Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are a lot of rich kids at all the top schools. Who do you think is making the donations and paying full freight?

It's the tradeoff.

That doesn't matter at all at the better schools with their multi-billion dollar endowments.

More important for them is getting the best students who are likely to become influential and prominent two decades later. Princeton etc doesn't give a damn about your full pay tuition check. It funds the coffee, maybe. Meanwhile, getting that brilliant middle class student on aid gets them a $100 million donation twenty years later.

It's only the very middling private schools that need the full pay money to get through the year.

I am not sure this is true given the discussions of how the absence of full pay foreign kids is a problem.

And the idea that full pay kid can’t be brilliant or big donations are only from the kids on loans is false. Each could be true but the hyperbolic generalization does not do anything to move an actual nuanced conversation forward.

Agree. 💯
Best student isn’t only about stats.

There’s something going on with some of these schools where they have become grinder environments. And anlumni, donors snd even current families are pushing back. Are they admitting the wrong students?

That’s the whole point of holistic admissions.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are a lot of rich kids at all the top schools. Who do you think is making the donations and paying full freight?

It's the tradeoff.

That doesn't matter at all at the better schools with their multi-billion dollar endowments.

More important for them is getting the best students who are likely to become influential and prominent two decades later. Princeton etc doesn't give a damn about your full pay tuition check. It funds the coffee, maybe. Meanwhile, getting that brilliant middle class student on aid gets them a $100 million donation twenty years later.

It's only the very middling private schools that need the full pay money to get through the year.

I am not sure this is true given the discussions of how the absence of full pay foreign kids is a problem.

And the idea that full pay kid can’t be brilliant or big donations are only from the kids on loans is false. Each could be true but the hyperbolic generalization does not do anything to move an actual nuanced conversation forward.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hopefully new admissions director rights the ship at Duke. Lots of unhappy alums.

What part of the vibe have they screwed up?

Legacy rejections- good kids too.

Right. Think Northwestern did a lot of that the past five years+ years then pivoted quickly back last year.
Largest number of legacy kids in current freshman class. Might have to do with funding?

Any list of schools that have social + smart has to include UCLA. DD graduated last year and said it was the best four years anyone could spend in college! She was in a Sorority but never lived in the house and was pretty selective in the events she participated in - not super involved so it was never stifling.

Highlights for her:

Westwood is a nice little college town in the middle of a world class city.
Students are wicked smart and there's huge diversity in every possible way
Amazing food to be found everywhere
Beach and mountains: kids hang out on the beach, surf, hike and ski in the mountains, go to great places for the weekend
Greek Life: formals on a rooftop in Santa Monica, etc. etc. (Yes, these are the affluent kids for sure, including mine)
Sports: there is a lot of school spirit, especially for basketball; football is a little more challenging because it's a pain in the butt to get to the Rose Bowl (the university and greek houses run busses to and from every football game - but it's far away and mad traffic all the time). But the Rosebowl is historic and lovely, and tailgating is epic and on a golf course so very pleasant location! But word is that they're going to move the football program to SoFi field - which is amazing and closer to campus, but lots of alumni not happy about it.

Lowlights:

LA is VERY spread out and you need a car or Uber if you want to get out of Westwood; however, traffic is epic so it takes forever to get anywhere.
LA if very expensive - you really need $$
It's huge and hard to get advising. I don't think DD had a non-student advisor until she fully matriculated into her major at the end of her second year.
Classes can be hard to get, but it usually works out. The students are very saavy and learn how to get what they need.

DD and her very large friend group are all gainfully employed doing interesting things. For all the negativity UCLA gets on DCUM, the name is very well-respected and opens a lot of doors. Even on the East Coast. DD and many of her fellow grads got great jobs in NYC. DD is supporting herself (with lots of roommates - all UCLA grads!) and as we like to say, is off the family payroll!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hopefully new admissions director rights the ship at Duke. Lots of unhappy alums.

What part of the vibe have they screwed up?

Legacy rejections- good kids too.

Anonymous wrote:Hopefully new admissions director rights the ship at Duke. Lots of unhappy alums.

What part of the vibe have they screwed up?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Gee. Call me crazy, but we looked at academics and best programs in kid’s intended major first.

As parents, we tried to select out drunk Greek fests…and we are big partiers ourselves. You can find your people anywhere. But- I’m not paying for a party…

+1,000,000

Agree.