Big 3 Nightmare

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:cmon - have no dog in this fight but sooo obvious in my wealthy DCUM enclave that a large majority of parents send their kids to privates because they feel it puts them on a path for a T15. When this doesn’t materialize and they are applying to - horror upon horror - Clemson, U Delaware, Gettysburg - they are almost embarrassed at the cocktail parties or water cooler. Larlo going to a 50th ranked national university or LAC wasn’t part of the plan and doesn’t impress anyone, and $200k+ of high school tuition feels like it may have been a bit much. They can’t reconcile how their kid is going to Skidmore while the local public is sending kids to Vandy TO. Then the defensiveness, complaining, and finger pointing starts - grade deflation, URMs, “I’m just happy they are getting a better education than everyone else”, etc etc

5 years ago I would have believed you PP. Bit now everyone is in the same boat and horror of these so-called lesser schools has greatly diminished

This. 5 years ago maybe this would be true. But everyone who knows anything about the current state of college admissions knows how impossible and unpredictable admissions have become. Where a student ends up says more about the process rather than being a reflection on the student. This is true for both public and private school students

I believe the pp two posts above about the finger pointing. What I don't understand, either, is the need to bash public school kids as unprepared slackers on your way to these T50 schools.

- I'm the poster who suggested that private schools need to talk to their admins about grade deflation and weighting, and you private school parents seemed to like that.

are there posts in this thread that are actually bashing public school kids?

Can you point them out?

I see a lot of private school posters saying that private school kids have a harder time getting top grades due to the ways grades are averaged between quarters and the teachers who limit As.

I have high schoolers in both public and private (so no dog in this fight) and this is 100% true in my experience.

My Big3 kids goes to a school that won't graduate a single kid with a 4.0 this year. My public schoolers (great public!) goes to a school that will graduate 20% of the class with an unweighted 4.0.

That is fact, not bashing.

What I don't recall seeing in this thread is any private school parents bashing public school kids. Please point out the posts.

Good grief. Now you're going to pretend you didn't see the posts claiming "my private school kid who works until 2 every night says his public school friends never do any homework and they still get As." Maybe you even wrote these posts. Perhaps you guys have realized it's more acceptable to bash public school parents on this thread than their successful kids.

I've suspected for the past 10 or so pages that at least one "private school parent" is a troll or a disappointed kid. This "request" for others to do work kinda cements that.

So, nobody is going to comb through the thread for you, but take everybody's word for it or start around page 20.

There is NO post that says anything remotely to the effect of what you are saying.

You are making sh%^t up. Prove me differently and post it if I'm wrong. I'm ready. Post the link or you're lying.

And why are you even in a post that is about Big3 kids if you don't have a kid at one? Genuinely curious.

OK, you're definitely a troll. If not, do your own legwork starting around page 20 on this thread. There are plenty of posts insulting public school kids' work ethic and ability, if only you'd stop the nastiness and lift your finger to click your mouse.

[Anonymous]

It is a 40 page thread full of implicit insults to the quality of the students that are getting in as compared to the students that are left out. Denying it is gaslighting.

My DD’s waitlist info for Wesleyan was instructive with regards to a LOCI, it noted the student te do not have to provide any additional accomplishments as she was fully qualified to be accepted. It is what it experienced parents have been saying for a year that current parents refused to believe applied to their child, no matter the stats, schools with acceptance rates under 20% are now a lottery or those that are qualified, even when in the top 25% of stats. TO has significantly enlarged the pool.

Your problem is, I think, with the structure of the education and how it is perceived by highly competitive colleges. You can say that without questioning the competence and achievements of the kids that are being accepted in this new world. And know that given the same privileges of your children in the private school the accepted kids might have outperformed your kid and the fact that they did not have this opportunity does not make your child more deserving than those other kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is a 40 page thread full of implicit insults to the quality of the students that are getting in as compared to the students that are left out. Denying it is gaslighting.

My DD’s waitlist info for Wesleyan was instructive with regards to a LOCI, it noted the student te do not have to provide any additional accomplishments as she was fully qualified to be accepted. It is what it experienced parents have been saying for a year that current parents refused to believe applied to their child, no matter the stats, schools with acceptance rates under 20% are now a lottery or those that are qualified, even when in the top 25% of stats. TO has significantly enlarged the pool.

