<p>If you read the Gatekeepers, it is clear that Wesleyan knew the GCs at Harvard-Westlake and some other high schools, both magnet and private. Personal ties allow adcoms to put grading practices in context; conversely, it also enables GCs to put in a word on behalf of specific applicants.</p>
<p>IDad, Marite; Well, I finally look at thread on "Top 20 HS matriculation..."
Not sure if I'm proud that K did/did not attend one of the HS mentioned. Does explain why many of his classmates has friends from HS and why he didn't fit in with his first roommates.</p>
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Yes, many of those schools do. I have a relative that is a Dean of students at an east coast private HS and they have an admissions support profile for each top tier school that contains what each one is after. When a student enters HS as a freshman, they have a meeting with the student and parents and identify the top three choices. A 3 plus year plan is laid out, complete with summer activities and EC's tailored to the school. They have a very very high success rate of placing students into their school of choice.
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<p>** idad - ** </p>
<p>I don't mean to "dish" your relative. I'm sure he/she is doing exactly what the parents want. But the very thought of doing this makes me shudder. It epitomizes everything that is wrong with admissions today. To take a freshman and remold him to fit an exisitng school is an awful, awful idea. It denies the possibility of change. What if the student becomes interested in something else and wants to deviate from the carefully laid out plan? I just wonder how much pressure to come up with these plans is actually from the parents rather than the student. </p>
<p>Yes, I know that the student identifies his top choices. But how many times are the top choices of the high school freshman the same as the top choices that same student might make as a senior if they were given freedom and weren't consciously being molded to a particular school. </p>
<p>If this is what it takes to get into an Ivy, I guess I would rather kiss the Ivy goodbye.</p>
<p>Cami: Great post. And having seen how much a student changes, not just from 9th grade on, but within the senior year itself, this "3 year plan" seems really foolish (for the student). Of course, the end results sure make the high school look good, at least in their eyes. And those results will certainly keep that school solvent for a long time..</p>
<p>This reminds me very much, however, of Michael Apted's 1964 documentary film, "7 Up." The wealthy British kids, at 7, knew exactly which private school and which university they would be attending, and often, even what they would be when they grew up. Apted has followed them every 7 years since, and without fail, the wealthy kids pretty much followed the route they described at 7 years old. Molded at an even younger age, so I guess the concept isn't new.</p>
<p>Cami: The sad truth is the parents and the kids choose the school in part because they do that. I agree, I can't imagine being that goal oriented at 14 or 15, but I guess some kids, or parents for them, are.</p>
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If this is what it takes to get into an Ivy, I guess I would rather kiss the Ivy goodbye.
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I agree. I also know that it is not necessary. If you had asked my son as a freshman where he wanted to go to college, I doubt that any of the schools to which he was accepted would be on the list. I saw a lot of changes just in senior year -- that's one of the reasons that I advocate parents helping their senior son or daughter find a variety of types of schools, even within the same selectivity category. What seems perfect in September may not seem so great in April.</p>
<p>Why are you looking at safety schools asshat you have a 4.0 gpa</p>
<p>may not be what you want but with those grades/scores…look at alabama schools UA (Tuscaloosa), Auburn and UA (Birmingham) you will get great merit aid…and they are rolling admissions…their apps take about 10 minutes online and you would hear within a few weeks! they also have great honor colleges… UAB has a sci/tech honors college which is wonderfu…my son is a freshman and is already doing research</p>
<p>adolphus, that was rude. And rather useless since this thread is 5 years old and the OP may have graduated college by now. Also, a word to the wise, every student should have both academic and financial safeties on their list. 4.0 or no 4.0. You need only look at the recent EA/ED threads to realize that a 4.0 is no guarantee of acceptance.</p>
<p>parent, good suggestion but again, this thread is 5 yos and deserves to go back to sleep.</p>
<p>lol leftofpisa…i need more coffee, didnt even notice! wonder where he/she went</p>