Anonymous
Post 04/18/2025 15:24     Subject: Disappointment

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Harsh comments on this thread. Didn’t read them all

To the OP, I think college acceptances are a big farce. We pretend like if this child just had diff ECs or something else her outcomes would have been different. I know two kids admitted to Ivies this cycle that are very average (no leadership, hard working but not brilliant). Why were they admitted? Because they come from rural communities and are economically disadvantaged according to the college’s formula. That gave them the boost to get admitted. Kids from the DC region are on a whole other playing field. It really opened my eyes that admissions is a joke and we are pretending that our kids have some control over the process.


Strongly agree. There is nothing wrong with OP’s profile. What’s wrong is a corrupt admissions process that favors rich people through ED, athletes and often legacies and more. No one should be so invested in affirming the current admissions process that they blame this child, especially with racist Asian stereotypes. OP’s kid will do great at any of the colleges she was accepted to. W&M and Pitt seem to have many happy students! OP, I suggest you have this thread locked and stop subjecting yoursef and your kid to these insults.


For the final time: Anyone can do ED. You just have to run the NPC and be prepared to pay what the school says you "can pay". If you can't pay what they say, well then you should not ED. Or if you "could pay but want the opportunity to see what merit offers a kid gets" well then ED is not for you. But you could choose to ED and pay
So yeah, kids whose parents have planned and saved for college can ED, and it's not just rich kids. [i] There are plenty of MC/UMC parents who chose to save and make education a priority[b]. If you didn't don't complain now


Yeah, they’re called “rich kids.” Anyone who has the ability to pay all their bills AND save money for retirement AND save money for college is rich.


I know plenty of MC people who have done so or people who were MC until their kids were 10+. They simply chose to live within their means and make retirement and college savings a part of "living within your means". Most people making $200K+ could have made that choice. And under $200K will get financial aid.

And yes, "rich people" or rather anyone who "has more money than you" will likely have the ability to purchase things in life that are different than you. That is life. You likely drive a Honda and not a BMW---both do the job equally well. And there are literally 2000+ colleges outside the T30 or so that will not be $90K for your kid, and will be affordable to most people.

So what you are complaining about is equivalent to "it's not fair that some people can buy a BMW at $75K+ and I can only afford a Honda for $35K".

Also, there are people who only make $200K who have saved for $90K schools.


200k HHI is not middle class. Average income in US is between 70-80k HHI. THAT is middle class.
Anonymous
Post 04/18/2025 15:22     Subject: Disappointment

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Harsh comments on this thread. Didn’t read them all

To the OP, I think college acceptances are a big farce. We pretend like if this child just had diff ECs or something else her outcomes would have been different. I know two kids admitted to Ivies this cycle that are very average (no leadership, hard working but not brilliant). Why were they admitted? Because they come from rural communities and are economically disadvantaged according to the college’s formula. That gave them the boost to get admitted. Kids from the DC region are on a whole other playing field. It really opened my eyes that admissions is a joke and we are pretending that our kids have some control over the process.


Strongly agree. There is nothing wrong with OP’s profile. What’s wrong is a corrupt admissions process that favors rich people through ED, athletes and often legacies and more. No one should be so invested in affirming the current admissions process that they blame this child, especially with racist Asian stereotypes. OP’s kid will do great at any of the colleges she was accepted to. W&M and Pitt seem to have many happy students! OP, I suggest you have this thread locked and stop subjecting yoursef and your kid to these insults.


For the final time: Anyone can do ED. You just have to run the NPC and be prepared to pay what the school says you "can pay". If you can't pay what they say, well then you should not ED. Or if you "could pay but want the opportunity to see what merit offers a kid gets" well then ED is not for you. But you could choose to ED and pay
So yeah, kids whose parents have planned and saved for college can ED, and it's not just rich kids. [i] There are plenty of MC/UMC parents who chose to save and make education a priority[b]. If you didn't don't complain now


Yeah, they’re called “rich kids.” Anyone who has the ability to pay all their bills AND save money for retirement AND save money for college is rich.


