<p>It's been said here that fit is important, and while a student may look for 'fit', so does the school. So far, I agree wholeheartedly and honestly hope a school is wise enough to know itself well enough to decline admission to DC if they see what we do not - a poor fit for whatever reason. That might sting in the short term, but such a favor long term.</p>
<p>Where I get trapped in this is the 'diversity' thing: the school accepts DC because he can add to their diversity. OK, well, I personally am still looking for 'a good fit'. While it is nice that he can offer diversity to the school, <em>parent</em> here still wants the school that fits the child best and, most of all, is best situated to offer him the environment in which he can continue to thrive.</p>
<p>Diversity is just one factor in the equation and diversity usually means all kinds of diversity, not just racial and ethnic, but geographic, socioeconomic, gay/straight, religious etc. I’m sure the schools all want a good fit for both them and the student and look at multiple factors.</p>
<p>Agreed. It seems the difference is in “fit” = you are like us, and “diversity” = you are different from the norm, so we need you. I don’t mind DC being ‘diverse’ so long as he doesn’t feel like the apple that fell too far from the tree. These are teens, after all.</p>
<p>I <em>think</em> I understand what you’re saying, 2kids, but I guess I define fit differently. I think of fit in terms of jigsaw puzzle pieces, different shapes and patterns on each piece, but fitting together to create a whole, not cookie cutter shapes where fit is one exact shape for all. </p>
<p>Even while looking for diversity, I think (hope!) the AOs are keeping in mind prospective students as individuals, not just to fill certain niches, but also remembering they will be living with these same students 24/7–and they want kids who will be successful within their community.</p>
<p>I think they aren’t mutually exclusive. Most competitive schools aren’t going to admit a student who isn’t a good fit just because he or she might add to the diversity (sports, music, quirky, shy, artistic, etc…)- there’s just too many applicants in the pool to ever have to “go there.” So if your son gets an acceptance it will be because the school really wants to have him on campus.</p>
<p>So not to worry. I remember when we were at the tail end of our rounds of school visits and an Adcom said the right school will pick the right student and vice versa.</p>