Dear Admissions Officers,

[Anonymous]

make every college a lottery and just have kids’ names stuck in a hat

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In the long run, this post is barking up the wrong tree. You are correct that admissions is a mess - and where you will see this most clearly is when your kid goes to get a job. All of the big high-paying companies have realized that because of all of the padding, coaching, fake internships etc. employers no longer assume that graduates of top schools equate to top employees. Today's interview process at top firms is personality test and case study oriented and incredibly grueling. It doesn't seem to matter where you go to school nearly as much as what your grades and HR tests and personality scores are. It's eye opening.

So, about those personality tests. My son applied for an internship at a certain company twice - as a sophomore and as a junior, but did not get a call back after that test. He applied for a job with them when he was a senior, and when he took the test again, he gave them answers that he said were worthy of a sociopath. He got an interview and then a job offer. He did not take it, but the whole process was very amusing.

This makes me so sad for our country. Liars and cheaters rewarded with fancy degrees and firms hiring sociopaths. Glad your son had the decency to turn them down.

Uh - this isn't exactly how today's new grad hiring works. I just saw first hand how it works with my DC and it's not for the faint of heart. Not saying today's practices are right - they are kind of creepy - but the personality tests only get you in the door for the next round of interviews and tests. Then they make you play a series of games and timed excersises to evaluate your processing/interactive skills, and they compare your skills with others in your position that are successful. Some firms redo their own aptitude testing as well.. Then - if they feel satisfied that they have not been duped by a padded resume, accommodations or whatever, and they like your personality - you will get an offer. There is nothing new about firms seeking personality and fit. But if you can't get by the AI tests, your resume and school ranking means squat. My take is they are very suspicious of the resumes - they need proof of abilities. And, they reach out to a wide range of schools - they want particular people with very specific skill and personality profiles. Linked in is either a curse or a godsend depending on your looks and personality traits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In the long run, this post is barking up the wrong tree. You are correct that admissions is a mess - and where you will see this most clearly is when your kid goes to get a job. All of the big high-paying companies have realized that because of all of the padding, coaching, fake internships etc. employers no longer assume that graduates of top schools equate to top employees. Today's interview process at top firms is personality test and case study oriented and incredibly grueling. It doesn't seem to matter where you go to school nearly as much as what your grades and HR tests and personality scores are. It's eye opening.

So, about those personality tests. My son applied for an internship at a certain company twice - as a sophomore and as a junior, but did not get a call back after that test. He applied for a job with them when he was a senior, and when he took the test again, he gave them answers that he said were worthy of a sociopath. He got an interview and then a job offer. He did not take it, but the whole process was very amusing.

This makes me so sad for our country. Liars and cheaters rewarded with fancy degrees and firms hiring sociopaths. Glad your son had the decency to turn them down.

Uh - this isn't exactly how today's new grad hiring works. I just saw first hand how it works with my DC and it's not for the faint of heart. Not saying today's practices are right - they are kind of creepy - but the personality tests only get you in the door for the next round of interviews and tests. Then they make you play a series of games and timed excersises to evaluate your processing/interactive skills, and they compare your skills with others in your position that are successful. Some firms redo their own aptitude testing as well.. Then - if they feel satisfied that they have not been duped by a padded resume, accommodations or whatever, and they like your personality - you will get an offer. There is nothing new about firms seeking personality and fit. But if you can't get by the AI tests, your resume and school ranking means squat. My take is they are very suspicious of the resumes - they need proof of abilities. And, they reach out to a wide range of schools - they want particular people with very specific skill and personality profiles. Linked in is either a curse or a godsend depending on your looks and personality traits.

This just feels so creepy!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:LoL
OP most state schools get over 30,000 apps per year for freshman if you think they are reading them all and essays I have a great bridge or crappy piece of land to sell you.

Even small Lacs do not read them all there is no way they can be that detailed

Signed admin

We can start a new thread on negligence if you’d like. “It’s too hard to do a good job” is a bad optic.

How much of an application fee would you be willing to pay to ensure that the school was adequately staffed to be able to carefully read, verify and deliberate every application?

Quite a bit more. If it also had the effect of discouraging applications, all the better. Have a waiver for truly low income kids and make the others all think hard about where they might really like to go. The schools won’t do that, of course, because they love their low admission rates. They’d rather encourage more apps and then whine about how they don’t have the resources to actually look at them.

Tuition already serves this purpose.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ask if a test prep class was taken. I’d really like that industry to be shut down

Why? It's a test and you are supposed to study for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Top college adcoms pick whoever they want for whatever reason they want and they seem extraordinarily successful in building the class they want and executing the mission of their organizations.

So why should it change?

One reason could be the increase of anxiety, depression, and suicide in teens who are trying to do all and be all to compete. Another could be that they shouldn’t be rewarding people who lie and cheat. Another might be that there’s always room for improvement.

Most of that is parent-driven. You can't change stupid.