<p>Alex
I bet your daughter learns the subject more from the “tutoring” than not.</p>
<p>Exie,
Don’t bash Ace for the truth. We have seen many law suits to colleges for accepting a “color” instead of the best kid.</p>
<p>Several years ago, Mayor Daley (Chicago) tried to stop the efflux of parents from Chicago. He proposed that if they gave 1/2 of what their private school tuition was to Chicago, he would put 1/2 of that in their local school and 1/2 into the rest of the system and would guarantee them the same education as the private or suburb school.</p>
<p>Folks “of color” on the south side protested that he would have to split all the money. So not only did they not get the 1/2, they lost the tax dollars from the continued efflux.</p>
<p>This perceived “equality” or something for nothing is what is ruining the US.</p>
<p>Sorry, Princess Dad,</p>
<p>But me thinks you speak from a perceived bias and Chicago is by no means the real world (although I have family there who think it is the center of the universe). Mayor Daley’s stupid plan and the response to it has no bearing on the general state of affairs in the U.S. nor to this discussion.</p>
<p>But if you want to sling the mud, I would suggest you stop pointing to race and point to our former president who’s admission to BS and college had more to do with wealth and legacy appointment than brain matter or test scores. And yet I don’t see you howling with anger over that. </p>
<p>But good luck with that Chicago thing. Sounds like common sense is in short supply there - just don’t assume everyone else operates that way.</p>
<p>Exie
While I totally agree with your
</p>
<p>you also need to look at Bakke, Powell and Hopwood cases decided by the Supremes</p>
<p>My problem with Bakke - is he seemed, on the face, mediocre. No doubt that at the time UCal used unreasonable standards to give the spot to a minority. And no doubt, had they not, some other “white” person might have gotten the spot Bakke coveted. The weakness in the case is the decision had been made strictly on race and test scores. Now colleges use a number of metrics with many de-emphasizing test scores. </p>
<p>I studied that case while it was happening. Like I said, I found Bakke to be a less than compelling applicant even without test scores.</p>
<p>But that was years ago. Working with BS and college Adcoms and living with an Adcom, I can tell you there are more factors involved. Like my own college, above a certain threshold, students tend to perform no better or worse than others. Below a certain threshold there are sometimes extenuating circumstances that allow that person to progress.</p>
<p>But inevitably - I think about the boy (white) who bragged about his high test scores while I quietly probed his approach to learning which turned out to be non existent. He also talked about his classmate (also white) who didn’t stand a chance of getting in because she had B’s and lower scores. Lo and behold, I interviewed the girlfriend weeks later and found her to be a better candidate because she overcame more obstacles, worked a job to help support the family, and her B’s were the result of hard work, rather than the boyfriend’s method of opening up a book the night before a test. Her Ec’s were amazing.</p>
<p>The female was admitted, and did just fine despite her “lower” scores. Had she been a minority - there would have been howls of favoritism and reverse racism. Because she is white, everyone just shrugs and thinks nothing of it.</p>
<p>What I am saying is that having interviewed students for BS and college for more than three decades, the “surface” issues everyone gravitates to, is not often the reason why someone did or did not get in.</p>
<p>Which is why I say - do your best. There are still pockets of stupidity in the US when it comes to establishing culturally diverse environments - but these days - with so many kids to pick from - schools don’t have to go “low” any more. Admissions are about who can do the work and contribute to the body as a whole - not who has the best test scores.</p>
<p>But again - the complaints will rise from those who feel shut out because of their own race - not realizing that if another spot opened up - and let’s assume it was for a white male since that seems to be the primary complaint on these boards - there would be thousands of other candidates vying for that spot and the “harmed” party might still find themselves “not admitted.”</p>
<p>So this is life - be better - be compelling. That’s the ticket. Nothing else.</p>
<p>Ex
I agree. Having been both college and medschool adcom that there are more than just “grades”. A good friend of mine was the Dean of Admission with Bakke and he would agree with you.</p>
<p>For example, Stanford had three times the admit class size of applicants in top 1% of class, with > 4.0 AP+ GPAs and > 770 SAT scores. But they obviously selected most kids not in this bracket. I personnally “reject” the Dugie Howsers who apply to med school - I like the Hawk eye type or the (Stanford) Bunce type. </p>
<p>The essay may be the most important part of an application as it tells who one is. I also like letters of rec which tell me “why I should accept” (eg works full time to support his family…)</p>
<p>However, many of the colleges and medical schools do have a foreign “reverse discrimination” in play in that (to my knowledge) most foreigners are not accepted “need blind”.</p>
<p>Yep - I think we’re on the same page.</p>
<p>My DH is med school AdCom and his applicant stories often top mine. I think that’s the part outsiders miss - that essays and other tangibles are at play - but often what the public sees is only the scores. Not</p>
<ol>
<li>The recommendations were weak (and sometimes unflattering) even if the grade was an “A”</li>
<li>The applicant was a jerk during the interview.</li>
<li>It was clear applying was parent idea, not applicant’s.</li>
<li>Applicant couldn’t articulate why the school was their top choice.</li>
<li>Applicant couldn’t elaborate when quizzed on common attributes of the college or boarding school or didn’t recognize the references.</li>
</ol>
<p>My favorite? Claiming to have a hobby or an EC (not realizing that my husband and I do the same activity) and then are unable to elaborate because it was an attempt to bluff.</p>
<p>Another? A recommendation for a top scoring student in which the teacher wondered why the student asked for one then spelled out all the student’s flaws and concluded with a do not recommend statement.</p>
<p>Sigh - so many variables. Those are the ones who whine the most that they were not admitted.</p>
<p>The ones I feel for, are the ones who truly TRULY are marvelous and there just isn’t room. The ones I’m still thinking about even after the interview is over because they made me think, or laugh, or cry or feel something that meant they wouldn’t blend into the pile. Because I know - in a different mix of applications - the applicant would have added a lot to the student body.</p>
<p>My best was when the father, a well known CV surgeon came with d to interview</p>
<p>I read your post to my husband and he burst out laughing. I think you both get the same applicants :-)</p>
<p>[Newton</a> parents speak out against proposed cuts to Latin program - Newton, Massachusetts - Newton TAB](<a href=“http://www.wickedlocal.com/newton/news/education/x1315036390/Newton-parents-Dont-cut-Latin]Newton”>http://www.wickedlocal.com/newton/news/education/x1315036390/Newton-parents-Dont-cut-Latin)</p>
<p>For those who don’t live in Massachusetts, Newton is an affluent city near Boston, with a superb public school system. The district built a very expensive new high school, which has thrown the town budget into disarray. The prior mayor lost his reelection bid, primarily due to the new Newton North project.</p>
<p>The current mayor has declared that he would not support an override to balance the budget without cuts: [Mayor:</a> No support for Newton North override - Newton, Massachusetts - Newton TAB](<a href=“http://www.wickedlocal.com/newton/news/x1315035902/Mayor-No-support-for-Newton-North-override]Mayor:”>http://www.wickedlocal.com/newton/news/x1315035902/Mayor-No-support-for-Newton-North-override). The school committee has proposed eliminating Latin in the city’s middle schools.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>These are the sort of cuts which do cause parents to consider private schools.</p>
<p>@Periwinkle,</p>
<p>You can recite all the cuts you want. Last time I checked from my local public school, there is still nobody going to “Stonyhill”, as simple as that.</p>