Just listened to that admissions beat podcast.
Wow.
- Makes me realize what clues need to be in brag sheets for those LOR
- Standing out is super important (so many of the acronyms touched on it incl DNSO)
- They make a ton of assumptions about financial status & social class

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.

Take EVERYTHING in this podcast with a giant grain of salt. Lee Coffin says a whole lot of stuff in these talks that is completely the opposite of what Dartmouth does in real life. He is now not even in charge of Admissions there which further removes him from any relevance.
Signed, A Dartmouth parent who knows more than I thought I ever would about Lee and the BS he spouts online.

Fill us in…
He’s listed as Vice President and Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid on the website.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:thank you to the OP who started this conversation. Two questions (and I will admit both my kids filled out the common app on their own so I don't know what is on there).

1. On the common app, when they ask about siblings is it just the school they are at or does it ask about major?

2. how do AOs view multisport athletes (varsity level for 3 sports (golf, competitive cheer and lacrosse) per year starting as a freshman?

1. Only certain colleges request sibling's school. They do not request major.
2. Very generally, sports are viewed as any other activity unless the student is a recruited athlete. Obviously, a 3 sport athlete will be busy, and that's fine, but it doesn't move the needle for admissions in a specific way vs some other activities. Students should choose the activities they want to do.

Agree, sports really don't get a bump in the scoring rubric. Even for 3 sports. It doesn't even get acknowledged. The scoring rubric shows you how many points you might get for activities.

Anonymous wrote:thank you to the OP who started this conversation. Two questions (and I will admit both my kids filled out the common app on their own so I don't know what is on there).

1. On the common app, when they ask about siblings is it just the school they are at or does it ask about major?

2. how do AOs view multisport athletes (varsity level for 3 sports (golf, competitive cheer and lacrosse) per year starting as a freshman?

1. Only certain colleges request sibling's school. They do not request major.
2. Very generally, sports are viewed as any other activity unless the student is a recruited athlete. Obviously, a 3 sport athlete will be busy, and that's fine, but it doesn't move the needle for admissions in a specific way vs some other activities. Students should choose the activities they want to do.

thank you to the OP who started this conversation. Two questions (and I will admit both my kids filled out the common app on their own so I don't know what is on there).

1. On the common app, when they ask about siblings is it just the school they are at or does it ask about major?

2. how do AOs view multisport athletes (varsity level for 3 sports (golf, competitive cheer and lacrosse) per year starting as a freshman?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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" . . .

I thought Dartmouth had always counted demonstrated interest. Like Northwestern.

NP. Virtually all top college also have enrollment management consultants, sometimes in house, often external. They use mathematical modeling to determine likelihood of enrollment aka yield both for individual applicants and in the aggregate. All the factors, like parent info, are included in that. The aggregate modeling at the back end of the process, when the admissions director engages in the "shaping of the class" is critical for meeting budgets and this is where decisions may often be out of the view of the regular admission readers. Thus, some admission readers might feel like decisions are "random," as they don't see the algorithmic piece that made some final determinations that weren't congruent with the AO's "vibe."

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.

Take EVERYTHING in this podcast with a giant grain of salt. Lee Coffin says a whole lot of stuff in these talks that is completely the opposite of what Dartmouth does in real life. He is now not even in charge of Admissions there which further removes him from any relevance.
Signed, A Dartmouth parent who knows more than I thought I ever would about Lee and the BS he spouts online.

But this session was filled with former readers from other schools too.

Yes, I don't know as I didn't listen to the Podcast. But just take anything that Lee says about Dartmouth admissions specifically as "oh, that's nice" and nothing more.

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.

Take EVERYTHING in this podcast with a giant grain of salt. Lee Coffin says a whole lot of stuff in these talks that is completely the opposite of what Dartmouth does in real life. He is now not even in charge of Admissions there which further removes him from any relevance.
Signed, A Dartmouth parent who knows more than I thought I ever would about Lee and the BS he spouts online.

But this session was filled with former readers from other schools too.

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.

Take EVERYTHING in this podcast with a giant grain of salt. Lee Coffin says a whole lot of stuff in these talks that is completely the opposite of what Dartmouth does in real life. He is now not even in charge of Admissions there which further removes him from any relevance.
Signed, A Dartmouth parent who knows more than I thought I ever would about Lee and the BS he spouts online.

Anonymous wrote:

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" . . .

I thought Dartmouth had always counted demonstrated interest. Like Northwestern.

Anonymous wrote: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.

The podcast also mentioned parent’s career and income level. They had an abbreviation for middle class as “mid – mid “. And then they had another abbreviation of “NN” to me no need.

More than anything I think every little bit of information you were disclosing in the common app is used in some way, shape or form. I think that not only includes your professional information but also the parents educational information, and/or siblings education information. It’s not random or extraneous information. It’s actually part of their quick 6 minute assessment. Almost like a snap judgment about your family life, your financial well-being, your commitment to education and how much drive or ambition you have been instilled in your children.