Walls vs Private- How Would You Compare

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Universities track the reviews that interviewers give. If you are only recommending public school kids (or only recommending private school kids) then your reviews are disregarded. Nothing is done in a vacuum at these schools.
Plus at baseline these basically mean nothing for admissions. They are done as a service to alumni.

--former admissions staffer.

Don't tell them! As evidenced by this thread these Ivy league ego monsters are convinced they play a very important role in the process. Just look at how they debate the sanctity of what is essentially an exercise in ego manipulation.

[Anonymous]

Nonsense. Posters have mentioned playing a “small” and “tiny” role in the process and recommending both public and private school applicants, just not entitled $&@holes. If you don’t like the fact that Ivy alum interviewers get to submit reports, simple, don’t have your kid apply to Ivies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Not sure I'm buying the above, not here in the Information Age. These days, a really determined, super hard-working, bright kid from a middle-class family can learn a great deal from the Internet, on-line libraries, and enrichment camps during school breaks. I've done a lot of volunteer interviewing for my Ivy in the DC area in the last 20 years, interviewed many applicants from DC's most expensive private schools, WIS, Sidwell, Maret, NCS, St. Albans, GDS etc. Few of these applicants blew me away, or got stellar write-ups from me, but some of the applicants I've interviewed from Walls, BASIS, Wilson/JR and Latin did. When a kid is spoon fed excellent academics at a tony private from a young age, chances are good that said applicant is only so thoughtful, interesting and resourceful by senior year in HS. Hint: colleges admitting in the single digits in this country are seeking the intellectually entrepreneurial.

Real question - do you think perhaps, you might be biased towards public schools? We are considering switching from BASIS to private for various reasons.

Yes, no question that I'm biased toward public school applicants. But that's my prerogative as a public high school and Ivy League grad who interviews applicants to be of service to my alma mater.

When I attended my Ivy, in the late 80s, graduates of ordinary public schools (vs. Stuyvesant, Boston Latin etc.) on a great deal of fi aid like me were just starting to become a force on Ivy campuses. We were Pell Grant recipients, not legacies. Now we're in our 50s, and we get a little bit of say in who's admitted.

My particular Ivy seems to rely on interview reports in making admissions decisions to a greater extent than some of our sister schools. Of the roughly DC 150 applicants I've interviewed over a 25-year period, I can't think of an applicant who has been admitted after I urged admissions officers not to admit him or her in no uncertain terms. That said, I used to work at BASIS and do not send my children there. I don't care for their one-size fits all approach to education, their top down management, the way they hit parents up to finance teachers' bonuses, or their aversion to PTAs/PTOs and parental involvement in the school in general.

Being biased is not your prerogative as an Ivy League alumni interviewer. Worse, it is a violation of the rules and guidelines governing such interviews.

Shame on you.

-Long-time Ivy interviewer

+1000. You’re only agenda should be that of the admissions committee of the school. If you can’t interview without bringing your own agenda to it, then don’t do it.

You sound pushed off that you can’t stop Ivy interviewers from doing what they darn well please. Spare us your holier than thou BS.

[Anonymous]

Pissed off

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nonsense. Posters have mentioned playing a “small” and “tiny” role in the process and recommending both public and private school applicants, just not entitled $&@holes. If you don’t like the fact that Ivy alum interviewers get to submit reports, simple, don’t have your kid apply to Ivies.

Exactly. Easily done.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Not sure I'm buying the above, not here in the Information Age. These days, a really determined, super hard-working, bright kid from a middle-class family can learn a great deal from the Internet, on-line libraries, and enrichment camps during school breaks. I've done a lot of volunteer interviewing for my Ivy in the DC area in the last 20 years, interviewed many applicants from DC's most expensive private schools, WIS, Sidwell, Maret, NCS, St. Albans, GDS etc. Few of these applicants blew me away, or got stellar write-ups from me, but some of the applicants I've interviewed from Walls, BASIS, Wilson/JR and Latin did. When a kid is spoon fed excellent academics at a tony private from a young age, chances are good that said applicant is only so thoughtful, interesting and resourceful by senior year in HS. Hint: colleges admitting in the single digits in this country are seeking the intellectually entrepreneurial.

Real question - do you think perhaps, you might be biased towards public schools? We are considering switching from BASIS to private for various reasons.

Yes, no question that I'm biased toward public school applicants. But that's my prerogative as a public high school and Ivy League grad who interviews applicants to be of service to my alma mater.

When I attended my Ivy, in the late 80s, graduates of ordinary public schools (vs. Stuyvesant, Boston Latin etc.) on a great deal of fi aid like me were just starting to become a force on Ivy campuses. We were Pell Grant recipients, not legacies. Now we're in our 50s, and we get a little bit of say in who's admitted.

My particular Ivy seems to rely on interview reports in making admissions decisions to a greater extent than some of our sister schools. Of the roughly DC 150 applicants I've interviewed over a 25-year period, I can't think of an applicant who has been admitted after I urged admissions officers not to admit him or her in no uncertain terms. That said, I used to work at BASIS and do not send my children there. I don't care for their one-size fits all approach to education, their top down management, the way they hit parents up to finance teachers' bonuses, or their aversion to PTAs/PTOs and parental involvement in the school in general.

