Anonymous
Post 11/21/2025 15:37     Subject: How do Admissions evaluate applications
Anonymous wrote:You don’t seem to understand, private schools need the rich families to contribute to their operations. With these families private schools offer several slots to low income, diversity candidates. Generic upper middle class families like yours are not interesting to them. They provide neither money nor diversity.


100% ! Upper middle class white people kids are at a disadvantage in the admission process at private schools and many elite colleges for that matter. They don't qualify for financial aid and have to pay full price, they don't bring in diversity, and they can't donate big.
Anonymous
Post 11/21/2025 15:07     Subject: How do Admissions evaluate applications
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Admissions officer in my southern city explained to us that for kindergarten they first determine who is 'admissible'. Then from this group the first take all of the 'admissible' siblings, followed by all of the 'admissible' legacies, followed by the faculty kids, and then they need to round out the class with some diversity, and after that there just aren't many spots in today's climate. Another parent said that a handful of the siblings/legacies are counseled out after 1st grade to the local school that has programs for 'learning differences' so the criteria for 'admissible' is pretty generous for those tranches.


That means, Rich Full Pay parents who have knowledge about the system has the huge advantage than the people who started thinking of privates in any later grade than PreK? That is super unfair.

Elite education (and access to it) is inherently unfair. Welcome to the real world. That said, more spots open up as schools expand their grade sizes, often in 3/4, 6/7, and 9th. There are many opportunities to join a school.
Anonymous
Post 11/21/2025 14:58     Subject: How do Admissions evaluate applications
Anonymous wrote:You don’t seem to understand, private schools need the rich families to contribute to their operations. With these families private schools offer several slots to low income, diversity candidates. Generic upper middle class families like yours are not interesting to them. They provide neither money nor diversity.


They can still pay the tuition.

The schools want robust lower schools and that is where the rich families come into play. Like many of our peers we couldn't afford the tuition for elementary years especially when it's much easier to find a nice local public elementary school. Eight years later we have progressed in careers and income and asset growth, and now we can afford the tuition. And that is a big part of why there is greater interest in 9th grade.
Anonymous
Post 11/21/2025 14:53     Subject: How do Admissions evaluate applications
You don’t seem to understand, private schools need the rich families to contribute to their operations. With these families private schools offer several slots to low income, diversity candidates. Generic upper middle class families like yours are not interesting to them. They provide neither money nor diversity.