Anonymous
Post 07/15/2025 11:38     Subject: Social Portfolios?!?
Anonymous wrote:some of you are obsessed with the dating lives of 17 years olds. I feel like this is that scene in Booksmart - my kids got into Yale AND they've had girlfriends all through high school. Sorry if that wasn't the case for your kids


Sorry but yale is not full of prom Kings. A few sure, but there is no shortage of super geeks. And that is fine.
Anonymous
Post 07/15/2025 11:32     Subject: Re:Social Portfolios?!?
OP.

Here’s a link to the “dialogues” homepage, which includes a sample student profile.

https://schoolhouse.world/dialogues

Basically a peer rating system of categories like curiosity, empathy, kindness, etc.

At best it seems so unreliable as to be worthless; at worst, it invites more fakery and gamesmanship (as the NYT oped suggested).

Anonymous
Post 07/15/2025 11:26     Subject: Social Portfolios?!?
some of you are obsessed with the dating lives of 17 years olds. I feel like this is that scene in Booksmart - my kids got into Yale AND they've had girlfriends all through high school. Sorry if that wasn't the case for your kids
Anonymous
Post 07/15/2025 11:26     Subject: Social Portfolios?!?
Just NO.

Catholic schools, state flagships, and European universities will benefit

Anonymous
Post 07/15/2025 11:18     Subject: Social Portfolios?!?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:These schools are realizing that many "top students" are complete weirdos.

Have you been to a tour at a top20 lately? Or an accepted student day? I have and a large percentage of the crowd looks like they spent high school in their bedroom.


+1000 It is mind blowing how socially awkward and nerdy so many of these kids are and it has completely changed the vibe of so many colleges. The colleges have done this to themselves though. The resumes of the kids they accept leaves little time for normal teen social experiences like hours hanging out in groups, dating, etc. Sad but true.


What do you even talking about? There have always been socially awkward nerds going to top colleges. There's a college for everyone, including socially, awkward nerds and always has been.
Anonymous
Post 07/15/2025 11:15     Subject: Social Portfolios?!?
Rated by peers?

So your kid’s rating is dependent others competing for admission? Endless opportunities for perceived bias of racial and socioeconomic bias.

Thankfully, my DS is Class of 2029.

If your kid is pro-Palestinian, there’s no way they should this. It will be used to weed them out. One can only imagine how an FGLI participant is going to be scored if they get upset when someone says ICE should have snatched their uncle at work and deported him. And they shouldn’t be subjected to this as part of college admissions, anyway.
Anonymous
Post 07/15/2025 11:08     Subject: Social Portfolios?!?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:These schools are realizing that many "top students" are complete weirdos.

Have you been to a tour at a top20 lately? Or an accepted student day? I have and a large percentage of the crowd looks like they spent high school in their bedroom.


This.
Heard from one T10 school admission officer on a recalibration in their social metrics for this year.


I guess maybe the desirable kids really are headed to the southern flagships.


dont worry, admissions rates at T10 school are very low and will stay very low. some reject 24 out of every 25 kid.
Anonymous
Post 07/15/2025 11:07     Subject: Social Portfolios?!?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:These schools are realizing that many "top students" are complete weirdos.

Have you been to a tour at a top20 lately? Or an accepted student day? I have and a large percentage of the crowd looks like they spent high school in their bedroom.


This.
Heard from one T10 school admission officer on a recalibration in their social metrics for this year.


Yes. We recently went to an accepted student function for an Ivy. The kids by-in-large were REALLY weird. No other way to say it.
Out of 40 maybe 5 appeared to be social, typical kids. My husband and I left saying: "no doubt these kids are brilliant but are they going to be employable in a few years when extensive in-person interviewing is involved?"

It's the colleges' own fault. They chose to admit kids who have the resumes 40 year olds at age 18 and focused on pointy, obscure interests. There is simply so way to be a typical social teenager and invest in your peers and do all that stuff in 4 years.


I could not agree with a post more.
Anonymous
Post 07/15/2025 11:02     Subject: Social Portfolios?!?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:These schools are realizing that many "top students" are complete weirdos.

Have you been to a tour at a top20 lately? Or an accepted student day? I have and a large percentage of the crowd looks like they spent high school in their bedroom.


This.
Heard from one T10 school admission officer on a recalibration in their social metrics for this year.


Yes. We recently went to an accepted student function for an Ivy. The kids by-in-large were REALLY weird. No other way to say it.
Out of 40 maybe 5 appeared to be social, typical kids. My husband and I left saying: "no doubt these kids are brilliant but are they going to be employable in a few years when extensive in-person interviewing is involved?"

