There are universities that do automatic admissions based on stats, but I never see enthusiasm on DCUM for those school. Why is that?

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Anonymous wrote:Mainly just a venting post so bear with me but this is getting pretty ridiculous with the waitlists after the deferrals.. seems like so many of our kids are getting strung along. I, like many, have a kid hoping to major in CS. CS is his innate gift and he is truly gifted at it but these schools don’t seem to see that. He is accepted somewhere (definitely not top 50) so he is probably heading there but what on Earth is going on with all these deferrals and waitlists??? Who is getting in to these places?? He is a white male, 1580 SAT, UMC, straight A, multiple AP, highest rigor, multiple award winning, dedicated volunteer hours, write ups in magazines, articles in Wired… What else to they want?

I hope this is a troll post. Otherwise it is a great travesty.

This may be a lot of things, most likely a troll post but some rando UMC kid having to go a non top 50 college is anything but a travesty.

Did you look at that kids stats? Here is a snippet - "1580 SAT, UMC, straight A, multiple AP, highest rigor, multiple award winning"

Those are not easy to get. It takes a lot of commitment and hardwork. I know because I have seen my son go through it for similar stats.

No kidding and I’m sure the kids who were actually admitted would say the same about their own paths. Perhaps it’s harder to work a part time job, take several buses to school, take care of feeding and transporting siblings and relatives, and maintain a high gpa and play a competitor sport the list goes on. Is it harder to raise two kids, five, seven, ten? I don’t know and neither do you but I am more inclined to be believe that whoever is fortunate enough to be admitted to there schools earned the right to be there. And Varsity Blues has taught us that too many did not. Teach your kids that wherever they end up they will be great and stop telling them they are more deserving than anyone else when you don’t know their story. This why people love athletics because you learn that a Tom Brady can become a Tom Brady even when they weren’t a high draft pick. You learn a team can win all year and get taken out by a lower seeded team in the championships, it’s called life.

PP here - absolutely agree with you on not being a victim. That's so disempowering and sets you up for a life of perpetual discontent.

Your argument is a straw-man. I am not sure that many of the kids who got into CS had the kind of hardships you describe. Vast majority of them don't. I know because I have been tracking a lot of Reddit college forums lately and have seen the stats and EC's of many admitted kids. May be they did a better job telling their story. But admission to CS should not be based on story telling alone. These are hard skills which require lot of passion and drive. To be clear, I have benefited from this system. My own son got into a few t20s with similar stats and I am grateful for that. But I also think this process is messed up and we owe it to future generations to fix it.

The system is messed up because qualified kids are being rejected in favor of less qualified kids.

The system has never been about slicing and dicing to get the most “qualified” kids. What planet are you living on? No university says this is their goal. And why should it be?

+1000

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Anonymous wrote:Mainly just a venting post so bear with me but this is getting pretty ridiculous with the waitlists after the deferrals.. seems like so many of our kids are getting strung along. I, like many, have a kid hoping to major in CS. CS is his innate gift and he is truly gifted at it but these schools don’t seem to see that. He is accepted somewhere (definitely not top 50) so he is probably heading there but what on Earth is going on with all these deferrals and waitlists??? Who is getting in to these places?? He is a white male, 1580 SAT, UMC, straight A, multiple AP, highest rigor, multiple award winning, dedicated volunteer hours, write ups in magazines, articles in Wired… What else to they want?

I hope this is a troll post. Otherwise it is a great travesty.

This may be a lot of things, most likely a troll post but some rando UMC kid having to go a non top 50 college is anything but a travesty.

Did you look at that kids stats? Here is a snippet - "1580 SAT, UMC, straight A, multiple AP, highest rigor, multiple award winning"

Those are not easy to get. It takes a lot of commitment and hardwork. I know because I have seen my son go through it for similar stats.

No kidding and I’m sure the kids who were actually admitted would say the same about their own paths. Perhaps it’s harder to work a part time job, take several buses to school, take care of feeding and transporting siblings and relatives, and maintain a high gpa and play a competitor sport the list goes on. Is it harder to raise two kids, five, seven, ten? I don’t know and neither do you but I am more inclined to be believe that whoever is fortunate enough to be admitted to there schools earned the right to be there. And Varsity Blues has taught us that too many did not. Teach your kids that wherever they end up they will be great and stop telling them they are more deserving than anyone else when you don’t know their story. This why people love athletics because you learn that a Tom Brady can become a Tom Brady even when they weren’t a high draft pick. You learn a team can win all year and get taken out by a lower seeded team in the championships, it’s called life.

