Anonymous
09/16/2025 15:37
Subject: This is what unhooked umc kids are against
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Mountain school looks idyllic. Talented writers too.
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/62da17f736c3865ff0cf4259/t/6842e1a8e5ea2a01c8b86d50/1749213613544/S25+Pearls+%26+Seaweed.pdf
So, this whole thread is, indeed, one big ad.
umm. no i posted that and i don't have anything to do with it. its called going down the rabbit hole?
jeezus. you suck. no one should EVER share another fuc*ing thing with anyone on this site EVER AGAIN.
I will hoard every single resource i find.
DONE.
Happy???????
FU
Anonymous
09/16/2025 15:01
Subject: This is what unhooked umc kids are against
Anonymous wrote:Mountain school looks idyllic. Talented writers too.
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/62da17f736c3865ff0cf4259/t/6842e1a8e5ea2a01c8b86d50/1749213613544/S25+Pearls+%26+Seaweed.pdf
So, this whole thread is, indeed, one big ad.
Anonymous
09/16/2025 14:58
Subject: This is what unhooked umc kids are against
Mountain school looks idyllic. Talented writers too.
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/62da17f736c3865ff0cf4259/t/6842e1a8e5ea2a01c8b86d50/1749213613544/S25+Pearls+%26+Seaweed.pdf
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/62da17f736c3865ff0cf4259/t/6842e1a8e5ea2a01c8b86d50/1749213613544/S25+Pearls+%26+Seaweed.pdf
Anonymous
09/16/2025 14:58
Subject: This is what unhooked umc kids are against
Anonymous wrote:My niece did one of those semester programs - I don;t think they help that much with getting into college. If the college is looking for a signifier that you are rich, they can just look to see if you went to private school
No, lots of private school students get financial aid and scholarships and have to work in the summer.
Anonymous
09/16/2025 14:56
Subject: This is what unhooked umc kids are against
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Knowing this, it seems like a waste to even try to get into an Ivy
https://www.businessinsider.com/inside-ivy-league-prep-ultrawealthy-30k-schools-and-resumes-2025-9
On the other hand, why do billionaires even need this kind of college counseling service when they can just use their influence and connections?
Interesting: Nguyen said that exclusive semester-away programs like The Mountain School, The Island School, and Alzar School — each costing around $30,000 or more per term — have become increasingly popular among his clients.
Kid at T10, and has met several kids who've done these semester away programs at 2 of these schools. It's VERY VERY popular and a signal to AO.
And the 'signal' is $$$$$$$
Anonymous
09/16/2025 14:53
Subject: This is what unhooked umc kids are against
My niece did one of those semester programs - I don;t think they help that much with getting into college. If the college is looking for a signifier that you are rich, they can just look to see if you went to private school
Anonymous
09/16/2025 14:51
Subject: This is what unhooked umc kids are against
Anonymous wrote:Astounded at the level of curating. I wish those kids could grow up in a normal boring flyover country suburb and do regular things.
Over country is MAGA !
Anonymous
09/16/2025 14:49
Subject: This is what unhooked umc kids are against
Anonymous wrote:I am surprised that people are shocked, shocked that money and connections can buy you an edge even when the measures are “objective”.
I have a friend who is a tenured professor at a well respected school. When his and his friends’ kids were of HS age, they ran a round robin of research internships. You take my kid and make sure they produce and publish something, and I’ll take yours. Impressive, right?
When my son was in [public] HS, he was a TOC level debater. That circle is very much dominated by private school kids, and some came to the tournaments with as many as 8 coaches. When they got to quarterfinals, the coaches fan out to watch the competitors, take notes and report on their weaknesses. Super helpful if your parents can pay for the time, food lodging and airfare for 8 people.
note - this is how it works in other competitions with private school kids as well. sad you are just figuring this out now.
Anonymous
09/16/2025 14:20
Subject: This is what unhooked umc kids are against
Anonymous wrote:Our private school participates in the "semester away" programs with places like the Mountain School (also another one in South Africa). The kids apply, pretty much always get in, and our HS pays the tuition out of what they have already collected from the family. But I don't think it gives the students an edge - and from our school, it is never the absolute wealthiest kids who do this, just the garden variety rich kids. As for the point of the post, the extremely price college consultants, many families from our school use them and, while the parents try to keep it on the DL, the kids all talk about it. The companies they use are $100k per year and most often start in 9th grade.
Same. $30k for one semester is a rounding error for rich families.
Anonymous
09/16/2025 13:57
Subject: This is what unhooked umc kids are against
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Knowing this, it seems like a waste to even try to get into an Ivy
https://www.businessinsider.com/inside-ivy-league-prep-ultrawealthy-30k-schools-and-resumes-2025-9
On the other hand, why do billionaires even need this kind of college counseling service when they can just use their influence and connections?
Interesting: Nguyen said that exclusive semester-away programs like The Mountain School, The Island School, and Alzar School — each costing around $30,000 or more per term — have become increasingly popular among his clients.
Kid at T10, and has met several kids who've done these semester away programs at 2 of these schools. It's VERY VERY popular and a signal to AO.
I’m surprised that those schools are considered big pluses on an application. I know kids who have gone to all three of them. I am pretty sure they did it for the experience and to gain some maturity. None are at top colleges now.
My kid desperately wants to go the the Island School but I never saw it as a significant college bump--just an amazing experience and possible essay topic.
You are right - it is not a bump. For certain kids, it is an awesome experience, they make lifelong friends, they solidify some of their academic and other interests - and so for them, it complements, perhaps expands on the story of their application. At our school, it is actually difficult to navigate academically because there are certain ways our curriculum does not align with the semester away programs, so the kids are playing catchup to make sure they are hitting all the academic classes they want/need despite the semester missed.