Pp again. I have a kid at a well regarded high school and you can already see the difference between the stars and the regular straight A kids. I can probably guess the kid who will get accepted at Stanford and the kid who won’t despite high test scores and gpa.

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Anonymous wrote:I don't understand that College forum. Parents act like the Ivy acceptance rate is 0.00001% and that DC needs a Nobel Prize to be competitive. In fact, the Harvard acceptance rate is 5% (1 in 20 is getting in). Difficult, but hardly impossible.

You're right, you don't understand. It's a lot lower than 5% for these elite schools, closer to 3%, and once you take into account pulling in legacies, athletes, first generation, and underrepresented minorities, the chances go down to nearly non-existent.

Keep telling yourself it's simply "difficult."

At St. Ann's 48% will go to an Ivy, at Colligiate in Manhattan, 50+% will go to an Ivy.
I'll keep telling myself it's [sic] simply "difficult," while you keep making excuses for mediocrity.

Does you child attend one of these schools?

My DC is attending a school with similar stats and would be a legacy. (We're not super rich, just super smart.) Nevertheless, I recognize that getting in will still be difficult.

But even at Fairfax HS, 2 kids get into Princeton or MIT EVERY year. Difficult, but hardly impossible ... stop excusing mediocrity.

Except a lot of the kids who get into Ivy league schools from top public and private schools are recruited athletes.

Not pp. I think the pp is just saying it is difficult and not impossible. Reading these forums, it also sounds impossible. In real life, kids get in. The kids we know who are getting in are smart and have parents who are also smart. They aren’t always legacy but if your dad went to Yale and their kid goes to Duke, it isn’t all that surprising. If you are an average smart kid, you have a 1/20 chance. That isn’t exactly lotto. That is a pretty good chance.

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:I don't understand that College forum. Parents act like the Ivy acceptance rate is 0.00001% and that DC needs a Nobel Prize to be competitive. In fact, the Harvard acceptance rate is 5% (1 in 20 is getting in). Difficult, but hardly impossible.

You're right, you don't understand. It's a lot lower than 5% for these elite schools, closer to 3%, and once you take into account pulling in legacies, athletes, first generation, and underrepresented minorities, the chances go down to nearly non-existent.

Keep telling yourself it's simply "difficult."

At St. Ann's 48% will go to an Ivy, at Colligiate in Manhattan, 50+% will go to an Ivy.
I'll keep telling myself it's [sic] simply "difficult," while you keep making excuses for mediocrity.

Does you child attend one of these schools?

My DC is attending a school with similar stats and would be a legacy. (We're not super rich, just super smart.) Nevertheless, I recognize that getting in will still be difficult.

But even at Fairfax HS, 2 kids get into Princeton or MIT EVERY year. Difficult, but hardly impossible ... stop excusing mediocrity.

Except you are making up both your sets of stats. No school in the DMV has 50%+ getting into the Ivy schools.

At best, 50% are getting into top 20 if you include top 20 SLACs (which is debatable). Remove the SLACs and only like 30% and that’s top 20…not Ivy.

What’s also funny, is often no kids at STA and at best one kid at Sidwell gets into MIT (and that’s like every other year) which doesn’t count legacy.

So…either name the school your kid goes to or shut the f**k up because you are making up a ton of shit and making yourself look stupid.

NP here. I’m from NY and went to school in Boston. There are several private schools in NYC with high rate of Ivy+ like Trinity, Dalton, Collegiate and Horace Mann. Schools like Stuy and Bronx Science also sends a ton of kids to top schools but it isn’t 50%. The actual number of kids is probably higher though since the class sizes are huge, maybe close to 1000 per graduating class. There is also Milton in MA with high rates of top schools.

I’m not the pp but her kid could go to one of these.

I know Basis McLean is unpopular in the DMV but their college admissions in AZ and NY are also pretty good.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand that College forum. Parents act like the Ivy acceptance rate is 0.00001% and that DC needs a Nobel Prize to be competitive. In fact, the Harvard acceptance rate is 5% (1 in 20 is getting in). Difficult, but hardly impossible.

You're right, you don't understand. It's a lot lower than 5% for these elite schools, closer to 3%, and once you take into account pulling in legacies, athletes, first generation, and underrepresented minorities, the chances go down to nearly non-existent.

Keep telling yourself it's simply "difficult."

At St. Ann's 48% will go to an Ivy, at Colligiate in Manhattan, 50+% will go to an Ivy.
I'll keep telling myself it's [sic] simply "difficult," while you keep making excuses for mediocrity.

