"Need Blind" but not "Color Blind"

<p>It sure is becoming obvious as we experience and read about students with great need, lower stats than my D, poor writing ability when reading their posts, no greater ECs and obvious international or URM status getting admissions to colleges my D was rejected from. I understand what's going on, but it's just frustrating! I thought the point of a college education was what goes on IN the classroom as well as out...doesn't seem to really be true now.</p>

<p>While I won’t change your mind, you should know that private schools admit classes comprised of individuals. Anecdote tells me that quotas exist for their institutional purposes. Therefore, your DD was compared to others in the same sub-pool of applicants --not to the AA or hispanic applicant next door. If she didn’t stand out in that pool, it may have factored in her not getting admitted. I say “may” because selective college admissions is definitely an art and not a science.</p>

<p>To be blunt, your DD may have been denied because she simply wasn’t interesting enough. But don’t skewer another kid (minority or not) because he/she may have had a statistic that was lower than your daughter’s. It’s extremely likely that the majority of admits on the lower end of the stats range are athletes and legacy and development kids – which tend to be Caucasian.</p>

<p>And you’re terribly mistaken about internationals. They have the worst of the worst chances – especially for the top schools.</p>

<p>As a fellow parent (and HYP alum), if I can offer this advice: been there done that – if your DD was a competitive applicant to top schools, she’ll have a fabulously successful college career. Don’t let your inner frustrations mar her view of her success (choosing the school she wants to attend) or frankly, how she views people of color in the future (“they’re only here because they’re black”).</p>

<p>Best of luck to you</p>

<p>Int’ls do have a harder time at full-need schools, but they don’t have a harder time at others. As a matter of fact, they are given special consideration when they have an 800 math, but 550 or so in CR and Writing because English isn’t their first language. Of course, part of their admittance is that they will be full-pay and add to the school’s “Int’l numbers.”</p>

<p>Contrary to what we may think here on CC, most int’ls here in the US are full or near-full pay. Relatively few are here on HYP-like free rides.</p>

<p>^ Good point. Yes, internationals with big bank accounts are welcome by many US colleges and Unis</p>

<p>I would like to commend T26E4’s comment and approach. I also have to add that there are a lot of things that are unfair, including having to go to poorly resourced high schools, not having academic and economic support systems, not having parents able to advocate for them, etc. Of course, that is not the case for all URM candidates. But my point is that some things work for each of us and against each of us. As a society, we are served by trying to bring talent to the fore. Let’s get as many young people into opportunity-rich environments as possible.</p>

<p>t&m:</p>

<p>so sorry to hear about your D’s outcome, but you should know (despite the spin from the W&M rep), a D in a senior class is pretty much an auto reject at any competitive school. The only way such a grade would be overlooked would be if your D had a good excuse out of her control, such as serious illness, or death of family member. Sure, senior year can be extremely stressful, but thousands of kids get thru it with no drop off in grades.</p>

<p>btw: Smith is transfer-friendly, so your D could do well her Frosh year in college and then apply for a transfer.</p>