Admissions officers

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I play pickleball with "senior" AOs from Yale, Harvard, and Princeton. They themselves admitted that admission is pretty much a crap-shoot. It was an eye-opening for me.

They're just trying to gently let you down, since your kid isn't getting in.

LOL... I am the PP. One of my kids is currently at Princeton, and another at Harvard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our school hosted a panel with eight AOs, mostly well-known/brand-name schools plus a couple of in-state. They gave the expected answers to questions like, how do you view test scores, using AI in essays, that kind of thing. My big takeaway: the AOs mostly seemed well-meaning but frankly not all that bright. It was like, oh, THIS is who makes these big decisions about my kid? Frankly one that stood out as most impressive was the in-state rep. Anyway, I'm not sure what my point is, it's not like I really thought AOs were a bunch of Harvard MBAs but it was still eye-opening.

AOs usually are people who fell into the role after college (often lesser known college) by working their way up in admissions after other career paths stalled. They are usually nice, people-oriented people but few have intellectual gravitas or are as impressive as the kids they are judging and sometimes rejecting. Most are middle-class and went to lesser known schools and not A students with slates of impressive ECs themselves. The heads of admission at Georgetown, Emory and a few others are exceptions.

It's useful perspective for our kids to know they're being judged by people with lesser credentials and accolades than they have.

Totally. It’s important for the kids to approach their applications in as arrogantly and condescendingly a way as possible, in order to increase their chances (of rejection, but whatever).

Alternatively, you could help your kids understand that there are more important factors in their success than where they get a bachelor’s degree, that an admission or rejection is not a statement of their self-worth, that acceptances and rejections can happen for reasons that seem random and aren’t necessarily anything the kid did right or wrong.

But nah, nevermind, make sure those dumb, middle-class AO poors get reminded of how inferior they are.

Honestly, kindness and compassion is a HUGE HUGE thing that most people don't think to convey in a college app....
especially for boys.

[Anonymous]

Lots of teachers aren't that smart but we trust them with our kids

[Anonymous]

A.I. should replace them ASAP.
This is one area that A.I. decisions would be superior.

[Anonymous]

Having a senior AO as a good friend is great if you happen to be local. I've seen this work well at top schools in the Bay Area and Mid-Atlantic.

Working in the AO of another highly selective school, especially a professional grad school, would be a good career move if you really are all about admission!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A.I. should replace them ASAP.
This is one area that A.I. decisions would be superior.

No way. These are the types of nuanced decisions that AI shouldn't be making anytime soon (barring major advances anyway).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our school hosted a panel with eight AOs, mostly well-known/brand-name schools plus a couple of in-state. They gave the expected answers to questions like, how do you view test scores, using AI in essays, that kind of thing. My big takeaway: the AOs mostly seemed well-meaning but frankly not all that bright. It was like, oh, THIS is who makes these big decisions about my kid? Frankly one that stood out as most impressive was the in-state rep. Anyway, I'm not sure what my point is, it's not like I really thought AOs were a bunch of Harvard MBAs but it was still eye-opening.

AOs usually are people who fell into the role after college (often lesser known college) by working their way up in admissions after other career paths stalled. They are usually nice, people-oriented people but few have intellectual gravitas or are as impressive as the kids they are judging and sometimes rejecting. Most are middle-class and went to lesser known schools and not A students with slates of impressive ECs themselves. The heads of admission at Georgetown, Emory and a few others are exceptions.

It's useful perspective for our kids to know they're being judged by people with lesser credentials and accolades than they have.

Totally. It’s important for the kids to approach their applications in as arrogantly and condescendingly a way as possible, in order to increase their chances (of rejection, but whatever).

Alternatively, you could help your kids understand that there are more important factors in their success than where they get a bachelor’s degree, that an admission or rejection is not a statement of their self-worth, that acceptances and rejections can happen for reasons that seem random and aren’t necessarily anything the kid did right or wrong.

But nah, nevermind, make sure those dumb, middle-class AO poors get reminded of how inferior they are.

Honestly, kindness and compassion is a HUGE HUGE thing that most people don't think to convey in a college app....
especially for boys.

The issue is that you cannot authentically convey it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You're seeing the entry-level AOs, who did the initial reviews. You probably didn't see the senior staff who make the decisions.

A lot of schools hire temps to read the essays.

[Anonymous]

We sold our home a few years ago to an AO at one of the top colleges in the country. She was very silly and vain, extremely pleased with herself. Completely put us off the college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I play pickleball with "senior" AOs from Yale, Harvard, and Princeton. They themselves admitted that admission is pretty much a crap-shoot. It was an eye-opening for me.

So people from central NJ, Hardford, CT, and Cambridge, MA meet up for pickleball. Sure, Jan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We sold our home a few years ago to an AO at one of the top colleges in the country. She was very silly and vain, extremely pleased with herself. Completely put us off the college.

How would you know this? Sellers and buyers generally have limited direct interaction with each other.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We sold our home a few years ago to an AO at one of the top colleges in the country. She was very silly and vain, extremely pleased with herself. Completely put us off the college.

How would you know this? Sellers and buyers generally have limited direct interaction with each other.

They gave us a folder of photos of their family describing everyone's job and with photos of the woman with her newborn in hospital.

Not really my thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We sold our home a few years ago to an AO at one of the top colleges in the country. She was very silly and vain, extremely pleased with herself. Completely put us off the college.

If her initials are SS and the school is in New York, we met her and she is insufferable. (She's no longer with that school.) It put us off that school too.

[Anonymous]

AO's overwhelmingly come in with a humanities background. You kind of see that type when we had campus encampments.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I play pickleball with "senior" AOs from Yale, Harvard, and Princeton. They themselves admitted that admission is pretty much a crap-shoot. It was an eye-opening for me.

So people from central NJ, Hardford, CT, and Cambridge, MA meet up for pickleball. Sure, Jan.

Right, DMV is so famous for pickleball, that people from 12 hours away are coming in to play, and they all happen to be AOs at the best school (what a coincidence bullsh**er).