Your problem is, I think, with the structure of the education and how it is perceived by highly competitive colleges. You can say that without questioning the competence and achievements of the kids that are being accepted in this new world. And know that given the same privileges of your children in the private school the accepted kids might have outperformed your kid and the fact that they did not have this opportunity does not make your child more deserving than those other kids.

I'm shocked that they would put that in writing with the Harvard case pending.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:cmon - have no dog in this fight but sooo obvious in my wealthy DCUM enclave that a large majority of parents send their kids to privates because they feel it puts them on a path for a T15. When this doesn’t materialize and they are applying to - horror upon horror - Clemson, U Delaware, Gettysburg - they are almost embarrassed at the cocktail parties or water cooler. Larlo going to a 50th ranked national university or LAC wasn’t part of the plan and doesn’t impress anyone, and $200k+ of high school tuition feels like it may have been a bit much. They can’t reconcile how their kid is going to Skidmore while the local public is sending kids to Vandy TO. Then the defensiveness, complaining, and finger pointing starts - grade deflation, URMs, “I’m just happy they are getting a better education than everyone else”, etc etc

5 years ago I would have believed you PP. Bit now everyone is in the same boat and horror of these so-called lesser schools has greatly diminished

This. 5 years ago maybe this would be true. But everyone who knows anything about the current state of college admissions knows how impossible and unpredictable admissions have become. Where a student ends up says more about the process rather than being a reflection on the student. This is true for both public and private school students

I believe the pp two posts above about the finger pointing. What I don't understand, either, is the need to bash public school kids as unprepared slackers on your way to these T50 schools.

- I'm the poster who suggested that private schools need to talk to their admins about grade deflation and weighting, and you private school parents seemed to like that.

are there posts in this thread that are actually bashing public school kids?

Can you point them out?

I see a lot of private school posters saying that private school kids have a harder time getting top grades due to the ways grades are averaged between quarters and the teachers who limit As.

I have high schoolers in both public and private (so no dog in this fight) and this is 100% true in my experience.

My Big3 kids goes to a school that won't graduate a single kid with a 4.0 this year. My public schoolers (great public!) goes to a school that will graduate 20% of the class with an unweighted 4.0.

That is fact, not bashing.

What I don't recall seeing in this thread is any private school parents bashing public school kids. Please point out the posts.

Good grief. Now you're going to pretend you didn't see the posts claiming "my private school kid who works until 2 every night says his public school friends never do any homework and they still get As." Maybe you even wrote these posts. Perhaps you guys have realized it's more acceptable to bash public school parents on this thread than their successful kids.

I've suspected for the past 10 or so pages that at least one "private school parent" is a troll or a disappointed kid. This "request" for others to do work kinda cements that.

So, nobody is going to comb through the thread for you, but take everybody's word for it or start around page 20.

There is NO post that says anything remotely to the effect of what you are saying.

You are making sh%^t up. Prove me differently and post it if I'm wrong. I'm ready. Post the link or you're lying.

And why are you even in a post that is about Big3 kids if you don't have a kid at one? Genuinely curious.

OK, you're definitely a troll. If not, do your own legwork starting around page 20 on this thread. There are plenty of posts insulting public school kids' work ethic and ability, if only you'd stop the nastiness and lift your finger to click your mouse.

Not a troll. Just went back and can't find them.

You are outright lying until you post them.

I'll wait all day.

Go ahead and post what you're referring to.

I'll wait. Post a link.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is a 40 page thread full of implicit insults to the quality of the students that are getting in as compared to the students that are left out. Denying it is gaslighting.

My DD’s waitlist info for Wesleyan was instructive with regards to a LOCI, it noted the student te do not have to provide any additional accomplishments as she was fully qualified to be accepted. It is what it experienced parents have been saying for a year that current parents refused to believe applied to their child, no matter the stats, schools with acceptance rates under 20% are now a lottery or those that are qualified, even when in the top 25% of stats. TO has significantly enlarged the pool.

