Anonymous
05/25/2025 14:52
Subject: Any high school teachers here who can give some frank talk about which types of students get into the top colleges?
Perhaps you don't know which students are applying for need-based aid and which ones are full pay?Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I’ve been teaching AP for many, many years. Most of my students are the 4.0 unweighted GPA types. They volunteer, are varsity athletes, and they are doing all they can to look good for college. Some truly stand out, but most are very strong candidates.
And then college admissions come and the results appear random. The true stand-outs face surprising rejections and the “just” strong candidate got in instead.
Here’s what I think: students have to meet a threshold to make it into the “considered” pile at a college. But after making it into that pile, the choice itself appears random.
All the kids can really do is get themselves into the pile. Then cross fingers and hope for the best.
I think you are accurate all the way until your point about the threshold to be considered pile. After that, it is not random though it may look that way to the outside. The decisions are based on things like.:
- Major (classics gets in over bio; gender studies over engineering; English over CS)
- Talent/ability (National award winning squash player gets in over varsity baseball captain; neither recruited. National ranked figure skater gets on over state champion soccer player; neither recruited)
- essays (what kids reveal in essays matters a lot more than people think.) There is a right way to do essays in the wrong way to do essays. Unfortunately, most HS English teachers advise kids to do the wrong thing. It’s not about overcomplicated sentence and essay structures. The writing should be at easy to read/grasp level; varied sentences, including some very short sentences; poignant, personal, and touching on at least 3-4 of your personal values. It should also not repeat anything covered anywhere else in the application, including your major.
- LOR (an exceptional LOR can make a difference)
Look at the T10 scoring rubrics. You can see why certain kids get in once you understand the scoring.
I’m the PP. I still see it as random. I help with the essays. (No, I don’t advise poetic, flowery essays. People do that?) I write those exceptional LOR. I see the variety of majors.
And, after all these years, it still seems random. I know these students more than admissions officers ever will. Sometimes the admissions appear way off.
Anonymous
05/25/2025 14:45
Subject: Any high school teachers here who can give some frank talk about which types of students get into the top colleges?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I’ve been teaching AP for many, many years. Most of my students are the 4.0 unweighted GPA types. They volunteer, are varsity athletes, and they are doing all they can to look good for college. Some truly stand out, but most are very strong candidates.
And then college admissions come and the results appear random. The true stand-outs face surprising rejections and the “just” strong candidate got in instead.
Here’s what I think: students have to meet a threshold to make it into the “considered” pile at a college. But after making it into that pile, the choice itself appears random.
All the kids can really do is get themselves into the pile. Then cross fingers and hope for the best.
I think you are accurate all the way until your point about the threshold to be considered pile. After that, it is not random though it may look that way to the outside. The decisions are based on things like.:
- Major (classics gets in over bio; gender studies over engineering; English over CS)
- Talent/ability (National award winning squash player gets in over varsity baseball captain; neither recruited. National ranked figure skater gets on over state champion soccer player; neither recruited)
- essays (what kids reveal in essays matters a lot more than people think.) There is a right way to do essays in the wrong way to do essays. Unfortunately, most HS English teachers advise kids to do the wrong thing. It’s not about overcomplicated sentence and essay structures. The writing should be at easy to read/grasp level; varied sentences, including some very short sentences; poignant, personal, and touching on at least 3-4 of your personal values. It should also not repeat anything covered anywhere else in the application, including your major.
- LOR (an exceptional LOR can make a difference)
Look at the T10 scoring rubrics. You can see why certain kids get in once you understand the scoring.
I’m the PP. I still see it as random. I help with the essays. (No, I don’t advise poetic, flowery essays. People do that?) I write those exceptional LOR. I see the variety of majors.
And, after all these years, it still seems random. I know these students more than admissions officers ever will. Sometimes the admissions appear way off.
I always wondered...say you've been teaching for 25 years. If you write a letter of recommendation for a student that has "wowed' you even compared to the prior 25 years of students whom you have taught, do you say that? For example, "the finest scholar in my 25 years of teaching?" Does that carry any weight?
Anonymous
05/25/2025 14:35
Subject: Any high school teachers here who can give some frank talk about which types of students get into the top colleges?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Feeder school aka mostly private
lol facts say otherwise
Public’s do better overall
Not this year
Always. Even a school like Landon that’s not a Big 3 had much, much better college placements than any public school in the area.
Makes sense. Full pay + the school has a good/established track record of highly qualified students.
