“These same posters and the like have been arguing ad naseum that all the information that is in a stats matrix is available in many places that if only a student took the time to research this that they would have a good idea of their real chances at an elite holistic school admission. Now they claim that even that won’t provide much info about their chances.”
No, no, no! We are NOT saying that all the info in a stats matrix is available in many places.
We are saying that there is plenty of info available about what specific schools look for. But I want to be very clear.
We are NOT saying “there is plenty of information to suggest that Yale wants oboe players and Brown wants tuba players and Stanford wants yearbook editors.” We are saying there is plenty of information for those who are skilled enough to read between the lines and comprehend things holistically about what a college’s particular ethos, values, and sense of community are about. And that one can consequently position oneself to tell a story that indicates that the applicant understands those things, and will be a positive addition to such a community.
5 years ago (!), I visited a bunch of schools and did these reports. I’m not claiming that these are brilliant and others will certainly have different observations, but I want to be clear what these reflect. I was looking to try to identify, as best I could from taking a HOLISTIC view of this college … the students and the institution’s values as best as we could discern them. Here’s a sample from that old thread, entitled 8 Colleges in 4 Days:
TUFTS. Students: Intense. Values: Global justice, making an impact.
BRANDEIS. Students: Outgoing and charismatic. Values: Social justice, highly welcoming to prospies.
CLARK. Students: Collaborative, not competitive with one another. Values: Being interesting and offbeat.
WELLESLEY. Students: Achievers. Values: Academic excellence for its own sake.
MT HOLYOKE. Students: Interesting mix of pearls-and-sweater-sets and Carhatts-and-piercings. Values: Personalized education.
SMITH. Students: In your face / push the envelope. Values: Exploration.
CASE WESTERN RESERVE. Students: Earnest and studious. Values: Preprofessional.
KENYON. Students: “Chill,” mainstream, smart but not cutthroat. Values: Warm and welcoming.
Voiceofreason - this is really important. **I want you to think of the above as “data” in the same way you think of data as being 4.0/2400 = 14%. ** With this data in hand, what would you tell your child to emphasize in an application for Tufts? Would it be the same for Wellesley or Smith or Brandeis? Why or why not?
You’re not used to thinking of these things as data, but they are data - just a set you’re not used to dealing with.