Your problem is, I think, with the structure of the education and how it is perceived by highly competitive colleges. You can say that without questioning the competence and achievements of the kids that are being accepted in this new world. And know that given the same privileges of your children in the private school the accepted kids might have outperformed your kid and the fact that they did not have this opportunity does not make your child more deserving than those other kids.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:cmon - have no dog in this fight but sooo obvious in my wealthy DCUM enclave that a large majority of parents send their kids to privates because they feel it puts them on a path for a T15. When this doesn’t materialize and they are applying to - horror upon horror - Clemson, U Delaware, Gettysburg - they are almost embarrassed at the cocktail parties or water cooler. Larlo going to a 50th ranked national university or LAC wasn’t part of the plan and doesn’t impress anyone, and $200k+ of high school tuition feels like it may have been a bit much. They can’t reconcile how their kid is going to Skidmore while the local public is sending kids to Vandy TO. Then the defensiveness, complaining, and finger pointing starts - grade deflation, URMs, “I’m just happy they are getting a better education than everyone else”, etc etc

5 years ago I would have believed you PP. Bit now everyone is in the same boat and horror of these so-called lesser schools has greatly diminished

This. 5 years ago maybe this would be true. But everyone who knows anything about the current state of college admissions knows how impossible and unpredictable admissions have become. Where a student ends up says more about the process rather than being a reflection on the student. This is true for both public and private school students

I believe the pp two posts above about the finger pointing. What I don't understand, either, is the need to bash public school kids as unprepared slackers on your way to these T50 schools.

- I'm the poster who suggested that private schools need to talk to their admins about grade deflation and weighting, and you private school parents seemed to like that.

are there posts in this thread that are actually bashing public school kids?

Can you point them out?

I see a lot of private school posters saying that private school kids have a harder time getting top grades due to the ways grades are averaged between quarters and the teachers who limit As.

I have high schoolers in both public and private (so no dog in this fight) and this is 100% true in my experience.

My Big3 kids goes to a school that won't graduate a single kid with a 4.0 this year. My public schoolers (great public!) goes to a school that will graduate 20% of the class with an unweighted 4.0.

That is fact, not bashing.

What I don't recall seeing in this thread is any private school parents bashing public school kids. Please point out the posts.

Good grief. Now you're going to pretend you didn't see the posts claiming "my private school kid who works until 2 every night says his public school friends never do any homework and they still get As." Maybe you even wrote these posts. Perhaps you guys have realized it's more acceptable to bash public school parents on this thread than their successful kids.

I've suspected for the past 10 or so pages that at least one "private school parent" is a troll or a disappointed kid. This "request" for others to do work kinda cements that.

So, nobody is going to comb through the thread for you, but take everybody's word for it or start around page 20.

There is NO post that says anything remotely to the effect of what you are saying.

You are making sh%^t up. Prove me differently and post it if I'm wrong. I'm ready. Post the link or you're lying.

And why are you even in a post that is about Big3 kids if you don't have a kid at one? Genuinely curious.

OK, you're definitely a troll. If not, do your own legwork starting around page 20 on this thread. There are plenty of posts insulting public school kids' work ethic and ability, if only you'd stop the nastiness and lift your finger to click your mouse.

Not a troll. Just went back and can't find them.

You are outright lying until you post them.

I'll wait all day.

Go ahead and post what you're referring to.

I'll wait. Post a link.

Yikes. Nobody is combing through 40 pages for you. If you're not a troll then you're unbelievably entitled. There's an ugly post from a private school parent a few pages ago, as an appetizer, if you're too lazy to do your own work.

As pp just said, denying anybody has insulted public school kids is gaslighting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:cmon - have no dog in this fight but sooo obvious in my wealthy DCUM enclave that a large majority of parents send their kids to privates because they feel it puts them on a path for a T15. When this doesn’t materialize and they are applying to - horror upon horror - Clemson, U Delaware, Gettysburg - they are almost embarrassed at the cocktail parties or water cooler. Larlo going to a 50th ranked national university or LAC wasn’t part of the plan and doesn’t impress anyone, and $200k+ of high school tuition feels like it may have been a bit much. They can’t reconcile how their kid is going to Skidmore while the local public is sending kids to Vandy TO. Then the defensiveness, complaining, and finger pointing starts - grade deflation, URMs, “I’m just happy they are getting a better education than everyone else”, etc etc

5 years ago I would have believed you PP. Bit now everyone is in the same boat and horror of these so-called lesser schools has greatly diminished

This. 5 years ago maybe this would be true. But everyone who knows anything about the current state of college admissions knows how impossible and unpredictable admissions have become. Where a student ends up says more about the process rather than being a reflection on the student. This is true for both public and private school students

I believe the pp two posts above about the finger pointing. What I don't understand, either, is the need to bash public school kids as unprepared slackers on your way to these T50 schools.

- I'm the poster who suggested that private schools need to talk to their admins about grade deflation and weighting, and you private school parents seemed to like that.

are there posts in this thread that are actually bashing public school kids?

Can you point them out?

