My child went through the process last year. I can tell you that friends of mine wish the counselor had been honest with them about the odds. There were legacy kids with B averages who applied to Ivies and never had a shot.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please. I'm just saying the legacy kids are not always the smartest. Who would disagree with that? Last year, Yale seemed to take the legacies who were the brainiest.

+1. I get what you are saying. Some people on this site are a little touchy when you point out the obvious. Athletes can have lower stats because they bring something else to the table. Same with legacies. Same with URMs. My child got in early somewhere last week from SFS, but most of his friends didn't. And there were a few shocks among his classmates over kids who were legacies getting in while others in the top percentile were wait listed or rejected. But that's life. Fact is, they'll all end up at good schools and most will just be happy to get away from their parents!!

What are URMs?

Under Represented Minorities. What the PP is trying to say is that "check-the-box" trumps brainy. Typical Sidwell parent.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please. I'm just saying the legacy kids are not always the smartest. Who would disagree with that? Last year, Yale seemed to take the legacies who were the brainiest.

+1. I get what you are saying. Some people on this site are a little touchy when you point out the obvious. Athletes can have lower stats because they bring something else to the table. Same with legacies. Same with URMs. My child got in early somewhere last week from SFS, but most of his friends didn't. And there were a few shocks among his classmates over kids who were legacies getting in while others in the top percentile were wait listed or rejected. But that's life. Fact is, they'll all end up at good schools and most will just be happy to get away from their parents!!

What are URMs?

Under-represented minorities.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please. I'm just saying the legacy kids are not always the smartest. Who would disagree with that? Last year, Yale seemed to take the legacies who were the brainiest.

+1. I get what you are saying. Some people on this site are a little touchy when you point out the obvious. Athletes can have lower stats because they bring something else to the table. Same with legacies. Same with URMs. My child got in early somewhere last week from SFS, but most of his friends didn't. And there were a few shocks among his classmates over kids who were legacies getting in while others in the top percentile were wait listed or rejected. But that's life. Fact is, they'll all end up at good schools and most will just be happy to get away from their parents!!

Yeah, I heard that the acceptances at the most selective schools were all about legacy and URM status. Please tell me more of what you heard.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please. I'm just saying the legacy kids are not always the smartest. Who would disagree with that? Last year, Yale seemed to take the legacies who were the brainiest.

+1. I get what you are saying. Some people on this site are a little touchy when you point out the obvious. Athletes can have lower stats because they bring something else to the table. Same with legacies. Same with URMs. My child got in early somewhere last week from SFS, but most of his friends didn't. And there were a few shocks among his classmates over kids who were legacies getting in while others in the top percentile were wait listed or rejected. But that's life. Fact is, they'll all end up at good schools and most will just be happy to get away from their parents!!

What are URMs?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree that parents make it so much worse by sending the message that life is not worth living if you don't get into an Ivy. As for Sidwell, the counselors let you apply anywhere you want. I agree it's not a good idea, and that's why Sidwell's college stats are not as good as they might be. There is a new college counselor now, but I'm not sure the process has changed much. In my opinion, Sidwell needs to do a little better or they'll lose status in the Big 3.

This year's Sidwell class is strong, as they usually are, but not stronger than others. The question at Yale is always whether they'll accept the brainy kids or the legacy kids. There is some overlap, but not much.

What a horrible thing to say. Are you actually suggesting that the legacy kids are not "brainy"? Please publicly identify your kids are so that I can post my opinion of their intelligence, or lack there of.

I'm not a Sidwell parent, my DS and DD go to a leading rival school. It's my observation that the brainy, self-confident kids often have parents who are super-accomplished themselves. Many of them have multiple degrees from the top universities of the Ivy League plus Stanford. When a senior has the smarts and successful legacy parents, that can make a pretty turbocharged college application.

Anonymous wrote:Please. I'm just saying the legacy kids are not always the smartest. Who would disagree with that? Last year, Yale seemed to take the legacies who were the brainiest.

