<h2>Is that person the one that comes out of Ivy with a diploma and a 2.5 GPA, and in the end she still has the Ivy diploma and no one cares? </h2>
<p>I don’t really think that is the case. Which college you get accepted to is based on your work in high school. I think that a reasonable employer would realize that and focus more on how an applicant actually did in college.</p>
<p>Thanks ckofpng, ironically enough right now it seems I will end up at Tufts! :)</p>
<p>Location: “WUSTL or Tufts? Definitely not this website anymore.” </p>
<p>Too funny. VISIT US. Then you will know fo’ sho’. </p>
<p>@Mitch - I can’t really answer that. I don’t really know what happened in either case. </p>
<p>In all the hubbub of decision day, this thread quickly lost its way - but if anyone has other thoughts/concerns/questions about the original NPR story, I’ll be happy to continue the discussion.</p>
<p>Dan, you are a brave fellow for taking on this topic!</p>
<p>I can certainly say that when you visited S2’s school and talked to parents, you were extremely upfront about the applicant evaluation process. I came out of that meeting with pages of notes, which I shared with a few other friends whose kids were embarking on the same journey. I visited ~15 schools over the past few years, and nowhere else did I have such a clear sense of what would take place. It was as close to transparency as I think can be found at schools that aren’t using the by-the-numbers admissions formula.</p>
<p>What I’ve told my kids and the other folks who have asked me for advice is don’t spend your life trying to get into a particular school. Live your life, and the right school will present itself. </p>
<p>I thought Tufts and UChicago had particularly good applications in which students could show more depth and how they really tick. In contrast, my older S decided not to apply to a couple of top schools because the applications were so unfriendly and not suited to his interests. To us, it was a clear sign of fit (or not).</p>
<p>While the Amherst may make the whole process feel random, I though our kids’ results were right on target. They got into all of the schools they really wanted. What was a strength at one school would have been a weakness elsewhere. It really did all work out.</p>
<p>There’s a point during the report where the Dean (I believe) says something like, ‘the process is random.’ I suspect what he’s trying to say is that the specific needs of a school in any given year are difficult to predict. If Amherst admits a bassoonist: that isn’t random. That’s deliberate, and it’s purposeful. But whether Amherst needs a bassoonist in the year you happen to apply, that is random. </p>
<p>I’ve never worked in a small rural school before, but I imagine specificity of needs is a big difference between Tufts and smaller LACs. We don’t have to pay close attention to the precise makeup of the orchestra, as an example, because we’re large enough that we can organically fill it and close enough to a city that we can find people to play a given instrument if we don’t.</p>
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<p>I agree, except that I’d say, “Live your life, and a right school will present itself.” I think it was in another Dan-intensive thread that the college-selection/falling-in-love analogy came up. In neither case do I believe in “the one,” but rather in “a pool of suitable partners.”</p>
<p>I’ve spent way to much time on other threads, and now this one. I have to chastise myself, and move along to time worthy pursuits. It’s a little addicting here. But truly…it’s navel gazing. After one reading of The Gatekeepers…that’s really all you need to know. apply to an assortment of schools that satisfy your needs, send off the apps, and the forget about it until they come in. Choose the best one that chooses you and be done with it. And if it’s a toss up…lean toward the public institution. Most of the genius/successes go public anyway, and don’t waste the precious coin on the privates.</p>