Being biased is not your prerogative as an Ivy League alumni interviewer. Worse, it is a violation of the rules and guidelines governing such interviews.

Shame on you.

-Long-time Ivy interviewer

NP. It is an interview. By definition the interviewer brings into the room all of their life experience and provides some sort of judgement on the interviewee. It is a subjective exercise. The interviewer is human which means they of course have their own biases into the room. The fact that you seem to think you are engaging in an objective exercise and that your assessment of candidates is fact or truth is frightening.

-Someone without an Ivy league degree who thinks you should take your sanctimonious garbage somewhere else

Since you have no knowledge of the process, keep your irrelevant views and biases to yourself.

Do you think the way the Ivey leagues do interviews is any different than how any other college does them? Or any other interview? Do you think Ivy grads are so special don' brig subjectivity into a room?

My brother-in-law used to work as a senior level admissions officer for an Ivy university in New Haven. He and his colleagues used to laugh at and about the alums who would volunteer to do interviews. These people were so thirsty to continue to be affiliated with the Ivy that they'd do almost anything. Grown adults who peaked at 18 and wanted every opportunity to let everyone they knew know they went to an Ivy. Sound familiar?

Sorry, to summarize: Your BIL whose entire not very impressive career was linked to retaining an affiliation with his alma mater laughed at doctors & lawyers who interview for fun 5ish hours/year… because they’re pathetic and desperate to maintain an affiliation with their alma mater. Yeah, OK.

[Anonymous]

I interview about 5 kids for my HYP alma mater every year for 10+ years and I have been most impressed by 1 kid from St As, 1 kid from Georgetown Visi & 1 kid from Maret (deferred/admitted, waitlisted & admitted early as outcomes; I’ve interviews 3 other kids who got in, but 2 were athletes with likely letters & 1 girl I thought was just fine). I grew up as a public school NYC kid, so had no real knowledge of the public/private school scene here or any real preconceptions… and my private school applicants have, pretty uniformly, been more impressive. Some of that is just that they appear to be much better at talking to adults/the actual interview process. Not sure if that’s due to the school or their likely background or whatever, but definitely my experience.

[Anonymous]

I went to Brown, my spouse to Princeton and one of my siblings to Harvard. Each of us has done a certain amount of interviewing for our alma mater over the years (after having been pestered into volunteering by our respective DC alum chapters). When we’ve compared the report formats used by the schools, and the admissions results that we know about, it’s clear that Brown values alumni input the most of our colleges and Harvard the least. Maybe Yale could care less.

[Anonymous]

Brown has the highest legacy admit rate and smallest endowment of the Ivies with grad programs, so that makes sense. They need their alums support more than HPYC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Brown has the highest legacy admit rate and smallest endowment of the Ivies with grad programs, so that makes sense. They need their alums support more than HPYC.

Brown's endowment is @$7 billion dollars. They don't need to raise another dime, ever.

[Anonymous]

Can the Ivey League crew please drop the jerk off session about the meaning of interviews. I don't care.

As someone who has a kid heading towards high school fast who is strongly considering private given how Walls has become very unclear in its admission practice, I'd like to hear from people with actual children who have attended relevant schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can the Ivey League crew please drop the jerk off session about the meaning of interviews. I don't care.

As someone who has a kid heading towards high school fast who is strongly considering private given how Walls has become very unclear in its admission practice, I'd like to hear from people with actual children who have attended relevant schools.

That was very sexist. There's just as much self flagellation by female grads. I particularly enjoy when stay at home moms let loose their Ivy credentials, as if that somehow makes them better parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can the Ivey League crew please drop the jerk off session about the meaning of interviews. I don't care.

As someone who has a kid heading towards high school fast who is strongly considering private given how Walls has become very unclear in its admission practice, I'd like to hear from people with actual children who have attended relevant schools.

Why don't you ignore their posts rather than getting hot under the collar (crudely).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can the Ivey League crew please drop the jerk off session about the meaning of interviews. I don't care.

As someone who has a kid heading towards high school fast who is strongly considering private given how Walls has become very unclear in its admission practice, I'd like to hear from people with actual children who have attended relevant schools.

We sent our children to Walls. We'd have sent them to a private if we could have afforded one easily. DCPS is only so wonderful, and Walls isn't the school it was five or ten years ago. Hint: Bowser.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can the Ivey League crew please drop the jerk off session about the meaning of interviews. I don't care.

As someone who has a kid heading towards high school fast who is strongly considering private given how Walls has become very unclear in its admission practice, I'd like to hear from people with actual children who have attended relevant schools.

We sent our children to Walls. We'd have sent them to a private if we could have afforded one easily. DCPS is only so wonderful, and Walls isn't the school it was five or ten years ago. Hint: Bowser.

You don't have kids there now and haven't for years judging by your own post. So how do you know what the school is or isn't right now?