy, and vis versa.

THIS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD found her people at her school. She is surrounded by fun, social kids who are smart and hard-working. They are at a rigorous school, so they all understand that people have to grind, and they’ll often study together in between meals and social activities. It has made it much easier to balance social life and studying because everyone understands and is in the same boat.

Exactly my ivy kid's experience.

We both know that your kids goes to Towson.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is everyone fighting so hard to get their kids into a "top 30-ish" school?

Less than 5% of college students attend a top 50 college. About 2.4% of college students in the US attend a top 30 college. Roughly 1% attend a "top 20" college. What is the point in fighting to be such a tiny fraction of college students.

Simple math: 2-3% go to the top30ish. Most parents with top 20% kids think their kids are top 2-3% and thus entitled to it. Grade inflation has made the problem much worse, when 10-15% of students at many high schools graduate with 4.0uw, over 50% with 4.0+ Weighted. 25-30 years ago, one kid maybe two would have 4.0uw.
Same with the Top10/ivy, under 1% of college students attend: Most parents with top 10% kids think they are top1% and thus entitled to a spot. Factor in hooked spots and unless you are truly a 99%ile kid you have no realistic shot nor would the school be a great fit. If parents were able to more accurately assess where their student stood relative to the pool it would cause less wasted reaching.
As a parent with a 99.9%ile kid, top everything academically+creative, as well as a 98%ile kid as well as a 92-93rd%ile kid, the difference between their academic potential is clear, despite the fact that all qualified for at least some portion of the academically gifted and talented program in our public schools. We moved to private for 4th-6th-7th and all were tracked into different math groups and the differences were suddenly very apparent.

This, I have the same and one needs to study a little bit, but not a ton, the other doesn't AT ALL, and thinks homework, for him, is a waste of time, an audiodact.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is everyone fighting so hard to get their kids into a "top 30-ish" school?

Less than 5% of college students attend a top 50 college. About 2.4% of college students in the US attend a top 30 college. Roughly 1% attend a "top 20" college. What is the point in fighting to be such a tiny fraction of college students.

People like to be with their peers. 1% like to be with 1%, 5% be with 5%. 50%tile kids in a 1%tile environment would not be happy, and vis versa.

What does this “percentile” even mean? People are not numbers nor AI.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:US is designed around the idea of competition and freedom to compete. Everyone gets a chance to wrestle to the top of the heap, instead of being forced to stay lower class or upper class.

That’s not true. Most Ivy League schools and other top colleges are disproportionately filled with wealthy students, which shows how wealth and power tend to remain concentrated among those who already have them. Many high-achieving students are denied admission not because of a lack of merit, but because they lack advantages such as influence, legacy status, or institutional “hooks.” The admissions system is not fair, nor is it a level playing field.

This is crap, every child born in the US has more of an advantage than most of the globe, if they don't take advantage of it, it's on their parents or them. Everyone has an opportunity to work hard to succeed.