<p>My “outrage” is as a consumer who thinks it’s nuts to pay that amount but is it unfair? I don’t know. Probably not, I’m not finding anything unethical on the parts of the consultant (she found an unique niche that works for her due to parental anxiety), parents (they’re wealthy but how is that unfair?), or students. It is essentially a tutoring service except it’s on a whole different level than I recognize. k</p>
<p>Hernandez isn’t selling high social rank or even access. She’s marketing to the very wealthy. That’s it.</p>
<p>Are the students getting an unfair advantage? From this single four day retreat? I doubt it. </p>
<p>It seems silly to post the LinkedIn profiles of people coached by Michelle Hernandez. I could do the same for kids I know who went to UW-Eau Claire or Florida International or Centre College or any of dozens of other schools but who didn’t have the same advantages throughout their lives as the kids who can go to Essay Spin Camp.</p>
<p>You can either be a malcontent who complains about all of the things the rich have, or you can be crafty and seek out similar resources for free. There are camps and clinics for disadvantaged or middle class kids in every major city and/or at every major university. Furthermore, every high school has a least one really good english teacher that would be happy to help a high-achieving student with their essays. A step further would be to make some contacts at the local university for assistance in their writing center. Or, you can live your life with an external locus of control and blame everything on your lack of income…</p>
<p>For $14K, they are getting spin more than cleaning up essays.</p>
<p>I went to a high ranked college. I had real high SAT IIs and so on and parents who could pay the tuition. I wanted a good education and advantages with career. However, I couldn’t relate to all the attitude about all the angles to get ahead.</p>
<p>Not everyone who is rich enough to spend $14K on this type of things have kids who are smart enough to get into the top schools. Maybe some are sending their average or below average kid to this essay camp so they can, at least, get into a lower tiered school. I know lots of very wealthy people who have kids like that. All they want is for their kid to get into any 4 year college period - as there is no way they want kiddo going to community college. </p>
<p>They aren’t paying $14K to get into any 4-year school, but many of them probably aren’t applying to Ivies. </p>
<p>I think it is less class-oriented in the US and now than in the past. However, some of these elite schools won’t consider you if you went to a mediocre high school in a blue-collar area. The tuition is very expensive, and manyof the parents donated in addition. The application asks what is your name, where do you live, where do you go to school, what colleges did your parents go to, what do your parents do? Do you think those aren’t criteria. There are big advantages if you have good connections or are in the social register. Then there are quotas against Asians, Jews, and Italians. Most of this was a lot worse 50 or 100 years ago. </p>
<p>I went somewhere pretty good. In my interview they were mostly asking about my political connections and they like that I acted polite and low key, but they were mostly interested in my test scores way above their average. My father made the equivalent of like $150K today, but the people there were mostly from wealthier backgrounds and snobbish, and acted like I was real low class and low status.</p>
<p>Well, many fewer can depend primarily on class position to suffice to carry them into elite schools, but money can and does buy opportunities to accumulate merit over and above what is generally available for free, and present it well. The rest of us scramble to,learn what we can on these types of boards, putting in our sweat equity.</p>
<p>People say this all the time and it’s so disingenuous. Socioeconomic mobility is pretty good in the US, better than almost any other time in society. And it’s barely any lower than Canada or UK, the most comparable countries. And really, the only places it’s higher are in Europe, Japan, or the Commonwealth nations. There’s much more social mobility in the US than in Mexico or Brazil. </p>
<p>Seriously? The “only” places it’s higher are all of the most civilized and advanced nations in the world. But all of a sudden it’s just fine that we are now comparing the “land of opportunity” to the emerging economies of Mexico and Brazil? We wouldn’t be doing this if we hadn’t declined so much over the past several decades. </p>
<p>No, it’s not comparable to Mexico or Brazil. That’s ridiculous. But, we have a growing poverty problem that we are not making any better with ridiculous economic policies and so-called anti-poverty programs that are anything but helpful. We have basically been in recession for at least a decade now and I really do hope someone notices soon.</p>
<p>@Vladenschlutte, I don’t know your posting history well enough; was that an example of dry humor? If so, good job, it was subtle and funny. If not, well, how about the World Cup, heh?</p>
<p>I’m somewhat new here, doesn’t a politicized discussion of socioeconomic mobility get a thread shut down around here?</p>
<p>Well, despite what some may rush in here and say, many have noticed a nastier tone to posts since the changeover to the new message board format. Many mods quit, but apparently a new crop has now been “hired” (volunteers). Apparently the mod tools aren’t what they were before. I think that in many cases there is much more leniency, and things may not be even looked at unless someone complains. </p>
<p>@CTTC, I was on a thread recently full of outright racism, this one teeters on the edge of classism, and a great many threads are not actionable. Bogleheads.org, where I spend most of my online time, is arguably over-moderated, but I hope CC, which can be very informative and helpful, finds it’s way to an appropriate level of moderation. </p>
<p>Much of what the kids in Hernandez’s camp are getting is available in her books & in her blog. She also sells hour long teleseminars chock full of info. Both my kids did very well in college admissions using info gleaned from this website & Hernandez’ books, among others (especially Harry bauld’s for essays). No need to spend $14,000 if you’re willing to put in the time. You can get her books on amazon for under $50.</p>
<p>I’m wasn’t joking no. To clarify, I’m not saying social mobility is extremely high here and exactly where we want it to be, but it annoys me when people act as if it’s a 3rd world country here when in reality it’s very close to how it is in Canada and the UK. </p>
<p>I don’t think this qualifies as a political discussion but I will drop it from today.</p>