chance me at Ivys and MIT, Stanford

I have been doing alumni interviews for MIT for about 7 years now. I don’t get to see an applicants grades, test scores or any part of their application. I just interview. There are students I talk to that I think would be perfect for MIT and they don’t get in; others are good but I have a question about them and they get admitted. So, no one can really tell you who will make it and who won’t.

Just have your daughter do what she likes to do. She will be prepared to go to college and do well wherever she goes. In my professional life as an engineer and manager, I worked with graduates of many different colleges. No one college, even MIT, has a lock on the best students. College is a 4 year stepping stone to the 40 year career you want to have. What you do after college is much more important than where you went to college.

The top schools are all holistic in their approach to admissions. Make sure her applications tell a consistent story of challenging herself and being the best. She doesn’t need a lot of ECs, just be sincere and work hard in the ones she does have.

Have your safety schools lined up and good luck to her.