It's the colleges' own fault. They chose to admit kids who have the resumes 40 year olds at age 18 and focused on pointy, obscure interests. There is simply so way to be a typical social teenager and invest in your peers and do all that stuff in 4 years.


There has been a ton of posts with this tone lately. It’s a little frustrating as a parent of a kid at an Ivy that is not going into finance or the like, that is very social with high emotional IQ. They are a leader and polished speaker. I think people would agree it would be offensive to paint all public school kids by one brush of some rude labeling. No one will ever convince me any school has one type of kid, it’s all nonsense.
Anonymous
Post 07/15/2025 10:54     Subject: Social Portfolios?!?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:These schools are realizing that many "top students" are complete weirdos.

Have you been to a tour at a top20 lately? Or an accepted student day? I have and a large percentage of the crowd looks like they spent high school in their bedroom.


This.
Heard from one T10 school admission officer on a recalibration in their social metrics for this year.


Yes. We recently went to an accepted student function for an Ivy. The kids by-in-large were REALLY weird. No other way to say it.
Out of 40 maybe 5 appeared to be social, typical kids. My husband and I left saying: "no doubt these kids are brilliant but are they going to be employable in a few years when extensive in-person interviewing is involved?"

It's the colleges' own fault. They chose to admit kids who have the resumes 40 year olds at age 18 and focused on pointy, obscure interests. There is simply so way to be a typical social teenager and invest in your peers and do all that stuff in 4 years.
Anonymous
Post 07/15/2025 10:39     Subject: Social Portfolios?!?
So they're going to ask about the most flamable questions of our day? Seems tough for people who have minority to Gen Z opinions - you don't know if you'll get peers who rate you highly for politely and respectfully presenting your minority opinion or peers who will sink you because "there's no negotiation on an issue as important as <X>." Or in the case of the annoying and brash minority opinion holders who will sink the tone of the entire conversation.

Basically in a world where we haven't taught kids how to have respectful disagreements, how does this succeed?
Anonymous
Post 07/15/2025 10:36     Subject: Social Portfolios?!?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:These schools are realizing that many "top students" are complete weirdos.

Have you been to a tour at a top20 lately? Or an accepted student day? I have and a large percentage of the crowd looks like they spent high school in their bedroom.


This.
Heard from one T10 school admission officer on a recalibration in their social metrics for this year.


I guess maybe the desirable kids really are headed to the southern flagships.
Anonymous
Post 07/15/2025 10:26     Subject: Social Portfolios?!?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:It sounds like it might be a way to check that it’s the kid that wrote the essay and not Mommy or a consultant etc. Admissions folks also tend to notice if someone who is really articulate on paper turns up to an interview and is less so.

At my university we are also doing things like having students attach a short video to an essay submission where you respond to questions like “what inspired you to choose this topic?” Or “is there anything you changed your mind about after writing the essay?” If writing the essay involved a “thought process” these questions are easy. If writing the essay involved writing a check or pushing a button they are somewhat harder.

What you think is “harder” is yet another coachable hoop. You think you are gleaning insight, when what you are really doing is funding an arms race benefitting coaching. A little self awareness would be nice.


Or someone else entirely. You don’t include photo identification with apps so anybody could stand in for you.

lol- this is ridiculous


Exactly. How could they even verify you are who they say you are in these dialogues?
Anonymous
Post 07/15/2025 10:25     Subject: Social Portfolios?!?
Anonymous wrote:at best, it's to work around fake applications written by others.

at worse, it's the ol' Georgetown "attach a picture" thing - we like the good looking!


Both are ok with me!
Anonymous
Post 07/15/2025 10:24     Subject: Social Portfolios?!?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:It sounds like it might be a way to check that it’s the kid that wrote the essay and not Mommy or a consultant etc. Admissions folks also tend to notice if someone who is really articulate on paper turns up to an interview and is less so.

At my university we are also doing things like having students attach a short video to an essay submission where you respond to questions like “what inspired you to choose this topic?” Or “is there anything you changed your mind about after writing the essay?” If writing the essay involved a “thought process” these questions are easy. If writing the essay involved writing a check or pushing a button they are somewhat harder.

What you think is “harder” is yet another coachable hoop. You think you are gleaning insight, when what you are really doing is funding an arms race benefitting coaching. A little self awareness would be nice.


Or someone else entirely. You don’t include photo identification with apps so anybody could stand in for you.

lol- this is ridiculous