Just had a conversation with another parent about all of the family background questions asked on the Common App. I wonder if D19 disclosing our education levels and income might actually work against her in the admissions process. She attends a large Title 1 school that has a pretty large immigrant and lower income population, but my husband and I both have advanced degrees and our family income is considered high.
Do schools ask for this information simply for demographic data, or is it also used to expect more from higher income students? When schools say they’re need blind, do they take parent background into consideration? I think we look much better on paper than in reality!! Does anyone really know how this information impacts admissions?
IMO Generally for demographic reasons. Most schools don’t consider income for admission.
Thanks, and I hope you’re right.
The answer is - it depends on who you ask and how willing you are to suspend disbelief at the answer.
Need blind admissions is a good example. Colleges claim to be need blind and above the idea of considering something as distasteful as money in their decisions. Yet they also claim to want to attract and retain low income students. But wait, if they’re need blind for admissions how do they know which students are low income? The common explanation is that they use “clues” from the app to determine who might be low income. So they review the demographic info from the app to see the parents’ occupation and level of college completed to guess how much aid would be needed, how much assistance the parents can give in negotiating the app process and writing essays, what opportunities the student had.
So you can believe that the information is just demographic info or you can read between the lines and understand that every single piece of data on that app is used by the colleges as a clue. If your DD is applying to the top selective colleges that use holistic admissions practices, then it would be foolish to assume they aren’t expecting different things out of kids who have two parents with advanced degrees than they expect out of kids whose parents have not been to college. Every piece of data is reviewed and used.
It’s more than some assumptions about parent education and jobs.
And how does OP propose to skip this parent section? There are CEOs, doctors, and Ivy grads earning less for non profits or after a job interruption and high school dropout parents who’ve accumulated wealth. You don’t know from this section if their kids are on fin aid. For a need blind, income numbers are not known.
And even the poorer, less educated parents can set standards and encourage their kids. Sometimes, you’ll see all the siblings went to top colleges. (Sometimes not.)
Yes, the high school is sometimes a factor. Not the presence of immigrants and low income, but whether the school itself is “under-resourced” or “under-performing.” The GC will provide the School Report, including how many grads go off to 2 or 4 year colleges. But even so, a bright, accomplished applicant, one with the potential to thrive at that college, is going to be expected to have maxed out her own educational reecord and extracurricular activities (in and out of the hs) and present a well considered application. Poor or not poor, educated parents or not.
I included the information about our large immigrant and low income student population because I’m wondering if my D will be looked at differently than the majority of her classmates who have similar stats. For example, I’d like to know if there’s another student taking a similarly rigorous class load, with similar stats, is she held to a higher standard because of her family background?
I wouldn’t say that the school is underperforming, but when I look at the Greatschools ratings it shows that the low income students performing at a 3, while their counterparts are at a 9. I just wonder if colleges tend to compare students within the same school or to those with similar family backgrounds. There are some very bright and motivated students from our school who go to Ivies and very selective LACs, mainly through Questbridge. I’m not trying to stereotype anyone based on income, especially since I grew up working class.
“For example, I’d like to know if there’s another student taking a similarly rigorous class load, with similar stats, is she held to a higher standard because of her family background?”
I think you’re way overthinking it. If there were two students who each had exactly the same classes, exactly the same grades, exactly the same ECs, whose LoRs said the exact same things about them and who wrote exactly the same essays, then yes, AOs might be a big more impressed with the student who did those things in spite of a disadvantaged background.
But that is never going to happen. There are simply too many variables and no two apps are ever exactly alike. In general, will colleges expect “more” from a student with a more advantaged background? Yes. But it’s a very subjective thing and two students from the same school are going to have more differences than background. Background will be only one of many, many factors. This is not something you should spend any time worrying about, mostly because it’s just not a big deal and there’s nothing you can do about it anyway.
@ milee30. Yes, I probably am overthinking it. DD came home with several scholarship opportunities given to her class by a teacher last week. We were both very excited about having the information until we learned that she can’t apply for any of them due to our income. I am very happy that she has friends that will qualify for them. We’re just in the same situation as so many others who have saved money for college, but the costs keep rising. Just trying to figure it all out before it’s too late.
Thanks for the replies.
Don’t overthink this. There’s no way to know. DO they use the info to admit low income? Do they use the info to admit high income to pay for low income?
All you can do is apply to a reasonable number of safety/ match/ reach schools and deal with the results. You make what you make. Hard to change your facts. They’ll ultimately use them how they see fit.
@indiethoughts - we went through the same thing. D16 was so excited to bring home a book full of district scholarships (small and local for the most part) – and out of 100s published she was able to apply for maybe 3. There was a need component attached to most. It was disappointing. So, our kids will be going for merit at instate universities for the most part.