Craziest “pointy” narratives that worked this cycle

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:this is not the beginning of this approach.

I live in Brooklyn a stone's throw from St Ann's and my own kids are at a "top tier" HS in Manhattan. Lots of blogs, NFPs, YouTube channels and podcasts started in junior year and abandoned 12 months later.

But I've also seen plenty of these kids get into HYP - yay! - and graduate and then, because they don't have another consultant (yet) they end up being SAT tutors themselves.

Not sure this is the outcome you want for your kids

And then their connections get them a real job and then go on and the circle of affluent NYC life continues. Yeah, it doesn't change that much.

As former New Yorker, I still have a lot of friends there with kids, some at BFS and St Anne's, etc. I think I envy that world more than I like to admit to myself, but I'm also relieved not to have to deal with it. So much that is done because everyone else is doing it.

I don't think the shifts that have abandoned elite schools to the very wealthy and the very poor have been all that great for academic thought, also. Lots of armchair revolutionary kids who suffer no consequences, and kids with genuine grievances who have some of the worst examples of capitalism living next door.

THIS.

Also, the PP who commented about it trickling down to the "not as rich"... so true. I have seen this first hand (and was even guilty getting caught up in it myself for a hot second until a gave myself a proverbial slap across the face). We live really well but we aren't multiple homes and private plane rich and honestly, we have no business getting caught up in all this. Not to mention, DC's private has a great group of college counselors.

These independent companies are getting paid by very wealthy families with kids who have the kind of resources and free time to start three NFP's that a lot of regular teens don't have and likely, would be getting into top tier schools anyway (even if it meant falling up) because the schools see donation written all over them. In some cases they might be part of the tipping point of a certain kid getting in but let's be real - their percentage of acceptance is mostly wholey based on the wealth of the families and the access it affords these students to begin with. These companies get to take "credit" for the admission and it drives more parents to flock to them to drop six figures on years long programs around blogs and b.s.

Nah. Pre varsity blues maybe. Now?

There’s a lot more $$$ than you can imagine and very wealthy ppl (think NW btw $50-200 million) get dinged all the time. Billionaires and celebrities are diff tho.

They’ll be fine and end up at NYU; BC; Wake; Tulane etc….but you are not getting into T25 just bc you have deep pockets bc schools see “donation”. The rest has to be there - and fully baked out.

Not true, obviously.

Go ahead. You can hate “all” the rich ppl. Class warfare and all - isn’t that the point of all these articles? Ogle and hate the wealthy?

But I think some of this shows a lack of understanding about how it works when you are wealthy but not famous…..

They don’t just open doors for someone bc they can make a 7 figure donation after kid gets in. It’s not working like that.

And if your legacy, you’ve already made that donation anyway.

IMO these counselors are trying to create a story for extremely privileged but qualified kids to push them over that line.

OK, enjoy paying your 1.5mil to an admissions consultant to set up a fake “pointy” narrative then! Boo hoo.

Ha. I didn’t hire one if these.
Just think you are clueless. You’ll see (or not). No difference to me.

If you do have real questions though on how wealth can smooth out this college admissions process (which I do agree with) happy to answer.

Oh I have no doubt money can do everything to smooth the way for your average child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:this is not the beginning of this approach.

I live in Brooklyn a stone's throw from St Ann's and my own kids are at a "top tier" HS in Manhattan. Lots of blogs, NFPs, YouTube channels and podcasts started in junior year and abandoned 12 months later.

But I've also seen plenty of these kids get into HYP - yay! - and graduate and then, because they don't have another consultant (yet) they end up being SAT tutors themselves.

Not sure this is the outcome you want for your kids

And then their connections get them a real job and then go on and the circle of affluent NYC life continues. Yeah, it doesn't change that much.

As former New Yorker, I still have a lot of friends there with kids, some at BFS and St Anne's, etc. I think I envy that world more than I like to admit to myself, but I'm also relieved not to have to deal with it. So much that is done because everyone else is doing it.

I don't think the shifts that have abandoned elite schools to the very wealthy and the very poor have been all that great for academic thought, also. Lots of armchair revolutionary kids who suffer no consequences, and kids with genuine grievances who have some of the worst examples of capitalism living next door.

THIS.

Also, the PP who commented about it trickling down to the "not as rich"... so true. I have seen this first hand (and was even guilty getting caught up in it myself for a hot second until a gave myself a proverbial slap across the face). We live really well but we aren't multiple homes and private plane rich and honestly, we have no business getting caught up in all this. Not to mention, DC's private has a great group of college counselors.

