Posse recruits from select big cities in the US, definitely not across the country
It’s even more elitist than that. We live in a big city. The colleges recruit at the ultra expensive private schools. There are public high schools with larger student bodies and plenty of high SAT/high GPA students that are ignored. In one instance, D did get a postcard from an east coast school inviting her (likely they saw her very high SAT) to the program at the expensive private.
The colleges can recruit whomever they want. It’s up to employers to recognize the flaws in this type of college recruitment and discount the expensive fancy name colleges. The students who go to those expensive colleges are not ‘better’, for the most part, they are just from wealthier families.
A couple of years ago my son was evaluating colleges where he had been accepted w/merit, and had nice scholarship from one particular excellent private school. We aren’t URM, and my son goes to a very good public school. We asked if we could attend an event at a private school one mile from our house, and were told no, we would have to fly to Boston (from SF) if we wanted to talk to someone in person. This was with acceptance and hefty scholarship in hand. We also called the private high school, where we know the administration and which had tried to recruit my son, and they said no, that is a benefit for our tuition payers. This was the only Bay Area visit by that school. So maybe not every school puts barriers up, but sometimes even rich (ish) white kids can’t get recruiters’ attention if they don’t go to the “right” high school. The final irony is that the private high school where the event was held doesn’t have the academic achievements of the local public.
Like employment recruiters they fish where the fishing is good. My kids saw quite a few recruiters from colleges near ski areas outside of Michigan. Lots of skiers in my neck of the woods and kids don’t want to give that up. Those kids also tend to play other sports and instruments and all sorts of things colleges need. They also “get” kids from our small high school and the general area every year so they swing through. Not to mention alumni in the area.
No college is staffed to do comprehensive national recruiting but I bet my last dollar if they picked up 3 kids from a high school they had never visited they might consider a stop. And of course they are going to spend proportionately more time visiting schools where they will pick up kids who might not have high need. It is a business after all and these trips cost money. I would assume any college recruiting far from their region has a plan for filling high school lower SES seats or they participate in Posse or Questbridge or some other program to deliver that piece of the next class they are assembling.
My kids went to one of the top boarding schools and had a couple college fairs each year attracting many, many colleges. They were open to anyone who wanted to attend and students from other schools would come. The school hosted - they had the facilities and connections to do so - but they definitely did not make it exclusive to their students.
Let me draw an analogy. Boston Latin School is a test high school in Boston (part of Boston Public Schools). Great, great school. The percentage of students of color had been dropping in recent years so the district did a study and figured it out: there was a counselor or teacher who, on his own, did outreach to elementary schools with high percentages of students of color (in Boston typically low SES) to explain to them about Boston Latin and to encourage the test prep (there is a single exam). He retired and no one took over the program. The result was a sudden and drastic decrease in the number of students of color entering the school.
If you are white or Asian in Boston, EVERYONE knows the path. Typically: go to one of the few good elementary schools or catholic schools; start test prep in 3rd grade. Take test in 6th grade. Just like lots of kids in your neighborhood.
It’s not just about providing access. It’s about providing information and a path. My kids didn’t have to worry about that…they had two parents who went to good colleges and grad schools. They just had to two the work.
True but Boston Latin is a PUBLIC school which doesn’t have to worry about $$$. Different game for some of these colleges who need full pay students.
So this is about the dollars? Then how about this: for anyone above a certain GPA the spots are simply open to bid? So parents can bid how much they are willing to pay for a seat at a school for their child. If you are saying that money is the driving force then let’s quit the games and just do it based on money.
So if I get this right…one set of parents feel their kids should get in to any school they want because their kids have top scores. Another set believes their kids should get in because…well they are rich.
Got it.
The true answer in my opinion is it takes alittle but of both — some smarts and some money saved for college.
@SwimmingDad I’m saying the REALITY is that schools are targeting full pay students. They also some hold spots for scholarship/meet need kids but the REALITY is that even with top scores OODLES of high stat kids cannot afford the top schools especially if they are lower middle/middle class. Plenty of kids are denied because the university are need aware. You don’;t really think that all high stat kids are accepted to and able to go to the best school for them do you? Of course it is about money.
As @momofthreeboys said, you need both money and stats most of the time.
My kids went to a largish, urban, public academic magnet with a tradition of top students going to elite colleges. I got visits from admissions personnel from all sorts of colleges, and certainly all the ones that regularly drew applications from the school. They didn’t experience this problem at all.