Hmm…St. Anne’s shows 21 of 85 kids going to Ivy schools…is your math so bad that you calculated that at 48%?

Collegiate isn’t even consider one of the elite NYC schools so I doubt it’s higher than Trinity at around 40%.

Any more made up stats for us?

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Anonymous wrote:I don't understand that College forum. Parents act like the Ivy acceptance rate is 0.00001% and that DC needs a Nobel Prize to be competitive. In fact, the Harvard acceptance rate is 5% (1 in 20 is getting in). Difficult, but hardly impossible.

You’re a newbie with young kids. It is really hard to get into certain colleges today. I attended a T20 school and was accepted to a few others as well. No way would that happen to me today with the stats I had.

It's so hard to get in that 1 out of 20 applicants are doing it. (It's only hard for mediocre students.)

Mediocre students don’t apply to Harvard - I know, I’m the parent of one. It’s essentially 5% of the tippy top, 4.0 students get in. That can be pretty jarring to a family who thinks that a 4.0 high stats kid has a good shot at Harvard. They still don’t, because 5% is still a long shot.

Yup. 5% of the super high GPA, great SAT score, amazing extracurriculars, started a non-profit, etc kids. Take those kids, then pick 1 in 20. It’s essentially like a lottery at that point (not to mention the cost). Good news is that people can have great, successful lives without attending an Ivy.

Exactly. 5% chance if your child is perfectly qualified. And I do mean perfectly. For everyone else (the vast majority of kids!) the chance is 0%.

At this point it really isn’t about gaming the system. It’s about raising curious, flexible, motivated, and resilient kids who can get along with and build relationships with all sorts of different types of people.

Teens with those qualities will thrive in college, no matter where they go. And most teens who aren’t quite there when they apply to college will find the right school for them, too, and will continue to grow and bloom at their own pace.

There are endless paths to a successful launch into adulthood and the security that comes with a thriving career. No reason to think about college applications so far in advance with an eye towards a particular type of school. Trust that you will raise kids who will thrive when their time comes.

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:I don't understand that College forum. Parents act like the Ivy acceptance rate is 0.00001% and that DC needs a Nobel Prize to be competitive. In fact, the Harvard acceptance rate is 5% (1 in 20 is getting in). Difficult, but hardly impossible.

You're right, you don't understand. It's a lot lower than 5% for these elite schools, closer to 3%, and once you take into account pulling in legacies, athletes, first generation, and underrepresented minorities, the chances go down to nearly non-existent.

Keep telling yourself it's simply "difficult."

At St. Ann's 48% will go to an Ivy, at Colligiate in Manhattan, 50+% will go to an Ivy.
I'll keep telling myself it's [sic] simply "difficult," while you keep making excuses for mediocrity.

Does you child attend one of these schools?

My DC is attending a school with similar stats and would be a legacy. (We're not super rich, just super smart.) Nevertheless, I recognize that getting in will still be difficult.

But even at Fairfax HS, 2 kids get into Princeton or MIT EVERY year. Difficult, but hardly impossible ... stop excusing mediocrity.

Except a lot of the kids who get into Ivy league schools from top public and private schools are recruited athletes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand that College forum. Parents act like the Ivy acceptance rate is 0.00001% and that DC needs a Nobel Prize to be competitive. In fact, the Harvard acceptance rate is 5% (1 in 20 is getting in). Difficult, but hardly impossible.

You're right, you don't understand. It's a lot lower than 5% for these elite schools, closer to 3%, and once you take into account pulling in legacies, athletes, first generation, and underrepresented minorities, the chances go down to nearly non-existent.

Keep telling yourself it's simply "difficult."

At St. Ann's 48% will go to an Ivy, at Colligiate in Manhattan, 50+% will go to an Ivy.
I'll keep telling myself it's [sic] simply "difficult," while you keep making excuses for mediocrity.

That is part of the equation. If you don't go to St. Ann's or Collegiate (etc. etc.), your odds are significantly lower because those spots, in addition to those for the athletes, legacies, etc., are taken before you even dream of applying. it never was about merit alone. At my kid's school, where top school admissions counselors come to visit every year, one of the Ivy's has said they will only 'see' the NMSF students who also have XYZ-check-the-box, and among those, they rarely take one. It doesn't matter how spectacular the other kids are if they were, for example, sick the day of the SAT/NMSQT and couldn't take it.

Anonymous wrote:Just spend a little time in the College forum. And then tiptoe back out and enjoy your kids while they’re little.

+1000

The best thing you can do for your kids in elementary school is NOT think about this. At all!!!