These independent companies are getting paid by very wealthy families with kids who have the kind of resources and free time to start three NFP's that a lot of regular teens don't have and likely, would be getting into top tier schools anyway (even if it meant falling up) because the schools see donation written all over them. In some cases they might be part of the tipping point of a certain kid getting in but let's be real - their percentage of acceptance is mostly wholey based on the wealth of the families and the access it affords these students to begin with. These companies get to take "credit" for the admission and it drives more parents to flock to them to drop six figures on years long programs around blogs and b.s.

Nah. Pre varsity blues maybe. Now?

There’s a lot more $$$ than you can imagine and very wealthy ppl (think NW btw $50-200 million) get dinged all the time. Billionaires and celebrities are diff tho.

They’ll be fine and end up at NYU; BC; Wake; Tulane etc….but you are not getting into T25 just bc you have deep pockets bc schools see “donation”. The rest has to be there - and fully baked out.

So false. How do you think Apple Martin wound up at Vandy? There are a good amount of development cases at nearly all the T25.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is a kid on YouTube who is an adopted boy from Ethiopia who really likes to crochet. He has a huge online following and has been on the Today show etc. He designs patterns and has an endorsement deal with one of the yarn companies. I don’t think he is doing it to get into Harvard but I am sure he would if he applied. He also donates most of the money he earns to an orphanage in Ethiopia. That to me is a “pointy narrative”, passion project. And it is really sincere, not manufactured.

The question is, did he have to take it to that extreme? Would it be OK if he just had that passion project, had a club at school? Teachers knew about it and did some thing in his community? Why does everything have to be so so big?

This whole notion of impact I think has gotten out of control. They’re 17 years old. Do they really need to run an international operation?

Way to miss the point. He didn’t become an Ethiopian orphan with a crochet obsession as a college admissions ploy. That’s just who he is. If you take the attitude that your kid needs to be in the rat race instead of being themselves, that’s what you’ll get.

I think he did the media tour for college admissions…

The kid is only 15 now and started to get national coverage when he was like 9.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:this is not the beginning of this approach.

I live in Brooklyn a stone's throw from St Ann's and my own kids are at a "top tier" HS in Manhattan. Lots of blogs, NFPs, YouTube channels and podcasts started in junior year and abandoned 12 months later.

But I've also seen plenty of these kids get into HYP - yay! - and graduate and then, because they don't have another consultant (yet) they end up being SAT tutors themselves.

Not sure this is the outcome you want for your kids

And then their connections get them a real job and then go on and the circle of affluent NYC life continues. Yeah, it doesn't change that much.

As former New Yorker, I still have a lot of friends there with kids, some at BFS and St Anne's, etc. I think I envy that world more than I like to admit to myself, but I'm also relieved not to have to deal with it. So much that is done because everyone else is doing it.

I don't think the shifts that have abandoned elite schools to the very wealthy and the very poor have been all that great for academic thought, also. Lots of armchair revolutionary kids who suffer no consequences, and kids with genuine grievances who have some of the worst examples of capitalism living next door.

THIS.

Also, the PP who commented about it trickling down to the "not as rich"... so true. I have seen this first hand (and was even guilty getting caught up in it myself for a hot second until a gave myself a proverbial slap across the face). We live really well but we aren't multiple homes and private plane rich and honestly, we have no business getting caught up in all this. Not to mention, DC's private has a great group of college counselors.

These independent companies are getting paid by very wealthy families with kids who have the kind of resources and free time to start three NFP's that a lot of regular teens don't have and likely, would be getting into top tier schools anyway (even if it meant falling up) because the schools see donation written all over them. In some cases they might be part of the tipping point of a certain kid getting in but let's be real - their percentage of acceptance is mostly wholey based on the wealth of the families and the access it affords these students to begin with. These companies get to take "credit" for the admission and it drives more parents to flock to them to drop six figures on years long programs around blogs and b.s.

Nah. Pre varsity blues maybe. Now?

There’s a lot more $$$ than you can imagine and very wealthy ppl (think NW btw $50-200 million) get dinged all the time. Billionaires and celebrities are diff tho.

They’ll be fine and end up at NYU; BC; Wake; Tulane etc….but you are not getting into T25 just bc you have deep pockets bc schools see “donation”. The rest has to be there - and fully baked out.

