Purposefully & strategically leaving blanks in the Common App

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:this SSN thing is a myth according to Yale FA department. they say it's used if two kids have same or easily mixed up names, which happens more than you'd think. and only in double checking stage.

agree. apparently some high school kids think it's a signal you're not applying for FA, which isn't true.

If one omits SSN and then either some college admissions gets hacked or Common App gets hacked, it is a win to omit. And everything eventually will get hacked, sadly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:this SSN thing is a myth according to Yale FA department. they say it's used if two kids have same or easily mixed up names, which happens more than you'd think. and only in double checking stage.

agree. apparently some high school kids think it's a signal you're not applying for FA, which isn't true.

If one omits SSN and then either some college admissions gets hacked or Common App gets hacked, it is a win to omit. And everything eventually will get hacked, sadly.

Yep. This makes me nervous

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:you don't have a choice about putting parent's employment on the common app. it's a required field

Is it required? I just created a parent practice account on Common App and I don't see parents occupation as required field.

[Anonymous]

I told my kid not to put SSN because everything now is getting hacked. I’m sure the average college’s security is not as good as United Healthcare and look what happened to them. We don’t give out socials unless it is legally mandated (irritated that ACA made it required to give to your health insurance — we always declined prior to that).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have heard on various podcasts not to put SS# or parent occupation. But parent’s education IS required, so not hard to figure out you have two lawyers for parents when you both have a JD. Some of this advice is just silly.

+1

parent occupation is also required.

any college counselor who tells an aspiring family doctor to put down NIH researcher instead .. is just telling your kid to lie with a lot of specificity. Which is weird to me.

That's not lying if kid has an interest in medicine and public health.
Pre-med is not a major. Should never be put that down if Asian. Ever. It is disadvantageous in the review process.

Again, its about the overarching creative narrative of the applicant.
If you don't have a narrative that you are weaving through the application and are applying to T20, its hard to create a multi-dimensional compelling case for the kid.

I agree with this but only for T20/T25 schools where they care about a "narrative"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:this SSN thing is a myth according to Yale FA department. they say it's used if two kids have same or easily mixed up names, which happens more than you'd think. and only in double checking stage.

Its a myth at Ivies and T10.
But its real at other T25 privates (you can guess which ones).
And its irrelevant at publics.

For T50, its best to omit SSN and not complete FAFASA for these schools if you are full pay - it doesn't matter anywhere else in the T50:

UChicago
Rice
Vandy
ND
Georgetown
Emory
WashU

USC
NYU
BC
Tufts
BU
Lehigh
Wake

interestingly some of the schools with the most affluent student populations (and some of the most expensive colleges)

So what is the point about these private schools? They like/prefer full pay students when they can get them? Is that a surprise though?

[Anonymous]

Why is parent occupation bad to list exactly?

[Anonymous]

Race box!

Kid left it blank last year. In common app and school app

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why is parent occupation bad to list exactly?

It isn't bad to list when it tells the college you are likely to be full pay

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is parent occupation bad to list exactly?

It isn't bad to list when it tells the college you are likely to be full pay

Yeah. My kid listed mine and my husband’s jobs. He got in everywhere so it didn’t hurt

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Race box!

Kid left it blank last year. In common app and school app

Ok. You really showed them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Race box!

Kid left it blank last year. In common app and school app

The race boxes are not visible to admission officers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This whole thread is made up BS.

That's precisely why I'm reading it. In full.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:this SSN thing is a myth according to Yale FA department. they say it's used if two kids have same or easily mixed up names, which happens more than you'd think. and only in double checking stage.

Its a myth at Ivies and T10.
But its real at other T25 privates (you can guess which ones).
And its irrelevant at publics.

For T50, its best to omit SSN and not complete FAFASA for these schools if you are full pay - it doesn't matter anywhere else in the T50:

UChicago
Rice
Vandy
ND
Georgetown
Emory
WashU

USC
NYU
BC
Tufts
BU
Lehigh
Wake

bump

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is parent occupation bad to list exactly?

It isn't bad to list when it tells the college you are likely to be full pay

Yeah. My kid listed mine and my husband’s jobs. He got in everywhere so it didn’t hurt

Where did he get in? What were the jobs?