Reply to Outplacement directors that speak in code or total silence; can anyone translate ?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I can see the "maximize acceptances" strategy.  Perhaps I've been reading too many college admissions books these days, though, because I can also see the point that Sidwell isn't going to take too many students from a single K-6 school.  That is, if 10 kids apply to Sidwell (and I think maybe 8 kids applied from our K-6 in DC's year), even if all are truly exceptional kids, it's virtually certain that Sidwell is not going to take all 10, so the OD might have the *opportunity* (note the weasel word) to help some kids out.[/quote]

I agree with you that Sidwell is always going to admit many fewer students than apply, whether that's 10 or 8 or some fewer number.  But I don't think that fact changes the OD's goal of trying to get as many admitted as possible.

[quote]Perhaps we may disagree on matters of degree.  I can see an OD tipping off Sidwell for something besides sexual assault, for example if the family would in some less blatant way reflect really badly on the feeder school.  [/quote]

I'd also agree that there are possible scenarios less extreme than sexual assault that might reflect really badly (your phrase) on the feeder school.  But if it's really so bad, then it likely is reflected in the record somewhere else (teacher evaluations, etc).  Also, if it's really bad to that degree, then I'd imagine counseling out would be the result.  And hypothetically, if the OD submarined a student's application to Sidwell for something that would badly reflect on the feeder school, then what's her alternative?  To then advocate for that same student's admission to some other school?  It seems like that puts the OD in just as precarious a position with regard to reflecting badly on the feeder school.  In any event, this sort of really bad actor situation doesn't seem to be what we're discussing here (regardless of the particular offense).  I assume you're not suggesting that something like just having a mildly PITA parent, or failure to spend more than $50 at the school auction, or not living in particular neighborhoods, is the sort of thing that would justify an OD to tank an application.

* * *

It sounds like we agree that ODs have all sorts of motivations and agendas which might influence (consciously or subconsciously) how glowing they are in describing candidates.  That's just inescapable human nature.  I just believe most ODs are good-hearted people who try to act in the best interests of their students, and that to the extent there is favoritism, it's more likely based on intangibles than on how much a family spent at the auction or whether the child was a "lifer" at the school.  I also think any favoritism from some ODs is far outweighed by plenty of other substantive factors Sidwell will examine.

You seem to have a slightly more cynical view of the world than I do, on this topic, and you are more likely to imagine an OD and a school making a intentionally calculated decision to promote one child over another, potentially based on factors that we'd might agree are not-merit-based (donations, neighborhood, etc).  That's just my impression from our exchange, so please tell me if I'm wrong about your POV.

If that is your POV though, I'm curious whether you've ever actually heard an OD doing something like that (even second-hand).  I never have.  I've heard people voicing suspicions, but that's all just based on (biased) inferences they make from looking at which children were admitted, and which were not.  But it's that sort of situations that brings out [i]my[/i] cynical side, because I know most parents don't know nearly as much as they think about the skills and capabilities of other people's children.

I'm signing off for the night.  I look forward to reading your responses tomorrow.[/quote]

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