Craziest “pointy” narratives that worked this cycle

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is a kid on YouTube who is an adopted boy from Ethiopia who really likes to crochet. He has a huge online following and has been on the Today show etc. He designs patterns and has an endorsement deal with one of the yarn companies. I don’t think he is doing it to get into Harvard but I am sure he would if he applied. He also donates most of the money he earns to an orphanage in Ethiopia. That to me is a “pointy narrative”, passion project. And it is really sincere, not manufactured.

+1. I, for one, can not fault any kid who is sincere about their passion. It is when the parent micromanages everything, including the actual application, that is sickening.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Marry someone from un "unprivileged" background, even if they are privileged. You are welcome.

It must be such a joy spending one's limited time in this world with such a calculated, Machiavellian attitude towards life.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:this is not the beginning of this approach.

I live in Brooklyn a stone's throw from St Ann's and my own kids are at a "top tier" HS in Manhattan. Lots of blogs, NFPs, YouTube channels and podcasts started in junior year and abandoned 12 months later.

But I've also seen plenty of these kids get into HYP - yay! - and graduate and then, because they don't have another consultant (yet) they end up being SAT tutors themselves.

Not sure this is the outcome you want for your kids

And then their connections get them a real job and then go on and the circle of affluent NYC life continues. Yeah, it doesn't change that much.

As former New Yorker, I still have a lot of friends there with kids, some at BFS and St Anne's, etc. I think I envy that world more than I like to admit to myself, but I'm also relieved not to have to deal with it. So much that is done because everyone else is doing it.

I don't think the shifts that have abandoned elite schools to the very wealthy and the very poor have been all that great for academic thought, also. Lots of armchair revolutionary kids who suffer no consequences, and kids with genuine grievances who have some of the worst examples of capitalism living next door.

THIS.

Also, the PP who commented about it trickling down to the "not as rich"... so true. I have seen this first hand (and was even guilty getting caught up in it myself for a hot second until a gave myself a proverbial slap across the face). We live really well but we aren't multiple homes and private plane rich and honestly, we have no business getting caught up in all this. Not to mention, DC's private has a great group of college counselors.

These independent companies are getting paid by very wealthy families with kids who have the kind of resources and free time to start three NFP's that a lot of regular teens don't have and likely, would be getting into top tier schools anyway (even if it meant falling up) because the schools see donation written all over them. In some cases they might be part of the tipping point of a certain kid getting in but let's be real - their percentage of acceptance is mostly wholey based on the wealth of the families and the access it affords these students to begin with. These companies get to take "credit" for the admission and it drives more parents to flock to them to drop six figures on years long programs around blogs and b.s.

Nah. Pre varsity blues maybe. Now?

There’s a lot more $$$ than you can imagine and very wealthy ppl (think NW btw $50-200 million) get dinged all the time. Billionaires and celebrities are diff tho.

They’ll be fine and end up at NYU; BC; Wake; Tulane etc….but you are not getting into T25 just bc you have deep pockets bc schools see “donation”. The rest has to be there - and fully baked out.

So false. How do you think Apple Martin wound up at Vandy? There are a good amount of development cases at nearly all the T25.

According to Gwyneth on her podcast (the episode where she interviews Kat Cohen), "Apple manifested that."

So ... crystals and a vision board, I guess.

[Anonymous]

To me the passion project crap is a huge turn off. I don't get why colleges don't respect a kid who works retail or at a restaurant but fawn over some dumb "passion" thing clearly set up by family to look impressive.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I think it's very common among the 1% and despite everyone here saying "AOs are smart! they know! they see right through this" the fact is, they don't.

I think it will work for a while. Teen tours also worked for a lot longer than we remember. Colleges scoff they can see through that and I wish someone would say: "you didn't for 20 years so let's not be so smug! and now you love the passion project some adult made up for the kids"

Also true that colleges need the 1%. They can come up with all sorts of reasons that they're only taking the smart or the nice ones, but they want the money.

‘Nuff said.

