Anonymous wrote:So did anyone draw any conclusions from yesterday’s ivy day. Guessing there are no feeders anymore.

The term the college forum used was a "bloodbath" unless you were unhooked. It appears this year was tough for everyone including the Big 3.

So did anyone draw any conclusions from yesterday’s ivy day. Guessing there are no feeders anymore.

Anonymous wrote:I just got an email from my Ivy alma mater that 58% of the accepted class this year identify as people of color and 38% are the first in their family to go to college. That doesn’t mean they will all accept the offer

DD and several other kids from her (public) school got into the same ivy. Most of the POC kids turned it down for great merit aid (ivies don’t give merit aid) at other schools, including UMD and HBCs.

Anonymous wrote:I have kids and purposely avoiding the top privates. Also not interested in TJ.

I am leaning towards a non elite but still solid private school. I think my kids will benefit from the private school environment. There may be fewer prestigious college admissions but my kid may have a higher chance at being one of those kids. Our local public has so many smart kids. It seems like everyone has a higher than 4.0 gpa and you need a 4.5 with 15 APs to even have a shot.

Agreed. But DC is also young so the landscape will be totally different by then anyway I'm sure

I just got an email from my Ivy alma mater that 58% of the accepted class this year identify as people of color and 38% are the first in their family to go to college. That doesn’t mean they will all accept the offer

Sounds like Burke!

I have kids and purposely avoiding the top privates. Also not interested in TJ.

I am leaning towards a non elite but still solid private school. I think my kids will benefit from the private school environment. There may be fewer prestigious college admissions but my kid may have a higher chance at being one of those kids. Our local public has so many smart kids. It seems like everyone has a higher than 4.0 gpa and you need a 4.5 with 15 APs to even have a shot.

Anonymous wrote:As an Ivy grad who was an Ivy legacy … if you are privileged- MONEY is the key factor. First money to go to a fancy private - be it a boarding school or expensive place like NCS or STA. And money that buys your kid privileges like sports training or going to Habitat for Humanity spring break trips that demonstrates their charity or to go so space camp.
That’s balancing the diverse and inclusive rest of the student body admits.
It’s ridiculous people here knocking down other elite schools as kids being on suicide watches etc. It’s not like the big 3 or 5 or 10 aren’t the same pressures on some kids.
I’ve never given a cent to my alma mater - but my kid has a leg up. And if you’re spending a ton on a top private school - your kid has a leg up. So then it’s just spending more $ on space camps and rolling the dice.

Let’s be serious. Colleges admit the wealthy and if you are not wealthy you had better be a bat out of hell who is going to make it in this world.

As an Ivy grad who was an Ivy legacy … if you are privileged- MONEY is the key factor. First money to go to a fancy private - be it a boarding school or expensive place like NCS or STA. And money that buys your kid privileges like sports training or going to Habitat for Humanity spring break trips that demonstrates their charity or to go so space camp.
That’s balancing the diverse and inclusive rest of the student body admits.
It’s ridiculous people here knocking down other elite schools as kids being on suicide watches etc. It’s not like the big 3 or 5 or 10 aren’t the same pressures on some kids.
I’ve never given a cent to my alma mater - but my kid has a leg up. And if you’re spending a ton on a top private school - your kid has a leg up. So then it’s just spending more $ on space camps and rolling the dice.

Well, since it is after 7PM on Ivy Day and there are no posts, I guess the answer is: very few.

Anonymous wrote:Great post. Also after 10 years of current acceptance methods, are these top tier schools really going to be attractive?

Current acceptance practices are different than they were 10 years or even 5 years ago. They are just as likely to shift again in less than 10 years. Unless your kid is in HS now, it’s really not worth getting worked up, because the current picture won’t be relevant when you are ready to actually look at colleges.

Great post. Also after 10 years of current acceptance methods, are these top tier schools really going to be attractive?

If your child is still young (i.e. you're at the point where you're trying to choose for K, looking at K-12s), figure that by the time your kid is ready to apply to college, the admissions rubric will have changed completely from what it is now.

Prepare your kid for life in all of its unpredictably. That's never wasted. Teach them to be a good human being. Ensure they have solid critical thinking skills, are a good communicator, are literate and numerate, have a decent handle on technology, have reasonable practical skills (life skills, tool use, cooking, outdoor survival, first aid, etc.), creative, adaptable, in good physical shape, and are otherwise well-rounded. Those things never go out of style, whether we end up in a post-Singularity techno-utopia, are facing the zombie utopia, or are scrabbling to survive in the face of climate change.

I'm hoping that my offspring will be able to go to a great college and settle into a comfortable well-compensated life pursuing their passion. But I'm also preparing them to adapt for whatever throws at them.