Reflections from 2025 HYPSM admit(s)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My unhooked kid is at an Ivy and this just sounds so sick.

He just did the things he loved. By Fall of Senior year, you could see a pattern. His “narrative” (even hate that - blah) was easily pieced together.

We never “packaged” our kids or gunned for anything. They were naturally motivated/smart and always got As, top scores without us doing anything. Both were heavily into a sport they were not recruited for as well (did get re ruined for very low academic, tiny schools).

It might very well work, OP. But doing this and telling kids to just change once they are on campus just feels so creepy to me.

same w my two kids at HYP now. unhooked. no spike or barb developed during HS. but quantifiable results in school: elected to school positions, won major debate/MUN/mock trial events on state or national level. They both pieced together unique career interests out of what they had done/read/studied/did a summer thing related to so they would be memorable in a committee meeting: Northern Virginia kid interested in post-nuclear war/low light agriculture. also won state MUN tournament, elected president of 250-member service club, and has a 36 on the ACT.

this is helpful- thank you!

[Anonymous]

I am a professor and the idea of strategic position is so nauseating to me that I feel like writing a letter to our admissions office to let them know about what I read in this forum and others.

To be clear, I am not attacking the OP. She did what she felt she had to do to benefit her child. However, favoring students with unusual niche interests is clearly not the best way to find the most authentic students. Maybe this approach was more authentic 10 years ago before college admissions officers and parents pushed it en masse, but clearly this is no longer the way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My unhooked kid is at an Ivy and this just sounds so sick.

He just did the things he loved. By Fall of Senior year, you could see a pattern. His “narrative” (even hate that - blah) was easily pieced together.

We never “packaged” our kids or gunned for anything. They were naturally motivated/smart and always got As, top scores without us doing anything. Both were heavily into a sport they were not recruited for as well (did get re ruined for very low academic, tiny schools).

It might very well work, OP. But doing this and telling kids to just change once they are on campus just feels so creepy to me.

same w my two kids at HYP now. unhooked. no spike or barb developed during HS. but quantifiable results in school: elected to school positions, won major debate/MUN/mock trial events on state or national level. They both pieced together unique career interests out of what they had done/read/studied/did a summer thing related to so they would be memorable in a committee meeting: Northern Virginia kid interested in post-nuclear war/low light agriculture. also won state MUN tournament, elected president of 250-member service club, and has a 36 on the ACT.

I want to say I know what that means, but I don't.
This is clearly bizzard/weird.
If HYP is into this kind of stuff but not kids who have more mainstream interests, there is a problem.

it's a real field of study. it's okay if you haven't heard of it, but that doesn't make it "weird"

Low-light agriculture is a critical area of study regarding both mitigating climate change and preparing for potential catastrophes like nuclear winter. While nuclear energy acts as a low-carbon, high-efficiency power source to support sustainable, high-tech farming and food security, a, nuclear war could trigger severe climate change, leading to global "nuclear winter" conditions, which would severely restrict light for agriculture.
World Nuclear Association


Low-Light Agriculture and Nuclear War (Nuclear Winter)
A large-scale nuclear war could produce massive amounts of soot, blocking up to 95-99% of sunlight, resulting in freezing temperatures, reduced precipitation, and minimal crop production for years.
The Pennsylvania State University


Reduced Yields: A nuclear winter could cause an 80% drop in annual corn yields.
Alternative Crops: Research indicates that in a low-light catastrophe, certain crops, such as sugar beets and spinach in temperate regions, would be more viable, while tropical forests might offer limited food production due to slightly better conditions.
Emergency Solutions: The most promising, though challenging, food solutions include mushrooms, seaweed, and the rapid scaling of greenhouses (using timber, plastic film) for some, though not enough, food.
Nutrient Challenges: The combination of low light and high ultraviolet (UV) radiation from a destroyed ozone layer would severely damage plant tissue.
The Pennsylvania State University