PP here - absolutely agree with you on not being a victim. That's so disempowering and sets you up for a life of perpetual discontent.

Your argument is a straw-man. I am not sure that many of the kids who got into CS had the kind of hardships you describe. Vast majority of them don't. I know because I have been tracking a lot of Reddit college forums lately and have seen the stats and EC's of many admitted kids. May be they did a better job telling their story. But admission to CS should not be based on story telling alone. These are hard skills which require lot of passion and drive. To be clear, I have benefited from this system. My own son got into a few t20s with similar stats and I am grateful for that. But I also think this process is messed up and we owe it to future generations to fix it.

The system is messed up because qualified kids are being rejected in favor of less qualified kids.

Define “qualified.”

Let me spell this out for you. If someone has the stats, they are qualified.

That’s so dumb. What stats? Say the stars for Harvard are 1400 SAT and 3.75 GPA. Then what?

Reading comprehension. Work on it.

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Anonymous wrote:Mainly just a venting post so bear with me but this is getting pretty ridiculous with the waitlists after the deferrals.. seems like so many of our kids are getting strung along. I, like many, have a kid hoping to major in CS. CS is his innate gift and he is truly gifted at it but these schools don’t seem to see that. He is accepted somewhere (definitely not top 50) so he is probably heading there but what on Earth is going on with all these deferrals and waitlists??? Who is getting in to these places?? He is a white male, 1580 SAT, UMC, straight A, multiple AP, highest rigor, multiple award winning, dedicated volunteer hours, write ups in magazines, articles in Wired… What else to they want?

I hope this is a troll post. Otherwise it is a great travesty.

This may be a lot of things, most likely a troll post but some rando UMC kid having to go a non top 50 college is anything but a travesty.

Did you look at that kids stats? Here is a snippet - "1580 SAT, UMC, straight A, multiple AP, highest rigor, multiple award winning"

Those are not easy to get. It takes a lot of commitment and hardwork. I know because I have seen my son go through it for similar stats.

No kidding and I’m sure the kids who were actually admitted would say the same about their own paths. Perhaps it’s harder to work a part time job, take several buses to school, take care of feeding and transporting siblings and relatives, and maintain a high gpa and play a competitor sport the list goes on. Is it harder to raise two kids, five, seven, ten? I don’t know and neither do you but I am more inclined to be believe that whoever is fortunate enough to be admitted to there schools earned the right to be there. And Varsity Blues has taught us that too many did not. Teach your kids that wherever they end up they will be great and stop telling them they are more deserving than anyone else when you don’t know their story. This why people love athletics because you learn that a Tom Brady can become a Tom Brady even when they weren’t a high draft pick. You learn a team can win all year and get taken out by a lower seeded team in the championships, it’s called life.

PP here - absolutely agree with you on not being a victim. That's so disempowering and sets you up for a life of perpetual discontent.

Your argument is a straw-man. I am not sure that many of the kids who got into CS had the kind of hardships you describe. Vast majority of them don't. I know because I have been tracking a lot of Reddit college forums lately and have seen the stats and EC's of many admitted kids. May be they did a better job telling their story. But admission to CS should not be based on story telling alone. These are hard skills which require lot of passion and drive. To be clear, I have benefited from this system. My own son got into a few t20s with similar stats and I am grateful for that. But I also think this process is messed up and we owe it to future generations to fix it.

The system is messed up because qualified kids are being rejected in favor of less qualified kids.

Huh? Until this poster fesses up as to what school rejected him and what "less qualified" student took his spot ..that is bull crap. Did kid get rejected from Harvard or something? Cry us a river

Look around on campus. Yes, you are right, it absolutely stinks worse than bull crap.

You don't know where this kid was rejected from, or his story, so stop pretending to know.

He has the stats, period.

So do a hundred thousand other kids who want the same spots. What does your kid offer beyond the stats? THAT is what the colleges are looking at. Period.

You are saying that all the DEI URMs have the stats necessary for their school?

And it is not my kid we are talking about - it is OP's. Get it right.

Yes they do. That’s why they’re admitted. Next question?