I did all that on less than $200k HHI and while it’s a good income it’s by no means rich let alone “DCUM rich”.


I guess it’s all relative but cmon if you make 200k HHI you are in the top 15% income bracket in the country. I do consider that “rich”
Anonymous
Post 04/18/2025 14:01     Subject: Disappointment

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:What was most disappointing is watching kids similarly situated to your kids getting into t10 and yours not....can't help to wonder what went wrong and feel that your kid didn't get what they deserved. We all know how kids compare


Why do you feel your kid “deserved” it?


Their snowflake is Extra special


Seriously, these schools reject 90%+ of their highly qualified applicants. You did nothing wrong, you just had to go in knowing it was very very very unlikely your kid would gain admissions. So if smart, you found several excellent Targets and safeties and have great schools to choose from.

Anonymous
Post 04/18/2025 13:56     Subject: Disappointment

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Harsh comments on this thread. Didn’t read them all

To the OP, I think college acceptances are a big farce. We pretend like if this child just had diff ECs or something else her outcomes would have been different. I know two kids admitted to Ivies this cycle that are very average (no leadership, hard working but not brilliant). Why were they admitted? Because they come from rural communities and are economically disadvantaged according to the college’s formula. That gave them the boost to get admitted. Kids from the DC region are on a whole other playing field. It really opened my eyes that admissions is a joke and we are pretending that our kids have some control over the process.


Strongly agree. There is nothing wrong with OP’s profile. What’s wrong is a corrupt admissions process that favors rich people through ED, athletes and often legacies and more. No one should be so invested in affirming the current admissions process that they blame this child, especially with racist Asian stereotypes. OP’s kid will do great at any of the colleges she was accepted to. W&M and Pitt seem to have many happy students! OP, I suggest you have this thread locked and stop subjecting yoursef and your kid to these insults.


For the final time: Anyone can do ED. You just have to run the NPC and be prepared to pay what the school says you "can pay". If you can't pay what they say, well then you should not ED. Or if you "could pay but want the opportunity to see what merit offers a kid gets" well then ED is not for you. But you could choose to ED and pay
So yeah, kids whose parents have planned and saved for college can ED, and it's not just rich kids. [i] There are plenty of MC/UMC parents who chose to save and make education a priority[b]. If you didn't don't complain now


Yeah, they’re called “rich kids.” Anyone who has the ability to pay all their bills AND save money for retirement AND save money for college is rich.


I know plenty of MC people who have done so or people who were MC until their kids were 10+. They simply chose to live within their means and make retirement and college savings a part of "living within your means". Most people making $200K+ could have made that choice. And under $200K will get financial aid.

And yes, "rich people" or rather anyone who "has more money than you" will likely have the ability to purchase things in life that are different than you. That is life. You likely drive a Honda and not a BMW---both do the job equally well. And there are literally 2000+ colleges outside the T30 or so that will not be $90K for your kid, and will be affordable to most people.

So what you are complaining about is equivalent to "it's not fair that some people can buy a BMW at $75K+ and I can only afford a Honda for $35K".

Also, there are people who only make $200K who have saved for $90K schools.
Anonymous
Post 04/18/2025 13:54     Subject: Disappointment

Anonymous wrote:This has to be fake. People cannot be this naive.


totally fake!
Anonymous
Post 04/18/2025 12:12     Subject: Disappointment

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This happens every year. Every other kid has 1550+, 4.9 GPA, amazing EC’s, excellent essays.. etc.
There are only so many seats for the thousands of applicants with similar stats.. .

I don’t think there was anything wrong with her application. It just a crapshoot.. luck wasn’t on her side.


No, There are not that many kids W those stats. It is certainly not “every other kid” it’s very rare to have those stats.

You must be new here. If your kid's GPA is less than 4.0 UW or SAT of sub-1500, you will be told to send you kid to trade school, community college, or a gap year to add something meaningful to their application to make up for their abysmal test score. It's not a rare profile for wealthy kids from urban centers.


1570 is rare. Out of 2.13 million test takers only 4473 score 1570 or higher.


