Reply to Just another redshirting vent

Forum Index » Elementary School-Aged Kids

Reply to "Just another redshirting vent"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]For all the parents claiming that something "doesn't affect you" because the kid(s) in question are in other classrooms or schools, they are all part of the same college application cohort. So yes, it absolutely does affect [b]everyone[/b] in the year level to have redshirted kids.[/quote]

I really don't think colleges care that some kids had an extra year singing "twinkle, twinkle" before their 13 years of academic instruction began.  Yes, some preschools may introduce the alphabet, but no preschool is going to do Trig or Calculus.  I was one of the youngest in my cohort, and I struggled when my class learned to read in K.  However, I caught up quickly and went into magnet programs.  The 13 years focused on academics more than compensates for an extra year of development.

What evidence does suggest is harder to overcome is a home environment lacking in stimulus.  If you were really concerned with levelling the playing field for college admission, you could withhold books from your child and keep conversation to a minimum to better simulate the home environment of less privileged children.  Of course, nobody expects you to do that.  You naturally want to do the best you can for your child.   When you read "Goodnight Moon" or talk about the things you encounter during your day, you're probably not doing it with Harvard in mind, but because you recognize it's what your child needs then.  Similarly, the vast majority of redshirting parents are trying to address their children's needs at the time.  They're not trying to outmaneuver you into an Ivy.  (Most families don't aim for Ivies.  They're expensive and I truly believe that there are so many excellent students that it's almost a lottery to get in.  If your child wins the top prize at the Intel Science Fair, solos at Carnegie Hall, or medals in the Olympics - yes, they're probably in.  A straight-A student with perfect SAT scores, I suspect a lot of those get turned down.)

If you're so concerned about eliminating advantages in a college application cohort, I would worry less about the kid who was a year older because they spent a year in preschool than I would about the kid who was a year older because they spent a Gap year having an amazing experience somewhere.  Then there are the applicants who are several years older because they're returning to college after years of working.  A career changer getting a second degree I would surely think would have an edge over your average high-schooler, even if the high schooler had been redshirted 13 years earlier.[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics