@Kamina_Blue2020: Your application was in the white female pile; your were only ever competing against white females for the number of seats in the white female bucket. You were never competing against anyone of a different race or gender for the seats allocated to those buckets. Boarding schools build diverse communities each year by segmenting apps into the following (incomplete) buckets:
Male/female
Domestic/international
In-state/out-of-state
Boarding/day
Full pay/financial aid
Legacy/siblings
Development
Athletic recruit
Diversity (many sub-buckets)
etc.
The year our son applied to Choate, the school matriculated 112 boys and 112 girls, so he only had a shot at 112 seats to start with, not the full 224, and it whittled down from there. Ultimately, his app was in a bucket of fewer than ten seats.
You can be pretty confident that your app was not selected due to simple math–too few seats in your bucket for too many applicants. The only way race figured into your decision was by the pile your app fell into initially which was white females. Good luck to you next year. Heed the advice upthread and apply to a broad range of appealing schools.
When talking about tippy top BS, the competition is fierce and based on more than stats. In this respect, same as for top colleges. We don’t know how you qualified, except your statement that you have great grades, SSAT, and had a great interview. But how do you think you really match? What do you bring, as an indivudual?
Any article about “quotas” often isn’t insightfully accurate… (Yes, I do see you are open to other reasons.) These articles tend to have an angle or argument to push, an “agenda.”
So as you proceed, try to look beyond stats, find the attributes and experiences that make you a match to targets.
I’m adamantly against AA, but I wouldn’t assume that’s the reason you were rejected. As lookingforward says multiple times a day, it’s not all about stats for either BS or college admissions. That can add a lot of randomness to admissions, or at least what appears to be randomness to those not sitting in on the adcom meetings.
@Janwel Not cool. It’s very inappropriate and extremely hurtful to call somebody racist, especially without knowing the person. You cannot gather from one post or her discussion topic that she is racist and you can’t just go around saying that. It is a strong accusation that can bring a lot of hurt along with it. That’s just not ok.
Applying to Exeter and other schools of that caliber is extremely competitive. Admission rates are in the low teens. That means they’ll accept 1 of 10 applicants. Applying as a 10th grader is even more competitive. The expectation is that you will be on the same level as Exeter students who have already attended the school for 2 years. Most all applicants have great grades, great SSAT scores, and awesome interviews. Many have perfect grades, perfect scores, and awesome interviews. Still, only 1 in 10 will get in. As someone said earlier, you’re competing for a limited number of spots in your own category: 10th grade, girl, domestic applicant, White. You’re not competing against 9th graders, boys, international applicants, or other races. Perhaps other applicants in your category were better than you? I hope this can help you see other reasons why you would not be accepted.
You state you wanted to attend Exeter because of its diversity, yet you are bothered by the “diversity quota.” Well, how do you think diversity happens? It’s a result of an intentional effort and deliberate process. It benefits all, including those who refer to it disparagingly.
You seem like a thoughtful person. Next time you apply, whether it’s BS or college, make sure you take your time to research really well the schools you are applying to, the competition you’ll be facing, and your realistic chances of getting in. NO ONE is guaranteed acceptance at Exeter and Andover, or to Harvard, Yale, and Princeton, no matter what their credentials may be. So apply to a few schools with high admission rates where, based on stats alone, you’ll be way above the average; to a few schools with moderate admission rates where you will be right at the average; and then you can throw in the mix a couple of highly selective schools like Exeter and Andover (or HYP) if you want to play the admission lottery. If you don’t get in, there are reasons way more plausible than being White. The majority of students in any of these academic institutions are White.
I have to say though i’m happy that being a urm is a hook it’s just one of the few things that makes things easier. Being a Urm isn’t easy at certain times and it’s hard with racism and racial profiling as you know .I would honestly prefer there was no such thing as URM and ORM these labels will after all hinder progress to true equality.Honestly anyone would love to have a advantage against others when applying to schools but what comes with this hook always outweighs the pros of it.There is a reason after all for urm,its a sick reminder at times that people of my race are under represented , deemed as inferior by many, and hated on for it. @Kamina_Blue2020 you sound bitter and ignorant with your seemingly reverse racism claims but if you really understood how being a urm is in this world you wouldn’t rant about it and act as if it’s unfair.The hook doesn’t help in any other place but admission to schools,matter of fact it’s an anti hook at some place’s for jobs which is the point of getting a degree at a school. Peace
I think we can let up on OP. This is a 10th grader struggling to understand the rejection. If we purport to be more open-minded, let’s show it, rather than point barbs at her, while claiming to advocate tolerance.
Imo, she tried to find the right words. Matters less to me that she didn’t word it perfectly, than that her next move (next applications) is better informed.
Welcome to 2017. Try being a white male applying to college who is neither wealthy nor poor.
Your “essay” was thoughtfully and maturely written. The fact is, race shouldn’t play a role in anything…not admissions, not jobs…nothing. The question shouldn’t even be on applications.
OP, you will see that in college application, scholarship application and everywhere. Actually, i think for most cases, being ORM hurts kids chances, not being white. I would reflect on your whole application and interviews (if any). Or give them a call and ask for feedback. D got rejected on one scholarship and she called the guy in charge, and the guy went into her file and spent 30 minutes giving her tips and feedback. Failure is not fatal…this is how you grow.
URM is not a hook. And I’m not so sure being white is a reason to not be accepted. DS is URM, very high 90s SSAT, SAT, and nearly perfect PSAT. Two sports - one at AAA level. Multiple varied ECs and awards in many of them. He did not apply to Exeter, but unless Exeter is completely different in their selection process than Andover, DA, L-vile, Hotchkiss, MX, Groton, Milton & a few others (which it is not), what race/color you are is just a small piece of the puzzle. Or he would’ve been accepted to at least one of these schools. So, OP, I don’t think you’ve figured it out, unfortunately. Best you can do is actually try to figure it out and realize it had very little to do with you being a white female and try to come back a stronger candidate with a wider net and much more research done on BS to be sure you’re applying to schools that are a good fit for you. And then the rest is like mixing up a magical potion where you hope the recipe calls for three golden hairs instead of two (almost used newt’s eyes but didn’t want to start a rant thread). I wish you all the best but I also hope you get a dose of reality, because this URM did on M10. Bottom line, BS is highly competitive-- one of the most competitive arenas you can imagine.
Yes, it is, and it is naive to think otherwise. How much of a bump, if any, URM gives to the admissions process, though, is up to the school, unless prohibited by state lay. What URM is not, is a guarantee. Anyway, that’s a derail and as it is I think we’ve exhausted this conversation, so I am closing this thread.