1% is that much tbh. $400k??

0.1% also isn’t that much ($1.5M+ HHI)….
We’ve got 3x this in HHI and don’t get a preferential treatment in the college app process bc “they want the money”. How does that manifest itself? Come on. There’s no box to check.

Yes, they’ll see our “titles” in parents’ employment, but they’re not getting a letter or anything else that indicates “oh maybe they’ll donate a few million” down the road?

Plus, people in this income bracket are not the ones donating $50 million sports facilities. That’s the billionaire class.

The “working wealthy”, even if making $5m+ a year are not being overtly or covertly targeted. At least we aren’t.

I just think this analysis is dead wrong.

This is correct. You don't have to get to the billions, but you do need to have the kind of wealth that makes working an optional hobby that gets in the way of your travel and philanthropy calendar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To me the passion project crap is a huge turn off. I don't get why colleges don't respect a kid who works retail or at a restaurant but fawn over some dumb "passion" thing clearly set up by family to look impressive.

Bc all the AOs also had passion projects?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think AOs are in their 20s, usually slums, pink hair/non-binary and they want a “story” that they can relate to or sparks something in them….

So really there’s luck in appealing to a group of them in your story.

The best private CC are ones that have done this recently and can speak their language to appeal to this group.

https://www.reddit.com/r/ApplyingToCollege/s/3MGJwSzHAu

This is why it’s a good idea to shotgun and apply to 20-30 schools if you are trying to get into a T25….
It depends on what the AOs “feel like” that day…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To me the passion project crap is a huge turn off. I don't get why colleges don't respect a kid who works retail or at a restaurant but fawn over some dumb "passion" thing clearly set up by family to look impressive.

I have to think some of them see straight through it. We know a girl whose "passion project" was raising money for a girls' school in Africa (there may have even been a nonprofit set up). Her mom sent all the emails soliciting donations and organized all the other fundraising activities. As far as we can tell, the girl did nothing. FWIW, the girl (a smart girl at a top private school) did fine in admissions, but no better than a bunch of other smart kids in the neighborhood with normal ECs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How can college admissions officers fall for this cr*p? A blog? Seriously?

You can’t fake 500 blog posts over 3-4 years.

You can fake followers and likes, though.

I knew someone who bought followers on social media. I flat out told him to quit it because it wasn't believable given the inconsistency of his content.

A nicely presented blog could act as a journal even if not widely read.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is why it’s a good idea to shotgun and apply to 20-30 schools if you are trying to get into a T25….
It depends on what the AOs “feel like” that day…

LOL, you think the twenty-something AOs decide who gets admitted?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is why it’s a good idea to shotgun and apply to 20-30 schools if you are trying to get into a T25….
It depends on what the AOs “feel like” that day…

LOL, you think the twenty-something AOs decide who gets admitted?

They are the first line of defense. The local AO decide whose application goes further--to even be legitimately considered.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is why it’s a good idea to shotgun and apply to 20-30 schools if you are trying to get into a T25….
It depends on what the AOs “feel like” that day…

LOL, you think the twenty-something AOs decide who gets admitted?

They are the first line of defense. The local AO decide whose application goes further--to even be legitimately considered.

Exactly. Usually 2 of them….

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is why it’s a good idea to shotgun and apply to 20-30 schools if you are trying to get into a T25….
It depends on what the AOs “feel like” that day…

LOL, you think the twenty-something AOs decide who gets admitted?

Lol you sound clueless

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is why it’s a good idea to shotgun and apply to 20-30 schools if you are trying to get into a T25….
It depends on what the AOs “feel like” that day…

LOL, you think the twenty-something AOs decide who gets admitted?

They are the first line of defense. The local AO decide whose application goes further--to even be legitimately considered.

So you proved my point, which is that the twenty-something AOs aren't themselves admitting anyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There's the girl from McLean who started a NP for kids with cancer. She now makes youtube videos in her bra from Harvard.

I followed the link and you are VASTLY misrepresenting her and her videos. You should be ashamed of yourself.