Anonymous
Post 01/02/2020 20:36     Subject: Re:Early Decision at Selective Liberal Arts Colleges?
Anonymous wrote:ED at Top 20 SLAC's are:

- Athlete
- Legacy/Donor
- URM

If you are not in one of those groups, chances go to near zero. These are schools with very high percentages of athletes due to the small sizes of the schools, so they take disproportionate numbers of the ED slots. Same is true for the other categories as well.



Among various DC privates this admission season kids with none of those "hooks" got in ED to
Williams
Amherst
Swarthmore
Wellesley
Carleton
Davidson
Haverford
CMC
Barnard
Hamilton
Colby

Anonymous
Post 01/02/2020 15:53     Subject: Re:Early Decision at Selective Liberal Arts Colleges?
Anonymous wrote:ED at Top 20 SLAC's are:

- Athlete
- Legacy/Donor
- URM

If you are not in one of those groups, chances go to near zero. These are schools with very high percentages of athletes due to the small sizes of the schools, so they take disproportionate numbers of the ED slots. Same is true for the other categories as well.



NP.

OP, and others reading this, don't buy into this post as gospel truth. People like this PP claim knowledge of absolutes. But please don't discourage your kids from applying anywhere they really want to go -- don't discourage them based on the "knowledge" asserted in neat little lists in posts like the one above.

DD is a freshman at a top 20 SLAC and was accepted ED. She is not an athlete, not a legacy, we are not donors, have zero previous connection to her college, and she is not a URM. And in case PP comes back to claim "She must have had perfect test scores, straight As through all of high school, be a nationally ranked performer or debate champ or...or...or...." -- not the case. Strong scores and grades but not perfect; participation in some HS activities that were a bit unusual (no awards involved); and long participation in an EC that requires commitment, but is totally local and noncompetitive. And yet she still got into her desired school ED without the magical hooks PP insists are required. Sometimes a student is an overall right fit for a college in the college's eyes and there isn't always a perfect formula for knowing that in advance.

Did the ED application and her commitment to this SLAC help? Surely. What probably made the most difference since DD wasn't in one of PP's groups? She picked her college based not on ranking but on how much its programs and majors dovetailed with her interests, and made a very clear case in her application for why she wanted to study there. And she meant it--it wasn't just fake sincerity to game the application.

Parents need to help their kids focus on what they want to DO while at college, rather than on rankings and ED and panicking about not fitting into neat categories.


Anonymous
Post 01/02/2020 15:15     Subject: Re:Early Decision at Selective Liberal Arts Colleges?
ED at Top 20 SLAC's are:

- Athlete
- Legacy/Donor
- URM

If you are not in one of those groups, chances go to near zero. These are schools with very high percentages of athletes due to the small sizes of the schools, so they take disproportionate numbers of the ED slots. Same is true for the other categories as well.

Anonymous
Post 12/31/2019 20:39     Subject: Early Decision at Selective Liberal Arts Colleges?
Anonymous wrote:When you say “top private”, is it possible to not sound like Thurston B. Howell III?


Anonymous
Post 12/31/2019 15:50     Subject: Early Decision at Selective Liberal Arts Colleges?
When you say “top private”, is it possible to not sound like Thurston B. Howell III?
Anonymous
Post 12/31/2019 14:51     Subject: Re:Early Decision at Selective Liberal Arts Colleges?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Our top private had 2 non-legacy, unhooked kids get into Williams.

I was about to comment this but I assume it’s the same school so I’ll just second it (I do believe one of our two is a legacy though)


Which school?
Anonymous
Post 12/31/2019 14:19     Subject: Early Decision at Selective Liberal Arts Colleges?
Anonymous wrote:Go to Reddit


Do Reddit responses give specifics to DMV area? Details down to "top private", "big 3 private", "non-big 3 private", "W public", "non-W public", etc?
Anonymous
Post 12/31/2019 13:54     Subject: Early Decision at Selective Liberal Arts Colleges?
Go to Reddit
Anonymous
Post 12/31/2019 13:43     Subject: Re:Early Decision at Selective Liberal Arts Colleges?
Anonymous wrote:Our top private had 2 non-legacy, unhooked kids get into Williams.

I was about to comment this but I assume it’s the same school so I’ll just second it (I do believe one of our two is a legacy though)
Anonymous
Post 12/31/2019 13:22     Subject: Early Decision at Selective Liberal Arts Colleges?
Just worry about your own kid.
Anonymous
Post 12/31/2019 12:09     Subject: Re:Early Decision at Selective Liberal Arts Colleges?
Our top private had 2 non-legacy, unhooked kids get into Williams.
Anonymous
Post 12/31/2019 12:03     Subject: Re:Early Decision at Selective Liberal Arts Colleges?
I'm aware of a Haverford admit at a non-big-3 private school. Strong student. Nice kid. Solid ECs. And yes, a legacy.
Anonymous
Post 12/31/2019 12:01     Subject: Re:Early Decision at Selective Liberal Arts Colleges?
Eyeroll responses are not helpful. Actual non-sarcastic information might be.
Anonymous
Post 12/31/2019 11:31     Subject: Early Decision at Selective Liberal Arts Colleges?
No. Not a single one. :eyeroll:
Anonymous
Post 12/31/2019 11:25     Subject: Early Decision at Selective Liberal Arts Colleges?
I haven't heard much. I'm aware of one strong student and legacy who got deferred at Wiliams. Has there been any good news from DMV high schools?