Another applicant rejected from all Ivies.

[Northstarmom]

The motivation is to show that schools like H made mistakes in rejecting one's outstanding offspring.

[cartera45]

Northstarmom, I agree about the motivation.

If you put your kid out there in public, and you are seen as either whining or boasting, there will be a reaction. There is always an agenda and the public is not necessarily going to support it.

[twinmom]

Yale is just as astute as seeing through "packaging" as Harvard. If Yale saw fit to place him on their wait list, they saw something outstanding about this boy. Both schools look for lopsided kids as well as well-rounded kids.

As we all know, there are lots of accomplished kids who get rejected from schools all the time. I know someone who is at Harvard who was rejected from six other Ivies. Clearly this student had something that Harvard wanted to balance its class. I also know someone at Cal Tech who was rejected from Cornell, and someone who got into Cornell but was rejected by GW.

While I do agree that this father was way off base, there is no indication that this young man did not enjoy the things he was doing.

[je_ne_sais_quoi]

I think the motivation is to express shock that it happened, revealing his misunderstanding of the way admissions decisions are made in the U.S. (I could be completely offbase here, I have not read the article.) In some ways he is no different from a lot of us left scratching our heads over what happened. Some of us, too late and only after lots of time on CC, see why.

Did the article mention if there is another Ghosh in the pipeline? If so, I wonder if the father will do anything differently next time around.

[dsultemeier]

Texas is in the Duke talent search geographic area. In 7th grade the schools identify all the kids who did well on other standardized tests and they have an organized SAT test for them. In my mind (which obviously works differently from this dad's) I wouldn't count that test with the other ones.

[anothermom2]

I like post #118. I also think that the cultural thing is probably very true. Let this be a cautionary tale to parents and kids out there in terms of living your life. Be yourself. If it is you to take the SAT dozens (lol) of times because you want to see those 800's light up (kind of like a slot machine), go for it. But if you really want to play a sport or electric guitar, do that. Live your life. You only get one, you know. I personally participated in tons of things in HS because I was a natural "joiner." It kept me out of the house, which was very good. But don't join just for a resume. Find anything that you like, and do it. Take ownership of your life. Even if you get rejected from HYPSM etc.

[collegealum314]

"I'm guessing that everything he has participated in and all of the classes that he took were hand picked by his dad."

I don't know how you reach this conclusion from the fact that his dad drove him to his EC's. Most kids have one parent that doesn't work and takes care of family stuff like this. It only sounded dramatic because he quit his job for a couple of years and because the father did it and not the mother.

BTW, the number of times the kid took the SAT seem to be multiplying every time you post. What is the real number? I don't think there is anything wrong with taking the SAT more than once. I took the SAT 3 times (once to get into the summer program at CTD, another time freshman year to get into a magnet school, and another time junior year for college.)

[nngmm]

The adcoms do make mistakes (after all Steven Spielberg was rejected by USC...)

Right now there is no way this family can show that H made a mistake. Maybe they should have waited for the boy to win a Nobel prize...

[rutgersmamma]

Regarding parents going into interviews and running the college admissions show, here's my issue...How do the kids stand for it?? My kids would make a scene and absolutely refuse to let me make the decisions/participate in interviews, etc. "It's MY life!" ...I can hear it now!

Maybe this was a cultural thing, but these situations don't always involve internationals...Aren't parents supposed to WANT their kids to make decisions for themselves???

[collegealum314]

"Right now there is no way this family can show that H made a mistake. Maybe they should have waited for the boy to win a Nobel prize..."

It's funny you should mention that, because Nobel laureate Andrew Fire was rejected from Stanford (and he ended up on their faculty.)

[xiggi]

I think y'all underestimate Plan II. Among Honors folks nationwide it is the top dog. Numero Uno.

Numero Uno: it seems that the entire application "package" was geared towards applying to the most prestigious schools and filling up a showcase of trophies. At the end of the day, as the adcoms assemble a class of students whom they deem will represent their best choices, it is possible that the student described in OP did not shine in the particular subgroup of super high scorers he represented. In a world of holistic reviews, what was not there might have been more important than was had prepared for review through years of packaging?

How does a student convince each one of the schools he applied to that he genuinely believes the school to be great for him? Except for the prestige, how does one apply to a Plan II and Caltech all the while keeping the essays and communication with the school straight.

How does the student answer the simple questions: WHO ARE YOU and WHAT DO YOU WANT? Answering "My scores show who I am and I want to go to the best school in the world" is not exactly what adcoms expect. At least not all the schools. For some, test scores and rankings do matter more than for others.

Except that Daddy's trophy case will have to remain on the small size, it looks like this applicant has several fine choices.

After all, the system does work well, really well!

[BedHead]

It seems quite likely that the school figured out he had no life, just a resume. Or maybe there really is no rhyme or reason....

[treemaven]

"'It's worth noting that sometimes magnet high schools require the SAT for admission. Also, summer programs like CTD (the midwest version of CTY) also require the SAT. So that is why a junior high kid might need to take the SAT.'

The son took the SAT a total of 6 times according to what the dad has posted on an Internet board. S took the test twice in middle school, and qualified for a talent search program. The last time he took the SAT was this Jan. or Feb. after already achieving scores in the 99th percentile as a junior."

The private pre-K thru 8th grade school (for 'gifted/talented' kids) our kids attended had the kids take the ERBs from 3rd grade on. By 5th grade, high scoring kids were invited to take the Explore test for the Midwest Talent Search and by 7th grade they were invited to take the SAT. My kids took the Explore test--because it was offered during school time, but never chose to take the SATs--those were done on Saturdays, which intruded on their chosen extra-curriculars and they never wanted to give up a dance class or a dryland opportunity unless mandatory--especially for a TEST! LOL

I understood that these early SAT scores were not reported when college applications came. They were only opportunities to get more familiar with the test and to qualify the kids for (more) mailings from the Midwest Talent Search folks.

[Northstarmom]

"BTW, the number of times the kid took the SAT seem to be multiplying every time you post. What is the real number? I don't think there is anything wrong with taking the SAT more than once. I took the SAT 3 times (once to get into the summer program at CTD, another time freshman year to get into a magnet school, and another time junior year for college.)"

I apologize for posting wrong info. In rechecking what the dad had posted on an Internet board, it's clear that the S had taken these tests:
7th Grade SAT:
10th Grade PSAT:
11th Grade PSAT:
11th Grade SAT: 760CR/800M/780W ( 2340)
12th Grade SAT (taken in Jan. or Feb. 08 after being rejected EA from Stanford): 800/800/800 ( 2400)

Interestingly, the dad has posted that after he (the dad) called Harvard to find out how they regarded multiple sittings of tests, he had his son send his Jan. or Feb. 08 ACT score of 36. S's previous ACT score had been a 35.

Talk about a red flag to Harvard that the son was a packaged deal! I wonder how many other calls the dad made to colleges to find out this kind of info, which admissions officers would view as an overly intense parental interest in working the system, not what colleges like H are seeking: self-directed students whose natural intellectual passions result in their being good matches for Harvard.

[collegealum314]

"It seems quite likely that the school figured out he had no life, just a resume."

He should write a book or something, "How Ghosh got kissed, got wild, and got a life." Maybe then he could get in.