So false. How do you think Apple Martin wound up at Vandy? There are a good amount of development cases at nearly all the T25.

Celebrity!
I didn’t think we were talking about billionaires or celebrities. Just a working, wealthy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:this is not the beginning of this approach.

I live in Brooklyn a stone's throw from St Ann's and my own kids are at a "top tier" HS in Manhattan. Lots of blogs, NFPs, YouTube channels and podcasts started in junior year and abandoned 12 months later.

But I've also seen plenty of these kids get into HYP - yay! - and graduate and then, because they don't have another consultant (yet) they end up being SAT tutors themselves.

Not sure this is the outcome you want for your kids

And then their connections get them a real job and then go on and the circle of affluent NYC life continues. Yeah, it doesn't change that much.

As former New Yorker, I still have a lot of friends there with kids, some at BFS and St Anne's, etc. I think I envy that world more than I like to admit to myself, but I'm also relieved not to have to deal with it. So much that is done because everyone else is doing it.

I don't think the shifts that have abandoned elite schools to the very wealthy and the very poor have been all that great for academic thought, also. Lots of armchair revolutionary kids who suffer no consequences, and kids with genuine grievances who have some of the worst examples of capitalism living next door.

THIS.

Also, the PP who commented about it trickling down to the "not as rich"... so true. I have seen this first hand (and was even guilty getting caught up in it myself for a hot second until a gave myself a proverbial slap across the face). We live really well but we aren't multiple homes and private plane rich and honestly, we have no business getting caught up in all this. Not to mention, DC's private has a great group of college counselors.

These independent companies are getting paid by very wealthy families with kids who have the kind of resources and free time to start three NFP's that a lot of regular teens don't have and likely, would be getting into top tier schools anyway (even if it meant falling up) because the schools see donation written all over them. In some cases they might be part of the tipping point of a certain kid getting in but let's be real - their percentage of acceptance is mostly wholey based on the wealth of the families and the access it affords these students to begin with. These companies get to take "credit" for the admission and it drives more parents to flock to them to drop six figures on years long programs around blogs and b.s.

Nah. Pre varsity blues maybe. Now?

There’s a lot more $$$ than you can imagine and very wealthy ppl (think NW btw $50-200 million) get dinged all the time. Billionaires and celebrities are diff tho.

They’ll be fine and end up at NYU; BC; Wake; Tulane etc….but you are not getting into T25 just bc you have deep pockets bc schools see “donation”. The rest has to be there - and fully baked out.

So false. How do you think Apple Martin wound up at Vandy? There are a good amount of development cases at nearly all the T25.

Do you think all rich people are celebrities?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think my kid wrote a "pointy" essay all on their own. They had almost no ECs, but they do a lot of creative stuff in their free time. Like writing novels, comics, etc. Introvert stuff.

I thought this wasn't going to be exciting enough, for colleges, that they'd know how common Wattpad and ao3 are with the kids, but the essay was sincere and genuine and it seems to have opened a lot of doors I didn't expect.

This sounds lovely and entirely child driven without interference or artifice….

My kid did the same thing during the pandemic and it didn’t help. But at the time, schools were more impressed with volunteer work for food pantries. So you also had to take on risk of exposure and we weren’t willing to do that with an elderly grandmother at home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:this is not the beginning of this approach.

I live in Brooklyn a stone's throw from St Ann's and my own kids are at a "top tier" HS in Manhattan. Lots of blogs, NFPs, YouTube channels and podcasts started in junior year and abandoned 12 months later.

But I've also seen plenty of these kids get into HYP - yay! - and graduate and then, because they don't have another consultant (yet) they end up being SAT tutors themselves.

Not sure this is the outcome you want for your kids

And then their connections get them a real job and then go on and the circle of affluent NYC life continues. Yeah, it doesn't change that much.

As former New Yorker, I still have a lot of friends there with kids, some at BFS and St Anne's, etc. I think I envy that world more than I like to admit to myself, but I'm also relieved not to have to deal with it. So much that is done because everyone else is doing it.

I don't think the shifts that have abandoned elite schools to the very wealthy and the very poor have been all that great for academic thought, also. Lots of armchair revolutionary kids who suffer no consequences, and kids with genuine grievances who have some of the worst examples of capitalism living next door.

THIS.