Anonymous
05/25/2025 14:33
Subject: Any high school teachers here who can give some frank talk about which types of students get into the top colleges?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Feeder school aka mostly private
lol facts say otherwise
Public’s do better overall
Not this year
Always. Even a school like Landon that’s not a Big 3 had much, much better college placements than any public school in the area.
Fwiw, I’m not sure how people can make general statements on admissions without knowing every public school. For example, our public had more than a handful of kids get into ivies this year but go with scholarships at lower ranked schools. Normally this might happen with a couple, but I can think of at least six. So while the instagram may look like it was a slow year for admissions, in reality it was a great year for Ivy admissions but kids are making different choices on where they want to be.
Anonymous
05/25/2025 14:31
Subject: Any high school teachers here who can give some frank talk about which types of students get into the top colleges?
It seems there’s no magic formula. Many schools get way more applications than they can realistically read thoroughly. On some level, it’s random or depends how the reader is feeling y day or something insignificant catches their eye. There’s no formula for the human reader. And this fact makes the whole
Process insane. All the time kids and parents and college counselors spend trying to figure out the process could be spent doing useful
Things for society or family or self.
The whole insanity is such a waste of time and talent but has now become necessary nonetheless.
Process insane. All the time kids and parents and college counselors spend trying to figure out the process could be spent doing useful
Things for society or family or self.
The whole insanity is such a waste of time and talent but has now become necessary nonetheless.
Anonymous
05/25/2025 14:31
Subject: Any high school teachers here who can give some frank talk about which types of students get into the top colleges?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I’ve been teaching AP for many, many years. Most of my students are the 4.0 unweighted GPA types. They volunteer, are varsity athletes, and they are doing all they can to look good for college. Some truly stand out, but most are very strong candidates.
And then college admissions come and the results appear random. The true stand-outs face surprising rejections and the “just” strong candidate got in instead.
Here’s what I think: students have to meet a threshold to make it into the “considered” pile at a college. But after making it into that pile, the choice itself appears random.
All the kids can really do is get themselves into the pile. Then cross fingers and hope for the best.
I think you are accurate all the way until your point about the threshold to be considered pile. After that, it is not random though it may look that way to the outside. The decisions are based on things like.:
- Major (classics gets in over bio; gender studies over engineering; English over CS)
- Talent/ability (National award winning squash player gets in over varsity baseball captain; neither recruited. National ranked figure skater gets on over state champion soccer player; neither recruited)
- essays (what kids reveal in essays matters a lot more than people think.) There is a right way to do essays in the wrong way to do essays. Unfortunately, most HS English teachers advise kids to do the wrong thing. It’s not about overcomplicated sentence and essay structures. The writing should be at easy to read/grasp level; varied sentences, including some very short sentences; poignant, personal, and touching on at least 3-4 of your personal values. It should also not repeat anything covered anywhere else in the application, including your major.
- LOR (an exceptional LOR can make a difference)
Look at the T10 scoring rubrics. You can see why certain kids get in once you understand the scoring.
I’m the PP. I still see it as random. I help with the essays. (No, I don’t advise poetic, flowery essays. People do that?) I write those exceptional LOR. I see the variety of majors.
And, after all these years, it still seems random. I know these students more than admissions officers ever will. Sometimes the admissions appear way off.
Anonymous
05/25/2025 14:25
Subject: Any high school teachers here who can give some frank talk about which types of students get into the top colleges?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Feeder school aka mostly private
lol facts say otherwise
Public’s do better overall
Not this year
Always. Even a school like Landon that’s not a Big 3 had much, much better college placements than any public school in the area.
Anonymous
05/25/2025 14:25
Subject: Any high school teachers here who can give some frank talk about which types of students get into the top colleges?
Anonymous wrote:I’ve been teaching AP for many, many years. Most of my students are the 4.0 unweighted GPA types. They volunteer, are varsity athletes, and they are doing all they can to look good for college. Some truly stand out, but most are very strong candidates.
And then college admissions come and the results appear random. The true stand-outs face surprising rejections and the “just” strong candidate got in instead.
Here’s what I think: students have to meet a threshold to make it into the “considered” pile at a college. But after making it into that pile, the choice itself appears random.
All the kids can really do is get themselves into the pile. Then cross fingers and hope for the best.
