In your opinion, how should the elite colleges decide conduct admissions?

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06/14/2024 12:07

Subject: In your opinion, how should the elite colleges decide conduct admissions?

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Anonymous

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Anonymous wrote:No one's educational experience is enhanced by a class of drones. That being said, for highly selective schools I'd want to see the stress on class rigor and being challenged, GPA, SAT/ACT test scores, interesting ECs that really demonstrate some passion and talent, teacher recommendations, and can they write a compelling essay.

I'd get rid of legacy, significant wealth, and nearly all admissions advantages for athletes. If Duke wants a competitive basketball team, fine. I understand that's a special thing. Same with Notre Dame football. But crew and tennis and lacrosse and soccer and Columbia football are pretty ridiculous. The SLACs are usually appalling with this. Nearly half of Williams and Amherst are "athletes."

I'd also put way less emphasis on race even in the post SC era. Context always matters, but have seen way too many mediocre private school students getting spots solely because they check a box. It's never the brilliant kid from SE or the immigrant in Gaithersburg with the 1300 that gets into a T20. I would, however, really like to find the first generation and low income smart kids. That's a special group of students.

I'd also limit the international admits for undergrad. Grad school is a different story. But for undergrad, no student has ever said all that's missing from my college experience is more wealthy students from mainland China and the Persian Gulf.

Basically, less class. More talent.

You want "talent" but you kept ranting about athletes. You do know that athletic performance requires talent, right? So much so that as a general rule only about 7% of high school athletes have the talent to compete at any level in college.

And Amherst and Williams athletes are, in fact, genuine athletes not "athletes" in skeptical quotes as you put it.

I'm sorry your kid got cut from the 8th grade club team but why haven't you gotten over it by now?

Hate this disingenuous crap. Stop trying to degrade the person and just make your point. For most non-athletes, the athlete draw is an unfair process that shouldn't mean they can just walk into an elite institution. Especially at LACs, golf should not allow you to waltz into a campus. No one is going to the softball games, so why are we subsidizing them? Sure, these are genuine athletes, but lacrosse and crew should give the same EC boost as drawing or writing, not recruit you to the institution.

You are missing the point. They aren't just waltzing in and their academic achievement is on par with any other applicant. The idea that you think these kids aren't both high achieving students and high achieving athletes is misguided.

Well the rest of us have to observe that they clearly aren't academically bright and just hush up about it, so the prep kid parents don't get mad. These students aren't academically on par, and that lie needs to stop being spread. They are massively mediocre, posh moochers that couldn't get into a D1 program.

Based on my kid's current experience being recruited for D1 and selective SLACS, I can tell you that your broad-brushed observations are wrong. Especially with the SLAC's. On initial phone calls, after the pleasantries are done it goes right to how are your grades, what classes are you taking, can you send your official transcripts, what is your school profile, please send official class list for the next year, etc. If the process started real early, they will ask for transcripts at the end of every semester and cut those who aren't hitting what it will take to get in. Pre-read time is right around the corner, if they don't make it through that the coaches will find someone else. This is real, not an observation.

So, here's the thing: that is all unfair coaching and no athlete deserves that. Imagine how you'd feel if college counselors for the school's your kid is applying to went to your child's rival high school, went to every kid and asked for all this information and then coached them on what to submit and not to submit, what to take and not to take and tell you early whether or not you make the academic cut. It's something athletes shouldn't be getting. There should not be an entirely separate process that athletes use to bypass our main system. Even then, none of this academically qualified drivel gives reason as to why a child whose in golf, crew, lacrosse, squash, etc. gets recruited to the institution and doesn't have the same admissions odds as everyone else. Being academically qualified should put you in line with everyone else, not count your sport that no one on campus benefits from but you as the most essential extracurricular that pushes you into a 100% acceptance as you ED. It's a terrible practice, especially for these SLACs where there are so few spots already.