Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some not as impressive, but they have crazy connections (including legacy), or they were recruited.

Or $$$$

+1 HYP provide huge preferences for legacy kids, and legacies make up about 10-15% of their classes. MIT stopped legacies a while ago...Stanford was forced to stop because California banned legacies, so that will change in years to come.

And yeah, being filthy rich is the best way to make yourself "special."

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Anonymous wrote:Some kids are able to do all these activities because they go to less demanding high schools. Once at a more demanding college, they can't keep up.

no one thinks they will be doing their athletics, music, or non profit at HYP or afterwards on wallstreet

MIT protects athletics on the daily schedule. I found it easier to do athletics at MIT than in high school where the tennis team required 5 to 8 hours of practice + matches daily.

5 to 8 hours of practice…a week? That seems reasonable. Daily? That seems nuts.

What high school other than say IMG Academy would have that kind of practice schedule?

Any top athletic high school. Not sure about the east coast but the in season west coast norm at somewhere like Mater Dei, Marymount, Serra, Mitty, etc. would be 3 hours a day of practice/play plus 6 hours of lift per week. Off season would be 6 hours of lift per week plus 2 to hours a day play/practice for club.

The kids that go Ivy and NESCAC are usually pretty surprised that the workload is less than high school.

Not always true. DD is working much harder. I’d say she works 80+hours a week. 4 highly demanding classes which take about 60-70 hours. Plus 10 for the clubs. She comes from a highly regarded private and is prepared but she opted for the hardest classes.

4 classes is not a lot.

“Special” is not typically used as a compliment these days.

Special? Double legacy + white people sports

Anonymous wrote:I’m very impressed with what the HYP kids have accomplished. I do wonder what kinds of social pressures they might be encountering on campus, with all the wealth and status. It seems like there are those who get there and automatically know how to navigate all that. I imagine it must be so overwhelming for some kids from modest background who don’t understand the unspoken social rules/protocols.

Yes that wealth/status is there for sure, but it's usually not in your face. And there are also a lot of lower income kids on financial aid. What's really missing is the middle.

I know it’s not on the listed schools, but I must say that Wharton undergrads are indeed also very impressive.

The legacy and donor kids don't need to be outstanding. What do they do after college? Work at daddy's company.

The top quartile at those schools probably are

Anonymous wrote:Some not as impressive, but they have crazy connections (including legacy), or they were recruited.

Or $$$$

My friends son is like the example the OP gave but he didn’t get in. So I assume that the majority of kids who aren’t athletic recruits or legacy+money are like that. FWIW, I knew 2 kids in one family who went there and they were legacy plus donation. They were smart and did well in a good school (private) but were not impressive.

Anonymous wrote:What is a book award??

Award that is usually sponsored by the local alumni association. The award is typically a book that is inscribed.

Varies how they pick winners and if there is a local book award at all since it really depends on the local alumni chapter.

AO's at T10 and especially HYPSM tend to have a fetish for "uniqueness". These 20 year old AO"s without much life experience are supposed to choose students. But people willing to pay upwards of $250k for counseling can tailor uniqueness to fool these AO's. Not everyone getting in that way, but that is one way to do it.

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Anonymous wrote:Some kids are able to do all these activities because they go to less demanding high schools. Once at a more demanding college, they can't keep up.

no one thinks they will be doing their athletics, music, or non profit at HYP or afterwards on wallstreet

MIT protects athletics on the daily schedule. I found it easier to do athletics at MIT than in high school where the tennis team required 5 to 8 hours of practice + matches daily.

5 to 8 hours of practice…a week? That seems reasonable. Daily? That seems nuts.

What high school other than say IMG Academy would have that kind of practice schedule?

Any top athletic high school. Not sure about the east coast but the in season west coast norm at somewhere like Mater Dei, Marymount, Serra, Mitty, etc. would be 3 hours a day of practice/play plus 6 hours of lift per week. Off season would be 6 hours of lift per week plus 2 to hours a day play/practice for club.

The kids that go Ivy and NESCAC are usually pretty surprised that the workload is less than high school.

Not always true. DD is working much harder. I’d say she works 80+hours a week. 4 highly demanding classes which take about 60-70 hours. Plus 10 for the clubs. She comes from a highly regarded private and is prepared but she opted for the hardest classes.

Anonymous wrote:Daughter was accepted to one of the HYPs. Straight A student and did well on her SAT. ECs are nothing special and has a part time job. Wrote a strong essay. One hook is that she speaks four language fluently. Up until 12, we lived several places overseas and has a natural affinity with languages.

Ok. I'm not sure if you're just being modest (no need to do it here) but your daughter IS special. Four extra languages plus the grades and SAT that many kids don't have. I'll assume she has the certificates that go with the grades as well. Special to me means unique. I think all the kids are wonderful to be honest but she's clearly unique in her own way. If I were an AO and saw this kid that had the stats, plus work ethic, plus four languages, I'd get excited about her. Congratulations!

What is a book award??