BS Class of 2018 Thread

Damn, doschicos dropping the truth bombs!

Yeah, yeah… everybody’s a critic. I didn’t mean I actually couldn’t understand it. I just don’t agree with it. It was not unheard of at Emma. There are always one or two. I just think it’s a waste of an application fee. But then, I have neglected to win the lottery… we found the whole college visit and application process to be death by small cuts (mostly we bled $$). We visited several Ivies. After 4 (well 3, when we started) years of BS, GG had a prettydamngood idea of what she wanted for the next leg of her academic journey.

Anyway, best of luck to all the '18 parents as you begin the process in earnest!

@SevenDad — check your inbox.

" I just think it’s a waste of an application fee."

I think it can actually be more than that. In a BS or small private HS environment, whereby many, many kids are high stats students, it could potentially take away an opportunity for classmates. It shouldn’t be about trying to collect acceptances. To a certain degree, one is competing with their peers for slots sometimes.

I once heard college admissions consultant speak and she said “anyone who applies to all 8 ivies is doing it for the wrong reasons”. Why - because for example, Brown couldn’t be more different than UPenn. So if the kid (or parent) says they want to apply to both of those, it sorta raises a flag.

The students getting into all 8 are rare, but usually fit a certain profile.

Part of the issue is that the press (and society at large via shares/forwards/likes) has sort of jumped on the “admitted to all 8 Ivies” stories and championed the kids who have been able to do it. And listen, I’m not saying that these kids don’t deserve it…they obviously do.

But we (and I’m using this very generally) can’t simultaneously champion the kids who “run the table” and vilify people who apply to all the schools. Can we?

@doschicos Absolutely. It seems rather selfish, self-aggrandizing, etc. Especially with school quotas.

@SevenDad, I don’t know about championing kids who “run the table”. We don’t, in our household. We see it as sort of like winning the lottery. Most people who apply to Ivies are well qualified. So it’s rather a crapshoot at any rate, and it does not necessarily mean that “All-8” kid is more special than others; just that they had extremely good luck in the particular game of craps that is elite college admissions. At least, that’s my take on it.

What I do see a lot of is people who are “shocked, shocked” that their DC’s great test scores and EC’s didn’t get them into a particular school, even knowing the stats. And it’s not as though applying to all 8 Ivies increases the odds.

Do any of your schools put a cap on applications to colleges? Some in NYC only allow a certain number of private U or LAC applications, then another number of public. I’ve heard of 8 + 4 for example. The point is that the student really has to think about fit, as well as matches before just applying everywhere to see what sticks. And of course it helps those high schools to manage their exmissions focus as well. I suppose that would eliminate most of the all-Ivy applicants.

@girlgeekmom: I didn’t mean any one in particular in my usage of “we”. But just google “accepted all 8 Ivy schools” and you’ll see that the media has certainly championed it in recent years.

@sunnyschool while Penn and Brown are definitely very different, applying to both does not necessarily raise a red flag. there is some overlap and some kids might find something attractive in both. i know because i was one of the people that applied (and got into) both after researching and visiting both schools. I liked the fact that both Penn and Brown had flexible curriculums, valued interdisciplinary education and had a healthy social aspect to them. In the end Penn was a better fit for my academic/professional interests, personality and social needs but i do not think it was a mistake applying to both.

That said i agree that people who apply to all of the 8 eight ivies and Stanford do so for prestige reasons. This is definitely excessive.

We are still in tour mode. So far NCSwimkid has toured 9 colleges and we head out tomorrow for the a tour of the final (?) 4. He has seen a variety of state schools, large privates and small LACs. Our LAC list is pretty large since he is still hoping to swim DIII. So far, the top three schools are all LACs that offer swimming, small classes, a decent mix of arts and social activities, and a moderate political vibe. No Ivy’s on the list for a variety of reasons. Our focus is on best fit - academically, athletically and financially.

Ummmm, it sorta doesn’t. It’s not like Dartmouth v. Columbia; Brown and Penn have more similarities than differences IMO.

For the record, I applied to both Penn and Brown with full support of the college counselling office. That said, I applied to 3 Ivy League schools (among others), not 8. Personally, I don’t understand how a person can effectively communicate why each school is perfect, but that’s just me.

@GMC2918 I knew in the past that Exeter was more restrictive than SPS but can’t remember all the details.

@skieurope That was the opinion of the presenter, who is a college consultant. She said Brown is more flexible about majors and wants kids to “explore” wheras Penn is strong in very specific areas and has more of a defined curriculum. Brown/Penn was the example SHE used. I tended to think she had some insight, given the differences in people I know that went to the 2 schools.

Notice I said “flag” without the descriptor “red”.

It’s ok to have a different opinion. I was just sharing what I heard at a presentation…YMMV. The counselor was located in the northeast where many of her students apply to Ivy; she does not take clients that say “I want to apply to all 8 Ivies”, because in her opinion, they are doing it for the wrong reasons.

Well, that explains a lot. IMO, the quality of college consultants vary widely, but as you said, YMMV. @sunnyschool

My daughter is a junior and headed to BS for the first time as a senior! Crazy new territory. We have looked at colleges last summer and she loved BC USC and Pepperdine but is certainly open to looking some more because she is not quite sure the direction she wants to take. She was accepted to several BS schools as we had to cast a very wide net as a senior. I assume some schools are better than others at college placement and assistance. Any insight on Kent, Loomis, Williston, Pomfret, Canterbury that might help us make this decision easier? Thanks!

I can’t provide super helpful insights on any of those schools although the people I know who have gone to them have been happy. I might suggest given your unusual circumstances of starting as a senior that the schools that offer PG years may be better suited to help your daughter through the college application process simply because they have a one-year plan for doing that. I doubt that alone would drive the decision but it could be a reasonable tiebreaker. Just a thought.

I have senior at Kent. Schools like Kent, Loomis, and Williston manage this regularly. Most schools have information on how the college process proceeds on their websites and I imagine that their college counseling offices will be happy to field any questions that you might have about how they approach kids in your daughter’s situation and what steps that you should take leading up to the start of the school year.

Wow, this thread is dead! What has everyone been doing? Has the college planning process kicked into a higher gear for you? We did some college visits over spring break, which were useful. Will do some more in the summer. I’ve read the Fiske Guide and skimmed others. I’ve run a lot of net price calculators. I’ve searched CC for answers to specific questions. My kids have started to meet with their college counselor on a regular basis now. They are done with SAT and ACT but still want to add more subject tests and APs. Both have been lining up lots of summer activities. They also need to learn to drive. So what’s going on with the rest of you?