Anonymous
Post 03/30/2025 13:13     Subject: Are The HYPSM Kids As Special As They Seem?
Most are exceptionally impressive at something (not necessarily academics; can be athletics or arts). The exceptions are some FGLI, legacies, and faculty/staff kids. Those kids can be normally impressive kids. (I say this as a legacy and spouse of staff at an HYP.)
Anonymous
Post 03/30/2025 12:50     Subject: Are The HYPSM Kids As Special As They Seem?
Even if OP’s premise is correct, they aren’t exclusive to these colleges. You could easily fill an entire class of equally “special” and equally smart students from a pool of people completely shut out from these schools.
Anonymous
Post 03/30/2025 12:45     Subject: Are The HYPSM Kids As Special As They Seem?
Anonymous wrote:Lots of curated EC, paid packaging, legacy/connections. The ivy admits I know from this cycle are bright AND have all of the above. Great kids but not exceptional. The narrative building starts early and the kids do have impressive/distinctive experiences and awards to showcase and write about. The holistic process of top schools offers many pathways to acceptance...and top stats/rigor is just 1 of many considerations.


This. These kids are special but not in ways that necessarily warrant unlimited attention and admiration. I would take the top 10% of the kids from our public high school, only a few of whom will ever see an Ivy (not enough legacies, athletes or URMs), over Ivy kids any day of the week when it comes to being grounded, well rounded young adults.
Anonymous
Post 03/30/2025 12:26     Subject: Are The HYPSM Kids As Special As They Seem?
Lots of curated EC, paid packaging, legacy/connections. The ivy admits I know from this cycle are bright AND have all of the above. Great kids but not exceptional. The narrative building starts early and the kids do have impressive/distinctive experiences and awards to showcase and write about. The holistic process of top schools offers many pathways to acceptance...and top stats/rigor is just 1 of many considerations.
Anonymous
Post 03/30/2025 12:26     Subject: Are The HYPSM Kids As Special As They Seem?
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Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Some not as impressive, but they have crazy connections (including legacy), or they were recruited.


There aren’t that many athletes to make a difference. My kids are legacy Harvard but they still wouldn’t get in because they don’t have the grades.

I do think most of the applicants are similar to who the OP was referring to.


+1 from a Yale grad. My classmates were very impressive, but the new admits today are something else entirely.


Another +1. I’m still involved through mentoring current undergrads and with an extracurricular I continue to support, so I see a lot of current students.
Anonymous
Post 03/30/2025 12:25     Subject: Are The HYPSM Kids As Special As They Seem?
Anonymous wrote:MIT nor the state schools are the paragons of merit that the conservative Ivy haters want you to believe they are.
no one thinks MIT is a paragon of merit. NOW CALTECH on the other hand....
Anonymous
Post 03/30/2025 12:23     Subject: Are The HYPSM Kids As Special As They Seem?
MIT nor the state schools are the paragons of merit that the conservative Ivy haters want you to believe they are. State schools don’t even reject legacies at a high rate. They are letting in donors and kids of notables in too. It’s just that they are donors and notables of a lesser quality. In many cases, far lesser.
Anonymous
Post 03/30/2025 12:21     Subject: Are The HYPSM Kids As Special As They Seem?
That’s not true. There are plenty of kids of Fortune 500 CEOs or famous politicians etc that are rejected. The ones accepted have the perfect or near perfect stats plus whatever status associated with parents.
Anonymous
Post 03/30/2025 12:03     Subject: Are The HYPSM Kids As Special As They Seem?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Basically title - and I'm not being sarcastic. I looked at the resume of a local kid going to Harvard and my mind was blown. National merit finalist. 4.0. But those were a given. After that, he racked up at least 7 individual awards including the Harvard book award from Junior year, a superintendent award given to one student per district. He also had mind blowing extra curriculars that he led/founded. This led me to another one from my town who played a niche sport, sang as a soloist and in a huge choir but also racked up tons of science fair awards and grants. Both of these students could have been three students with the amount of success they'd seen in high school. Are they ALL like this? Are your kids like this?

Not the kids so much, but I see their parents as truly special. Without them good things don't happen for their kids. Just ask them.


I have a kid at HYP and her group's parents are pretty impressive. Kid of prime minister, academy award winner, another very famous politician, billionaire family, CEO dad of large forture 500. As I write this it doesn't even sound real to me. We are nobodies but somehow our kid was admitted.