I see a lot of private school posters saying that private school kids have a harder time getting top grades due to the ways grades are averaged between quarters and the teachers who limit As.

I have high schoolers in both public and private (so no dog in this fight) and this is 100% true in my experience.

My Big3 kids goes to a school that won't graduate a single kid with a 4.0 this year. My public schoolers (great public!) goes to a school that will graduate 20% of the class with an unweighted 4.0.

That is fact, not bashing.

What I don't recall seeing in this thread is any private school parents bashing public school kids. Please point out the posts.

Good grief. Now you're going to pretend you didn't see the posts claiming "my private school kid who works until 2 every night says his public school friends never do any homework and they still get As." Maybe you even wrote these posts. Perhaps you guys have realized it's more acceptable to bash public school parents on this thread than their successful kids.

I've suspected for the past 10 or so pages that at least one "private school parent" is a troll or a disappointed kid. This "request" for others to do work kinda cements that.

So, nobody is going to comb through the thread for you, but take everybody's word for it or start around page 20.

There is NO post that says anything remotely to the effect of what you are saying.

You are making sh%^t up. Prove me differently and post it if I'm wrong. I'm ready. Post the link or you're lying.

And why are you even in a post that is about Big3 kids if you don't have a kid at one? Genuinely curious.

OK, you're definitely a troll. If not, do your own legwork starting around page 20 on this thread. There are plenty of posts insulting public school kids' work ethic and ability, if only you'd stop the nastiness and lift your finger to click your mouse.

Not a troll. Just went back and can't find them.

You are outright lying until you post them.

I'll wait all day.

Go ahead and post what you're referring to.

I'll wait. Post a link.

Yikes. Nobody is combing through 40 pages for you. If you're not a troll then you're unbelievably entitled. There's an ugly post from a private school parent a few pages ago, as an appetizer, if you're too lazy to do your own work.

As pp just said, denying anybody has insulted public school kids is gaslighting.

I combed through them but I can't post because what you're saying exists was posted does not exist.

You are lying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Long story short:

A few (not all!) private school parents chose Big 3s for the bragging rights and/or because they thought Larlo would be a shoe-in to, nay almost entitled to, a top college. They didn't count on Larlo's classmates outcompeting him.

These parents certainly don't want to take responsibility for their own decisions. So they come out guns blazing against public school kids. It's not a good look.

You are the same, identifiable public school parent who likes to troll the privates. You always call our kids "Larlo". That is not a good look for YOU. It's a fact there is grade deflation, particularly in the top privates, and it is backfiring on our kids in the new era of the common app and grade deflation.

The fact that you take pleasure in this says something disturbing about you PP. We are living with the results of our decision to send our kids to private- good or bad, so why the nastiness and anger towards private school parents and kids? I don't wish public school families ill or denigrate them. Public school has a different set of pros and cons and challenges. Maybe time for some self-reflection PP.

The weird thing here is you've said nothing about the nastiness and anger towards public school kids, who had nothing to do with your own kids' outcomes at the ivies and top SLACS. The issues you cite are in play at state universities, which are clearly second or last resorts for most of you. Maybe it's time for you to do your own self-reflection.

brutal takedown

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Meanwhile across the pond.....

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/05/04/oxbridge-plans-reduce-number-private-school-students/

I recall that some of these independent school kids no longer being a shoo in to Oxbridge were applying to the US and Canada.

It's the same across the board.. wealthy privileged people are upset that the status quo of the elite getting access to the elite institutions is diminishing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:cmon - have no dog in this fight but sooo obvious in my wealthy DCUM enclave that a large majority of parents send their kids to privates because they feel it puts them on a path for a T15. When this doesn’t materialize and they are applying to - horror upon horror - Clemson, U Delaware, Gettysburg - they are almost embarrassed at the cocktail parties or water cooler. Larlo going to a 50th ranked national university or LAC wasn’t part of the plan and doesn’t impress anyone, and $200k+ of high school tuition feels like it may have been a bit much. They can’t reconcile how their kid is going to Skidmore while the local public is sending kids to Vandy TO. Then the defensiveness, complaining, and finger pointing starts - grade deflation, URMs, “I’m just happy they are getting a better education than everyone else”, etc etc

5 years ago I would have believed you PP. Bit now everyone is in the same boat and horror of these so-called lesser schools has greatly diminished

This. 5 years ago maybe this would be true. But everyone who knows anything about the current state of college admissions knows how impossible and unpredictable admissions have become. Where a student ends up says more about the process rather than being a reflection on the student. This is true for both public and private school students

I believe the pp two posts above about the finger pointing. What I don't understand, either, is the need to bash public school kids as unprepared slackers on your way to these T50 schools.

