Shifting interest in T25 schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the point being made is that many kids who don’t have hooks are being wiser with their ED choices and not going the HYPSM route which to me makes sense. If you aren’t an athlete, big donor or legacy, Ivy is not going to happen for you unless you get struck by lightening and most people prefer to shoot their shot at equally impressive non-Ivy schools. The end!

HYPSM may not happen.
But Cornell? Dartmouth? Brown? Penn ? All possible with great fit.

[Anonymous]

At my kid's HS students still applying to t25. But the senior this year who had all the "aura," as the kids say, was the one student who swept 4 top Ivies H,Y,P, plus one other (I forget which one) and Stanford. Also got into Michigan, which must have been their safety. This is creating quite the buzz at his HS in a way that Cornell, Brown, Chicago etc. do not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think this is about "influencers" on A2C, TikTok, instagram. Who, I admit, I follow.

The story they tell is that SCEA is zero help, and if you're not hooked, can harm you.

You're better off EDing a half step or full step down and locking something in.

The lesson is that those T5 schools are out of favor - they're getting more apps now that pre-pandemic (less than when they were test optional and everyone was throwing one in). The story is they're IMPOSSIBLE really if you're unhooked so don't throw away your shot at ED. Use it wise ie, a T20/25, not T5.

Exactly. It's all about risk assessment. Some kids want to shoot their shot regardless, but my DC wanted to lock down an excellent option ED, an elite school where they knew they'd thrive, vs. trying for HYPS and risking ending up farther down the ladder. We are all very happy with how they approached it, and the results. Btw this was a 4.0uw/4.96w 36 ACT magnet kid who didn't want to take the risk, and also wasn't interested in the lower Ivies.

Can you share which school your DC chose over HYPS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who keeps trying to make Rice happen? It’s a great school but most kids I know think it’s a niche school for quirky kids.

The word “quirky” needs to go away. Not every smart kid wants to join a fraternity or sorority. Mean mom energy.

Would you prefer I say school for nerds? Quirky seems preferable.

“Nerds” would totally be better. And as your kid older, you’ll discover most of the students going to T20 schools are nerds with something. The prom queen goes to different schools.

All of the adults I know who went to T20 schools self identify as nerds. The adults who want to be seen as cool are pretty much all dummies. I’m sure there are exceptions of course.

If you call yourself a nerd, you are probably not sufficiently awkward or intelligent to qualify. Self-labeling like that is for people trying to climb a ladder.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think this is about "influencers" on A2C, TikTok, instagram. Who, I admit, I follow.

The story they tell is that SCEA is zero help, and if you're not hooked, can harm you.

You're better off EDing a half step or full step down and locking something in.

The lesson is that those T5 schools are out of favor - they're getting more apps now that pre-pandemic (less than when they were test optional and everyone was throwing one in). The story is they're IMPOSSIBLE really if you're unhooked so don't throw away your shot at ED. Use it wise ie, a T20/25, not T5.

Exactly. It's all about risk assessment. Some kids want to shoot their shot regardless, but my DC wanted to lock down an excellent option ED, an elite school where they knew they'd thrive, vs. trying for HYPS and risking ending up farther down the ladder. We are all very happy with how they approached it, and the results. Btw this was a 4.0uw/4.96w 36 ACT magnet kid who didn't want to take the risk, and also wasn't interested in the lower Ivies.

Can you share which school your DC chose over HYPS?

Non-Ivy T-10 or WASP probably.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think this is about "influencers" on A2C, TikTok, instagram. Who, I admit, I follow.

The story they tell is that SCEA is zero help, and if you're not hooked, can harm you.

You're better off EDing a half step or full step down and locking something in.

The lesson is that those T5 schools are out of favor - they're getting more apps now that pre-pandemic (less than when they were test optional and everyone was throwing one in). The story is they're IMPOSSIBLE really if you're unhooked so don't throw away your shot at ED. Use it wise ie, a T20/25, not T5.

Exactly. It's all about risk assessment. Some kids want to shoot their shot regardless, but my DC wanted to lock down an excellent option ED, an elite school where they knew they'd thrive, vs. trying for HYPS and risking ending up farther down the ladder. We are all very happy with how they approached it, and the results. Btw this was a 4.0uw/4.96w 36 ACT magnet kid who didn't want to take the risk, and also wasn't interested in the lower Ivies.

This was my kid too. Similar stats. I wanted him to shoot his shot and see what panned out. He didn't want to risk it. Was only interested in Yale or Penn. He chose to ED at Chicago. I have secret "what if" feelings but he seems perfectly happy. Regardless, I understand why he didn't want to risk it. It worked out well for a couple of friends, but more often things went south.