Decisions: March 29th, ONLINE

<p>Newsweek publishes a list of top high schools in the nation (doesn't include prep schools like Andover or Phillips Exeter)--Jericho High School, Horace Greeley, Thomas Jefferson, and Washington & Lee are all some of the top schools. Westchester County, NY, Long Island, NY, and Fairfax County, VA, all are known for having very very good public school systems (partly because they're paid really well; e.g., teachers in the Westchester County school system regularly make 6 figures).</p>

<p>rotor_bird, "elite" doesn't just mean they are for the super-rich. elite also has to do with reputation and rapport with colleges</p>

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I've complained about this before, but there's a student at my school who is doing that right now. He was accepted to Georgetown SFS Early Action, but even though Georgetown is his first choice, he's applying to Princeton, Stanford, and other extremely selective schools with absolutely no intention of going there. He bashes Princeton every chance he gets and says everyone there is rich, arrogant, and pretentious; we live in DC, easily close enough for a day trip, but he's never visited. When I asked him about it--"If you hate those schools so much, why are you even applying?"--he answered with a condescending laugh, "Because they're Stanford and Princeton; why else?" (Because it isn't as if anyone actually wants to go there or anything.) He's president of the student government and Amnesty International, which looks great, but the student government at my school doesn't do anything--they've organized one dance this year, but that's the extent of their "work", not that colleges would know from his application. His GPA is stratospheric, but he's such a grade-grubber. And I wouldn't normally mind any of this so much except HE DOESN'T EVEN WANT TO GO.</p>

<p>I'm sorry about the rant, but this kid frustrates the hell out of me right now.</p>

<p>I totally agree with you :( That is frustrating!!!!!!!! Somehow I even find it simila r to breaking an ED contact, well not that serious but it could just lessen others' chances of getting in, especially those who REALLY want to attend Princeton/Stanford.</p>

<p>I understand the frustration. At my son's school, there are some students who have no conscience. There's one girl who was accepted ED to a school, but is still keeping all of her applications to every ivy league school open. When students tell her she has to rescind those other applications, she just replies that she doesn't have time. Even worse, is the boy who is falsely claiming to be half African American. The high school administration has turned a blind eye to all of it, saying they don't know what the kids are doing with their applications. But hopefully someday, what goes around, comes around.</p>

<p>how can u lie about ur race? udnt u have to prove it?</p>

<p>Hopefully, colleges will see through it. I have been told that most schools look for some consistency, for instance, if the applicant claimed the minority status on the SAT or some other place. He is half Indian (no disrespect to Indians) and claims that since his relatives lived in Africa he can claim this status. Funny, he said he didn't mention it when he applied to a school in the early phase but was rejected. Already, he has been accepted to a couple of schools and is waiting for the ivy results now. No conscience.</p>

<p>Some colleges are to blame too. I know of a girl who was accepted to a very selective school who checked off that she was hispanic. Her mother is hispanic but was born here in ths country. Her father is American. She attends a private school here in the US and has been raised in the American culture. Colleges need to accept a certain number of applicants who are minorities. Many minority applicants have had disadvantages in education experiences and as a result have SAT scores that are lower. Her SAT scores were not high enough to be very competitive had she not checked the box. Colleges need to have diversity. They want to show that they have a certain percentage of minorities on campus and they want to accept minorities they know will perform well at the school. I am not so certain they really investigate the minority status of some applicants especially if they appear high achieving.
Regarding the student who checks off African American when they are not, that student is putting him or herself in an uncomfortable position if they are invited for a special recruitement weekend at the school, or the head of multi cultural affairs visits them in the dorm. If they dont appear to be african american or have african american parents they could be expelled for lying.</p>

<p>I really don't want to turn this thread into an Affirmative Action discussion/argument, mainly because that is done everywhere all the time, but stories like CMA's really really frustrate me.</p>

<p>My dad is Mexican and my mom is white, but I have been raised with fairly equal exposure to both cultures. At first glance, I probably don't look very Hispanic, but it is an integral part of me in many aspects. I checked both Hispanic and Caucasian boxes to be fair, because I didn't know if being half of an URM was different from being "whole" (how awful does that sound). Anyway, I get really frustrated when people lie about their ethnicity because I think it's just kind of a disgrace to the culture. Does that girl who put that she was half Hispanic ever relate to her culture? Does she speak Spanish or know traditions? Is her viewpoint on life informed by her ethnicity, because whether we recognize it or not, oftentimes our subconscious "life viewpoints" are heavily influenced by our cultures. </p>

