DC independent schools with best recent Ivy League admission records

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why does this make you laugh out loud? I am familiar with two of the three schools in question in recent years, and per year at each school, there are maybe 2-3 Ivy D1 recruits per graduating classes, i.e. actual recruits who had an admissions read early and a verbal commitment junior year or fall senior year, and a national signing letter of intent in winter of senior year. 2-3 at most. There were a few more that "walked on" when they arrived at the school, often with the coach's blessing and knowledge (but no help in admissions) and most of these sat on bench. Others started a new sport in college (most often crew or rugby) but they didn't get any admissions bump for a sport they hadn't begun yet. Then perhaps another handful were recruited or very clearly helped in admissions for top D3 teams (i.e. NESCAC schools such as Williams, Midd, or a few other desirable schools with reasonably strong sports teams in some sports i.e. Emory, Wash U, U Chicago).

Please stop using actual facts to make your point. Everyone needs to believe that hooks are the only way to get in to highly selective schools. It supports their notion of being a victim in an unfair system.

Why so defensive? Of course unhooked kids get in, and of course it is easier to get in if you have a hook. This is not the controversial topic you seem to want it to be.

That person agrees with you. It's sarcasm.

Doesn't come across that way.

You must be a riot at parties. :sarcasm:

[Anonymous]

You are easily amused.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You are easily amused.

Thinking that's the poster from the "Shocker: colleges treat As from different schools differently" thread, who ran aground there and is now seeking new seas to troll.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm basing my theory on the fact that a lot of HYP from privates seem to come at the ED/EA round, which is obviously an easier round for getting in, but which also tends to send a signal that money and FA are less important to the family. I've wondered for a while if colleges use the ED/EA round to get the full pay kids who will finance the FA kids (full disclosure: DC got in during the ED/EA round). Of course, EA (but not ED) means that you don't have to go if you don't like the FA package that's eventually awarded, but overall I think EA and ED are both games for better-off families. A family of two government lawyers isn't going to qualify for FA anyway, but if they saved well they could finance HYP. These are just my impressions, though, and I could well be wrong.

1) ED/EA is not an easier round. The most selective schools all insist that the criteria are the same. The applicant pool just tends to be much stronger early. That's my impression as an interviewer as well.

2) Financial aid packages at the Ivies are very generous. Families making under $150,000 are likely to be able to go tuition-free. Unless you're in the top 2-3% of incomes and are willing to turn down HYP for a merit scholarship to a 3rd tier school, the Ivies will be more affordable.

3) A family of two government lawyers makes $300,000. There aren't too many of them. They are pretty high-income folks who can appropriately afford to pay for their children's college educations. FYI - That's about the median/typical income level of the families at the area private schools.

The vast majority of applicants to HYP will be rejected. Most legacy are rejected as are most children of millionaires (probably not billionaires, though). Most from Andover and Exeter are rejected, just like most at StA/NCS, SFS, and GDS are rejected. So are most of the applicants from TJHSST, Whitman, and Blair. Those who don't get in will have wonderful, successful lives, no matter where they go to college.

[Anonymous]

Harvard gives FA to families making under $150k, thanks to an incredible endowment. The other Ivies, not so much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Harvard gives FA to families making under $150k, thanks to an incredible endowment. The other Ivies, not so much.

You'd be surprised. I know of at least one Ivy League univ (which I won't specifically identity because the precise number is not public) where the FA threshold is significantly higher than this. I suspect that Harvard's real threshold is higher as well. It's usually an income and an assets test, which often excludes 401k and principal home equity numbers.

[Anonymous]

Also, apples to apples, the $150K income figure is probably a relatively high amount of aid. The FA threshold, at which some direct aid is offered, can be much higher.

[Anonymous]

1. GDS
2. STA
3. SFS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Harvard gives FA to families making under $150k, thanks to an incredible endowment. The other Ivies, not so much.

You'd be surprised. I know of at least one Ivy League univ (which I won't specifically identity because the precise number is not public) where the FA threshold is significantly higher than this. I suspect that Harvard's real threshold is higher as well. It's usually an income and an assets test, which often excludes 401k and principal home equity numbers.

