Reply to Deal kid is floundering in private high school

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I work in college admissions. I've observed is that private LACs and universities, even in the top tier, tend to emphasize HS grades less than applicants, their parents, teachers and guidance counselors tend to think, and not just freshman year grades. This is true as long as the applicant demonstrates strong intellectual promise and preparation for college work in other ways, particularly via standardized test scores and extra curriculars. Public universities invariably emphasize grades in admissions to a greater degree than privates and top universities abroad.

I've seen applicants who weren't legacies or recruited athletes who didn't rank in the top dozen or two in their high school classes crack Ivies. These kids tended to score sky high on SATs and/or ACTs, APs, IB Diploma exams and brought serious an abiding interests to the table. As a general rule, they also put a lot of work into pulling together a particularly coherent and thoughtful application. Admission people know that an applicant can be better than a curriculum and teaching at a particular school, particularly a large public school, and that some kids go through phases in high school where they can't concentrate well for whatever reasons.

No need to sweat every last high school grade, even for Harvard, Stanford, MIT if a kid is bright, driven and a hard worker.[/quote]

Thank you for the insights! I know it is not you but the system, but "put a lot of work into pulling together a particularly coherent and thoughtful application" is simply how much private counselling their parents can afford.[/quote]

As someone who was admitted to several of the most selective undergraduate and graduate schools that this country offers, without paid or unpaid help, I disagree. Anyone can use free resources to learn about what universities value. And, anyone can write a great, thoughtful and unique essay if they have great or unique thoughts to express. [/quote]
Yes, but there are a ton of mediocre kids whose parents hire college counselors to put together that coherent and thoughtful packet for them, including writing the essays for all intents and purposes.[/quote]

If they are truly mediocre, it will ocme out in some other aspect of the application.[/quote]

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