Yes, but these days it’s only MIT that really focuses on an applicant’s genuine talent and ability. At HYPS, it’s almost as if they are admitting the parents instead of the students. Lame. Real talent goes elsewhere.
Anonymous
Post 03/30/2025 11:26     Subject: Are The HYPSM Kids As Special As They Seem?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Basically title - and I'm not being sarcastic. I looked at the resume of a local kid going to Harvard and my mind was blown. National merit finalist. 4.0. But those were a given. After that, he racked up at least 7 individual awards including the Harvard book award from Junior year, a superintendent award given to one student per district. He also had mind blowing extra curriculars that he led/founded. This led me to another one from my town who played a niche sport, sang as a soloist and in a huge choir but also racked up tons of science fair awards and grants. Both of these students could have been three students with the amount of success they'd seen in high school. Are they ALL like this? Are your kids like this?

Not the kids so much, but I see their parents as truly special. Without them good things don't happen for their kids. Just ask them.


I have a kid at HYP and her group's parents are pretty impressive. Kid of prime minister, academy award winner, another very famous politician, billionaire family, CEO dad of large forture 500. As I write this it doesn't even sound real to me. We are nobodies but somehow our kid was admitted.


Your kid is more impressive because she got in despite not having any connections. The other kids are there mainly because of their parents. Congratulations!
Anonymous
Post 03/30/2025 11:03     Subject: Are The HYPSM Kids As Special As They Seem?
I’m very impressed with what the HYP kids have accomplished. I do wonder what kinds of social pressures they might be encountering on campus, with all the wealth and status. It seems like there are those who get there and automatically know how to navigate all that. I imagine it must be so overwhelming for some kids from modest background who don’t understand the unspoken social rules/protocols.
Anonymous
Post 03/30/2025 10:56     Subject: Are The HYPSM Kids As Special As They Seem?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Basically title - and I'm not being sarcastic. I looked at the resume of a local kid going to Harvard and my mind was blown. National merit finalist. 4.0. But those were a given. After that, he racked up at least 7 individual awards including the Harvard book award from Junior year, a superintendent award given to one student per district. He also had mind blowing extra curriculars that he led/founded. This led me to another one from my town who played a niche sport, sang as a soloist and in a huge choir but also racked up tons of science fair awards and grants. Both of these students could have been three students with the amount of success they'd seen in high school. Are they ALL like this? Are your kids like this?

Not the kids so much, but I see their parents as truly special. Without them good things don't happen for their kids. Just ask them.


I have a kid at HYP and her group's parents are pretty impressive. Kid of prime minister, academy award winner, another very famous politician, billionaire family, CEO dad of large forture 500. As I write this it doesn't even sound real to me. We are nobodies but somehow our kid was admitted.
Anonymous
Post 03/30/2025 09:55     Subject: Are The HYPSM Kids As Special As They Seem?
Anonymous wrote:Basically title - and I'm not being sarcastic. I looked at the resume of a local kid going to Harvard and my mind was blown. National merit finalist. 4.0. But those were a given. After that, he racked up at least 7 individual awards including the Harvard book award from Junior year, a superintendent award given to one student per district. He also had mind blowing extra curriculars that he led/founded. This led me to another one from my town who played a niche sport, sang as a soloist and in a huge choir but also racked up tons of science fair awards and grants. Both of these students could have been three students with the amount of success they'd seen in high school. Are they ALL like this? Are your kids like this?

Not the kids so much, but I see their parents as truly special. Without them good things don't happen for their kids. Just ask them.
Anonymous
Post 03/30/2025 09:45     Subject: Are The HYPSM Kids As Special As They Seem?
I have a current Yale senior. Unhooked public school kid from New England. Grades/scores were great but not perfect. Unquestionably it was her ECs that made her stand out and get her in. To be clear everything she did was high school type stuff, she wasn’t authoring published papers or starting nonprofits or whatever. She definitely overextended herself at times and I worried about burnout but TBH she loved all the things that she did. It was not about college résumé it was very much about wanting to make a mark and extend experience. The “story“ of her college app was someone who was deeply curious, a risk taker, creative, and wanting to contribute to world around her in significant ways.
Anonymous
Post 03/30/2025 09:18     Subject: Are The HYPSM Kids As Special As They Seem?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Some not as impressive, but they have crazy connections (including legacy), or they were recruited.


There aren’t that many athletes to make a difference. My kids are legacy Harvard but they still wouldn’t get in because they don’t have the grades.

I do think most of the applicants are similar to who the OP was referring to.


+1 from a Yale grad. My classmates were very impressive, but the new admits today are something else entirely.