As of two years ago, Princeton published and confirmed at its admissions information sessions that some students with family HHI up to $180,000 received some financial aid. I suspect this is similar at similar schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Legacies, I am sure, have higher than average SES. Athletes are probably a mixed bag. The sports with the largest number of admissions slots are likely to be football (20-25 per year), swimming (15-20) and track & field (20-25). Preppy sports like lacrosse, soccer, crew, squash and tennis have relatively few slots.

The old argument that EA favors higher SES students is primarily based upon awareness and guidance. The theory was that kids from private schools and publics in wealthier neighborhoods would have much more exposure to places like HYP earlier in the search process, and could apply more freely without consideration of ability to pay (this was the reason cited by Harvard some years ago when they did away with EA altogether). Each of these schools has worked hard to overcome this natural advantage through targeted outreach programs to lower SES candidates. Overall, these programs have borne fruit, as demonstrated by the growing number of Pell Grant eligible students at each of these institutions, and the fact that Harvard reinstated EA about four years ago. Can't comment on whether or not these lower SES students came in through EA or the regular pool.

If I remember correctly, according to Goldman in The Price of Admission, the average SES of recruited athletes at Ivies is higher than the overall average, because of all the spots reserved for upper-crust sports, like crew. Maybe somebody who has read the book recently can correct me if I am wrong.

[Anonymous]

Wealthier than athletes from non Ivy schools, I am sure, but not likely more wealthy than the student body as a whole, which I believe is the reference in the PP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

1) ED/EA is not an easier round. The most selective schools all insist that the criteria are the same. The applicant pool just tends to be much stronger early. That's my impression as an interviewer as well.

I know colleges say this, but I really doubt it. Lots of colleges take 20% of ED/EA applicants, and some take more. Many colleges fill 10% or more of their incoming classes from ED/EA pool. I've heard this is because colleges want committed kids to boost their matriculation rates, but the reason isn't all that important. From the kid's perspective, you don't necessarily have to be better qualified, you just have to get your application in by November and, in the case of ED, you have to not care about the FA package. When you think about these stats, a 20% admissions rate in December, combined with an overall admit rate of 7%, means the admissions rate for regular admits is much lower than 7%. (Full disclosure: DC got into an Ivy ED.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Legacies, I am sure, have higher than average SES. Athletes are probably a mixed bag. The sports with the largest number of admissions slots are likely to be football (20-25 per year), swimming (15-20) and track & field (20-25). Preppy sports like lacrosse, soccer, crew, squash and tennis have relatively few slots.

The old argument that EA favors higher SES students is primarily based upon awareness and guidance. The theory was that kids from private schools and publics in wealthier neighborhoods would have much more exposure to places like HYP earlier in the search process, and could apply more freely without consideration of ability to pay (this was the reason cited by Harvard some years ago when they did away with EA altogether). Each of these schools has worked hard to overcome this natural advantage through targeted outreach programs to lower SES candidates. Overall, these programs have borne fruit, as demonstrated by the growing number of Pell Grant eligible students at each of these institutions, and the fact that Harvard reinstated EA about four years ago. Can't comment on whether or not these lower SES students came in through EA or the regular pool.

If I remember correctly, according to Goldman in The Price of Admission, the average SES of recruited athletes at Ivies is higher than the overall average, because of all the spots reserved for upper-crust sports, like crew. Maybe somebody who has read the book recently can correct me if I am wrong.

I remember that too. Crew, squash and equestrian sports need to be supported by a high SES.

[Anonymous]

I played football at a top Ivy. Very few of the 30 recruits in my class were " ofthe manor born". Most were sons of steelworkers, high school coaches, cops, and IBM salesmen. A few played ball at the Exeters of the world, but in these cases they were PGers from similarly middle class backgrounds. Many of the lax players were quite blue collar. With fancy places like Landon and Georgetown Prep dominating the local lacrosse scene - and with many of their star players going to Ivys - it is easy to forget that most of the college rosters are stocked with firefighter's sons from Long Island and high school principal's daughters from West Genesee NY.

[Anonymous]

I had every expectation that this thread would turn into a pissing match among the usual group of boosters and agitators. Pleasantly surprised that it is actually a disjointed conversation about accessing selective colleges. OP might be dissapointed.