Anonymous
Post 11/05/2025 13:28     Subject: After your kid submits.....
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Admissions Beat (Dartmouth AO podcast) - talks about this today (Nov 4 podcast) - the admissions beat/AO Quiz Bowl. It's all about how AO talk to one another about the files they are reading, how they describe the applicants, what jargon they use, etc.

Gives a sense for the types of things AO values in applications and the things they don't value.


A lot of clues in that podcast that they are looking for a certain type of personality. Applicants should be mindful of that when writing their apps and finding schools that appreciate the kid's actual personality. Dartmouth is very different than Princeton, for example.


100% this podcast is wild.
It is all about "vibe"


Very interesting. I think they have acknowledged that demonstrated interest matters, even to schools, like Dartmouth, who technically say they don't consider it. They called applications with no connection/no visit/no interaction "stealth". Also NN means "no need" . . .
Anonymous
Post 11/05/2025 13:23     Subject: After your kid submits.....
I was struck by the parents' comment, too.

I think no college is a PLUS because every school wants first gen now that it is part of the criteria for US News,

I think parent professions are shorthand for financial need/full pay since need-blind schools aren't looking at the numbers.
Anonymous
Post 11/05/2025 13:22     Subject: After your kid submits.....
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Admissions Beat (Dartmouth AO podcast) - talks about this today (Nov 4 podcast) - the admissions beat/AO Quiz Bowl. It's all about how AO talk to one another about the files they are reading, how they describe the applicants, what jargon they use, etc.

Gives a sense for the types of things AO values in applications and the things they don't value.


A lot of clues in that podcast that they are looking for a certain type of personality. Applicants should be mindful of that when writing their apps and finding schools that appreciate the kid's actual personality. Dartmouth is very different than Princeton, for example.


Please describe the difference, if possible. What is Dartmouth looking for that Princeton is not? And vice versa?


NP. That's true for all of these schools. Cornell is very different from Dartmouth.
Research the schools - it should stand out to you loud and clear. Agree it's partly vibe, but also their ethos. And that impacts how they admit and WHO they admit.

Search for their mission statement and strategic plan as a start, and then add in Google searches for "admissions rubrics" or "what xyz looks for in students". School newspapers also have good intel.
Anonymous
Post 11/05/2025 13:20     Subject: After your kid submits.....
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Admissions Beat (Dartmouth AO podcast) - talks about this today (Nov 4 podcast) - the admissions beat/AO Quiz Bowl. It's all about how AO talk to one another about the files they are reading, how they describe the applicants, what jargon they use, etc.

Gives a sense for the types of things AO values in applications and the things they don't value.


A lot of clues in that podcast that they are looking for a certain type of personality. Applicants should be mindful of that when writing their apps and finding schools that appreciate the kid's actual personality. Dartmouth is very different than Princeton, for example.


Please describe the difference, if possible. What is Dartmouth looking for that Princeton is not? And vice versa?
Anonymous
Post 11/05/2025 13:20     Subject: After your kid submits.....
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Admissions Beat (Dartmouth AO podcast) - talks about this today (Nov 4 podcast) - the admissions beat/AO Quiz Bowl. It's all about how AO talk to one another about the files they are reading, how they describe the applicants, what jargon they use, etc.

Gives a sense for the types of things AO values in applications and the things they don't value.


A lot of clues in that podcast that they are looking for a certain type of personality. Applicants should be mindful of that when writing their apps and finding schools that appreciate the kid's actual personality. Dartmouth is very different than Princeton, for example.


100% this podcast is wild.
It is all about "vibe"
Anonymous
Post 11/05/2025 13:19     Subject: After your kid submits.....
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Admissions Beat (Dartmouth AO podcast) - talks about this today (Nov 4 podcast) - the admissions beat/AO Quiz Bowl. It's all about how AO talk to one another about the files they are reading, how they describe the applicants, what jargon they use, etc.

Gives a sense for the types of things AO values in applications and the things they don't value.


Interesting terms:

"Gluey" - a student who is gluey holds their community together (and is a good thing) and might be someone to bring forward. And its ok to be the quiet kid who is the backbone of a class.

"Spiky" - Pointy kids, opposite of Renaissance person. Also known as a spear or a specialist.

"Renaissance Man" - opposite of spiky. Academically strong across the board. Highest levels in every subject and/or extracurricularly. Also possibly an athlete AND oboe player. Multitude of talents. The kid who is the baseball pitcher and lead in spring musical.

"Humsy" - a humanities kid.

"MD" - most demanding curriculum

"GOAT" - top of high school pool?

"Flat" - could refer to an essay or could refer to a kid. No excitement to the table.

__
That's about half way through the podcast.


I wish they’d use the term “Renaissance Kid” instead of “Renaissance Man.”

Words matter.

