Where are my 90s era Harvard classmates sending their kids?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH is class of '91. We have one DC at Swarthmore, and the other was recently accepted ED at Carleton.

As for his classmates who I know, there are a lot whose kids chose Harvard, but off the top of my head I can think of: Cornell, Wesleyan, Colorado College, BC, Columbia, Williams, Hamilton, Colgate, Chicago, Duke, Colby, Lehigh, NYU, UNC, and St. Andrews.

I went to one of these schools and when I look at where Harvard and Yale alum kids are going, this list is pretty spot on.

Some of them have super high achieving kids who get into Harvard and Yale, though.

I have to admit, I smile a little when I see the Harvard/Yalies who are arrogant sending their kids to schools like this.

I'm the PP, and FWIW neither of my kids had Harvard on their list. The Swattie flat out did not like the vibe, and the Carl is an athletic recruit who was not D1 level and only seriously considered D3 schools so he could play. Academically, both of them would have had a good shot as legacies. Save your schadenfreude for situations that deserve it.

[Anonymous]

At our private, every H legacy with a very wealthy/big donor family goes to Harvard regardless of GPA and scores. Every single one. The lowest legacy GPA who got in from last year's class was 3.5. Other than that, a few very impressive unconnected kids are accepted (unless it's a heavy $$$ legacy year, in which case it's 1 or 2). The legacies w/o the extreme wealth (or who just didn't want to apply to H - there is sometimes 1) go to Brown, Cornell, WashU, Chicago, Williams, Georgetown, and similar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At our private, every H legacy with a very wealthy/big donor family goes to Harvard regardless of GPA and scores. Every single one. The lowest legacy GPA who got in from last year's class was 3.5. Other than that, a few very impressive unconnected kids are accepted (unless it's a heavy $$$ legacy year, in which case it's 1 or 2). The legacies w/o the extreme wealth (or who just didn't want to apply to H - there is sometimes 1) go to Brown, Cornell, WashU, Chicago, Williams, Georgetown, and similar.

Harvard legacy kids go to Harvard at our HS. And they're not always major donors, although certainly plenty rich.

[Anonymous]

It’s funny seeing how much OP flopped on this post.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What this shows is that getting into Harvard used to be immensely easier. People who went to Harvard in the 90s wouldn’t be in at anywhere comparable today.

This.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What this shows is that getting into Harvard used to be immensely easier. People who went to Harvard in the 90s wouldn’t be in at anywhere comparable today.

It’s not harder or easier per se, but the grade inflation is making the signals of quality very noisy. A few decades ago, the high school grades already helped the admissions pick the outstanding (academically) students pretty accurately. In addition, applicants these days are supposed to play victim and write a sob story about what kind of hardship they have gone through and how they have overcome their hardship and what lessons they have learned. It’s like everyone is applying for a script writing major!

Wrong. It is easier. Harvard used to have a much higher admission rate. In 1988, it was 14.6% and less than 15,000 applications.

https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1988/7/8/freshman-class-sets-application-records-pthe/

In 2025, there was a 3.43% acceptance rate out of 57,435 apps.

https://features.thecrimson.com/2021/freshman-survey/makeup-narrative/#:~:text=This%20year%2C%20the%20College's%20acceptance,totals%20a%20historic%201%2C965%20students.

lol 14.6% wasn't exactly easy back then. Easier sure, but sure as hell not easy by any stretch.

5x easier before than now. That’s significant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What this shows is that getting into Harvard used to be immensely easier. People who went to Harvard in the 90s wouldn’t be in at anywhere comparable today.

It’s not harder or easier per se, but the grade inflation is making the signals of quality very noisy. A few decades ago, the high school grades already helped the admissions pick the outstanding (academically) students pretty accurately. In addition, applicants these days are supposed to play victim and write a sob story about what kind of hardship they have gone through and how they have overcome their hardship and what lessons they have learned. It’s like everyone is applying for a script writing major!

Wrong. It is easier. Harvard used to have a much higher admission rate. In 1988, it was 14.6% and less than 15,000 applications.

https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1988/7/8/freshman-class-sets-application-records-pthe/

In 2025, there was a 3.43% acceptance rate out of 57,435 apps.

https://features.thecrimson.com/2021/freshman-survey/makeup-narrative/#:~:text=This%20year%2C%20the%20College's%20acceptance,totals%20a%20historic%201%2C965%20students.

In 1988, you had to type out your application on a typewriter. The lower acceptance rate is as much a function of the improved ease of application as it is anything else. The denominator changed more than the numerator.

Also there is just a larger population in general, more people aware of elite schools, and about the same amount of spots.

And academically elite children of immigrants crowding out mediocre legacies.

Go back where you came from with your "mediocre". You are all ruining it. That word is almost as cliche as "woke." Your kids with their 18 APs and violin, chess, fencing, and zero social skills. They will go to these schools and study 24/7 and add nothing to the experience, then not be able to get jobs because they can't interview. Or they will rebel from their obnoxious parents and spend their four years stoned and drunk. Which is the preferable outcome.

The elite kids are far more socially acclimated than the mediocre legacy kids. Have you interviewed these kids?
A lot of elite legacy kids too but a lot of legacy kids just aren't elite. That's OK, they aren't going to be flipping burgers for a living or anything like that.

Sounds like you are afraid that the "mediocre" kids will take over your precious Harvard spots.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What this shows is that getting into Harvard used to be immensely easier. People who went to Harvard in the 90s wouldn’t be in at anywhere comparable today.