<p>I don't know. I know there's nothing I can do about people like that, but I just feel like people are taking advantage with the thought that "oh, Mexican people are so dumb, I'll check that box so that I can get in wayyyy more easily." And while I am half-white, that's still really insulting to me.</p>

<p>" "oh, Mexican people are so dumb, I'll check that box so that I can get in wayyyy more easily." "</p>

<p>Is that the stereotype you have about Mexico? Is that the stereotype the ave. US person has about Mexico?</p>

<p>While that may help me in admissions it is pretty annoying. Im 100% Mexican by the way and Im proud to be so... </p>

<p>I decided not to submit a picture to the apps that required it because Im white and they might think im lying. Even though thats the stereotype, not every person in Mexico is dark skinned.</p>

<p>bernardolw, jO7 did not mean that the comment in quotations was her sentiment. That's why the comment was in a quote. I think we all agree that whatever your ethnic status is, you are entitled to put that in a college application. I agree how frustrating it is for those who choose to lie. I find it disgusting. I just hope that colleges are smart enough to see through it. This particular kid boasted that he put the minority reference on some applications, and not on others. I bet he didn't put it on the SAT. He is known as the biggest cheater in the school as well, a really disgusting individual. Sorry to bring you all down with these comments.</p>

<p>Today someone randomly said "14 days, 5 hours!!!" to me. I better get in somewhere. And decisions better still be online unlike that new thread suggests.</p>

<p>I know, really, that thread is outrageous lol. But whatever. Harvard and Yale are both announcing on the 29th. Perhaps it's better to have the decisions come in waves.</p>

<p>Yeah, bernardolw, I don't think that at all. While I am not 100% Mexican, I am surely proud of being Mexican and I don't have any kind of negative sentiment towards my heritage or anything. However, there is the perception (at least in Texas/my school) that it's "so much easier to get into a place like Princeton if you're Mexican because you're competing against such an easier applicant pool." And that's frustrating. Sorry if that came across the wrong way.</p>

<p>Thanks for sticking up for me CMA!</p>

<p>I apologize haha I didnt intend it to sound like a complaint. </p>

<p>I used to think too that as a Mexican it's a little bit easier than being, say from new york. However, the international acceptance rate is always lower, so that makes it tougher. I think the only way it helps is by being hispanic and an american citizen at the same time.</p>

<p>not neccesary citizen~ I became a resident 3 years ago and I checked Asian&Hispanic :D</p>

<p>well at least I can say I'm full peruvian, and I do look as a one= black eyes, dark brown hair, kind of mocha skin :d.. glad to be a latina!
I was just watching some political program and there was this congressmember that claims to be more peruvian just because she wears alpaca clothes!!.. lol</p>

<p>OMG.. that sure is ridiculous... Have you guys read Nell Bernstein's essay
" oin' Gangsta, Choosin' Cholita"? It's a congress woman goin' Peruvian Choosin' Latina now.... :rolleyes:</p>

<p>If decisions will be made by March 19th does anyone know if the final decisions of all applicants other than those accepted after a first read will be made in the days leading up to March 19th? I am just wondering because the college counselors at my school make one call for each student advocating them to the colleges they are applying to. They make these calls in the beginning of March or mid March. I am wondering if calls to advoate for students in the beginning of March to mid march would be too late?</p>

<p>I don't really know. I think that there are very few applicants that get one read and then are automatically accepted by that one person...I think you have to be pretty amazing to get that. I read some book about admissions, and it said that generally (and no, I don't have specific evidence to support my claims at Princeton, but it's just a logical hypothesis) that 2 or 3 people read your folder, but that some kind of "higher-up" has to say "yes, you're right, reject" or "yes, you're right, admit." So it really is kind of a "committee thing." I think there are also kids that get discussed by a group of people.</p>

<p>Anyway, I guess just have your counselor call as soon as she can. I don't think that they're absolutely done making decisions, but they're probably getting pretty close. </p>

<p>By the way, you're lucky your counselor cares so much!</p>