I think you are accurate all the way until your point about the threshold to be considered pile. After that, it is not random though it may look that way to the outside. The decisions are based on things like.:
- Major (classics gets in over bio; gender studies over engineering; English over CS)
- Talent/ability (National award winning squash player gets in over varsity baseball captain; neither recruited. National ranked figure skater gets on over state champion soccer player; neither recruited)
- essays (what kids reveal in essays matters a lot more than people think.) There is a right way to do essays in the wrong way to do essays. Unfortunately, most HS English teachers advise kids to do the wrong thing. It’s not about overcomplicated sentence and essay structures. The writing should be at easy to read/grasp level; varied sentences, including some very short sentences; poignant, personal, and touching on at least 3-4 of your personal values. It should also not repeat anything covered anywhere else in the application, including your major.
- LOR (an exceptional LOR can make a difference)
Look at the T10 scoring rubrics. You can see why certain kids get in once you understand the scoring.
Anonymous
05/25/2025 14:18
Subject: Any high school teachers here who can give some frank talk about which types of students get into the top colleges?
I’ve been teaching AP for many, many years. Most of my students are the 4.0 unweighted GPA types. They volunteer, are varsity athletes, and they are doing all they can to look good for college. Some truly stand out, but most are very strong candidates.
And then college admissions come and the results appear random. The true stand-outs face surprising rejections and the “just” strong candidate got in instead.
Here’s what I think: students have to meet a threshold to make it into the “considered” pile at a college. But after making it into that pile, the choice itself appears random.
All the kids can really do is get themselves into the pile. Then cross fingers and hope for the best.
And then college admissions come and the results appear random. The true stand-outs face surprising rejections and the “just” strong candidate got in instead.
Here’s what I think: students have to meet a threshold to make it into the “considered” pile at a college. But after making it into that pile, the choice itself appears random.
All the kids can really do is get themselves into the pile. Then cross fingers and hope for the best.
Anonymous
05/25/2025 14:13
Subject: Any high school teachers here who can give some frank talk about which types of students get into the top colleges?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Feeder school aka mostly private
lol facts say otherwise
Public’s do better overall
Private high school grads make up a disproportionately large percentage of the incoming freshmen classes at private T20 colleges.
They are a small overall % of US high school graduates - but a large percentage of incoming freshman at private colleges. Ask yourself how. And why?
Duh. It’s irrelevant what % the private school students are of the national student population. What is relevant is that they are a high % of those who apply to elite colleges.
Anonymous
05/25/2025 14:04
Subject: Any high school teachers here who can give some frank talk about which types of students get into the top colleges?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I had an intelligent but not unusual, otherwise unremarkable student get into Harvard, and I'm sure ROTC was her hook. She talked with them a few times, and was told that they had spoken to Admissions and that Admissions assured them they were looking "very favorably" at her file. Then she was admitted. She also got into Yale and Cornell.
So, ROTC. Not sure if I'd advise anyone to take that route unless they were already so inclined, though.
I’m sure someone who got into 3 ivies has more than ROTC going for them.
I wonder. Is rotc similar to some other campus needs that the admissions committee makes sure to fill? Athletes, development kids, french majors, Rotc kids. Is Roxy one of the buckets that they make sure to fill?
Anonymous
05/25/2025 13:59
Subject: Any high school teachers here who can give some frank talk about which types of students get into the top colleges?
Anonymous wrote:I had an intelligent but not unusual, otherwise unremarkable student get into Harvard, and I'm sure ROTC was her hook. She talked with them a few times, and was told that they had spoken to Admissions and that Admissions assured them they were looking "very favorably" at her file. Then she was admitted. She also got into Yale and Cornell.
So, ROTC. Not sure if I'd advise anyone to take that route unless they were already so inclined, though.
I’m sure someone who got into 3 ivies has more than ROTC going for them.
Anonymous
05/25/2025 13:52
Subject: Any high school teachers here who can give some frank talk about which types of students get into the top colleges?
Lists of waitlist movement mostly pulled from private schools.
Anonymous
05/25/2025 13:51
Subject: Any high school teachers here who can give some frank talk about which types of students get into the top colleges?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Feeder school aka mostly private
lol facts say otherwise
Public’s do better overall
Not this year
Anonymous
05/25/2025 13:49
Subject: Any high school teachers here who can give some frank talk about which types of students get into the top colleges?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Feeder school aka mostly private
lol facts say otherwise
Public’s do better overall
Private high school grads make up a disproportionately large percentage of the incoming freshmen classes at private T20 colleges.
They are a small overall % of US high school graduates - but a large percentage of incoming freshman at private colleges. Ask yourself how. And why?