- I'm the poster who suggested that private schools need to talk to their admins about grade deflation and weighting, and you private school parents seemed to like that.

are there posts in this thread that are actually bashing public school kids?

Can you point them out?

I see a lot of private school posters saying that private school kids have a harder time getting top grades due to the ways grades are averaged between quarters and the teachers who limit As.

I have high schoolers in both public and private (so no dog in this fight) and this is 100% true in my experience.

My Big3 kids goes to a school that won't graduate a single kid with a 4.0 this year. My public schoolers (great public!) goes to a school that will graduate 20% of the class with an unweighted 4.0.

That is fact, not bashing.

What I don't recall seeing in this thread is any private school parents bashing public school kids. Please point out the posts.

Good grief. Now you're going to pretend you didn't see the posts claiming "my private school kid who works until 2 every night says his public school friends never do any homework and they still get As." Maybe you even wrote these posts. Perhaps you guys have realized it's more acceptable to bash public school parents on this thread than their successful kids.

I've suspected for the past 10 or so pages that at least one "private school parent" is a troll or a disappointed kid. This "request" for others to do work kinda cements that.

So, nobody is going to comb through the thread for you, but take everybody's word for it or start around page 20.

There is NO post that says anything remotely to the effect of what you are saying.

You are making sh%^t up. Prove me differently and post it if I'm wrong. I'm ready. Post the link or you're lying.

And why are you even in a post that is about Big3 kids if you don't have a kid at one? Genuinely curious.

OK, you're definitely a troll. If not, do your own legwork starting around page 20 on this thread. There are plenty of posts insulting public school kids' work ethic and ability, if only you'd stop the nastiness and lift your finger to click your mouse.

Not a troll. Just went back and can't find them.

You are outright lying until you post them.

I'll wait all day.

Go ahead and post what you're referring to.

I'll wait. Post a link.

Yikes. Nobody is combing through 40 pages for you. If you're not a troll then you're unbelievably entitled. There's an ugly post from a private school parent a few pages ago, as an appetizer, if you're too lazy to do your own work.

As pp just said, denying anybody has insulted public school kids is gaslighting.

I combed through them but I can't post because what you're saying exists was posted does not exist.

You are lying.

It took me all of 30 seconds to find this at 21:33: https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/315/1123015.page

“I am saying that any moderately intelligent kid attending at MoCo HS will emerge with a 4.2w or better just by breathing.”

There are plenty more like it but I’m done. It’s reasonable to suspect, given your tone, untruths and entitlement, that you wrote some of these posts yourself.

[Anonymous]

It seems that the move to get rid of APs was a misstep.

While people here are saying that admissions staff know the grading policy at Big 3 schools, I also read that many colleges have had to employ temp staff to weed through the exploding number of applications. I am skeptical that some temp has full knowledge of all schools they encounter.

If grade deflation is harming students, why do the people paying fees to these high schools put up with it, especially if college admissions results are suffering.

Adding to this, the admissions criteria are changing and maybe this is catching up to private schools a few years later than it did with public high schools where top performing students have been complaining about being shut out for some time. Even though our kid had top grades and scores that were better than most accepted students at top ivies, we didn't expect that she'd get in because of these institutions' changing priorities.

[Anonymous]

Another 30 secs to find these lies and exaggerations: https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/330/1123015.page

Unless you've had a kid at GDS, NCS, etc, you can't say they're comparable. They're not. My kid is on a sports team with all MCPS kids who take the hardest classes, very high GPAs, etc, and they don't work even half as hard as their counterparts in top privates. Not saying they're not smart, but their high school experience is absolutely chill in comparison.“

Angry troll/private school parent clearly didn’t even try.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It seems that the move to get rid of APs was a misstep.

While people here are saying that admissions staff know the grading policy at Big 3 schools, I also read that many colleges have had to employ temp staff to weed through the exploding number of applications. I am skeptical that some temp has full knowledge of all schools they encounter.

If grade deflation is harming students, why do the people paying fees to these high schools put up with it, especially if college admissions results are suffering.

Adding to this, the admissions criteria are changing and maybe this is catching up to private schools a few years later than it did with public high schools where top performing students have been complaining about being shut out for some time. Even though our kid had top grades and scores that were better than most accepted students at top ivies, we didn't expect that she'd get in because of these institutions' changing priorities.

