Anonymous
Post 05/17/2026 23:09     Subject: Ivy+/WASP accepts: what did they do summer before senior year?

Anonymous wrote: Life guard. Hang out with friends. Did some SAT prep. Got into several ivies.


Sounds perfect. Congratulations. A normal, well-adjusted, happy kid.
Anonymous
Post 05/17/2026 22:47     Subject: Ivy+/WASP accepts: what did they do summer before senior year?

A high school intern used to discover a new planet on their THIRD day on the job.
https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-51122019
Those days are long gone...
Anonymous
Post 05/17/2026 22:41     Subject: Ivy+/WASP accepts: what did they do summer before senior year?

Life guard. Hang out with friends. Did some SAT prep. Got into several ivies.
Anonymous
Post 05/17/2026 22:28     Subject: Ivy+/WASP accepts: what did they do summer before senior year?

Attending an Ivy

Scooped ice cream
Anonymous
Post 05/17/2026 22:15     Subject: Ivy+/WASP accepts: what did they do summer before senior year?

After reading this, I’m glad I applied to WASP colleges 35 years ago. There’s no way I would have even thought about putting together such a sophisticated profile at age 17.
Anonymous
Post 05/17/2026 22:13     Subject: Ivy+/WASP accepts: what did they do summer before senior year?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:chill the F out? is my rec. for all of them. and def earn money regardles if their parents "need" them to or not.


Why is there always a holier-than-thou poster who pretends not to care about college stuff and is always telling everyone to chill out but is on the DCUM college board on a Sunday?


Zionks! So true!
Anonymous
Post 05/17/2026 22:07     Subject: Ivy+/WASP accepts: what did they do summer before senior year?

Anonymous wrote:IRL I have never seen part time jobs like pizza and camp help in any significant way. They are so common here it’s a dime a dozen.


It helps for full payment kids if combined with something else extraordinary
Anonymous
Post 05/17/2026 22:05     Subject: Ivy+/WASP accepts: what did they do summer before senior year?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I have spoken to a few kids who claimed to work at investment firms/hedge funds. My immediately response is please tell me the name of that fund because if they are allowing you to do anything meaningful as a 17 year old I will short it.

A number of kids "outkick their coverage" and in the effort to impress claim to be doing more than the realistically could have been doing.

Citadel has outreach opportunities and programs for high school students. I don’t know why people here lack the understanding that companies tend to be interested in the next generation of talent.


Meanwhile the kids whose parents work at citadel don’t intern there; yet they’ll get into HYPS easily….
Anonymous
Post 05/17/2026 21:45     Subject: Ivy+/WASP accepts: what did they do summer before senior year?

DC interned for a university magazine. Participated in a selective mentorship and a 2 week writing program. Also wrote common app essay and studied for the SAT. In early to one of the HYP. Younger DC has lifeguarded two summers so we’ll see where they end up. Lol
Anonymous
Post 05/17/2026 21:34     Subject: Ivy+/WASP accepts: what did they do summer before senior year?

Anonymous wrote:Lots of humblebragging around here.


No dog in this fight, but the question is apt to generate impressive answers. Do you think they all just lifeguarded at the pool?
Anonymous
Post 05/17/2026 21:28     Subject: Ivy+/WASP accepts: what did they do summer before senior year?

Lots of humblebragging around here.
Anonymous
Post 05/17/2026 21:21     Subject: Ivy+/WASP accepts: what did they do summer before senior year?

Another Williams parent. DS did a NASA program conducting research and spent the first month in Spain doing field research for his high school’s version of senior seminar- the thesis was on political autonomy of Spanish minorities and received the big school award! Their draft was their paper for the Williams application.
Anonymous
Post 05/17/2026 21:13     Subject: Ivy+/WASP accepts: what did they do summer before senior year?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I have spoken to a few kids who claimed to work at investment firms/hedge funds. My immediately response is please tell me the name of that fund because if they are allowing you to do anything meaningful as a 17 year old I will short it.

A number of kids "outkick their coverage" and in the effort to impress claim to be doing more than the realistically could have been doing.

Citadel has outreach opportunities and programs for high school students. I don’t know why people here lack the understanding that companies tend to be interested in the next generation of talent.


Thank you for addressing me in this patronizing way. I get that. But are these kids doing anything meaningful? Yes, there is a value to being in the office and seeing what is happening (and the smart kids are the ones who listen and ask questions rather than trying to show what they know). But some kids want to act like they were actually doing meaningful work. Be humble and showcase what you did and don't claim you were doing things you weren't.

The main point is that a lot of people think their child has no chance at a top school if not doing one of these fancy programs. Not true. As evidenced here, lots of kids get in doing normal things. Because if they took something meaningful away from that seemingly boring thing, it can really resonate. Often more than a kid who seems to be doing something super impressive but does not put on paper any meaningful takeaways.
Anonymous
Post 05/17/2026 21:06     Subject: Ivy+/WASP accepts: what did they do summer before senior year?

Anonymous wrote:I have spoken to a few kids who claimed to work at investment firms/hedge funds. My immediately response is please tell me the name of that fund because if they are allowing you to do anything meaningful as a 17 year old I will short it.

A number of kids "outkick their coverage" and in the effort to impress claim to be doing more than the realistically could have been doing.

Citadel has outreach opportunities and programs for high school students. I don’t know why people here lack the understanding that companies tend to be interested in the next generation of talent.
Anonymous
Post 05/17/2026 21:02     Subject: Ivy+/WASP accepts: what did they do summer before senior year?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Worked on a farm
PT job mowing lawns
Hung around with friends

- Ivy


Is this a rural admit or was the farm an “urban farm”?


NP:
Similar kid.
Farm at our country property.
Environment science major.
Also Ivy