For those that used connections, were they used at more than one school?

[Anonymous]

PP, you are spot on and I appreciate your honesty. Take it from a parent that went through the process this year, lean on those you know. No pride in the process; no shame in asking.

[Anonymous]

For all the people who will read this and panic that they don't have a "connection", we applied and got in everywhere with no connections at any of the schools. It can be done. Just to reiterate one other post, the connection does not make up for a deficit, but rather will keep you in a pile or be a tipping point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm compelled to jump into this thread. Why are people acting so surprised by this? Are they actually resisting the notion that connections and relationships assist people in getting into schools? Frankly it is absurd that people even debate this. It happens in every facet of life. Business, social, church, etc. Why would you ever think that school admissions is exempt from this? Please don't be so naive. Do you really think it is a perfectly fair, balanced playing field?

You don't have to like it. But don't kid yourself that this little piece of life works any differently than the rest of the world. People seem to be resentful of others because they have the means to be able deploy this tactic. I commend some of the posters for being forthright about one of the approaches that worked for them. I'm taking this input and adding it to my book of strategy to potentially use for next year. No one says you need to do this. And I'm sure there are plenty of kids that can gain acceptance without it. But don't resent posters for sharing what worked for them.

so, for the next twelve months you plan to only cultivate relationships with those who might help your child gain admission to some private school?
nice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For all the people who will read this and panic that they don't have a "connection", we applied and got in everywhere with no connections at any of the schools. It can be done. Just to reiterate one other post, the connection does not make up for a deficit, but rather will keep you in a pile or be a tipping point.

It does happen but it is tough to do so at the top 3 because of everyone using connections. My DC got into the one without connectins and our connection failed, but based on what everyone tells me, it definitely helps. And, if you have them, do nto forego them just because you think that you or your kids are special. That advice was given to me by two Harvard grads that had trouble getting their kids in until they reached out to their contacts. Sucks, but that is life.

[Anonymous]

Give up ladies and gents. The PP isn't getting it. Someone said it before when they said the world was passing them by...

[Anonymous]

PP, just relaying my experience. All true.

[Anonymous]

Well, I'm just glad I don't have connections so I don't have to feel that we're part of an exclusive club! I would feel genuinely uneasy about that. If I WAS connected, I would probably use the approach of the PP who just let it be known they were applying but didn't ask for anything to be done. So, OP, I assume you could take that approach with more than 1 school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP, just relaying my experience. All true.

Sorry, my response was actually to the post prior to yours. Your message jumped in while I was responding to the previous.

[Anonymous]

This is a very sad thread showing that parents are so desperate for private-school admissions that they would stoop to pulling strings.

It's even sadder that these parents are so defective in deductive reasoning that they are sure their approach "worked."

[Anonymous]

Is a highly respected faculty member considered a good connection?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is a very sad thread showing that parents are so desperate for private-school admissions that they would stoop to pulling strings.

It's even sadder that these parents are so defective in deductive reasoning that they are sure their approach "worked."

How much deductive reasoning do you need when after you have been accepted, someone in admissions tells you it helped in their decision?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is a highly respected faculty member considered a good connection?

You can start by tactfully asking him of his support will have some bearing.

[Anonymous]

I don't have a problem at all with asking current school parents, faculty, staff to speak up on our DC's behave if they have the opportunity to do so. And I am very willing to do if/when I am in that position.

Everybody knows somebody. We live very simple lives, not wealthy, no fancy careers or connections, but we do know current families at the school as well as some staff members at our first choice school. We let all those people know about our DC's application and first choice hopes and asked them to speak up if they ever found themselves in a position to do so. Don't know if it happened or if it made any difference. Oh, and we wrote one of those first choice letters.

[Anonymous]

PP, did you get in?

[Anonymous]

There is such limited access to the decision makers in this process. In my view, the prestige of a contact does not matter. What's important is that there is someone (a teacher, parent, Board member, administrator, whatever) who is trusted and who can communicate things a school may want to know but cannot learn from the application. As examples, that the parents are not PITAs, that the parents spend a lot of time doing community service work and could be anticipated to do the same if the child attends the school, that an applicant whom the admissions office may believe would prefer another school (based on geography, sibling attendance, or something else) really prefers the school applied to, etc.