Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What t30 universities or t15 lac give the best boost for a competitive public school boy, likely top 5 in his class of 300, sat 1550 who is full pay. DS wants Ivy but he doesn’t have a hook or good enough ECs to realistically get in. He doesn’t have a set major he wants to pursue. His main goal is “name brand” and prestige 🙄.

What we are trying to avoid… wasting ED on a school he would really want, like Penn, where he would be fine academically but realistically won’t get into.

This doesn't sound like a kid who will get into the top schools, given the lack of ECs, no passion for anything, no dedication, no leadership.

He's smart but so are other kids. He wouldn't bring anything to the school.

So the advice is to look for lower ranked schools.

This is why I started the thread. We have all read the boards about how its impossible for unhooked kids to get into t whatever schools, and how the top schools have been dumbed down because only hooked kids can get in. So trying to strategized where my smart kid who isnt a leader can get into.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What t30 universities or t15 lac give the best boost for a competitive public school boy, likely top 5 in his class of 300, sat 1550 who is full pay. DS wants Ivy but he doesn’t have a hook or good enough ECs to realistically get in. He doesn’t have a set major he wants to pursue. His main goal is “name brand” and prestige 🙄.

What we are trying to avoid… wasting ED on a school he would really want, like Penn, where he would be fine academically but realistically won’t get into.

This doesn't sound like a kid who will get into the top schools, given the lack of ECs, no passion for anything, no dedication, no leadership.

He's smart but so are other kids. He wouldn't bring anything to the school.

So the advice is to look for lower ranked schools.

Anonymous wrote:I had a high stats boy who did what they wanted across a wide range of things and in the end was able to retrofit a "story" out of all of it. At HYP.

If you take enough things OFF your application, the story makes more sense. for example, my kid also played sports for a couple years and that stuff just never goes on the applications. it just confuses things.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What t30 universities or t15 lac give the best boost for a competitive public school boy, likely top 5 in his class of 300, sat 1550 who is full pay. DS wants Ivy but he doesn’t have a hook or good enough ECs to realistically get in. He doesn’t have a set major he wants to pursue. His main goal is “name brand” and prestige 🙄.

What we are trying to avoid… wasting ED on a school he would really want, like Penn, where he would be fine academically but realistically won’t get into.

This doesn't sound like a kid who will get into the top schools, given the lack of ECs, no passion for anything, no dedication, no leadership.

He's smart but so are other kids. He wouldn't bring anything to the school.

So the advice is to look for lower ranked schools.

Anonymous wrote:What t30 universities or t15 lac give the best boost for a competitive public school boy, likely top 5 in his class of 300, sat 1550 who is full pay. DS wants Ivy but he doesn’t have a hook or good enough ECs to realistically get in. He doesn’t have a set major he wants to pursue. His main goal is “name brand” and prestige 🙄.

What we are trying to avoid… wasting ED on a school he would really want, like Penn, where he would be fine academically but realistically won’t get into.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are the ECs?

List of “possible” areas of study?

Location preference?

Size preference?

ECs are boring - two jv sports fresh and soph year. One for junior and dropped the others. No clubs. Did two biology focused summer camps but nothing else to show interest.

Possible study - he is gifted at Latin and will take the AP exam this year. So could apply as a Latin major just to be unique. Ultimately he has no idea what he wants to do in life. He’s really smart. He will likely do what smart kids did in the 90s which is go to college and figure out what to really do by going to grad school. Maybe law eventually?

He wants an east coast or Chicago city OR a semi rural SLAC. He liked bowdoin. He is anxious about the nescacs because he is a nerd and they have a lot of athletes. He doesn’t present nerd, he is tall and have average looks and dresses well, but he has limited social skills.

Size- not huge but would be fine with a variety.

Classics major.

Add some heft to ECs:
- join or form the high schools Latin/classics club
- Have him enter some of the Latin Olympiad’s (Certamen team)
- do private Latin tutoring for other kids
- Summer plans: Paideia institute or Calder Classics
- summer internship (auction house; antiquities collectibles) or summer Ancient Rome archeology program

Also get a part time job!

All of this gets a full pay male into Brown ED.