The thing is, regardless of EC and whether your kid is “pointy” or “well rounded” their chance at any given uber-selective school is small unless they are hooked (recruited athlete, legacy, math olympiad winner, child of donor etc). That being said, each year anywhere from 6-12 kids from our LPS go to Ivy + MIT, for the most part they are unhooked. Among those I know personally, their ECs were typical HS fare. If there is any advantage, IMO, it is coming from a HS that super selective schools “know”. That is probably why many schools send 0 kids to super selective schools every year and others always send some (I’m not talking about private or BS - just public schools that are “known” by AOs).
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Do you think colleges how well students do once enrolled? That way they can discern that XYZ Public from St Louis, Atlanta, Chicago or wherever really turns out kids who excel.
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I got that impression when my D20 and I visited Emory back in 2019 and the main lady running the info session seemed to really emphasize how their AOs know their assigned schools.
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I’m not sure about tracking. My sense is that kids are very well prepared but I don’t have any specific stats beyond the success level on APs (well above national averages in terms of % getting a 3 or better).
I’m not sure about academic tracking but they definitely know yield numbers. When I did alumni interviewing it was widely known, even by us because of accepted students events, which high schools had low yield numbers. It was much harder for subsequent students to be admitted from those schools than those with high yield numbers.
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Yes, I do alumni interviewing for one of these schools, and it’s really all about whether the candidate is an interesting person. How interesting and wide-ranging is our conversation? Would you want to spend a 4-hour plane flight sitting next to this person? There are simply too many high stat candidates to evaluate, so it really comes diwn to highly subjective stuff!
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Coincidentally I was watching one of the youtuber posting her admission stats (got admitted to Stanford, MIT and few others basically 7 of 9 she applied to). She did theatre all years of high school, no fancy competions or research or no community service. She wrote her passion of how she progressed in that and became a director to direct a stage show and how she struggled to get help from others. Her whole narrative was so compelling and it really showed her dedication and passion. She really deserved these admissions IMHO. BTW, there are few more interesting writeups from Chris and other MIT bloggers that always glues me to go back and re-read them. Thanks for sharing it!!!
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Beyond “interesting,” the other major thing we look for is: to what extent the candidate is likely to become a leader in their field and make a substantial impact on society…
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Wouldn’t the people who claim to have that ability think too highly of themselves to begin with?
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No, you would be amazed at how humble such highly accomplished people are. They rarely celebrate their successes and awards. It’s always, “ok great, on to the next one!”
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I’m not sure what type of “highly accomplished people” who can identify other people who will “make a substantial impact on society…” that you’re talking about. Politicians? AOs?
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I’ve had the privilege during my education and professional life to be surrounded by some of the most accomplished and amazing people on the planet. These folks are quite secure with themselves and are some of the most humble and gracious people I have ever met. They enjoy sharing in others’ successes and are incredibly collaborative and constructive. So, not sure whom you are referring to here, but that couldn’t be further from my personal experiences… These are the attributes that I look for in the vast sea of high stats/EC candidates…
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I’m sure you have. Yes, there’re humble, gracious and highly accomplished people on this planet. But they don’t necessarily have any insight into another human being. There’re plenty of examples of hubris too in that regard.
Aren’t the elite universities looking for future success potential? They look holistically at accomplishments and try to extrapolate to the future given a great collegiate opportunity. I know that colleges that give full ride merit scholarships hope their students will make an impact at the university. Beyond that is icing on the cake.
How does one determine the potential for future success beyond just academics? Charisma? Past leadership, initiative, inclusiveness?
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I believe the elite universities want the future leaders/change makers of tomorrow (contributions on campus is just a byproduct along the way), whether it be in academia, politics, humanitarian, etc. Past performance and personal attributes (character, industry, ambition, curiosity, accomplishment, strong understanding of history and appreciation of the world in which we live). Think of it like a job interview. What candidate would you want on your team?
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I’m not sure how “elite” universities are able to discern a student’s “appreciation for the world in which we live” and their potential as a “leader/change maker” based on a college application and an alumni interview. Frankly, given the career trajectory of many Ivy League grads these days it seems as if these schools are best at identifying future investment bankers/hedge fund managers and consultants.
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Captains of industry are a subset of leaders…
I was curious about one captain of industry. Mark Zuckerberg transferred to Phillips Exeter Academy in his junior year, where he won prizes in science (math, astronomy and physics) and classical studies. On his college application, he claimed that he could read and write French, Hebrew, Latin, and ancient Greek. He was also captain of the fencing team. A potential addition to @observer33 's team. 
He was obviously pretty good at coding as well.
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The elite universities have a decent share of business leaders. But it’s still a pretty open game for ascending to CEO. This 2018 article looked at the colleges of the Fortune 500 CEOs. Harvard produced the second most, at 12. #1 school? Wisconsin with 14 CEOs.
You’ll see a blend of elite and non-elite schools listed here.
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Yes, they are, but I wouldn’t consider most consultants or hedge fund managers “captains of industry”. Warren Buffet, yes, my friend who is a consultant at BCG, no.
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