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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]

Ivy interviewer here, glad to offer a little insight if I'm not slammed.

BASIS AZ students I interview commonly self-identify as being in the top 10% of their small graduating classes of three or four dozen students, indicating that they should be in the running, on a relative basis.  When I sit down to write interview reports, answering questions about whether or not I enjoyed speaking with them, if they exhibited intellectual curiosity, and if their reasons for applying to my Ivy seem genuine, more often than not, I answer no, and not because I wish to be unkind.

The kids mostly seem burned out and boxed in by a curriculum that emphasizes taking many AP exams over several years.  I don't hear much about college classes they've reveled in taking, or languages they've loved studying or their wonderful experiences as foreign exchange students and plans for rejuvenating gap years. They seldom speak of academic competitions they've had fun preparing for with classmates, or unusual extra-curriculars they've had a blast pursuing, particularly in the area of research and publishing.

No, sorry, overall, the BASIS AZ crew has struck me as more burned-out than inspired.  Their seniors have seemed particularly weak on foreign language skills, and anything drama, poetry or literature related for students supposedly focusing on liberal learning rather than STEM work. They certainly rock at math, and taking science APs, but so do an awful lot of applicants.  Their senior projects tends to come across as lonely exercises (the national robot war team kids, and group inventors, sound happier).

I think you want to watch closely for burnout as BASIS parents, working with admins to deemphasize grades and pour on enthusiasm and team activities.  You really don't want to wind up with highly credentialed seniors who don't exhibit much of a spark to an interviewer.

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I truly appreciate this insight.  My son was at Basis for 2 years and probably would have achieved more if he had stayed, but I don't think BASIS DC would foster burnout the way BASIS AZ does.  In my experience, BDC has a student body that arrives less prepared than Arizona's (yes I know it's lottery in both cases but the pool of applicants is quite different.)  So I did not see burnout, instead while there my son developed a feeling of confidence and mastery he has not seen before or since.  I'm sorry we pulled him out, he did not ask to leave. 
Basis is not 'drill and kill' as some posters characterize it.  Rather, within a someone longer class period, time is spent on vocabulary and methodology of the sciences.  Yes to drills, which are competitive and fun the way my son described it, but it is so that they can read and research at a higher level sooner.  [/quote]

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