Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're no longer in the DMV area, and I keep hearing how rigor is important to the DMV kids. But anecdotally from kids I know here on the west coast, it's not always the highest rigor that gets admissions. Personally, I know kids who stopped at AP Calc AB and had a couple Bs at Stanford (even though kids at high school topped at AP Calc BC or higher), and a kid with a total of 4 APs at Harvard (from a highly ranked private school with tons of APs). Neither had a significant hook, except the Harvard kid was a creative and the Stanford kid had a unique story to tell. Both Asian and not underrepresented.

AB vs BC is not really a rigor difference. The story is important.

Don't you need to reconcile this for (1) the HS the kid is coming from, and (2) the major?
All of the TJ discussion on here, tells me that some kids won't have a chance at T10 if they don't take BC (unless they are an art major?)

NP here. Generally speaking even hooked kids are doing highest math offered by HS to get into T10. Kids these days are taking math at community colleges and are listing MVC, Linear algebra etc so you really need high rigor in math!

Anonymous wrote:People saying collegevine and possibly other "experts" say to fabricate activity if one of kid's hobby is reading. Instead of just listing reading, say they organized a reading club etc...Agree or not agree?

Anonymous wrote:This is getting kind of ridiculous. People now trying to do weird activities to get into college. Soon the AOs will get tired of seeing this gimmick, therefore start also punishing the kids who actually do weird activities because they are drawn to them, and not just to get into college.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're no longer in the DMV area, and I keep hearing how rigor is important to the DMV kids. But anecdotally from kids I know here on the west coast, it's not always the highest rigor that gets admissions. Personally, I know kids who stopped at AP Calc AB and had a couple Bs at Stanford (even though kids at high school topped at AP Calc BC or higher), and a kid with a total of 4 APs at Harvard (from a highly ranked private school with tons of APs). Neither had a significant hook, except the Harvard kid was a creative and the Stanford kid had a unique story to tell. Both Asian and not underrepresented.

AB vs BC is not really a rigor difference. The story is important.

Don't you need to reconcile this for (1) the HS the kid is coming from, and (2) the major?
All of the TJ discussion on here, tells me that some kids won't have a chance at T10 if they don't take BC (unless they are an art major?)

NP here. Generally speaking even hooked kids are doing highest math offered by HS to get into T10. Kids these days are taking math at community colleges and are listing MVC, Linear algebra etc so you really need high rigor in math!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're no longer in the DMV area, and I keep hearing how rigor is important to the DMV kids. But anecdotally from kids I know here on the west coast, it's not always the highest rigor that gets admissions. Personally, I know kids who stopped at AP Calc AB and had a couple Bs at Stanford (even though kids at high school topped at AP Calc BC or higher), and a kid with a total of 4 APs at Harvard (from a highly ranked private school with tons of APs). Neither had a significant hook, except the Harvard kid was a creative and the Stanford kid had a unique story to tell. Both Asian and not underrepresented.

AB vs BC is not really a rigor difference. The story is important.

Don't you need to reconcile this for (1) the HS the kid is coming from, and (2) the major?
All of the TJ discussion on here, tells me that some kids won't have a chance at T10 if they don't take BC (unless they are an art major?)

NP here. Generally speaking even hooked kids are doing highest math offered by HS to get into T10. Kids these days are taking math at community colleges and are listing MVC, Linear algebra etc so you really need high rigor in math!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're no longer in the DMV area, and I keep hearing how rigor is important to the DMV kids. But anecdotally from kids I know here on the west coast, it's not always the highest rigor that gets admissions. Personally, I know kids who stopped at AP Calc AB and had a couple Bs at Stanford (even though kids at high school topped at AP Calc BC or higher), and a kid with a total of 4 APs at Harvard (from a highly ranked private school with tons of APs). Neither had a significant hook, except the Harvard kid was a creative and the Stanford kid had a unique story to tell. Both Asian and not underrepresented.

AB vs BC is not really a rigor difference. The story is important.

Don't you need to reconcile this for (1) the HS the kid is coming from, and (2) the major?
All of the TJ discussion on here, tells me that some kids won't have a chance at T10 if they don't take BC (unless they are an art major?)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How did yours stand out?
Grade inflation, mid range test scores, no test scores. Don't most seniors seem the "same?"

