If you're hoping for Ivies/top schools, what should be your ED or EA strategy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a kid who has no clue what she wants to do or where she wants to go. She's very good at everything except sports (but does have one recreational sport activity): has quantifiable achievements in performing arts, drawing/painting, writing, outside of school, has a small part-time job showing leadership, and is in all advanced classes in school with currently the max GPA that it's possible to have in her school system. She's particularly accelerated in math, and will take a class at a college nearby because she will run out of math classes in school. I am acutely aware that Ivies and assimilated each have a different vibe, and that they are almost impossible to get in. Her less high-achieving older siblings wanted very specific majors and got into their preferred schools, which are not top 10. But she doesn't have a specific major in mind, and so I'm thinking - maybe try a really prestigious school, so that she can have options once she's there?

What would you do to maximize her chances of getting into one of those in terms of ED or restricted EA, as well as having nice fallback options with a lot of majors she could look at? I'm thinking not SLACs, as they might not have enough options, but maybe I'm wrong?

Finances are not an issue. We have no hooks.

Focus on ED instead of EA and pick a non Ivy top college in a geographical location where they don't get as many from your area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a kid who has no clue what she wants to do or where she wants to go. She's very good at everything except sports (but does have one recreational sport activity): has quantifiable achievements in performing arts, drawing/painting, writing, outside of school, has a small part-time job showing leadership, and is in all advanced classes in school with currently the max GPA that it's possible to have in her school system. She's particularly accelerated in math, and will take a class at a college nearby because she will run out of math classes in school. I am acutely aware that Ivies and assimilated each have a different vibe, and that they are almost impossible to get in. Her less high-achieving older siblings wanted very specific majors and got into their preferred schools, which are not top 10. But she doesn't have a specific major in mind, and so I'm thinking - maybe try a really prestigious school, so that she can have options once she's there?

What would you do to maximize her chances of getting into one of those in terms of ED or restricted EA, as well as having nice fallback options with a lot of majors she could look at? I'm thinking not SLACs, as they might not have enough options, but maybe I'm wrong?

Finances are not an issue. We have no hooks.

Focus on ED instead of EA and pick a non Ivy top college in a geographical location where they don't get as many from your area.

I don't know if I agree. I think it depends on if the OP's kid is at a public or private HS.
Your advice is spot on for an indistinguishable high stats public school student.