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Anonymous wrote:Mainly just a venting post so bear with me but this is getting pretty ridiculous with the waitlists after the deferrals.. seems like so many of our kids are getting strung along. I, like many, have a kid hoping to major in CS. CS is his innate gift and he is truly gifted at it but these schools don’t seem to see that. He is accepted somewhere (definitely not top 50) so he is probably heading there but what on Earth is going on with all these deferrals and waitlists??? Who is getting in to these places?? He is a white male, 1580 SAT, UMC, straight A, multiple AP, highest rigor, multiple award winning, dedicated volunteer hours, write ups in magazines, articles in Wired… What else to they want?

I hope this is a troll post. Otherwise it is a great travesty.

This may be a lot of things, most likely a troll post but some rando UMC kid having to go a non top 50 college is anything but a travesty.

Did you look at that kids stats? Here is a snippet - "1580 SAT, UMC, straight A, multiple AP, highest rigor, multiple award winning"

Those are not easy to get. It takes a lot of commitment and hardwork. I know because I have seen my son go through it for similar stats.

No kidding and I’m sure the kids who were actually admitted would say the same about their own paths. Perhaps it’s harder to work a part time job, take several buses to school, take care of feeding and transporting siblings and relatives, and maintain a high gpa and play a competitor sport the list goes on. Is it harder to raise two kids, five, seven, ten? I don’t know and neither do you but I am more inclined to be believe that whoever is fortunate enough to be admitted to there schools earned the right to be there. And Varsity Blues has taught us that too many did not. Teach your kids that wherever they end up they will be great and stop telling them they are more deserving than anyone else when you don’t know their story. This why people love athletics because you learn that a Tom Brady can become a Tom Brady even when they weren’t a high draft pick. You learn a team can win all year and get taken out by a lower seeded team in the championships, it’s called life.

PP here - absolutely agree with you on not being a victim. That's so disempowering and sets you up for a life of perpetual discontent.

Your argument is a straw-man. I am not sure that many of the kids who got into CS had the kind of hardships you describe. Vast majority of them don't. I know because I have been tracking a lot of Reddit college forums lately and have seen the stats and EC's of many admitted kids. May be they did a better job telling their story. But admission to CS should not be based on story telling alone. These are hard skills which require lot of passion and drive. To be clear, I have benefited from this system. My own son got into a few t20s with similar stats and I am grateful for that. But I also think this process is messed up and we owe it to future generations to fix it.

The system is messed up because qualified kids are being rejected in favor of less qualified kids.

Define “qualified.”

Let me spell this out for you. If someone has the stats, they are qualified.

That’s so dumb. What stats? Say the stars for Harvard are 1400 SAT and 3.75 GPA. Then what?

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mainly just a venting post so bear with me but this is getting pretty ridiculous with the waitlists after the deferrals.. seems like so many of our kids are getting strung along. I, like many, have a kid hoping to major in CS. CS is his innate gift and he is truly gifted at it but these schools don’t seem to see that. He is accepted somewhere (definitely not top 50) so he is probably heading there but what on Earth is going on with all these deferrals and waitlists??? Who is getting in to these places?? He is a white male, 1580 SAT, UMC, straight A, multiple AP, highest rigor, multiple award winning, dedicated volunteer hours, write ups in magazines, articles in Wired… What else to they want?

I hope this is a troll post. Otherwise it is a great travesty.

This may be a lot of things, most likely a troll post but some rando UMC kid having to go a non top 50 college is anything but a travesty.

Did you look at that kids stats? Here is a snippet - "1580 SAT, UMC, straight A, multiple AP, highest rigor, multiple award winning"

Those are not easy to get. It takes a lot of commitment and hardwork. I know because I have seen my son go through it for similar stats.

No kidding and I’m sure the kids who were actually admitted would say the same about their own paths. Perhaps it’s harder to work a part time job, take several buses to school, take care of feeding and transporting siblings and relatives, and maintain a high gpa and play a competitor sport the list goes on. Is it harder to raise two kids, five, seven, ten? I don’t know and neither do you but I am more inclined to be believe that whoever is fortunate enough to be admitted to there schools earned the right to be there. And Varsity Blues has taught us that too many did not. Teach your kids that wherever they end up they will be great and stop telling them they are more deserving than anyone else when you don’t know their story. This why people love athletics because you learn that a Tom Brady can become a Tom Brady even when they weren’t a high draft pick. You learn a team can win all year and get taken out by a lower seeded team in the championships, it’s called life.

