I'm surprised the family/girl didn't ask you for any advice, given that you'd worked in admissions before! I certainly would've hit up a relative for some free counseling in this era of admissions craziness.

What did you end up doing?

OP,

Keep your mouth shut about the elite schools, but ask them to also apply to a few safeties. Give them suggestions about it, but do not push.

Anonymous wrote:She'll be lucky to get into Penn State. Not even kidding.

Seriously? She'll get into plenty of decent schools, just not Harvard.

You just use those big city smarts to set those poor bumpkins straight.

Make sure this kid has a couple good safety schools on the list...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Harvard looks for geographic diversity. She might be a stronger candidate than you think. Regardless, MYOB.

lets call this for what it is.

geographic affirmative action.

and it needs to go away.

Why?

She'll be lucky to get into Penn State. Not even kidding.

There's no way an uninteresting white girl with college educated parents and mediocre SAT score is getting into an Ivy in 2016. Literally zero %.

Not your job. Let them do it.

My high school guidance counselor was appalled by the selection of schools I decided to apply for because he thought I was being too ambitious, and tried to get me to apply to several schools I thought were well beneath my qualifications, as "safety" schools. He didn't think I'd get in to the ones I'd chosen.

I ended up going to the top Ivy school on my list. I was a white girl from rural America - I'm sure it was the rural part that helped, but I'd like to think my essays and recommendations were also factors. You never know.

OP - this is a lose-lose situation. You can't come out as a winner no matter what you do/say. Stay out of it.

Let them dream!

I don't understand why it bothers you so much or why you care.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Harvard looks for geographic diversity. She might be a stronger candidate than you think. Regardless, MYOB.

A white girl in Pennsylvania with college educated parents is not a hook.

There is more to diversity than just skin color and where you grow up. You don't know what's going into her essay, it doesn't even have to be true (hopefully she is creative). Try to think outside of the box OP, life isn't as cut and dry as you seem to think.

Anonymous wrote:I watched my sister do this for her favored child. I really wanted to say something but kept my mouth shut because reality was going to take care of her delusion anyway.

It did and my poor niece did not get into any of the ivy schools. Luckily she did apply to a couple safety schools on the advice of her school counselor and got accepted at one of those.

So what was the problem? She applied to reaches and safeties and got into safeties. I don't see any problem with her application strategy.

I watched my sister do this for her favored child. I really wanted to say something but kept my mouth shut because reality was going to take care of her delusion anyway.

It did and my poor niece did not get into any of the ivy schools. Luckily she did apply to a couple safety schools on the advice of her school counselor and got accepted at one of those.