<p>And by appearing at this event, the admissions directors seem to be tacitly endorsing the book and the info it contains. I haven’t read the book, so I can’t say. But I would think that some ADs would be ticked off at having their “secrets” revealed. Apparently not.</p>
<p>I read the book; I thought it was really interesting.</p>
<p>I attended a “Harvard/Duke/Georgetown/Penn” presentation in our city two years ago and found that if you’ve scoured the schools’ websites and been on CC for any time at all that nothing new would be heard. I’d save my $40.</p>
<p>There are no “secrets” revealed in THE GATEKEEPERS, though the process revealed surely would stun a lot of parents. I think that for PR purposes, these are the full deans of Admission.</p>
<p>Aries, it’s been almost 24 hours, I think you need to step up to the plate.</p>
<p>With staggeringly small admit rates this year, do they really need all this pr? >>></p>
<p>A.S.A.P. - Maybe they are concerned about the smaller number of kids that will be in the pool several years from now, as we are practically at the peak of the baby boomlet!</p>
<p>Sigh. Fine. Here goes nothing.</p>
<p>Wonder why they are having this little shindig in Scarsdale, NY? Aren’t there a zillion millionaires there? Wonder why they are charging for it (when, betwee the 8 institutions, these people could probably find the cash to pay for a conference room in a hotel)? Wonder why the show isn’t going to Tulsa, Atlanta, Detroit, or Maine? </p>
<p>Money. Simply put, this will help those Ivy deans attract and admit students with the money to pay full freight. A parent and a kid ticket to this event is $60 - not a whole lot of money, but enough to keep out a lot of the riff-raff. Nice timing, too - February of junior year is a great time for kids who are considering applying Early Decision.</p>
<p>If a school were truly need-blind, it would end up admitting a lot more poor kids - or middle-class kids - or kids whose parents are “well-off,” but really can’t fork over $45,000/year. So these schools can recruit selectively - spending a lot of time and resources trying to get the kids who have the money. </p>
<p>I don’t mind colleges charging for their services; I actually don’t even mind financial aid disasters. Undergrad is filled with less expensive options. What I do mind is the way that schools claim to be blind to need but then work very hard to ensure that they are getting a lot of weathly kids. If that’s your goal, then just say that you want to get a lot of wealthy students because that’s the only way you can make ends meet or offer aid to other students. </p>
<p>But this Scarsdale nonsense is really just about selling themselves to the upper-middle class and the upper class - nice area of the country, have all admissions deans in one place, and charge enough for the event to keep the money-conscious out. A lot of people who attend those type events are probably those who have been grooming their kids for years. </p>
<p>PR is great - they have staggeringly minute admit rates, but can “come out” - to a very select audience. It’s hard to yell and scream about secrecy in the admissions process when all 8 of them are together and talking about it; however, this very event should ensure a nice crop of desirable applicants. </p>
<p>(Okay, that’s like a tenth of the job Mini could have done, but he’s completely loafing on the job.)</p>
<p>I think you have a point.
Unless someone tells me they’re stopping in Scarsdale AFTER giving the same spiel someplace near Stuyvesant High School in NYC (where bright kids of mixed financial status are educated)…</p>
<p>aries - You’re right, of course. Atlantic Monthly recently did an article exposing the myth of the “need blind” college(any of them). Well paid enrollment managers can overlay zipcode and demographic info to determine where a school will get the most bang for the recruiting buck. ED is another technique(difficult to apply ED if you want to compare FA packages), as is the practice of "admit-deny (offering admission to candidates without a sufficient financial aid package to allow them to attend - in effect giving them the message, don’t come here! I don’t think this particular event is meant to be a big fundraiser, especially since it’s being split up between all the schools - it’s probably just a way to limit attendance and get some publicity at the same time.</p>
<p>Maybe CSpan could cover this event. Sounds like a public
interest story to me. Fly-over America has an interest.</p>
<p>In the Stage Version, written by Mel Brooks, Zero Mostel revives himslef and the role of Tevyah, to once again sing: “If I were a rich man.” Tow which all the Deans nod in unison.</p>
<p>Roshke - Could you refer me to what month issue of Atlantic Monthy that was in ?? Thanks…</p>
<p>easydoesitmom-it was the November 2005 issue. There was a separate section called “College Admissions 2005,” and one of the articles therein was entitled “The Best Class Money Can Buy.”</p>
<p>The event is now sold out (in their theater) and they are opening up their social hall with closed circuit viewing and seating for 300 people, at half the price. The new email does say that it is a non-profit venue and the fee for tickets pays for “the expense of the event and the Speaker Series.” (This is the first event in a series with various speakers on various topics.)</p>
<p>So there is a chance I will be able to purchase the video??</p>
<p>The one part I still don’t understand is that you are saying that smart rich kids from Scarsdale need to be encouraged to apply to Ivy League schools? I thought that was an automatic.</p>
<p>Seems to me if they went to a (poor) rural area or somewhere in a city with high achievers, such as a magnet program, then they would be putting their money where their mouths are, so to speak. Especially if they spoke to the students and parents at all levels, from freshmen on up. </p>
<p>They couldn’t charge as much for admission, but how much is plane or train fare, and anyhow, I do believe their schools could even afford a free trip for them as outreach to grow this part of their college population.</p>
<p>Glad it’s sold out, actually; was being urged to attend and I ultimately decided it’s probably a waste of time/$$. For us, anyway.</p>
<p>"PR is great - they have staggeringly minute admit rates, but can “come out” - to a very select audience. It’s hard to yell and scream about secrecy in the admissions process when all 8 of them are together and talking about it; however, this very event should ensure a nice crop of desirable applicants. </p>
<p>(Okay, that’s like a tenth of the job Mini could have done, but he’s completely loafing on the job.)"</p>
<p>Hey, I’m here, but you’re doin’ a great job yourself. But you have to remember how much prestige is created when you reject a top 5 Scarsdale High applicant. (You don’t get any by accepting one…) ;)</p>
<p>hmmmmmm… when is that date again? Maybe we can get Eliot Spitzer to arrest the entire group on antitrust charges, ie collusion!</p>
<p>"I had actually never thought of applying to ______ University, until my Dad and Mom took me to a lecture last Winter at which you and several collegues spoke. None of us had originally planned on going, but Dad heard about it while playing squash at the club that afternoon after the Market closed. He thought it was so important that he actually called his pilot and cancelled that night’s flight to Zurich. When my cell phone rang at tennis practice, Dad seemed so excited. ‘I’m not sure I can get tickets for all of us, he said, because it’s sold out, but I’m waiting for a guy at the club to call me back.’</p>
<p>When we attended that night I was really fascinated by your description of…"</p>
<p>mhc48,
When you use this essay for all 8 Ivy apps, please make sure that you put the correct essay in the correct envelope! Wouldn’t want H getting Y’s essay, D getting B’s essay, C getting P’s essay, etc.! ;)</p>