My understanding is that the first cull occurs at the level of the regional reps, for the private colleges that have them, which is most of the top private colleges/universities. I could be wrong.

State universities have so many apps they rely more on stats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting state of affairs. Looks like HYPS and the like are still mainlining kids from certain privates - Phillips Exeter, Andover, Dalton, Harvard-Westlake etc. Maybe ten schools. And everywhere else, an "elite" expensive private high school is a significant disadvantage in admissions unless the kid is an URM or recruited athlete in crew, lacrosse or something obscure like squash or fencing.

The college world is asunder. Plan accordingly.

Why would the sports need to be obscure? Basketball and football players tend to get more admissions help than others at top colleges (both D1 and D3).

Oh Ok. That's awesome that you have a kid that can play basketball at Duke, football at Northwestern, and hockey at Harvard. Very impressive.

Generally though, those kids go into a very different admissions basket. They're not competing against your kid for a spot. There are millions of kids that play high level basketball, football, and hockey. To score a spot at a D1 school is an incredible athletic achievement in those sports. And every kid worked damned hard to get that spot. I watched some of the Caps game last night. They needed a back-up back-up goalie. It was the Harvard goalie on a short term contract. The commentators noted that he's going to do his 10 days and go back to school to finish his degree in economics.

If that's your kid, super. The kind of students that can do high level big time sports - basketball, football, and hockey in NE and the upper midwest - AND manage high level academics are unicorns. Stanford, Vanderbilt, Northwestern, Harvard. That's it. Schools such as Duke and Georgetown don't even bother. The athletes in those sports at those schools are effectively employees, like Alabama, LSU etc No different.

But for squash, fencing, sailing, and I'd throw in lacrosse, you can buy your way in. Unlike basketball or soccer, the numbers of teen participants are minuscule. Vaguely coordinated kid? Pay the trainer. To equate a squash kid with a basketball kid is nonsense.

Agree with this, but I wouldn't throw lacrosse in the same pile as squash. Squash is prohibitively expensive and requires a lot of access in a way that lacrosse doesn't. Along with squash, I would say that downhill skiing and water polo are also sports that are not easily accessible and can help considerably with college admissions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting state of affairs. Looks like HYPS and the like are still mainlining kids from certain privates - Phillips Exeter, Andover, Dalton, Harvard-Westlake etc. Maybe ten schools. And everywhere else, an "elite" expensive private high school is a significant disadvantage in admissions unless the kid is an URM or recruited athlete in crew, lacrosse or something obscure like squash or fencing.

The college world is asunder. Plan accordingly.

Why would the sports need to be obscure? Basketball and football players tend to get more admissions help than others at top colleges (both D1 and D3).

Oh Ok. That's awesome that you have a kid that can play basketball at Duke, football at Northwestern, and hockey at Harvard. Very impressive.

Generally though, those kids go into a very different admissions basket. They're not competing against your kid for a spot. There are millions of kids that play high level basketball, football, and hockey. To score a spot at a D1 school is an incredible athletic achievement in those sports. And every kid worked damned hard to get that spot. I watched some of the Caps game last night. They needed a back-up back-up goalie. It was the Harvard goalie on a short term contract. The commentators noted that he's going to do his 10 days and go back to school to finish his degree in economics.

If that's your kid, super. The kind of students that can do high level big time sports - basketball, football, and hockey in NE and the upper midwest - AND manage high level academics are unicorns. Stanford, Vanderbilt, Northwestern, Harvard. That's it. Schools such as Duke and Georgetown don't even bother. The athletes in those sports at those schools are effectively employees, like Alabama, LSU etc No different.

But for squash, fencing, sailing, and I'd throw in lacrosse, you can buy your way in. Unlike basketball or soccer, the numbers of teen participants are minuscule. Vaguely coordinated kid? Pay the trainer. To equate a squash kid with a basketball kid is nonsense.

Agree with this, but I wouldn't throw lacrosse in the same pile as squash. Squash is prohibitively expensive and requires a lot of access in a way that lacrosse doesn't. Along with squash, I would say that downhill skiing and water polo are also sports that are not easily accessible and can help considerably with college admissions.

Why is squash expensive? Too few courts? I grew up in Australia and knew many working class people who played squash. I even did it for PE my senior year, biking over to the local working men's club to play. Worldwide it seems to be mainly a Commonwealth sport, with the exception of Egypt whose players dominate the rankings.