Also, the PP who commented about it trickling down to the "not as rich"... so true. I have seen this first hand (and was even guilty getting caught up in it myself for a hot second until a gave myself a proverbial slap across the face). We live really well but we aren't multiple homes and private plane rich and honestly, we have no business getting caught up in all this. Not to mention, DC's private has a great group of college counselors.

These independent companies are getting paid by very wealthy families with kids who have the kind of resources and free time to start three NFP's that a lot of regular teens don't have and likely, would be getting into top tier schools anyway (even if it meant falling up) because the schools see donation written all over them. In some cases they might be part of the tipping point of a certain kid getting in but let's be real - their percentage of acceptance is mostly wholey based on the wealth of the families and the access it affords these students to begin with. These companies get to take "credit" for the admission and it drives more parents to flock to them to drop six figures on years long programs around blogs and b.s.

Nah. Pre varsity blues maybe. Now?

There’s a lot more $$$ than you can imagine and very wealthy ppl (think NW btw $50-200 million) get dinged all the time. Billionaires and celebrities are diff tho.

They’ll be fine and end up at NYU; BC; Wake; Tulane etc….but you are not getting into T25 just bc you have deep pockets bc schools see “donation”. The rest has to be there - and fully baked out.

So false. How do you think Apple Martin wound up at Vandy? There are a good amount of development cases at nearly all the T25.

She also probably went to one of the best high schools in the country. That will do it too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:this is not the beginning of this approach.

I live in Brooklyn a stone's throw from St Ann's and my own kids are at a "top tier" HS in Manhattan. Lots of blogs, NFPs, YouTube channels and podcasts started in junior year and abandoned 12 months later.

But I've also seen plenty of these kids get into HYP - yay! - and graduate and then, because they don't have another consultant (yet) they end up being SAT tutors themselves.

Not sure this is the outcome you want for your kids

And then their connections get them a real job and then go on and the circle of affluent NYC life continues. Yeah, it doesn't change that much.

As former New Yorker, I still have a lot of friends there with kids, some at BFS and St Anne's, etc. I think I envy that world more than I like to admit to myself, but I'm also relieved not to have to deal with it. So much that is done because everyone else is doing it.

I don't think the shifts that have abandoned elite schools to the very wealthy and the very poor have been all that great for academic thought, also. Lots of armchair revolutionary kids who suffer no consequences, and kids with genuine grievances who have some of the worst examples of capitalism living next door.

THIS.

Also, the PP who commented about it trickling down to the "not as rich"... so true. I have seen this first hand (and was even guilty getting caught up in it myself for a hot second until a gave myself a proverbial slap across the face). We live really well but we aren't multiple homes and private plane rich and honestly, we have no business getting caught up in all this. Not to mention, DC's private has a great group of college counselors.

These independent companies are getting paid by very wealthy families with kids who have the kind of resources and free time to start three NFP's that a lot of regular teens don't have and likely, would be getting into top tier schools anyway (even if it meant falling up) because the schools see donation written all over them. In some cases they might be part of the tipping point of a certain kid getting in but let's be real - their percentage of acceptance is mostly wholey based on the wealth of the families and the access it affords these students to begin with. These companies get to take "credit" for the admission and it drives more parents to flock to them to drop six figures on years long programs around blogs and b.s.

Nah. Pre varsity blues maybe. Now?

There’s a lot more $$$ than you can imagine and very wealthy ppl (think NW btw $50-200 million) get dinged all the time. Billionaires and celebrities are diff tho.

They’ll be fine and end up at NYU; BC; Wake; Tulane etc….but you are not getting into T25 just bc you have deep pockets bc schools see “donation”. The rest has to be there - and fully baked out.

So false. How do you think Apple Martin wound up at Vandy? There are a good amount of development cases at nearly all the T25.

Obviously so many celebrities get special treatment as development cases. That’s not new. At all. Been around since I was in college in the 90s.

My kid is not going to get the same treatment as someone on a “Z list” just bc I make a “lot of money”.

I really think you’re confused about wealth in this country, how it’s exerted and conflating things (celebrity wealth but regular working wealth) without considering distinction and nuance.

Also, the whole notion of 1%. That earlier post about 1% is accurate. 1% income is actually not that “high” - relative to who is reading this board.

0.1%… I bet a great chunk of some of the T25 schools have a lot of kids whose families make incomes in the .1% (over $1.5m).

What you really need to ask yourself is what percentage of the student body is from families in that .1% and what percentage of the student body is at the very bottom.