When an AO pictures a “Renaissance Man,” they’re imagining a kid who looks like my DS, not my DD. But it’s actually my DD who fits the description, not my DS ….

Anonymous
Post 11/05/2025 13:15     Subject: After your kid submits.....
Anonymous wrote:Admissions Beat (Dartmouth AO podcast) - talks about this today (Nov 4 podcast) - the admissions beat/AO Quiz Bowl. It's all about how AO talk to one another about the files they are reading, how they describe the applicants, what jargon they use, etc.

Gives a sense for the types of things AO values in applications and the things they don't value.


A lot of clues in that podcast that they are looking for a certain type of personality. Applicants should be mindful of that when writing their apps and finding schools that appreciate the kid's actual personality. Dartmouth is very different than Princeton, for example.
Anonymous
Post 11/05/2025 13:11     Subject: After your kid submits.....
Anonymous wrote:Admissions Beat (Dartmouth AO podcast) - talks about this today (Nov 4 podcast) - the admissions beat/AO Quiz Bowl. It's all about how AO talk to one another about the files they are reading, how they describe the applicants, what jargon they use, etc.

Gives a sense for the types of things AO values in applications and the things they don't value.


Interesting terms:

"Gluey" - a student who is gluey holds their community together (and is a good thing) and might be someone to bring forward. And its ok to be the quiet kid who is the backbone of a class.

"Spiky" - Pointy kids, opposite of Renaissance person. Also known as a spear or a specialist.

"Renaissance Man" - opposite of spiky. Academically strong across the board. Highest levels in every subject and/or extracurricularly. Also possibly an athlete AND oboe player. Multitude of talents. The kid who is the baseball pitcher and lead in spring musical.

"Humsy" - a humanities kid.

"MD" - most demanding curriculum

"GOAT" - top of high school pool?

"Flat" - could refer to an essay or could refer to a kid. No excitement to the table.

__
That's about half way through the podcast.
Anonymous
Post 11/05/2025 12:59     Subject: After your kid submits.....
Admissions Beat (Dartmouth AO podcast) - talks about this today (Nov 4 podcast) - the admissions beat/AO Quiz Bowl. It's all about how AO talk to one another about the files they are reading, how they describe the applicants, what jargon they use, etc.

Gives a sense for the types of things AO values in applications and the things they don't value.
Anonymous
Post 11/05/2025 12:28     Subject: After your kid submits.....
I have a family member who is an Ivy alum and worked as a reader at same Ivy during grad school. He described the job as looking for a reason to reject. As a practical matter 95% of the applicants are going to be rejected so they read looking for a justification to support the rejection- "mid" LOR's, not enough rigor, bland essays, no compelling EC's etc. That gets the pile down to a more manageable size of applicants where they can start "shaping" the class by considering things like region, urban/rural, gender, major, particular EC's that the college wants to fill out etc.
Anonymous
Post 11/05/2025 12:12     Subject: After your kid submits.....
Anonymous wrote:This sounds so ruthless, but expected. Imagine you're the reader and your 5-year-old was pestering you.


During hiring, do they ask candidate what they would do if their 5yr old was pestering while trying to do a job? Reader should be working from an "office" / quiet space. It's a job and should be treated like one. https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1299619.page
Anonymous
Post 11/05/2025 12:07     Subject: After your kid submits.....
Anonymous wrote:Not surprising they can, with experience, do a quick first cut.

“I see what your parents do/their degrees if any”

I suspect this only counts against you unless your parents are either (a) no college at all, or (b) extremely rich donor class. Everyone in between, it’s not even an advantage to be an UMC professional who went to a good school.


So don't include that JD?
https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/60/1297572.page#30997333
Anonymous
Post 11/05/2025 11:59     Subject: After your kid submits.....
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I think LOR are huge. They're like the only component out of the applicant's control.


Are you talking about LOR from school or the additional LOR from outside of school?

Public kids don't have an advantage here with teachers having so many students. Last year, DD's English and Calc held lotteries for the 25 LORs they were writing. I don't know if they were just saying that (but secretly were selecting) so they don't hurt any students' feelings. Needless to say, it was an extra worry trying to get an 11th grade teacher in the core classes to write a letter.


whatever two LORs you submit. yes, public school kids are at a disadvantage -- that shows up in the data.
Anonymous
Post 11/05/2025 11:55     Subject: After your kid submits.....
Yale has a great podcast in which they describe their initial reader process and how and when it gets to a committee.
Anonymous
Post 11/05/2025 11:49     Subject: After your kid submits.....
Anonymous wrote:So is this saying all would-be admits are looked at in the end by the entire committee?

Interesting... I thought some were automatic yes/nos and only the maybes were brought to committee. I suppose each AO has a quota.


My understanding is committee, at least at selective colleges, make all admit decisions. However, the AO's essentially make the reject decisions by which applications they select for 2nd reading and ultimately bring to committee.