Nuclear Technology in Climate-Resilient Agriculture
Nuclear science, specifically through the Joint FAO/IAEA Centre, helps agriculture adapt to climate change:
Mutation Breeding: Techniques like irradiation (e.g., gamma rays or ion beams) are used to develop "climate-proof" crops, such as heat-tolerant rice in Bangladesh and drought-tolerant beans in Cuba.
Water and Soil Management: Isotopes are used to track water movement and improve efficiency in irrigation and fertilizer use, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by up to 50%.
Food Security: Food irradiation is used to extend the shelf life of produce and manage pests.
International Atomic Energy Agency


Nuclear Power for Sustainable Agriculture
Nuclear energy supports sustainable agriculture by providing reliable, low-carbon, baseload electricity.
World Nuclear Association


Clean Energy Transition: Nuclear energy is essential for meeting climate goals (e.g., Net Zero) by substituting for high-carbon fossil fuels.
Controlled Environment Agriculture: While vertical farming is energy-intensive, nuclear power could potentially supply the electricity needed for high-tech, artificial light, or "electro-agriculture" systems that can produce food in low-light environments.
Risks: However, climate change itself poses risks to nuclear infrastructure; in a high-emission scenario (RCP 8.5), up to 91% of nuclear reactors could face significant ambient temperature increases, affecting cooling capacities by 2040.
International Atomic Energy Agency

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a professor and the idea of strategic position is so nauseating to me that I feel like writing a letter to our admissions office to let them know about what I read in this forum and others.

To be clear, I am not attacking the OP. She did what she felt she had to do to benefit her child. However, favoring students with unusual niche interests is clearly not the best way to find the most authentic students. Maybe this approach was more authentic 10 years ago before college admissions officers and parents pushed it en masse, but clearly this is no longer the way.

professors are all about strategic positioning

[Anonymous]

My coworker played this game for his kids. Had his daughter to do some niche ballet, traveling to Moscow etc. She had numerous surgeries on her ankle and foot in her teenage years. Yes she ended up at Stanford but now working at Microsoft. My son’s friend went to UMD and also ended up at Microsoft same position .. without any surgeries.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My coworker played this game for his kids. Had his daughter to do some niche ballet, traveling to Moscow etc. She had numerous surgeries on her ankle and foot in her teenage years. Yes she ended up at Stanford but now working at Microsoft. My son’s friend went to UMD and also ended up at Microsoft same position .. without any surgeries.

I dont think ballet is really a "game". Lots of kids pursue this, not many get to go to Moscow etc. And injuries can be part of any athlete's life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My unhooked kid is at an Ivy and this just sounds so sick.

He just did the things he loved. By Fall of Senior year, you could see a pattern. His “narrative” (even hate that - blah) was easily pieced together.

We never “packaged” our kids or gunned for anything. They were naturally motivated/smart and always got As, top scores without us doing anything. Both were heavily into a sport they were not recruited for as well (did get re ruined for very low academic, tiny schools).

It might very well work, OP. But doing this and telling kids to just change once they are on campus just feels so creepy to me.

same w my two kids at HYP now. unhooked. no spike or barb developed during HS. but quantifiable results in school: elected to school positions, won major debate/MUN/mock trial events on state or national level. They both pieced together unique career interests out of what they had done/read/studied/did a summer thing related to so they would be memorable in a committee meeting: Northern Virginia kid interested in post-nuclear war/low light agriculture. also won state MUN tournament, elected president of 250-member service club, and has a 36 on the ACT.