I imagine a lot more if you superscore
Anonymous
Post 04/18/2025 12:04     Subject: Disappointment

What teen hasn't founded a non-profit or an LLC these days? Honestly.

I was shocked to learn how many teens are founders when going through the process with my kid.
Anonymous
Post 04/17/2025 11:57     Subject: Disappointment

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This happens every year. Every other kid has 1550+, 4.9 GPA, amazing EC’s, excellent essays.. etc.
There are only so many seats for the thousands of applicants with similar stats.. .

I don’t think there was anything wrong with her application. It just a crapshoot.. luck wasn’t on her side.


No, There are not that many kids W those stats. It is certainly not “every other kid” it’s very rare to have those stats.

You must be new here. If your kid's GPA is less than 4.0 UW or SAT of sub-1500, you will be told to send you kid to trade school, community college, or a gap year to add something meaningful to their application to make up for their abysmal test score. It's not a rare profile for wealthy kids from urban centers.


1570 is rare. Out of 2.13 million test takers only 4473 score 1570 or higher.


Theres more to life than a test score. You know what else is RARE.
My kid's 3x national championship award in their sport.


Yes, I totally agree with you. I just get sick of hearing people say someone w 1570 SAT is “dime a dozen” they’re not. Neither is 3x national champion.


True but people think locally and don't realize that while amazing there are 5,000 kids with that score and Harvard takes 1600 kids. Or, that there are 27,000 valedictorians and the top 1% SAT (about 1530 and above) is over 20,000 kids.

What is rare is the 1% SAT score along with a state or national championship because they excel along two very different axes. People think local but competitin is natinal, or even global for top admissions.
Anonymous
Post 04/17/2025 11:03     Subject: Disappointment

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This happens every year. Every other kid has 1550+, 4.9 GPA, amazing EC’s, excellent essays.. etc.
There are only so many seats for the thousands of applicants with similar stats.. .

I don’t think there was anything wrong with her application. It just a crapshoot.. luck wasn’t on her side.


No, There are not that many kids W those stats. It is certainly not “every other kid” it’s very rare to have those stats.

You must be new here. If your kid's GPA is less than 4.0 UW or SAT of sub-1500, you will be told to send you kid to trade school, community college, or a gap year to add something meaningful to their application to make up for their abysmal test score. It's not a rare profile for wealthy kids from urban centers.


1570 is rare. Out of 2.13 million test takers only 4473 score 1570 or higher.


Theres more to life than a test score. You know what else is RARE.
My kid's 3x national championship award in their sport.


Yes, I totally agree with you. I just get sick of hearing people say someone w 1570 SAT is “dime a dozen” they’re not. Neither is 3x national champion.
Anonymous
Post 04/17/2025 11:01     Subject: Disappointment

they want to admit kids who can handle the work. a 1530, sure. and a 1560, sure.

but then they want to see who will use all they have to offer, who will be transformed, who will transform them, who will be a great roommate, and community member, whose interests match the colleges strengths.

Those AP scores? They fit into almost none of that
Anonymous
Post 04/17/2025 11:00     Subject: Disappointment

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Harsh comments on this thread. Didn’t read them all

To the OP, I think college acceptances are a big farce. We pretend like if this child just had diff ECs or something else her outcomes would have been different. I know two kids admitted to Ivies this cycle that are very average (no leadership, hard working but not brilliant). Why were they admitted? Because they come from rural communities and are economically disadvantaged according to the college’s formula. That gave them the boost to get admitted. Kids from the DC region are on a whole other playing field. It really opened my eyes that admissions is a joke and we are pretending that our kids have some control over the process.


Strongly agree. There is nothing wrong with OP’s profile. What’s wrong is a corrupt admissions process that favors rich people through ED, athletes and often legacies and more. No one should be so invested in affirming the current admissions process that they blame this child, especially with racist Asian stereotypes. OP’s kid will do great at any of the colleges she was accepted to. W&M and Pitt seem to have many happy students! OP, I suggest you have this thread locked and stop subjecting yoursef and your kid to these insults.


