Reply to Where does a 3.5 Sidwell kid end up going to college?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Part of what you get at places [u]like[/u] Sidwell is the benefit of an intimate institution that is designed to tease out that which is different and "exceptional" in every student.  The small student body and diversity of activities allows each student to find his/her individual niche and develop his/her talents.  Positioned with an individualized and intimate knowledge of the student after four years (and in some cases 14 years),[b] the school can then effectively package the candidate to colleges and advocate in a non-generic manner.[/b]  Does this formula always work?  No. But it can often help to have the candidate jump off the page, as others have said.[/quote]

I've had 3 kids go through Sidwell and the college counselors don't "package" kids.  It's true that many admissions staffers know the school well, so a 3.5 kid with top grades in the toughest courses, strong recommendations reflecting this, and 1 or maybe 2 strong ECAs (which can be very pedestrian -- e.g., varsity athlete/team captain; newpaper editor) will have a good shot at some very selective schools.  But, the counselors don't know the kids "intimately" -- they meet them in the middle of junior year, read their teacher recommendations and do their best to write positive school recommendations; that's hardly "positioning and packaging."         [/quote]

The care taken to develop a consistent narrative by gathering broad inputs is very much "packaging" when you compare it to what you get at a big public school.  Our experience has been very different than yours.[/quote]

How's that Kool-Aid?[/quote]

Just fine, thanks.  It worked for my family.[/quote]

Ah -- well, good for you!  Our kids got into top schools on their own merit, no packaging needed.  But then we valued the school for the education and Quaker values, not the gamesmanship and illusion of exclusivity.         [/quote]

NP here. You sound like Clarence Thomas denying the benefits of affirmative action.[/quote]

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