Two unhooked kids!

[Anonymous]

Look, it's exceedingly difficult for "unhooked" applicants to get into these schools. But it does happen. The number isn't zero. And one's definition of being "hooked" can be pretty broad in the context of holisitic admissions.

Posters insisting that these kids had to have had some kind of hook or advantage is pathetic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have an unhooked kid I'd like to see get into HYPetc. Applied but it's a lottery. Nice, smart kids are a dime a dozen in this lottery.
I'd sure like to know the truth about how the admissions committee at these schools chooses a kid out of the pile of highly qualified but unhooked kids.

I don't think is that mysterious. They have multiple departments so for starters they would like a class that will distribute itself among the various majors. They don't know everyone's major but they have been at this for years and probably have a good clue about who will excel in the math department or the chem department or the history department etc.

Have a strong suit and lead with it...a very very strong suit. Being a nice smart kid is not enough.

[Anonymous]

Is there a chance that acceptance/school performance of child 1 opens the door for child 2?

[Anonymous]

it is a lottery and sometimes the bright kids just get in. i have a friend who lives outside boston, twins went to public, no hooks, no college counselors, one to stanford and one to MIT.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:it is a lottery and sometimes the bright kids just get in. i have a friend who lives outside boston, twins went to public, no hooks, no college counselors, one to stanford and one to MIT.

I take mild issue with it being a “lottery” because all these kids have met a very high threshold already to be considered, then, they must have something sparkly or special. Maybe even just a great funny essay.

Lottery suggests it is random, and it’s not, IMO.

[Anonymous]

Of course a lot of "unhooked" kids get into Ivys. The concept that only "hooked" kids get in is just an excuse for those who didn't get in...or to not even try.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is there a chance that acceptance/school performance of child 1 opens the door for child 2?

Nah, I don’t think having a sibling there is an advantage. Think of all the kids you know with siblings: so rare for a same HYPSM admission for both that I have seen

[Anonymous]

There is no such thing as no hooks.

Not having a hook is a hook.

[Anonymous]

I don't think it is that much of a mystery. I know a family exactly like this. If you consider that the big private schools send a good number of kids to the top schools every year, then someone in that class gets to punch that ticket. Let's say the school sends 10 (which is the case at our school). The kids need to be in that top 10 and for very bright kids that is where they end up.
What I would say is that these families have figured out that you need to be in the most rigorous classes, so they figure out the math track in middle school so they go into 9th grade already accelerated. That is the only difference I have noticed. They are also full pay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:it is a lottery and sometimes the bright kids just get in. i have a friend who lives outside boston, twins went to public, no hooks, no college counselors, one to stanford and one to MIT.

I take mild issue with it being a “lottery” because all these kids have met a very high threshold already to be considered, then, they must have something sparkly or special. Maybe even just a great funny essay.

Lottery suggests it is random, and it’s not, IMO.

Of course it’s not an actual lottery. They aren’t pulling names from a hat.

But when there doesn’t seem to be clear rhyme or reason it begins to feel subjective, not objective.

[Anonymous]

Why is everyone assuming the kids got into the same college?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:it is a lottery and sometimes the bright kids just get in. i have a friend who lives outside boston, twins went to public, no hooks, no college counselors, one to stanford and one to MIT.

I take mild issue with it being a “lottery” because all these kids have met a very high threshold already to be considered, then, they must have something sparkly or special. Maybe even just a great funny essay.

Lottery suggests it is random, and it’s not, IMO.

Of course it’s not an actual lottery. They aren’t pulling names from a hat.

But when there doesn’t seem to be clear rhyme or reason it begins to feel subjective, not objective.

Unless you've read the application and are a part of the admissions team you're never going to know the 'clear rhyme or reason' for anyone getting into colleges. It's presumptuous to think you do and reductive to assign it to some external factor like race or socio-economic status.

[Anonymous]

Were they girls applying for engineering? That's what some of the counselors are suggesting now if you have a high achieving, traditionally unhooked kid. It does seem to make a difference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think it is that much of a mystery. I know a family exactly like this. If you consider that the big private schools send a good number of kids to the top schools every year, then someone in that class gets to punch that ticket. Let's say the school sends 10 (which is the case at our school). The kids need to be in that top 10 and for very bright kids that is where they end up.
What I would say is that these families have figured out that you need to be in the most rigorous classes, so they figure out the math track in middle school so they go into 9th grade already accelerated. That is the only difference I have noticed. They are also full pay.

I have a friend whose kids were accelerated in math at a top NY private school in middle school. It happened because the kids are freaking brilliant at math, not because their parents pulled strings. Will I be surprised when these kids get into an ivy? No. The family is “normal”, doesn’t brag, sweet kids. You’d never know how gifted the kids are unless you can talk about calculus with a 12 year old.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: I have a friend whose kids were accelerated in math at a top NY private school in middle school. It happened because the kids are freaking brilliant at math, not because their parents pulled strings. Will I be surprised when these kids get into an ivy? No. The family is “normal”, doesn’t brag, sweet kids. You’d never know how gifted the kids are unless you can talk about calculus with a 12 year old.

I know a kid like that, no hooks, no old money, no new money, immigrant parents in academia, with graduate degrees, no sports, private high school, got into oxbridge, some national math contests but not international mathlete or something, didn't get into any ivy and barely got into their very competitive state-u, so, yeah, op saying no hook is very unlikely, probably rich, at least