Anonymous
Post 04/28/2025 01:09     Subject: Disappointment

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Wow, this thread has gone off the rails. Maybe OP is spamming or having kids spamming because it is clear that this kid had potential with a giid academic profile but could have done much more to develop EC profile and made crucial mistakes in terms of application process. (And, if the kid had a modicum of the entitlement the poster had, possibly not the best on communication). OP expected UVA RD to be a likely-mistake. She let kid pin hopes on Hopkins but didn't even have jer apply ED1. Double mistake. She didn't apply widely enough.

This family made serious mistakes. I think the biggest was expecting grades and test scores to do more than just get the kid's file reviewed.

Instead of owning it, OP just kept arguing with everyone, so that's why I think she had something to do with this derail. Maybe this board has made me overly cynical.


This happens WAY more than we all think. I'm on a bunch of parent FB groups for the class of 2025 - the amount of whining and crying about how their kids' stats (ranking, scores, grades, rigor) should have been enough for T20, and how could they have been shut out.

Most don't understand holistic admissions, the role of major, and the critical importance of developing a compelling story.


16-17 years old should not have to develop “compelling stories.” It’s bs that parents and expensive counselors concoct, and we all know it yet we also all play that game. Top colleges should be for the top students, not for kids who have “exceptional passions.” College after all is for academic advancement, not for you to pursue your hobbies. If you have an exceptional passion and aptitude for it, great. Pursue that. You don’t really need college to be the next Taylor Swift or LeBron James.


Yet another delightful soul with an inadequate definition of “top” which they want to foist upon a world which does not appreciate their wisdom.
Anonymous
Post 04/28/2025 01:02     Subject: Disappointment

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Wow, this thread has gone off the rails. Maybe OP is spamming or having kids spamming because it is clear that this kid had potential with a giid academic profile but could have done much more to develop EC profile and made crucial mistakes in terms of application process. (And, if the kid had a modicum of the entitlement the poster had, possibly not the best on communication). OP expected UVA RD to be a likely-mistake. She let kid pin hopes on Hopkins but didn't even have jer apply ED1. Double mistake. She didn't apply widely enough.

This family made serious mistakes. I think the biggest was expecting grades and test scores to do more than just get the kid's file reviewed.

Instead of owning it, OP just kept arguing with everyone, so that's why I think she had something to do with this derail. Maybe this board has made me overly cynical.


This happens WAY more than we all think. I'm on a bunch of parent FB groups for the class of 2025 - the amount of whining and crying about how their kids' stats (ranking, scores, grades, rigor) should have been enough for T20, and how could they have been shut out.

Most don't understand holistic admissions, the role of major, and the critical importance of developing a compelling story.


16-17 years old should not have to develop “compelling stories.” It’s bs that parents and expensive counselors concoct, and we all know it yet we also all play that game. Top colleges should be for the top students, not for kids who have “exceptional passions.” College after all is for academic advancement, not for you to pursue your hobbies. If you have an exceptional passion and aptitude for it, great. Pursue that. You don’t really need college to be the next Taylor Swift or LeBron James.
Anonymous
Post 04/27/2025 09:06     Subject: Disappointment

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote: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.


And virtually none of these nonprofits have any significant donations outside of family, any employees or any impact. They are almost always accomplish nothing other than checking a box on an application.


+1


But they are enough to fool AO's, which is really the intent.



AO's are not fooled, trust. Founding non-profits is no longer the hook it once was. You need to demonstrate long-term commitment and a measurable impact on your community for it to have any weight at all.
Anonymous
Post 04/27/2025 09:03     Subject: Disappointment

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Call me crazy, but personally, I think schools see kids with 15 APs (all 5s) and think "she'll graduate early so that's a year less of tuition." It's a business.


Most elite schools do not allow this anyway.


Yeah it’s one reason the AP game is a bit of a racket. For the top schools, the credit simply isn’t given despite what the AP people want to say. But by all means keep writing the checks and taking our tests.
Anonymous
Post 04/27/2025 08:52     Subject: Disappointment

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote: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.


And virtually none of these nonprofits have any significant donations outside of family, any employees or any impact. They are almost always accomplish nothing other than checking a box on an application.


+1


But they are enough to fool AO's, which is really the intent.
Anonymous
Post 04/27/2025 00:23     Subject: Disappointment

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote: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.


And virtually none of these nonprofits have any significant donations outside of family, any employees or any impact. They are almost always accomplish nothing other than checking a box on an application.


+1
Anonymous
Post 04/27/2025 00:15     Subject: Disappointment

OP's kid's ECs are bland.
Anonymous
Post 04/26/2025 23:35     Subject: Disappointment

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote: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.


And virtually none of these nonprofits have any significant donations outside of family, any employees or any impact. They are almost always accomplish nothing other than checking a box on an application.


Some families donate a lot of money!
Anonymous
Post 04/26/2025 23:32     Subject: Disappointment

Anonymous wrote: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.


And virtually none of these nonprofits have any significant donations outside of family, any employees or any impact. They are almost always accomplish nothing other than checking a box on an application.
Anonymous
Post 04/20/2025 13:53     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.


You know what else is rare? Posters actually naming the sport. It means nothing without knowing the sport. Table tennis? Tiddlywinks?


Mine plays volleyball.played in State Championships 2 of her 4 years in high school. Team was ranked in the top 10 in the country at times and always in the top 30.

Played in the junior nationals 4 years as well, top 40 club in the country.

4.6 Gpa
1560 SAT
14 APs

Was recruited by D1 and D3 programs and had about a dozen offers.

Feel better now?
Anonymous
Post 04/20/2025 13:30     Subject: Disappointment

It’s incredibly competitive this year, this group of girls had a great attitude about it

https://www.tiktok.com/@j3r3mykur/video/7494771899847986478

They all are going to great schools: 2 to umich, 1 is going to st andrews and 1 is going to unc
Anonymous
Post 04/20/2025 13:27     Subject: Disappointment

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.


And some get shut out entirely.

Be glad you crafted a strong list.
Anonymous
Post 04/20/2025 13:25     Subject: Disappointment

Anonymous wrote:Call me crazy, but personally, I think schools see kids with 15 APs (all 5s) and think "she'll graduate early so that's a year less of tuition." It's a business.


Most elite schools do not allow this anyway.
Anonymous
Post 04/20/2025 13:22     Subject: Disappointment

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Wow, this thread has gone off the rails. Maybe OP is spamming or having kids spamming because it is clear that this kid had potential with a giid academic profile but could have done much more to develop EC profile and made crucial mistakes in terms of application process. (And, if the kid had a modicum of the entitlement the poster had, possibly not the best on communication). OP expected UVA RD to be a likely-mistake. She let kid pin hopes on Hopkins but didn't even have jer apply ED1. Double mistake. She didn't apply widely enough.

This family made serious mistakes. I think the biggest was expecting grades and test scores to do more than just get the kid's file reviewed.

Instead of owning it, OP just kept arguing with everyone, so that's why I think she had something to do with this derail. Maybe this board has made me overly cynical.


This happens WAY more than we all think. I'm on a bunch of parent FB groups for the class of 2025 - the amount of whining and crying about how their kids' stats (ranking, scores, grades, rigor) should have been enough for T20, and how could they have been shut out.

Most don't understand holistic admissions, the role of major, and the critical importance of developing a compelling story.


And if they were Asian five years ago, they would have blamed it on that.

With maturity, people need to grasp that they really are not as superior as they have been led to believe.