Anonymous wrote:

Thing is, most males are not applying with the same profile as their female counterparts. For whatever reason, girls tend to outperform boys in school. They get higher grades. They join clubs at higher rates. They participate more in the arts and music. They volunteer more.

I don’t think this is true for intelligent boys from high SES families - ie, the types of boys who apply to top LACs. There are significantly more boys than girls in the 1400-1600 SAT range, for example. Every study I’ve seen on this lumps together all boys vs all girls and does not break it down by HHI.

Boys do still outperform girls on the SAT, though apparently the gap is closing and I wonder how important that is in a TO world. Agree that the data on school performance could be more specific.

But are you saying you think the LAC applicant pools are, in fact, equivalent/equal, and boys are happen to be getting rejected at higher rates? I won’t claim to know…but that sure doesn’t seem consistent with what AOs themselves are saying. (I assume you read the Thumb on the Scale piece in the NYT, super interesting.)

Thing is, most males are not applying with the same profile as their female counterparts. For whatever reason, girls tend to outperform boys in school. They get higher grades. They join clubs at higher rates. They participate more in the arts and music. They volunteer more.

I don’t think this is true for intelligent boys from high SES families - ie, the types of boys who apply to top LACs. There are significantly more boys than girls in the 1400-1600 SAT range, for example. Every study I’ve seen on this lumps together all boys vs all girls and does not break it down by HHI.

If a (hypothetical) male applicant had the same profile as a (hypothetical) female — identical grades, rigor, test scores, EC profile, recs, etc. — the edge at most LACs would go to the male. Not saying he's *definitely* getting in over her, but he's statistically more likely to. Many AOs have come out and said this directly. (No, it's not illegal, not even after SCOTUS ruling).

Thing is, most males are not applying with the same profile as their female counterparts. For whatever reason, girls tend to outperform boys in school. They get higher grades. They join clubs at higher rates. They participate more in the arts and music. They volunteer more.

So, yes. A school can accept girls at a higher rate while simultaneously giving the "all things being equal" edge to boys. These things are not contradictory, because for whatever reason, all things are not equal. I don't know why they're not. The "why" has been extensively discussed on other threads.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wesleyan
Boys 18.5%, girls 12%

Vassar
Boys 26%, girls 16%

Swarthmore
Boys 8%, girls 6%

Yes, but I was under the impression that the majority of LACs are scrambling for boys especially if they have a gender imbalance, but that's just not the case with many.

Were you not planning on doing any research into specific schools, just having your son apply to 20 LACs because “boy advantage”?

Um, yeah, I think I'm doing the research now. And what I'm finding is that it's not consistent with what many post here. No surprise there.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wesleyan
Boys 18.5%, girls 12%

Vassar
Boys 26%, girls 16%

Swarthmore
Boys 8%, girls 6%

Yes, but I was under the impression that the majority of LACs are scrambling for boys especially if they have a gender imbalance, but that's just not the case with many.

Were you not planning on doing any research into specific schools, just having your son apply to 20 LACs because “boy advantage”?

Anonymous wrote:Wesleyan
Boys 18.5%, girls 12%

Vassar
Boys 26%, girls 16%

Swarthmore
Boys 8%, girls 6%

Yes, but I was under the impression that the majority of LACs are scrambling for boys especially if they have a gender imbalance, but that's just not the case with many.

Wesleyan
Boys 18.5%, girls 12%

Vassar
Boys 26%, girls 16%

Swarthmore
Boys 8%, girls 6%

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Trinity College: Girls 41%; Boys 31%
Conn College: Girls 45%; Boys 34%
Sewanee: Girls 57%; Boys 47%
Dickinson: Girls 38%; Boys 31%
Bucknell: Girls 35%; Boys 30%
Lehigh: Girls 39%; Boys 35%
Furman: Girls 71%; Boys 62%
Oberlin: Girls 37%; Boys 32%
Grinnell: Girls 12%; Boys 9%
Lake Forest: Girls 64%; Boys 54%
St. Olaf: Girls 60%; Boys 52%

Where did you get these numbers?

Peterson's

Anonymous wrote:Trinity College: Girls 41%; Boys 31%
Conn College: Girls 45%; Boys 34%
Sewanee: Girls 57%; Boys 47%
Dickinson: Girls 38%; Boys 31%
Bucknell: Girls 35%; Boys 30%
Lehigh: Girls 39%; Boys 35%
Furman: Girls 71%; Boys 62%
Oberlin: Girls 37%; Boys 32%
Grinnell: Girls 12%; Boys 9%
Lake Forest: Girls 64%; Boys 54%
St. Olaf: Girls 60%; Boys 52%

Where did you get these numbers?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought being a boy applicant was a boost at LACs where there's a gender imbalance. Sure, more girls apply than boys, but when you break out the acceptance rates, the girls have higher acceptance rates than the boys sometimes by as much as 15%. So is it actually harder for boys to get in?

The female applicants may be much more qualified.

It depends if you are looking at the rate of boy applicants to boy acceptances which is usually higher from what I have seen.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it more socially acceptable for girls to study liberal arts vs. boys. For males it is ok if you say you are going to go to law school. Otherwise a lot of raised eyebrows.

Seriously? That’s weirdly sexist and certainly wasn’t the case in the 90s.

Agree. Bizarre and anti-intellectual comment.

Anonymous wrote:I think it more socially acceptable for girls to study liberal arts vs. boys. For males it is ok if you say you are going to go to law school. Otherwise a lot of raised eyebrows.

Seriously? That’s weirdly sexist and certainly wasn’t the case in the 90s.

Anonymous wrote:I think it more socially acceptable for girls to study liberal arts vs. boys. For males it is ok if you say you are going to go to law school. Otherwise a lot of raised eyebrows.

You know liberal arts colleges have STEM majors, right? Not just humanities?

I think it more socially acceptable for girls to study liberal arts vs. boys. For males it is ok if you say you are going to go to law school. Otherwise a lot of raised eyebrows.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. DS's top choice is technically a LAC, though STEM-focused, and women are admitted at much higher rates. Nothing you can do about it...

Well, if he is a strong student, then guessing he has a great shot.

No, the opposite.