One stands out by having one of the top 3 GPA’s in the grade, and taking the hardest classes in all 5 core areas, and having 1550+. The counselor letters of these kids will say the top this year or top few, based on gpa and rigor. If the kids are nice helpful fellow students who participate in class and enjoy learning, the teacher recs will be stand-out. If they are really a good writer the essays will be unique and have a voice and only need a proofread. The ECs can be average but this type of kid is not average: they usually have many years spent on writing or volunteering or music, plus they love that or some different activity so much they have leadership in it, and likely some awards because they have spent time getting good at it.
Read MIT applying sideways. True standouts find a way to stand out; parents don’t need to help navigate the process. If your kid is not naturally a top kid, they are not getting into an ivy/elite unless they are hooked.

i think it depends on what you mean as elite?
i know lots of kids who weren't top 3 (AT ALL), some TO, all with amazing ECs though and stellar essays (and great recs) from our private who got into schools like:
Duke, Brown, Cornell, Columbia, Vanderbilt, Michigan, USC, Emory, WashU

I think coming from a "feeder" private school helps for some colleges tbh. But it does also depend on luck (how many hooked kids from HS are applying that year etc). Be flexible with your REA/ED choices.

Private schools particularly feeder schools are more holistic. Kids are basically grouped into three levels by their grades, top, middle, bottom. The bottom ones are usually nepo babies and academically non-performing. For the top 1/3, holistic process, you will then look at their test scores, and ECs. In our school it doesn't appear there are many doing crazy ECs. Mostly school related clubs and varsity.

Anonymous wrote:People saying collegevine and possibly other "experts" say to fabricate activity if one of kid's hobby is reading. Instead of just listing reading, say they organized a reading club etc...Agree or not agree?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How did yours stand out?
Grade inflation, mid range test scores, no test scores. Don't most seniors seem the "same?"

One stands out by having one of the top 3 GPA’s in the grade, and taking the hardest classes in all 5 core areas, and having 1550+. The counselor letters of these kids will say the top this year or top few, based on gpa and rigor. If the kids are nice helpful fellow students who participate in class and enjoy learning, the teacher recs will be stand-out. If they are really a good writer the essays will be unique and have a voice and only need a proofread. The ECs can be average but this type of kid is not average: they usually have many years spent on writing or volunteering or music, plus they love that or some different activity so much they have leadership in it, and likely some awards because they have spent time getting good at it.
Read MIT applying sideways. True standouts find a way to stand out; parents don’t need to help navigate the process. If your kid is not naturally a top kid, they are not getting into an ivy/elite unless they are hooked.

i think it depends on what you mean as elite?
i know lots of kids who weren't top 3 (AT ALL), some TO, all with amazing ECs though and stellar essays (and great recs) from our private who got into schools like:
Duke, Brown, Cornell, Columbia, Vanderbilt, Michigan, USC, Emory, WashU

I think coming from a "feeder" private school helps for some colleges tbh. But it does also depend on luck (how many hooked kids from HS are applying that year etc). Be flexible with your REA/ED choices.

Anonymous wrote:How did yours stand out?
Grade inflation, mid range test scores, no test scores. Don't most seniors seem the "same?"

Anonymous wrote:People saying collegevine and possibly other "experts" say to fabricate activity if one of kid's hobby is reading. Instead of just listing reading, say they organized a reading club etc...Agree or not agree?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're no longer in the DMV area, and I keep hearing how rigor is important to the DMV kids. But anecdotally from kids I know here on the west coast, it's not always the highest rigor that gets admissions. Personally, I know kids who stopped at AP Calc AB and had a couple Bs at Stanford (even though kids at high school topped at AP Calc BC or higher), and a kid with a total of 4 APs at Harvard (from a highly ranked private school with tons of APs). Neither had a significant hook, except the Harvard kid was a creative and the Stanford kid had a unique story to tell. Both Asian and not underrepresented.

AB vs BC is not really a rigor difference. The story is important.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, I feel like the kids all do the same ECs because parents push them there and because of their own anxiety do not let their kids pursue their own interests. My DD had a friend who wrote songs in mandolin. His parent forbade it and told him he was wasting his time and needed to be practicing violin. A score on the violin exams that was good but similar to everyone else, stands out way less than a kid who writes his own songs. The parents were fools. My kid had several unusual interests and had won an award for a documentary film she had made. She did not do traditional school ECs but pulled out samples on her phone of a graphic novel she was writing when the subject came up at an interview. It worked for her.

Model UN is fine if that is what your kid loves and they can excel, but otherwise, find something they think is fun where they can excel.

I disagree. Mandolin is not a good instrument. those songs were likely not good. Sure, it could look "interesting" and impress a clueless AO, but to understand and appreciate music violin is vastly superior. It's really sad that kids need to be weird instead of pursue things that are beautiful and enriching.

Not really. Mandolin and fiddle would be very interesting to an AO.
Unless you are nationally ranked, no one cares about violin....dime a dozen.

Fiddle and violin are the same instrument, just different styles of music associated with each term. Most people who excel at playing the fiddle started with classical/traditional violin lessons.

Anonymous wrote:This is getting kind of ridiculous. People now trying to do weird activities to get into college. Soon the AOs will get tired of seeing this gimmick, therefore start also punishing the kids who actually do weird activities because they are drawn to them, and not just to get into college.