For the final time: Anyone can do ED. You just have to run the NPC and be prepared to pay what the school says you "can pay". If you can't pay what they say, well then you should not ED. Or if you "could pay but want the opportunity to see what merit offers a kid gets" well then ED is not for you. But you could choose to ED and pay
So yeah, kids whose parents have planned and saved for college can ED, and it's not just rich kids. [i] There are plenty of MC/UMC parents who chose to save and make education a priority[b]. If you didn't don't complain now


Yeah, they’re called “rich kids.” Anyone who has the ability to pay all their bills AND save money for retirement AND save money for college is rich.


I did all that on less than $200k HHI and while it’s a good income it’s by no means rich let alone “DCUM rich”.


It’s rich. I mean yeah everything is relative but you are rich if you make 200k HHI and are able to save significantly for college. You are in the top 15% of all Americans
Anonymous
Post 04/17/2025 10:59     Subject: Disappointment

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This happens every year. Every other kid has 1550+, 4.9 GPA, amazing EC’s, excellent essays.. etc.
There are only so many seats for the thousands of applicants with similar stats.. .

I don’t think there was anything wrong with her application. It just a crapshoot.. luck wasn’t on her side.


No, There are not that many kids W those stats. It is certainly not “every other kid” it’s very rare to have those stats.

You must be new here. If your kid's GPA is less than 4.0 UW or SAT of sub-1500, you will be told to send you kid to trade school, community college, or a gap year to add something meaningful to their application to make up for their abysmal test score. It's not a rare profile for wealthy kids from urban centers.


1570 is rare. Out of 2.13 million test takers only 4473 score 1570 or higher.


Theres more to life than a test score. You know what else is RARE.
My kid's 3x national championship award in their sport.
Anonymous
Post 04/17/2025 10:57     Subject: Disappointment

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This happens every year. Every other kid has 1550+, 4.9 GPA, amazing EC’s, excellent essays.. etc.
There are only so many seats for the thousands of applicants with similar stats.. .

I don’t think there was anything wrong with her application. It just a crapshoot.. luck wasn’t on her side.


No, There are not that many kids W those stats. It is certainly not “every other kid” it’s very rare to have those stats.

You must be new here. If your kid's GPA is less than 4.0 UW or SAT of sub-1500, you will be told to send you kid to trade school, community college, or a gap year to add something meaningful to their application to make up for their abysmal test score. It's not a rare profile for wealthy kids from urban centers.


1570 is rare. Out of 2.13 million test takers only 4473 score 1570 or higher.
Anonymous
Post 04/17/2025 10:41     Subject: Disappointment

Here are average enrollment in USNews National Colleges as a percentage of 8MM full-time college students age 18-24.

Top 10: 6,500 = .8%,
Top 20: 7,200 = 2.5%,
Top 50: 5,500 = 11.4%,
Top 100: 17,700 = 22.1%.

Do you want to study at a large state university near the world's largest options and futures markets, or at the premiere historically black university, or major in politics in D.C., attend at Catholic school in NYC, a top private college in Dallas, or access nature in Colorado? Then your first choice might be excellent schools ranked #80 or below: University of Illinois (Chicago), Howard, American, Fordham, SMU, and University of Colorado (Boulder).
Anonymous
Post 04/17/2025 10:07     Subject: Disappointment

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:What was most disappointing is watching kids similarly situated to your kids getting into t10 and yours not....can't help to wonder what went wrong and feel that your kid didn't get what they deserved. We all know how kids compare


I’m not an admissions counselor but a HS teacher. If you really want your kid to stand out, tell them to find a part time job, stay at it and get someone there to write an additional recommendation. So many of my students are “founding companies” or starting clubs. They are all going away to fancy summer programs or internships or CITs (which means their parents have $$$$ to pay for these or connections). They all write down thousands of volunteer hours that no one verifies.

Get a job, show work ethic and real life collaboration and that they can work with people. Then they will stand out.

Find some principle — and stop working at a rich kid school.