It’s not harder or easier per se, but the grade inflation is making the signals of quality very noisy. A few decades ago, the high school grades already helped the admissions pick the outstanding (academically) students pretty accurately. In addition, applicants these days are supposed to play victim and write a sob story about what kind of hardship they have gone through and how they have overcome their hardship and what lessons they have learned. It’s like everyone is applying for a script writing major!

Wrong. It is easier. Harvard used to have a much higher admission rate. In 1988, it was 14.6% and less than 15,000 applications.

https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1988/7/8/freshman-class-sets-application-records-pthe/

In 2025, there was a 3.43% acceptance rate out of 57,435 apps.

https://features.thecrimson.com/2021/freshman-survey/makeup-narrative/#:~:text=This%20year%2C%20the%20College's%20acceptance,totals%20a%20historic%201%2C965%20students.

lol 14.6% wasn't exactly easy back then. Easier sure, but sure as hell not easy by any stretch.

it was as hard then as BC is now. I mean .. hard, sure. but not as special as you might have thought

[Anonymous]

or Bates

[Anonymous]

and your kids are legacy so roughly 3x the acceptance rate for unhooked kids.

So .. your kids have roughly the same chances at Harvard as they do at Tufts. And they're not pulling that off? Ouch

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What this shows is that getting into Harvard used to be immensely easier. People who went to Harvard in the 90s wouldn’t be in at anywhere comparable today.

It’s not harder or easier per se, but the grade inflation is making the signals of quality very noisy. A few decades ago, the high school grades already helped the admissions pick the outstanding (academically) students pretty accurately. In addition, applicants these days are supposed to play victim and write a sob story about what kind of hardship they have gone through and how they have overcome their hardship and what lessons they have learned. It’s like everyone is applying for a script writing major!

Wrong. It is easier. Harvard used to have a much higher admission rate. In 1988, it was 14.6% and less than 15,000 applications.

https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1988/7/8/freshman-class-sets-application-records-pthe/

In 2025, there was a 3.43% acceptance rate out of 57,435 apps.

https://features.thecrimson.com/2021/freshman-survey/makeup-narrative/#:~:text=This%20year%2C%20the%20College's%20acceptance,totals%20a%20historic%201%2C965%20students.

In 1988, you had to type out your application on a typewriter. The lower acceptance rate is as much a function of the improved ease of application as it is anything else. The denominator changed more than the numerator.

Right. I applied to four colleges/universities. My kids applied to nine to 15.

I applied to 9 in 1989.

Affluent areas in the NE took college apps seriously, even back then.

I never said I was affluent

I didn’t say you were.

I was just pointing out a different experience from back then. Typewriters weren’t a deterrent for motivated kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What this shows is that getting into Harvard used to be immensely easier. People who went to Harvard in the 90s wouldn’t be in at anywhere comparable today.

It’s not harder or easier per se, but the grade inflation is making the signals of quality very noisy. A few decades ago, the high school grades already helped the admissions pick the outstanding (academically) students pretty accurately. In addition, applicants these days are supposed to play victim and write a sob story about what kind of hardship they have gone through and how they have overcome their hardship and what lessons they have learned. It’s like everyone is applying for a script writing major!

Wrong. It is easier. Harvard used to have a much higher admission rate. In 1988, it was 14.6% and less than 15,000 applications.

https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1988/7/8/freshman-class-sets-application-records-pthe/

In 2025, there was a 3.43% acceptance rate out of 57,435 apps.

https://features.thecrimson.com/2021/freshman-survey/makeup-narrative/#:~:text=This%20year%2C%20the%20College's%20acceptance,totals%20a%20historic%201%2C965%20students.

lol 14.6% wasn't exactly easy back then. Easier sure, but sure as hell not easy by any stretch.

5x easier before than now. That’s significant.

DP. It’s not purely a lottery because all applicants aren’t equal.

For well-qualified kids, it’s not really 5x harder. They aren’t competing against ALL applicants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At our private, every H legacy with a very wealthy/big donor family goes to Harvard regardless of GPA and scores. Every single one. The lowest legacy GPA who got in from last year's class was 3.5. Other than that, a few very impressive unconnected kids are accepted (unless it's a heavy $$$ legacy year, in which case it's 1 or 2). The legacies w/o the extreme wealth (or who just didn't want to apply to H - there is sometimes 1) go to Brown, Cornell, WashU, Chicago, Williams, Georgetown, and similar.

I was just noting this recently on another thread. Legacy is irrelevant. It's the big donation that matters, and that would be true irrespective of legacy.

[Anonymous]

I was Yale undergrad, Harvard Business, and top 10 but not Ivy law school. My kids went to ND, UVA, and Miami OH. My son was a GREAT applicant and far stronger student than I ever was. He was turned down by Yale. If I told you his qualifications, you would be shocked.
Yale took one student from his high school class, who was the number two in the class, a nice kid, and black. Yale made a good decision in accepting him. They made a bad decision in not taking my son.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was Yale undergrad, Harvard Business, and top 10 but not Ivy law school. My kids went to ND, UVA, and Miami OH. My son was a GREAT applicant and far stronger student than I ever was. He was turned down by Yale. If I told you his qualifications, you would be shocked.
Yale took one student from his high school class, who was the number two in the class, a nice kid, and black. Yale made a good decision in accepting him. They made a bad decision in not taking my son.

+1. Same experience here but white DD applying to Harvard. Those kids of Harvard alum friends who did get in gave SIGNIFICANT donations. We couldn’t afford to - kid got waitlisted. It is what it is.