I want to say I know what that means, but I don't.
This is clearly bizzard/weird.
If HYP is into this kind of stuff but not kids who have more mainstream interests, there is a problem.

it's a real field of study. it's okay if you haven't heard of it, but that doesn't make it "weird"

Low-light agriculture is a critical area of study regarding both mitigating climate change and preparing for potential catastrophes like nuclear winter. While nuclear energy acts as a low-carbon, high-efficiency power source to support sustainable, high-tech farming and food security, a, nuclear war could trigger severe climate change, leading to global "nuclear winter" conditions, which would severely restrict light for agriculture.
World Nuclear Association


Low-Light Agriculture and Nuclear War (Nuclear Winter)
A large-scale nuclear war could produce massive amounts of soot, blocking up to 95-99% of sunlight, resulting in freezing temperatures, reduced precipitation, and minimal crop production for years.
The Pennsylvania State University


Reduced Yields: A nuclear winter could cause an 80% drop in annual corn yields.
Alternative Crops: Research indicates that in a low-light catastrophe, certain crops, such as sugar beets and spinach in temperate regions, would be more viable, while tropical forests might offer limited food production due to slightly better conditions.
Emergency Solutions: The most promising, though challenging, food solutions include mushrooms, seaweed, and the rapid scaling of greenhouses (using timber, plastic film) for some, though not enough, food.
Nutrient Challenges: The combination of low light and high ultraviolet (UV) radiation from a destroyed ozone layer would severely damage plant tissue.
The Pennsylvania State University


Nuclear Technology in Climate-Resilient Agriculture
Nuclear science, specifically through the Joint FAO/IAEA Centre, helps agriculture adapt to climate change:
Mutation Breeding: Techniques like irradiation (e.g., gamma rays or ion beams) are used to develop "climate-proof" crops, such as heat-tolerant rice in Bangladesh and drought-tolerant beans in Cuba.
Water and Soil Management: Isotopes are used to track water movement and improve efficiency in irrigation and fertilizer use, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by up to 50%.
Food Security: Food irradiation is used to extend the shelf life of produce and manage pests.
International Atomic Energy Agency


Nuclear Power for Sustainable Agriculture
Nuclear energy supports sustainable agriculture by providing reliable, low-carbon, baseload electricity.
World Nuclear Association


Clean Energy Transition: Nuclear energy is essential for meeting climate goals (e.g., Net Zero) by substituting for high-carbon fossil fuels.
Controlled Environment Agriculture: While vertical farming is energy-intensive, nuclear power could potentially supply the electricity needed for high-tech, artificial light, or "electro-agriculture" systems that can produce food in low-light environments.
Risks: However, climate change itself poses risks to nuclear infrastructure; in a high-emission scenario (RCP 8.5), up to 91% of nuclear reactors could face significant ambient temperature increases, affecting cooling capacities by 2040.
International Atomic Energy Agency

Okay, that's all good.
Are your kids at HYP majoring in low light ag or nuclear ag? Or are they doing econ right now? Be honest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This strategy is not hard to map out. I was able to come up with 3-4 very niche ideas for how to expand/scale my DC’s interests over the 4 years of high school into something with measurable community impact and a big spike for college applications. DC refused to play along. Not all kids are as compliant as PP says. It isn’t hard to find or create really unique, interesting ECs in the DC area, but you really need a certain type of kid that is willing to play this game. Mine was not one of them.

\

This 1000%. I have 3 kids and two of them refused to play this game. They were fantastic students but categorically refused to spend 4 yrs of high school focused on a rare type of plant or the needs of a people group in Kazakhstan. One ended up at an Ivy despite this and one is at different top20.

My third kid is super compliant. If I told her, "you need to spend 5 hours a week focused on crafting with mixed metals and studying astrophysics" she would do it. She wouldn't initiate it but she would do it if I prodded her along.

The point of college is to develop your interests. Not to know what you want to do in life before you get there (most students anyways).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How about deep interest in a subject and did a research in summer, but not getting all As? Where do such students land up?

Being candid, I don't really know. It's a good question. I think flagships and LACs might be good targets. And I don't think a B is the end of the world. My daughter had a B.

In 9th garde or 12 grade? Huge difference

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a professor and the idea of strategic position is so nauseating to me that I feel like writing a letter to our admissions office to let them know about what I read in this forum and others.

To be clear, I am not attacking the OP. She did what she felt she had to do to benefit her child. However, favoring students with unusual niche interests is clearly not the best way to find the most authentic students. Maybe this approach was more authentic 10 years ago before college admissions officers and parents pushed it en masse, but clearly this is no longer the way.

professors are all about strategic positioning

They want the kids with the genuine interests, not the ones cultivated by parents and admissions counselors.