There’s plenty of time to think about this stuff later. For now, encourage your kids to try as many new things as possible. Don’t worry about being selective or forcing them to follow thru or stick with everything beyond a season or session. Those years are about FUN - being exposed to all sorts of activities and people and places in your community. For the sheer curiosity and pleasure of it all.

If they find something they’re excited to do again or delve more deeply into, keep it going if you can. Don’t worry if it’s not computer programning or robotics or triple advanced XYZ. Seriously. It’s all about teaching your kids to try new things (without pressure to excel IR fear of failure) and to notice what makes them happy so they can do more of it.

Encourage their curiosity and joy, help them learn to be flexible and kind to others, and make sure they get e ough sleep. (Serious on that last one - healthy sleep habits becomes a super power in middle school and high school. And extra hour a night of sleep at that age is priceless when it comes to mood, behavior, and academic performance.)

Enjoy your little ones. It really does go fast! 😢 (High schoolers are great, too. But you’ll get there soon enough. Live for today!)

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Anonymous wrote:And letters of recommendation, extracurricular activities and awards. All those things to different degrees, depending on the particular school.

What types of activities are they looking for exactly? Is this just listed in the application?

They are looking for the things your kid does when not in school so they can get to know who they are, what they enjoy doing, where their talents lie, what they care about, what responsibilities they have shouldered, whether they take risks, lead, exhibit curiosity and joy, etc.

Yes, it is listed with the time commitment (hours per week, weeks per year, how many years) and about 100 characters to explain something about it (level of expertise, impacts, awards, honors).

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Anonymous wrote:I don't understand that College forum. Parents act like the Ivy acceptance rate is 0.00001% and that DC needs a Nobel Prize to be competitive. In fact, the Harvard acceptance rate is 5% (1 in 20 is getting in). Difficult, but hardly impossible.

You're right, you don't understand. It's a lot lower than 5% for these elite schools, closer to 3%, and once you take into account pulling in legacies, athletes, first generation, and underrepresented minorities, the chances go down to nearly non-existent.

Keep telling yourself it's simply "difficult."

At St. Ann's 48% will go to an Ivy, at Colligiate in Manhattan, 50+% will go to an Ivy.
I'll keep telling myself it's [sic] simply "difficult," while you keep making excuses for mediocrity.

Does you child attend one of these schools?

My DC is attending a school with similar stats and would be a legacy. (We're not super rich, just super smart.) Nevertheless, I recognize that getting in will still be difficult.

But even at Fairfax HS, 2 kids get into Princeton or MIT EVERY year. Difficult, but hardly impossible ... stop excusing mediocrity.

Except you are making up both your sets of stats. No school in the DMV has 50%+ getting into the Ivy schools.

At best, 50% are getting into top 20 if you include top 20 SLACs (which is debatable). Remove the SLACs and only like 30% and that’s top 20…not Ivy.

What’s also funny, is often no kids at STA and at best one kid at Sidwell gets into MIT (and that’s like every other year) which doesn’t count legacy.

So…either name the school your kid goes to or shut the f**k up because you are making up a ton of shit and making yourself look stupid.

DC doesn't go to school in DMV and will apply to HYP as a legacy to one. That's about as much as I would disclose. Sorry about your own predicament, better luck next time.

Yet somehow you claim to know about Fairfax HS…more nonsense

Again, name your kid’s school or stop writing shit and shut the f**k up.

Also, why can’t you write in English. Your grammar sucks.

Isn’t your kid in elementary?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand that College forum. Parents act like the Ivy acceptance rate is 0.00001% and that DC needs a Nobel Prize to be competitive. In fact, the Harvard acceptance rate is 5% (1 in 20 is getting in). Difficult, but hardly impossible.

You're right, you don't understand. It's a lot lower than 5% for these elite schools, closer to 3%, and once you take into account pulling in legacies, athletes, first generation, and underrepresented minorities, the chances go down to nearly non-existent.

Keep telling yourself it's simply "difficult."

At St. Ann's 48% will go to an Ivy, at Colligiate in Manhattan, 50+% will go to an Ivy.
I'll keep telling myself it's [sic] simply "difficult," while you keep making excuses for mediocrity.

Does you child attend one of these schools?

My DC is attending a school with similar stats and would be a legacy. (We're not super rich, just super smart.) Nevertheless, I recognize that getting in will still be difficult.

But even at Fairfax HS, 2 kids get into Princeton or MIT EVERY year. Difficult, but hardly impossible ... stop excusing mediocrity.