PP here - absolutely agree with you on not being a victim. That's so disempowering and sets you up for a life of perpetual discontent.

Your argument is a straw-man. I am not sure that many of the kids who got into CS had the kind of hardships you describe. Vast majority of them don't. I know because I have been tracking a lot of Reddit college forums lately and have seen the stats and EC's of many admitted kids. May be they did a better job telling their story. But admission to CS should not be based on story telling alone. These are hard skills which require lot of passion and drive. To be clear, I have benefited from this system. My own son got into a few t20s with similar stats and I am grateful for that. But I also think this process is messed up and we owe it to future generations to fix it.

The system is messed up because qualified kids are being rejected in favor of less qualified kids.

The system has never been about slicing and dicing to get the most “qualified” kids. What planet are you living on? No university says this is their goal. And why should it be?

Anonymous wrote:So many people are dying to have their kids go to universities they think they know better than. Crazy.

Funny observation. Thanks for the laugh.

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Anonymous wrote:Curious how these kids differentiate themselves in their essays. If it were me, I would choose the common app question of a hardship I overcame, to balance the nearly perfect stats.

Don't do this! If you are an average middle class kid, your hardships would be laughable and you'll get docked for not knowing what a real hardship is. If you've actually been through some hell, and you give a tiniest bit of impression that you may still be wounded, you'll be docked for being a potential mental health disaster. You basically have to have Malala's level story - something horrific happened, but no one doubts that you are marching onwards.

+1. Please do not overstate some hardship you overcame. I am glad to hear from the PP above that this would not go over well with admissions committees.

My DS (high school class of 2021) was advised by his college counselor to answer the COVID question on the Common App, about how COVID has created a hardship. (In fact, the college counselor advised all seniors to write that essay, as suggested by admissions deans.) At the time, my DS refused to write that essay. I respected him for doing that. He genuinely felt that he had no hardship as a result of COVID (compared to people with elderly relatives at home, or people with dangerous jobs where they were exposed to COVID, etc)

+1 same. DS refused. In fact, he had more time to continue interning virtually, and as an essential worker. His essay was very humble. But for those in this thread whose kids are deferred, I say one thing that may or may not help , but it worked for my son. Your kids shouldn’t just click the button to accept deferral/waitlist, there’s an opportunity here to stand out by emailing their admissions advisor. Don’t waste their time. Student needs to write a brief, stellar email that it’s their top choice with an additional grab. Critical thinking skills to find one thing and state it in a few sentences. I can ask DS to send me that email. It’s what he did because he had a unique reason to email advisor. It wasn’t about stats or anything like that. He respectfully asked her to read something that he promised was vey short, and mentioned the friendships he’d already made with current students on Reddit. He closed with IIRC that he understands this may not make a difference, but… (can’t remember). She responded very kindly that she’d do her best to get it in front of the team, but no guarantees. He was admitted 2 or 3 weeks earlier than the date he was given.

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Anonymous wrote:Not the OP but I completely relate to this post. I think it’s completely fine to come here to vent. That’s not whining to me. And it helps to know we are not alone.

Unfortunately there seem to be a segment of people on here that just want to be mean and start arguments. No one said their kids deserve spots more and anyone else. I think we can all agree that the college application process is pretty broken.

When you think it’s broken only because some white UMC kid doesn’t get into a school that fits their parents’ ego, that’s deserving of scorn.

I love the assumptions. No I think it’s broken because kids are having to apply to so many schools and the process is so time consuming and stressful. Also because there’s the pressure to ED with financial unknowns. And because there are still loopholes for sports and high donors. Do you assume the worst of everyone in real life too?

You brought up race and class specifically in your post. Don’t back away now because you’re getting called out.

So many people are dying to have their kids go to universities they think they know better than. Crazy.

Hillsdale & Grove City don’t do affirmative action. Maybe your children would be happier there? Neither do community colleges, or any MI or CA public universities.

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Anonymous wrote:Mainly just a venting post so bear with me but this is getting pretty ridiculous with the waitlists after the deferrals.. seems like so many of our kids are getting strung along. I, like many, have a kid hoping to major in CS. CS is his innate gift and he is truly gifted at it but these schools don’t seem to see that. He is accepted somewhere (definitely not top 50) so he is probably heading there but what on Earth is going on with all these deferrals and waitlists??? Who is getting in to these places?? He is a white male, 1580 SAT, UMC, straight A, multiple AP, highest rigor, multiple award winning, dedicated volunteer hours, write ups in magazines, articles in Wired… What else to they want?

