Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So sad to see average students not get into top schools.

They are average in a pool of exceptional kids, not average for our country. In the long run most of them will do extremely well.

All kids getting into top schools are exceptional kids. All might not have perfect SATs, but they are likely exceptionally wealthy, exceptionally smart, exceptional athletes, exceptional writers, have exceptional stories, participated in exceptional ECs making an exceptional impact or have overcome exceptional life challenges. The idea that just because a kid is smart and received top grades at a challenging private should grant them access to their college of choice is irrational.

The kids that are admitted generally deserve to be admitted. Many of the kids that are denied deserve to be admitted also. There are more qualified applicants than there is space. Even if you eliminated legacy preferences a lot of students getting denied still would get denied.

But mostly exceptionally wealthy.

Re: Deferring

I am helping my 2nd child navigate the application process. Kid 1 was theatre, so auditions and prescreens were a factor.

We also can only do full pay at a state school. Others would require some FA/Loans. This means early decision was not going to work for a private or out of state school.

Kid 2 is athletic, and grades got better as they got older. Scores got higher on standardized tests.

We decided to apply later to highlight progress.

A lot of their classmates were told that if they apply early, they will have an advantage, and lots of families said, "If they get into (Georgetown, U-Penn, Brown) we will find a way to pay for it...)" but so many people seemed to do that, really straining the applicant pool.

Defer is not "no". Defer is like how the kids say they are "talking to" someone instead of dating. The late application process has helped us to stay sane(r).

Anonymous wrote:wow, just joining this thread which is kinda amazing. PP Big 3, boy top 12 in class, 36 ACT, no hook, no sports. Deferred at Penn ED, deferred EA Michigan, admitted EA UNC so far. 17 total applications to navigate.

Isn't UNC a great option? I have a similar stats Big3 kid (a junior) and would be thrilled with this.

Anonymous wrote:wow, just joining this thread which is kinda amazing. PP Big 3, boy top 12 in class, 36 ACT, no hook, no sports. Deferred at Penn ED, deferred EA Michigan, admitted EA UNC so far. 17 total applications to navigate.

Advice from the school?

wow, just joining this thread which is kinda amazing. PP Big 3, boy top 12 in class, 36 ACT, no hook, no sports. Deferred at Penn ED, deferred EA Michigan, admitted EA UNC so far. 17 total applications to navigate.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have kids at two Big3 schools and what I've been hearing is that the kids getting in are the top kids 3.95+ and the kids aiming outright for less competitive schools (say, Syracuse, South Carolina, Colorado, second tier liberal arts colleges etc).
The instagrams look great but what you're seeing are the athletic recruits, 3.95+ kids, and some legacies (mostly VIP legacies).
It's the middle (say 3.6 to 3.9) that are just getting deferred or denied. This is worrisome because this is a big part of each class.

Lots of deferrals from 3.75-3.9
That in previous years would have been admits.

I believe last year, 2023 class, was the worst of the worst in terms of tough college admits or lack there of. This year appears, from the admits I have seen, to be little easier, but still hard. Overall, post covid meaning 2020-present has changed the college admissions landscape. Rumor has it 2026 has a birth number population drop so maybe things are beginning to normalize a bit?

Not at all. This year early admits are down (raw numbers) and applications are up significantly from last year.

Don't believe. Do you have proof? Facts? "Applications are up significantly from last year"? Why? How? The admissions results I have seen from multiple schools so far are showing better results.

Anonymous wrote:Are you seeing a ton - more than usual - deferrals if top/competitive candidates in ED/EA than in the past year or two?

What are the private CCO advising as to strategy?

20% of the class at SFS and others have always re-applied as Transfer Students.

Ask this Q when you tour. Or of parents with grads.

Are you say nowadays, they get in, try to defer for Gap Year purposes and then apply as Transfer Students? That's a bad trend.

I didn't "hope" for anything. And if the bump doesn't lead to a different result, then it's not actually better than having had no bump.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DC was accepted ED1 as a garden variety legacy-it can still happen with a strong GPA, max rigor and highest test scores. We aren’t huge donors.

Which Ivy has ED1?

Penn

And Cornell