@MichaelCShort I’m not sure how much of that is sarcasm but I do appreciate your reply. I gave my thoughts on the details of grading of the essays that you had mentioned, and this thread did not like my thoughts. I was surprised by some of the snarkiness. At any rate, you seem to be good at what you do, and the perspective you provide is interesting and thought-provoking. At the end of the day, I would hope that AOs have good instincts for authenticity. It looks like a difficult job, especially this year. Thanks for your thoughts.
@MichaelCShort your perspective and advice is extremely valuable, plus you write really well, so your posts are always interesting and engaging.
I suspect you get pushback because the underlying assumption is that there is one way, or one best way, to apply to college. Not every college is elite, and most kids are not “elite”, and there are many paths to acceptance. I hope you will continue to share your perspective but consider if setting up a “me vs CC” dynamic is the most productive way to discuss admissions.
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Agree with your call for more transparency in college admissions.
After that…that’s the least inclusive post you’ve written. You have no idea who and who hasn’t worked in an admissions office on these forums. Some have, some currently do…including one poster who has achieved a much higher level position in elite admissions than you did, and some who work as college counselors who speak with AOs on a daily basis (they have the advantage of understanding how many college’s run their admissions process). Why wouldn’t the opinions of these posters be valued…why don’t you see them as valuable?
Many of these posters make money in their jobs, yet you are the only one whose identity is known on these boards, and who is using CC as a way to market your business, which in the end is about making money. You could be posting anonymously and getting your message out, as the rest of us here are, right?
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[quote]I’m stunned by the authoritative advice rattled off by folks on these forums who Have Never Worked In A College Admission Office.
If you’ve never read, trained, and done the hard work of admitting students by applying specific ratings . . . You might have the right opinion on college admission topics, but you can’t have knowledge. You’ve worked with kids who got into some random draw of schools for the past 10 years? So, what, now you have something to say by speculating on essays or activities or letters or other factors that seemed to correspond with college acceptances? And you determine you know what’s going on to issue actionable advice with unqualified authority? It’s wild. It’s no surprise you see nonsense like “be yourself” “show your personality” “applying undecided is fine–thinking through what you might want to study only applies to HYPSM.” I’m shocked non-admission-office folks run the roost on these forums. – MCS
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There are many knowledgeable people on these forums and most have never worked in higher ed, but it doesn’t mean they can’t offer valuable advice. I don’t believe that @skieurope, for instance, has ever worked in an admissions office but he always offers well thought out advice. I don’t believe I’d classify anything he’s ever written as “nonsense.” I believe @Lindagaf works with students doing test prep. So she isn’t in college admissions either, but I’ve always found her advice to be very sound. @MaineLonghorn is another longtime poster without college experience who offers a wealth of information to the families who come here.
There are many others here who have been guiding students and their families for over a decade. The wisdom and compassion exhibited by the “non-admission” people on this board are exactly why they “run the roost.” You aren’t the only one who has experience at an elite college, but that’s not a requirement to participate in these forums and it’s not necessary to be able to offer insightful responses to the people who come here. Your posts express your opinion for what worked at one college for one specific period of time. It doesn’t mean that it’s accurate for all colleges across all time periods. You’re welcome to your opinions, but so is every single other member of this forum.
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One might credibly argue that if a person has gone through the experience of helping their own or other children get into college, that person is indeed qualified to give advice on the process. In fact, being a parent of college-bound teenage children is a great way to learn about helping teenage children prepare for life after high school.
It’s more than just knowing about how to apply to college. It’s also about understanding teens. Any parent of teens understands them, even if the teens don’t always think they do.
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Wow. For me, you’ve lost credibility with this post.
This has no place on CC.
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My thoughts exactly. Someone has really high views of himself and really low views of anyone else’s experiences. That never impresses me regardless of topic. It shows me how little they really know.
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I assume that there are posters here who ARE using CC as a way to pick up clients through posts and DMs. No? Not that it bothers me.
I respect that MCS is using his real name, face, and record instead of just claiming that he is a former AO and using an ugly dog with an underbite as an avatar.
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Temporarily closing thread. Please check back later.
Thank you
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