+1. I get what you are saying. Some people on this site are a little touchy when you point out the obvious. Athletes can have lower stats because they bring something else to the table. Same with legacies. Same with URMs. My child got in early somewhere last week from SFS, but most of his friends didn't. And there were a few shocks among his classmates over kids who were legacies getting in while others in the top percentile were wait listed or rejected. But that's life. Fact is, they'll all end up at good schools and most will just be happy to get away from their parents!!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree that parents make it so much worse by sending the message that life is not worth living if you don't get into an Ivy. As for Sidwell, the counselors let you apply anywhere you want. I agree it's not a good idea, and that's why Sidwell's college stats are not as good as they might be. There is a new college counselor now, but I'm not sure the process has changed much. In my opinion, Sidwell needs to do a little better or they'll lose status in the Big 3.

This year's Sidwell class is strong, as they usually are, but not stronger than others. The question at Yale is always whether they'll accept the brainy kids or the legacy kids. There is some overlap, but not much.

What a horrible thing to say. Are you actually suggesting that the legacy kids are not "brainy"? Please publicly identify your kids are so that I can post my opinion of their intelligence, or lack there of.

There are some private schools that basically limit the number of applicants to certain colleges or tell kids flat out that they will not support an application (NCS is, or used to be this way). There are other schools that place a limit on the number of applications overall and try to steer the kids to devote some number of applications to realistic goals. But it's hard for a college counselor to tell some Yale alumna mom that they don't believe that he kid should to apply to Yale. Remember also that most school college counseling staffs do evaluate applying students on a scale along the lines from "best we've ever seen" to "meh" -- so that effectively is a sorting process for the most selective colleges.

Anonymous wrote:Please. I'm just saying the legacy kids are not always the smartest. Who would disagree with that? Last year, Yale seemed to take the legacies who were the brainiest.

Proof? Without it, please pipe down.

Sidwell parent here. In the past I have defended the Sidwell community on these forums, but no more. Our reputation as being nasty and overly competitive is well deserved. In the few pages of this thread, I have heard:

1. The kids from Sidwell recruited to Ivy schools for athletics are somehow less worthy and should not count as bona fide acceptances.
2. As a candidate, you fall into one of two categories, with very little overlap. You are either brainy or a legacy.
3. The college counseling department has failed its students by allowing them free will in their choices.

Petty and silly, we are own worst enemies. Some of us should just shut up!

You're right. This guy is nothing compared to a private school kid in DC who is the president of a club:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/23/us/from-a-rwandan-dump-to-the-halls-of-harvard.html?_r=0

Please. I'm just saying the legacy kids are not always the smartest. Who would disagree with that? Last year, Yale seemed to take the legacies who were the brainiest.

Anonymous wrote:I agree that parents make it so much worse by sending the message that life is not worth living if you don't get into an Ivy. As for Sidwell, the counselors let you apply anywhere you want. I agree it's not a good idea, and that's why Sidwell's college stats are not as good as they might be. There is a new college counselor now, but I'm not sure the process has changed much. In my opinion, Sidwell needs to do a little better or they'll lose status in the Big 3.

This year's Sidwell class is strong, as they usually are, but not stronger than others. The question at Yale is always whether they'll accept the brainy kids or the legacy kids. There is some overlap, but not much.

What a horrible thing to say. Are you actually suggesting that the legacy kids are not "brainy"? Please publicly identify your kids are so that I can post my opinion of their intelligence, or lack there of.

I agree that parents make it so much worse by sending the message that life is not worth living if you don't get into an Ivy. As for Sidwell, the counselors let you apply anywhere you want. I agree it's not a good idea, and that's why Sidwell's college stats are not as good as they might be. There is a new college counselor now, but I'm not sure the process has changed much. In my opinion, Sidwell needs to do a little better or they'll lose status in the Big 3.

This year's Sidwell class is strong, as they usually are, but not stronger than others. The question at Yale is always whether they'll accept the brainy kids or the legacy kids. There is some overlap, but not much.

Is it that common for 30 Sidwell kids to apply early to two schools? Seems so unwise.