<p>as a parent i read as much as i can re the college acceptance game, and it seems lately that having household income <100k is a good thing. which seems odd, since we're not quite white trash, at least not the last time i checked.</p>
<p>my son alludes to an asian "quota" that sounds like his grandparents' "jewish quota" from back in the fifties. so has 57 variety european becomes a favored minority?</p>
<p>so much of this dismays me, how kids seem to size themselves up like horseflesh on the auction block. whatever happened to choosing the school you want, applying, and letting the chips fall where they may?</p>
<p>in my heart of hearts, i'd like to see my son at yale. i was a faculty brat there. but williams seems like such a blessed place. if i could go to school all over again, i'd say goodbye to brown and hello to williams.</p>
<p>The only thing I can get from your post is that choosing the school you want, applying and letting the chips fall where they may does not work. My parents are on this with me all the time, and if they weren’t, I’d be applying to all kinds of schools where I would never get in.</p>
<p>My parents sat me down and told me point blank there are some schools in the country I will never, ever go to. Ever. I could not get in no matter what with my grades and whatever else I do. For the sake of argument, they said three of them were Annapolis, AF and West Point. I can’t pass the physical exam.</p>
<p>Lots of other schools for various reasons, but way more that I will be lucky to attend than those I can’t. BTW for my money anyone would be lucky to get to say hello to Williams in any context. Scary great school and really difficult to get into.</p>
<p>If Williams is need-blind, and I think it is, then your income will have no bearing on admission. It’s not a plus or minus. What they’re looking for is first-in-family to attend college, which usually correlates to a lower income, but not always.</p>
<p>Being a Brown alumnus and having a Yale lineage certainly won’t allow your son to check the box. But nice try. On the plus side, if he does get in, expect a nice aid package due to income.</p>
<p>rereading my original post i wonder why i was compelled to mention two ivies in a post about williams. i’m sorry.</p>
<p>people who brag about money, schools and fancy jobs are usually compensating for some deeply held shortcoming. since i’m not hitting the cover of the ball as far as money and career go, i seem to find great importance in dropping fancy college names.</p>
<p>first we brag about our own test scores and college prospects; then, when no-one cares about what we did as kids, we play the same game with our offspring. i must admit, i got a lot of mileage out of saying the dartmouth name before my son decided on williams.</p>
<p>at some point the game ends: you end up choosing a school, you pursue your education, the name-dropping fades away. you discover that the world doesn’t care what schools you could have gotten into; and really, as the years go by, no-one even cares about the one you did go to.</p>