[Anonymous]

I think the OP makes some great points- and yes, there are definitely kids out there who make it into Ivies and T10s without a 'barb' (my oldest kid is one of those) but of the kids I know who did end up at HYPSM, many of them did, indeed, have some niche interest that led to awards and a unique, interesting narrative. After going through the application process w/our oldest, I definitely encouraged our youngest, who is in the middle of the process now, to apply for awards & get involved with projects that were more spikey. Her application was more cohesive than her sibling's and she's doing well in the EA rounds. There are absolutely kids who won't follow suggestions on creating a barb/spike- but for those who are open to doing research/volunteer work/etc. in a very specific, niche area, as long as they genuinely enjoy it, it can only help their apps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This strategy is not hard to map out. I was able to come up with 3-4 very niche ideas for how to expand/scale my DC’s interests over the 4 years of high school into something with measurable community impact and a big spike for college applications. DC refused to play along. Not all kids are as compliant as PP says. It isn’t hard to find or create really unique, interesting ECs in the DC area, but you really need a certain type of kid that is willing to play this game. Mine was not one of them.

\

This 1000%. I have 3 kids and two of them refused to play this game. They were fantastic students but categorically refused to spend 4 yrs of high school focused on a rare type of plant or the needs of a people group in Kazakhstan. One ended up at an Ivy despite this and one is at different top20.

My third kid is super compliant. If I told her, "you need to spend 5 hours a week focused on crafting with mixed metals and studying astrophysics" she would do it. She wouldn't initiate it but she would do it if I prodded her along.

Not to criticize your daughter as she sounds like a good kid, but don't you think an education system that moves this type of obedient, rule followers to the front of the line at the expense of original thinkers is the reason why we still haven't solved a lot of everyday issues like recycling plastics or feeding our poor?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the OP makes some great points- and yes, there are definitely kids out there who make it into Ivies and T10s without a 'barb' (my oldest kid is one of those) but of the kids I know who did end up at HYPSM, many of them did, indeed, have some niche interest that led to awards and a unique, interesting narrative. After going through the application process w/our oldest, I definitely encouraged our youngest, who is in the middle of the process now, to apply for awards & get involved with projects that were more spikey. Her application was more cohesive than her sibling's and she's doing well in the EA rounds. There are absolutely kids who won't follow suggestions on creating a barb/spike- but for those who are open to doing research/volunteer work/etc. in a very specific, niche area, as long as they genuinely enjoy it, it can only help their apps.

I mean, Harvard has bills to pay too. So they’ll gladly take money from insecure and obviously wealthy parents who can pay to involve their dc in activities that boost their application prospects. It’s all so gross but you do you. And then they can say they are ‘need blind’ too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a professor and the idea of strategic position is so nauseating to me that I feel like writing a letter to our admissions office to let them know about what I read in this forum and others.

To be clear, I am not attacking the OP. She did what she felt she had to do to benefit her child. However, favoring students with unusual niche interests is clearly not the best way to find the most authentic students. Maybe this approach was more authentic 10 years ago before college admissions officers and parents pushed it en masse, but clearly this is no longer the way.

professors are all about strategic positioning

They want the kids with the genuine interests, not the ones cultivated by parents and admissions counselors.

The point being made is that they often underestimate how far kids game the system without parents or counselors. Any smart kid can research and pick up college admissions trend nowadays, reddit, dcum, or better yet gpt. Kids, especially the "driven" kids, understand what it takes to get there. No one lives in vaccum, simply labeling something "genuine" just because parents didn't participate is somewhat naive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Puke. My kid was accepted to Princeton and Harvard and did none of this. Completely unhooked. Just a smart kid who was completely honest with the schools as to who she is. She did not try to manipulate the process.

If this is real, did she have all these insane passion projects and non-profits? You know those are ways to manipulate the process too, right?