Reply to Feedback for admissions offices: what did you like/dislike about the process?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I agree. The IQ tests for very young kids are unreliable, and the admissions offices know it.

I know these schools are basically aiming to attract the 1%, but if they had ANY serious interest in getting a more socioeconomically diverse applicant pool they would not have an application process more intense than college admissions. Even if you get the application and testing fees waived, what kind of parents can take multiple days off from work to bring kids to open houses, interviews and shadow days? Affluent families with flexible hours and/or a stay at home spouse, that's who can do this.  My two kid applied to four schools, and it essentially meant losing the better part of two full work weeks. It's crazy.

[b]Schools that want to indicate some seriousness about getting lower income families or families with single parents should condense everything into one day and make open houses and tours optional[/b],[/quote]

Exactly. This!

I don't think the schools are purposefully working to exclude lower income families or single parents...but by requiring visits on multiple days places an onerous burden on people who, for example, get paid hourly or get a limited number of days off and try to save them for when their kids get sick. Going over those days puts those folks' jobs at risk, so it's tough to ask these parent to spend, as the previous poster said, the better part of two weeks visiting schools. 
The schools that are thoughtful enough to host open houses on weekends and combine parent interviews with kid school visit days seem to get this.
The tests are costly and, for young kids, really unreliable. Some flexible spending accounts cover them, luckily.
Hopefully admissions folks see this thread and consider some changes.[/quote]

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