Except you are making up both your sets of stats. No school in the DMV has 50%+ getting into the Ivy schools.

At best, 50% are getting into top 20 if you include top 20 SLACs (which is debatable). Remove the SLACs and only like 30% and that’s top 20…not Ivy.

What’s also funny, is often no kids at STA and at best one kid at Sidwell gets into MIT (and that’s like every other year) which doesn’t count legacy.

So…either name the school your kid goes to or shut the f**k up because you are making up a ton of shit and making yourself look stupid.

DC doesn't go to school in DMV and will apply to HYP as a legacy to one. That's about as much as I would disclose. Sorry about your own predicament, better luck next time.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand that College forum. Parents act like the Ivy acceptance rate is 0.00001% and that DC needs a Nobel Prize to be competitive. In fact, the Harvard acceptance rate is 5% (1 in 20 is getting in). Difficult, but hardly impossible.

You're right, you don't understand. It's a lot lower than 5% for these elite schools, closer to 3%, and once you take into account pulling in legacies, athletes, first generation, and underrepresented minorities, the chances go down to nearly non-existent.

Keep telling yourself it's simply "difficult."

At St. Ann's 48% will go to an Ivy, at Colligiate in Manhattan, 50+% will go to an Ivy.
I'll keep telling myself it's [sic] simply "difficult," while you keep making excuses for mediocrity.

Does you child attend one of these schools?

My DC is attending a school with similar stats and would be a legacy. (We're not super rich, just super smart.) Nevertheless, I recognize that getting in will still be difficult.

But even at Fairfax HS, 2 kids get into Princeton or MIT EVERY year. Difficult, but hardly impossible ... stop excusing mediocrity.

Except you are making up both your sets of stats. No school in the DMV has 50%+ getting into the Ivy schools.

At best, 50% are getting into top 20 if you include top 20 SLACs (which is debatable). Remove the SLACs and only like 30% and that’s top 20…not Ivy.

What’s also funny, is often no kids at STA and at best one kid at Sidwell gets into MIT (and that’s like every other year) which doesn’t count legacy.

So…either name the school your kid goes to or shut the f**k up because you are making up a ton of shit and making yourself look stupid.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand that College forum. Parents act like the Ivy acceptance rate is 0.00001% and that DC needs a Nobel Prize to be competitive. In fact, the Harvard acceptance rate is 5% (1 in 20 is getting in). Difficult, but hardly impossible.

You're right, you don't understand. It's a lot lower than 5% for these elite schools, closer to 3%, and once you take into account pulling in legacies, athletes, first generation, and underrepresented minorities, the chances go down to nearly non-existent.

Keep telling yourself it's simply "difficult."

At St. Ann's 48% will go to an Ivy, at Colligiate in Manhattan, 50+% will go to an Ivy.
I'll keep telling myself it's [sic] simply "difficult," while you keep making excuses for mediocrity.

Does you child attend one of these schools?

My DC is attending a school with similar stats and would be a legacy. (We're not super rich, just super smart.) Nevertheless, I recognize that getting in will still be difficult.

But even at Fairfax HS, 2 kids get into Princeton or MIT EVERY year. Difficult, but hardly impossible ... stop excusing mediocrity.

Is your kid at TJ? No, it doesn’t have similar stats to those other schools listed. Half of TJ kids don’t attend Ivy League schools.

And not sure about your obsession with “mediocrity.” The vast majority of kids with great grades and test scores DO NOT get into Harvard. They aren’t mediocre. But there are only so many spots available each year & many qualified kids.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand that College forum. Parents act like the Ivy acceptance rate is 0.00001% and that DC needs a Nobel Prize to be competitive. In fact, the Harvard acceptance rate is 5% (1 in 20 is getting in). Difficult, but hardly impossible.

You're right, you don't understand. It's a lot lower than 5% for these elite schools, closer to 3%, and once you take into account pulling in legacies, athletes, first generation, and underrepresented minorities, the chances go down to nearly non-existent.

Keep telling yourself it's simply "difficult."

At St. Ann's 48% will go to an Ivy, at Colligiate in Manhattan, 50+% will go to an Ivy.
I'll keep telling myself it's [sic] simply "difficult," while you keep making excuses for mediocrity.

Does you child attend one of these schools?

My DC is attending a school with similar stats and would be a legacy. (We're not super rich, just super smart.) Nevertheless, I recognize that getting in will still be difficult.

But even at Fairfax HS, 2 kids get into Princeton or MIT EVERY year. Difficult, but hardly impossible ... stop excusing mediocrity.