That is a true thing about humans though. When a doctor says ‘80% success rate in treating that cancer’, most people are sure that they will be in the 80%, b/c 80 seems so close to 100- but 20% of them are wrong.
2 Likes
There’s a chance me on Penn M&T now - brutally impossible to get in. Well, there’s chance mes every day of schools with below 20% acceptance rates and some in the 3-5% - and students are shocked to find out - well, someone will get in and you’ve done a fine job of preparing yourself…but it’s still unlikely.
You are right - it’s wholly impossible that kids would be shocked - but every year we see it - they are shocked.
Or insulted they have to go to what they deem a lesser school.
Or even worse - have no options.
Crazy world we live in for sure!!!
It is a brutal process, but I don’t think staggering acceptances would improve anything. It is better than the job hunting prospects in elite tech, IB and consulting, where exploding offers are the norm and one can’t compare offers. At least accepted students can compare colleges. A thick skin is helpful.
5 Likes
I don’t disagree…as a parent, in some ways, it might be better for my student to take all the decisions on one day (as if 8 Ivies were “all” the possible decisions!)
One poster mentioned that the stated reason for coordinated RD release is to give all applicants the same amount of time to make a decision. That seems overly compassionate for eight independent institutions.
I think another important reason that they do this is that it allows these schools to add to the mystique of the brand “Ivy League”, which benefits the Ivy League and each constituent member.
2 Likes
Really,I do not think they worry about mystique. I too think the stated reason of giving one the same time to consider all offers is reasonable.
Your job as a parent is to prepare your kid for the likely responses
5 Likes
These type of issues can only be fixed by parents. IMO, many kids are so insulated from disappoint that they become fragile - and that’s not good for college prospects or later for work prospects.
I think that the “everyone is a winner and gets a trophy” mentality is just the beginning of making kids fragile, and your point about “College acceptance time is one of the first time “bulldozer” parents are helpless.” is spot on. Later it will be that first job, or their first “pink slip”.
Parents should be doing better…
8 Likes
Maybe the question should be why not? You’ve heard multiple comments about how spreading them out vs. having them on one day makes no difference.
But what it comes down to is that IS how they are doing it. YOU make the decision to apply knowing that. YOU make the decision to apply knowing how small the chances are. You make the decision to apply to an IVY because of what an IVY is. How can you then be mad about how they choose to release their information?
IF you want to be upset about some kind of college acceptance issue, be upset about ED and what that does to students. Not about the date of release that is known ahead of time.
I am very sorry to hear about what happened to the applicant in the OP, however, isolating IVY day as a precursor to suicide is a bit simplistic. To use that example as a reason as to why IVY day shouldn’t exist would be equivalent to saying Signing Day, Prom or State Finals shouldn’t exist.
5 Likes
At best, they are only concerned about the admissions to the 8 schools. I am not aware of other athletic conferences that do this? Like the ACC, SEC, etc? Curious.
Yes, indeedy, I am quite aware of my duties as a parent!..but my duties as a parent is NOT the focus of this OP. To a large degree, the OP is asking why the Ivies coordinated RD results in a single day.
We have at least two reasons, one stated and quite seemingly benign. The other pure marketing.
1 Like
I am not “mad” or “upset” about anything! Just simply asking why. We have at least two reasons now.
Welcome to the “Entitled Generation”…
2 Likes
I don’t mean to be overly dramatic but you typically don’t get to choose when and how adversity strikes. You can however avoid Ivy day by electing not to participate.
A week ago my extremely athletic and healthy spouse suffered a major health crisis that has landed her in the ICU all week. Thankfully she is doing extremely well but still faces a great deal of uncertainty ahead.
I am very proud of my kids. Their first response wasn’t to complain about how unfair it was or express self pity. They rallied to support their parent, gain information and find ways to help.
My point being once again life is going to be tough and unfair at times. “Suffering” through Ivy day hardly compares to what real life will be.
As parents we insulate our kids from the realities of life both at our own peril and at the expense of their development.
25 Likes
This seems like the key to it all. I dont understand the idea of applying to all of the Ivys (and stanford and duke, etc). There cant possibly be a kid who finds a fit with all of those schools, it is just for the name.
The other issue I really don’t understand is why so many (even high performing) kids are all applying to ivy’s now. Someone published on another tread a list of acceptance rates for many of the Ivy’s from now and the 90s. The difference is clearly from so many kids and parents thinking their kids are ivy worthy or the ivy is worth the insane debt. Back in the 90s there is no way that this would have happened. Maybe the valedictorian of my NYC magnet high school would have applied to Ivy’s but other 4.0 over 99% SAT kidslike me never would have done in the 90s. Maybe there needs to be a way to get back to this. Not sure how it could happen.
2 Likes
Very sad. I empathize with the family going through this.
Just because event B follows event A doesn’t mean event A is the cause. Characterizing a college rejection as an “attack”, or as telling a student they aren’t “worthy” doesn’t really address the root of the issue.
Ivy Day doesn’t drive kids to suicide. Say, hypothetically, that Ivy Day is dismantled, the kids that haven’t developed adequate coping skills are just going to encounter some other stressful event down the road. The kids need help long before Ivy Day.
12 Likes
I actually think that there should be a national date for all admissions, one for ED1, one for ED2, and one for RD. The waiting and not knowing when each school will release was much more painful for my S21 than getting multiple at once.
15 Likes
Right, all applicants are willing participants in this game. Plus, longitudinal studies have shown that smart people who do not attend elite institutions end up with outcomes comparable to those who do…
3 Likes
I see two things here. One, no one should be applying to ALL of the Ivies. They are all different and anyone who thinks they have to apply to all of them clearly does not get it. The only things they share are minuscule acceptance rates, name recognition and athletics. Those things do not equal fit and they do not equal success.
Second, one way to combat “abuse” is to take away the perceived power. Do not apply, do not engage. Spend more time cultivating healthy relationships and less time chasing someone else’s ideal.
14 Likes
Agree to all, but to me, only item 2 is really doable…
Agree 100%. I posted in another thread about the book “The Coddling of the American Mind” and that is the authors’ take on many aspects of childhood and young adulthood.
4 Likes
If a student applies to x Ivies, they can open their results across x days, should this seem preferable.
3 Likes
These kids need to learn how to fail, but importantly how to land on their feet, so as to eventually find success. This all or nothing gunslinging without any backups is absurd. Maybe need better advisors/college counselors for a start?
7 Likes