Because those types of barbell environments are very socioeconomically segregated / not an integrated and cohesive community at all. Can be very divisive. Example: Dartmouth

[Anonymous]

There's the girl from McLean who started a NP for kids with cancer. She now makes youtube videos in her bra from Harvard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:this is not the beginning of this approach.

I live in Brooklyn a stone's throw from St Ann's and my own kids are at a "top tier" HS in Manhattan. Lots of blogs, NFPs, YouTube channels and podcasts started in junior year and abandoned 12 months later.

But I've also seen plenty of these kids get into HYP - yay! - and graduate and then, because they don't have another consultant (yet) they end up being SAT tutors themselves.

Not sure this is the outcome you want for your kids

And then their connections get them a real job and then go on and the circle of affluent NYC life continues. Yeah, it doesn't change that much.

As former New Yorker, I still have a lot of friends there with kids, some at BFS and St Anne's, etc. I think I envy that world more than I like to admit to myself, but I'm also relieved not to have to deal with it. So much that is done because everyone else is doing it.

I don't think the shifts that have abandoned elite schools to the very wealthy and the very poor have been all that great for academic thought, also. Lots of armchair revolutionary kids who suffer no consequences, and kids with genuine grievances who have some of the worst examples of capitalism living next door.

THIS.

Also, the PP who commented about it trickling down to the "not as rich"... so true. I have seen this first hand (and was even guilty getting caught up in it myself for a hot second until a gave myself a proverbial slap across the face). We live really well but we aren't multiple homes and private plane rich and honestly, we have no business getting caught up in all this. Not to mention, DC's private has a great group of college counselors.

These independent companies are getting paid by very wealthy families with kids who have the kind of resources and free time to start three NFP's that a lot of regular teens don't have and likely, would be getting into top tier schools anyway (even if it meant falling up) because the schools see donation written all over them. In some cases they might be part of the tipping point of a certain kid getting in but let's be real - their percentage of acceptance is mostly wholey based on the wealth of the families and the access it affords these students to begin with. These companies get to take "credit" for the admission and it drives more parents to flock to them to drop six figures on years long programs around blogs and b.s.

Nah. Pre varsity blues maybe. Now?

There’s a lot more $$$ than you can imagine and very wealthy ppl (think NW btw $50-200 million) get dinged all the time. Billionaires and celebrities are diff tho.

They’ll be fine and end up at NYU; BC; Wake; Tulane etc….but you are not getting into T25 just bc you have deep pockets bc schools see “donation”. The rest has to be there - and fully baked out.

So false. How do you think Apple Martin wound up at Vandy? There are a good amount of development cases at nearly all the T25.

Celebrity!
I didn’t think we were talking about billionaires or celebrities. Just a working, wealthy.

pour one out for the working wealthy. sob!

[Anonymous]

Moses Martin is off to Brown.

and her stepson is off to Yale.

it's about merit, you guys

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Moses Martin is off to Brown.

and her stepson is off to Yale.

it's about merit, you guys

Who cares

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There's the girl from McLean who started a NP for kids with cancer. She now makes youtube videos in her bra from Harvard.

Omg. Who! Link?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's the girl from McLean who started a NP for kids with cancer. She now makes youtube videos in her bra from Harvard.

Omg. Who! Link?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFuDNAEcM8w

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is a kid on YouTube who is an adopted boy from Ethiopia who really likes to crochet. He has a huge online following and has been on the Today show etc. He designs patterns and has an endorsement deal with one of the yarn companies. I don’t think he is doing it to get into Harvard but I am sure he would if he applied. He also donates most of the money he earns to an orphanage in Ethiopia. That to me is a “pointy narrative”, passion project. And it is really sincere, not manufactured.

The question is, did he have to take it to that extreme? Would it be OK if he just had that passion project, had a club at school? Teachers knew about it and did some thing in his community? Why does everything have to be so so big?

This whole notion of impact I think has gotten out of control. They’re 17 years old. Do they really need to run an international operation?

Way to miss the point. He didn’t become an Ethiopian orphan with a crochet obsession as a college admissions ploy. That’s just who he is. If you take the attitude that your kid needs to be in the rat race instead of being themselves, that’s what you’ll get.

I think he did the media tour for college admissions…

Pretty sure the family is some kind of evangelical Christian. He would probably get into Harvard, but I think he would probably end up going to Liberty.