Top universities’ top concern is not merit.
They want a diverse student body.
Schools that have single digit acceptance rates don’t have to decide between “merit” and “diversity”. They attract so many qualified and talented applicants that they can matriculate a diverse and deserving student body.
It seems that there is a desire over the last several posts to diminish students which seems both uninformed and like preemptive sour grapes.
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Perhaps you’re right but it all depends on perspective. Should legacies get a bump in admissions?
People who advocate against legacies - are they guilty of sour grapes?
Cards on the table. Based on your prior posts I know your spouse attended Rice and was an active alumni member. Would I think your kid was any less deserving if accepted to Rice…absolutely not! I would conclude that amongst legacy kids she was the most deserving based on her achievements. Stated differently she would have earned the spot.
Would I suggest the entire process is broken, question the merit of those accepted, or diminish the “honor” of an Ivy acceptance anonymously amongst a community of parents some of whom who have kids that were recently accepted to Ivies….definitely not because it’s both wrong and needlessly insulting to some members of the community.
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I hope that you will discover (as I did) that elite schools overriding guiding principal in admissions is to accept and attract students that will thrive academically, contribute to the schools community and utilize and leverage the education once in the “real” world.
I have no horse in this race and wish your kid nothing but happiness and success.
I’m against legacy bumps. When '22 was applying I absolutely started up front that I would not support applying as a legacy to my alma mater. That didn’t go over well but I stuck to it. I believe that there are 3K colleges and universities in the US alone so you can find you own path. I also didn’t want my kid to never know if the Ivy acceptance was theirs or based on legacy.
My kid chose a great path and is very happy. I could have shaped that path a lot more. But to what end. I’ve lived my academic life and I want my kids to explore their own path. YMMV. Our '24 does have a genuine interest in my spouses alma mater. It’s a school which would be a safety. I feel less strongly about this school. Maybe because it’s not as much of a name brand and its not my alma mater. I detest the idea of my kids picking a school based on name rather than fit. We’ll talk about it if it stays on the list.
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My comment had nothing to do with my child’s acceptance at schools. (He was in fact accepted at Northeastern among many others.).
My comments had to do with the overall picture with the admissions process. There are posts here with comments about the dramatic change in the acceptance rate.
There are factors that have not been acknowledged by schools, students or parents that are completely changing the the numbers.
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The number of schools each student is applying to.
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Schools like Northeastern have realized the fewer essay questions, the higher the number of applicants.
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Being test optional increases the number of applications.
These are important factors changing the playing field and some schools have learned to use it in their favor to increase their applications.
Again, this goes hand and hand with a broken admissions process.
To those the read this as sour grapes, you should think a little bit more about the overall picture.
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Congratulations on your kids acceptances!! Northeastern is an outstanding school! That said Northeastern isn’t an Ivy or Alt Ivy for whom most of your vitriol was directed….
If along with Northeastern your kid was accepted at Ivies I am sorry for assuming it was sour grapes. Frequently people that go after Ivies in the manner you did had kids apply and who were disappointed. If this isn’t the case please share your experience with the Ivies towards whom you have such strong derogatory feelings?
Pretty hard to find the Ivy parent that would make such a statement or view their kid as unworthy.
If I remember correctly, Northeastern has never requested supplemental essays before. It is not something new they just “learned”.
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