I hope this is a troll post. Otherwise it is a great travesty.

This may be a lot of things, most likely a troll post but some rando UMC kid having to go a non top 50 college is anything but a travesty.

Did you look at that kids stats? Here is a snippet - "1580 SAT, UMC, straight A, multiple AP, highest rigor, multiple award winning"

Those are not easy to get. It takes a lot of commitment and hardwork. I know because I have seen my son go through it for similar stats.

No kidding and I’m sure the kids who were actually admitted would say the same about their own paths. Perhaps it’s harder to work a part time job, take several buses to school, take care of feeding and transporting siblings and relatives, and maintain a high gpa and play a competitor sport the list goes on. Is it harder to raise two kids, five, seven, ten? I don’t know and neither do you but I am more inclined to be believe that whoever is fortunate enough to be admitted to there schools earned the right to be there. And Varsity Blues has taught us that too many did not. Teach your kids that wherever they end up they will be great and stop telling them they are more deserving than anyone else when you don’t know their story. This why people love athletics because you learn that a Tom Brady can become a Tom Brady even when they weren’t a high draft pick. You learn a team can win all year and get taken out by a lower seeded team in the championships, it’s called life.

PP here - absolutely agree with you on not being a victim. That's so disempowering and sets you up for a life of perpetual discontent.

Your argument is a straw-man. I am not sure that many of the kids who got into CS had the kind of hardships you describe. Vast majority of them don't. I know because I have been tracking a lot of Reddit college forums lately and have seen the stats and EC's of many admitted kids. May be they did a better job telling their story. But admission to CS should not be based on story telling alone. These are hard skills which require lot of passion and drive. To be clear, I have benefited from this system. My own son got into a few t20s with similar stats and I am grateful for that. But I also think this process is messed up and we owe it to future generations to fix it.

The system is messed up because qualified kids are being rejected in favor of less qualified kids.

A) They are by definition not less qualified if they are admitted.

B) It doesn't matter.

They'll be fine at Michigan if they don't get into MIT.

They'll be fine at JMU if they don't get into UVa.

They'll be fine at Illinois if they don't get into Northwestern.

Etc.....

Regarding "A" - I hear if you keep repeating this and click your heels together, this might just come true. We will wait......

Have you even visited one of these colleges? Why would let this kid when they have 50 other departments of study at the university as well. If he applied as a CS student and they need 75 CS students and he comes in at 76..oh well. they also have an econ dept and a history dept and a math dept and various languages and physics and philosophy and on and on.

I hear Radford is pretty meritocratic in terms of admissions processes. Salisbury admits students from MD high schools on the spot when they visit high schools, as long as the student meets certain criteria. That’s what people want, right?

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mainly just a venting post so bear with me but this is getting pretty ridiculous with the waitlists after the deferrals.. seems like so many of our kids are getting strung along. I, like many, have a kid hoping to major in CS. CS is his innate gift and he is truly gifted at it but these schools don’t seem to see that. He is accepted somewhere (definitely not top 50) so he is probably heading there but what on Earth is going on with all these deferrals and waitlists??? Who is getting in to these places?? He is a white male, 1580 SAT, UMC, straight A, multiple AP, highest rigor, multiple award winning, dedicated volunteer hours, write ups in magazines, articles in Wired… What else to they want?

I hope this is a troll post. Otherwise it is a great travesty.

This may be a lot of things, most likely a troll post but some rando UMC kid having to go a non top 50 college is anything but a travesty.

Did you look at that kids stats? Here is a snippet - "1580 SAT, UMC, straight A, multiple AP, highest rigor, multiple award winning"

Those are not easy to get. It takes a lot of commitment and hardwork. I know because I have seen my son go through it for similar stats.

No kidding and I’m sure the kids who were actually admitted would say the same about their own paths. Perhaps it’s harder to work a part time job, take several buses to school, take care of feeding and transporting siblings and relatives, and maintain a high gpa and play a competitor sport the list goes on. Is it harder to raise two kids, five, seven, ten? I don’t know and neither do you but I am more inclined to be believe that whoever is fortunate enough to be admitted to there schools earned the right to be there. And Varsity Blues has taught us that too many did not. Teach your kids that wherever they end up they will be great and stop telling them they are more deserving than anyone else when you don’t know their story. This why people love athletics because you learn that a Tom Brady can become a Tom Brady even when they weren’t a high draft pick. You learn a team can win all year and get taken out by a lower seeded team in the championships, it’s called life.

