The Harvard-bound kid in our school has been a relentless trophy hunter, focused on this prize since middle school. Intelligent and hardworking for sure, but has let the ivy ambition affect relationships.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some kids are able to do all these activities because they go to less demanding high schools. Once at a more demanding college, they can't keep up.

no one thinks they will be doing their athletics, music, or non profit at HYP or afterwards on wallstreet

MIT protects athletics on the daily schedule. I found it easier to do athletics at MIT than in high school where the tennis team required 5 to 8 hours of practice + matches daily.

5 to 8 hours of practice…a week? That seems reasonable. Daily? That seems nuts.

What high school other than say IMG Academy would have that kind of practice schedule?

Anonymous wrote:No, my daughter’s boyfriend is going to Yale next year and he’s a very smart 18 year old who plays Brawl Stars all day. Definitely nothing special.

Connections?

Idk but niece who went there did not enjoy the experience. There was always an undercurrent of competition even among friends. She did do really well, graduating summa, getting into a graduate program at many top schools including Princeton and Harvard.

But then there’s the problem that once you are in, you feel inadequate compared to everyone else. My BF from HS went to Harvard and I remember her telling me how intimidating it was because everyone was so accomplished - her roommate was a classical violinist who had played at Carnegie Hall, her BF was going to row in the Olympics, it went on and on. She was just a smart, driven girl.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, my daughter’s boyfriend is going to Yale next year and he’s a very smart 18 year old who plays Brawl Stars all day. Definitely nothing special.

he got in because he is champion of Brawl Stars?

No, he got in because he’s first in their private school class, 1600 sat, private college counselor. I just mean he’s not reading great works of literature or changing the world every day. He’s just a normal kid.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some kids are able to do all these activities because they go to less demanding high schools. Once at a more demanding college, they can't keep up.

no one thinks they will be doing their athletics, music, or non profit at HYP or afterwards on wallstreet

MIT protects athletics on the daily schedule. I found it easier to do athletics at MIT than in high school where the tennis team required 5 to 8 hours of practice + matches daily.

Anonymous wrote:Some kids are able to do all these activities because they go to less demanding high schools. Once at a more demanding college, they can't keep up.

no one thinks they will be doing their athletics, music, or non profit at HYP or afterwards on wallstreet

Some kids are able to do all these activities because they go to less demanding high schools. Once at a more demanding college, they can't keep up.

My DD is a junior at a huge NOVA public, and she talks about a current senior who has done significant research already in a STEM field, and MIT and CalTech are bending over backwards to get them to enroll in the fall. I love this example for DD to see, to see that there really are extraordinary students who should be rewarded in college admissions.

Give it 5 years, these kids will be living with their parents and working as baristas.

Anonymous wrote:No, my daughter’s boyfriend is going to Yale next year and he’s a very smart 18 year old who plays Brawl Stars all day. Definitely nothing special.

he got in because he is champion of Brawl Stars?

No, my daughter’s boyfriend is going to Yale next year and he’s a very smart 18 year old who plays Brawl Stars all day. Definitely nothing special.

No. Are some extraordinary? Yes, but fewer than you imagine. Our daughter discovered this in an unusual way. She took a gap year to pursue professional ballet and happened to be in a town/city where she socialized at one of the top 3 Ivies in her off time. She realized that year that the students were no smarter than she is.

As a result, her confidence bloomed and she eventually pursued a post baccalaureate year in STEM at another top 3 Ivy as a result and depending on what happens with NIH funding will start a PhD this fall. Because of the pressure to have a bunch of accomplishments, they sound impressive. They are only 17-18 years old. She did meet plenty of legacy kids too at the undergraduate level. There are many paths to an Ivy education.

At our school, the Harvard kids are the kids who have been single minded about college stuff from the jump. LinkedIn pages from 9th grade. Pushing for "leadership" early. It's accomplished without being very compelling. Also, legacy helps a lot lot. Stanford, Yale, Princeton seem to be more academically curious.