PP here - absolutely agree with you on not being a victim. That's so disempowering and sets you up for a life of perpetual discontent.

Your argument is a straw-man. I am not sure that many of the kids who got into CS had the kind of hardships you describe. Vast majority of them don't. I know because I have been tracking a lot of Reddit college forums lately and have seen the stats and EC's of many admitted kids. May be they did a better job telling their story. But admission to CS should not be based on story telling alone. These are hard skills which require lot of passion and drive. To be clear, I have benefited from this system. My own son got into a few t20s with similar stats and I am grateful for that. But I also think this process is messed up and we owe it to future generations to fix it.

The system is messed up because qualified kids are being rejected in favor of less qualified kids.

A) They are by definition not less qualified if they are admitted.

B) It doesn't matter.

They'll be fine at Michigan if they don't get into MIT.

They'll be fine at JMU if they don't get into UVa.

They'll be fine at Illinois if they don't get into Northwestern.

Etc.....

Regarding "A" - I hear if you keep repeating this and click your heels together, this might just come true. We will wait......

The college admitted them. They have decided the student more qualified than those who were turned down. What could be more clear?

I have a bridge to sell you. You sound so smart!

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mainly just a venting post so bear with me but this is getting pretty ridiculous with the waitlists after the deferrals.. seems like so many of our kids are getting strung along. I, like many, have a kid hoping to major in CS. CS is his innate gift and he is truly gifted at it but these schools don’t seem to see that. He is accepted somewhere (definitely not top 50) so he is probably heading there but what on Earth is going on with all these deferrals and waitlists??? Who is getting in to these places?? He is a white male, 1580 SAT, UMC, straight A, multiple AP, highest rigor, multiple award winning, dedicated volunteer hours, write ups in magazines, articles in Wired… What else to they want?

I hope this is a troll post. Otherwise it is a great travesty.

This may be a lot of things, most likely a troll post but some rando UMC kid having to go a non top 50 college is anything but a travesty.

Did you look at that kids stats? Here is a snippet - "1580 SAT, UMC, straight A, multiple AP, highest rigor, multiple award winning"

Those are not easy to get. It takes a lot of commitment and hardwork. I know because I have seen my son go through it for similar stats.

No kidding and I’m sure the kids who were actually admitted would say the same about their own paths. Perhaps it’s harder to work a part time job, take several buses to school, take care of feeding and transporting siblings and relatives, and maintain a high gpa and play a competitor sport the list goes on. Is it harder to raise two kids, five, seven, ten? I don’t know and neither do you but I am more inclined to be believe that whoever is fortunate enough to be admitted to there schools earned the right to be there. And Varsity Blues has taught us that too many did not. Teach your kids that wherever they end up they will be great and stop telling them they are more deserving than anyone else when you don’t know their story. This why people love athletics because you learn that a Tom Brady can become a Tom Brady even when they weren’t a high draft pick. You learn a team can win all year and get taken out by a lower seeded team in the championships, it’s called life.

PP here - absolutely agree with you on not being a victim. That's so disempowering and sets you up for a life of perpetual discontent.

Your argument is a straw-man. I am not sure that many of the kids who got into CS had the kind of hardships you describe. Vast majority of them don't. I know because I have been tracking a lot of Reddit college forums lately and have seen the stats and EC's of many admitted kids. May be they did a better job telling their story. But admission to CS should not be based on story telling alone. These are hard skills which require lot of passion and drive. To be clear, I have benefited from this system. My own son got into a few t20s with similar stats and I am grateful for that. But I also think this process is messed up and we owe it to future generations to fix it.

The system is messed up because qualified kids are being rejected in favor of less qualified kids.

A) They are by definition not less qualified if they are admitted.

B) It doesn't matter.

They'll be fine at Michigan if they don't get into MIT.

They'll be fine at JMU if they don't get into UVa.

They'll be fine at Illinois if they don't get into Northwestern.

Etc.....

Regarding "A" - I hear if you keep repeating this and click your heels together, this might just come true. We will wait......

The college admitted them. They have decided the student more qualified than those who were turned down. What could be more clear?