Sigh
A differentiating factor. I’ll assume that you did not read both application packages.
The plural of anecdote is not data and correlation does not imply causation.
@brainstormcouture Its very possible that the billionaire daughter had a large “tip” in the admissions process. Its also possible that she had something else in her application that truly made her stand out. In either case, she did not steal the seat of her “1600” classmate. If Harvard had wanted him, they could have accepted him. There is no rule that says they can’t accept more than one person from the same high school. Whatever made her application stand out, we only know one thing for certain - HIS application didn’t stand out enough for Harvard. Maybe they already had too many high stat math geniuses. By the way, our town has a kid like that too, and he didn’t get into Harvard either.
The children of billionaires have many advantages in the admissions process, and in life, the rest of us do not. This does not come as a surprise to any adult.
@gallentjill, the only difference between them, apart from the fact he is a certifiable genius who’s already published in a highly reputable peer-reviewed journal, is the size of their parents’ wallets. Read my comment #3481 above for more insight. It’s not just about a perfect 1600 on the SAT. There’s soooooo much more to him than that! And yes, I read both of their CA personal essays because we took AP English Literature and Composition together. We had to critique and edit our essays in class. He’s like an out-of-this-world type of person, and not just in math. I don’t doubt he will be contributing in a HUGE way to the betterment of humanity. She will go to Harvard and be one of the many people who do well in life, but I seriously doubt we will be hearing her name in the future. I put my money on him, not only making a HUGE name for himself but actually making an enormous difference in our world.
@brainstormcouture elite colleges have institutional needs and development cases (i.e. big donors) check the box. Whether we like it or not the $30 billion endowment at Harvard is an important factor in making Harvard one of the best colleges in the world.
It’s not strictly about accepting the applicant with the best GPA and test scores. But they do take those kids as well to have a balanced class as one of my close friend’s D is a freshman and is NOT a big donor but is full pay. Some of these high stat kids will get in, many will not.
@brainstormcouture Harvard accepts many kids who are brilliant and need FA. You can see some of those kids listing their stats here on CC. Your friend just wasn’t one of them. The point is, regardless of reason they took the billionaire, she did not “take” his spot. He didn’t get in because he didn’t get in.
Where else did the genius apply? Where did he get in?
I read both of the students’ personal essays because they are in my AP English Literature and Composition class. We edited our personal essays pretty much since school started last August. So, unless the 5-Ivies girl switched hers around at the last minute (doubtful), I can say, unequivocally, that hers wasn’t that compelling, as compared to his.
And again, I’ve been in school with both of these kids since Kindergarten. He has PERFECT stats and is the real deal. Her stats are good too, but not nearly as brilliant as his. She has to put in a lot more effort. It’s like comparing the size of the solar system with the infinite immenseness of the Universe. There is no comparison. Not on the same scale. Not even close!
“The genius” as you called him, applied to many top 10 universities and got accepted at every school he applied, except Harvard where he got waitlisted. He also got accepted to Yale (he will probably go there), but I know Harvard was his number one choice. To be waitlisted at Harvard in place of a girl who is good, but not that good, makes it obvious to many of us. And yes, there are only so many spots that Harvard can offer because there are only so many seats. So, the only way “the genius” will go to Harvard, is if the billionaires, or another one like her from another school district, forfeits her spot. Then he can move off the waiting list into the accepted Class of 2023.
“I read both of their CA personal essays because we took AP English Literature and Composition together.”
You read a draft they created in that class. You didn’t read what they actually submitted to colleges. None of my students stick with what they wrote in an AP class. I’d be flabbergasted if a billionaire didn’t use a consultant, whether they told you about it or not.
You didn’t read their letters of recommendation or interview write-ups either — both are crucial differentiators for Harvard.
This is a huge pet peeve of mine. People assume the system is broken because a student didn’t get into a specific school. But they ignore all the schools where the student was successful. This student got into many top 10 universities including Yale! Doesn’t this prove that the system works? A brilliant student who needs financial aid was accepted at many of the nation’s best universities. You say that the billionaire was admitted to 4 IVYs. I bet that he was accepted at some of the schools where she was also accepted. In other words, she didn’t take his spot. Harvard just didn’t want him. No one “deserves” to be admitted to every school.
Well said @gallentjill @Hanna
@brainstormcouture I know it feels wrong to you within your world view. And kudos to you for supporting your friend. But not to the point of tearing down the other. You didn’t mention if she was a nice person. And if she is and you’ve known her this long it would probably be very hurtful to her.
You will find over time that things do tend to equalize.
Points to consider.
Is it fair your friend won the genetic lottery that created his brilliance. It’s a fluke of evolution the same as the young woman being born to a billionaire family. Maybe some kids with a much lower IQ and worked much harder to fall just short should complain to Yale.
Is it fair that LeBron was born so gifted. And despite whatever I do, I can’t dunk.
Or goofy looking actors who date beautiful and interesting women and men. People who wouldn’t give them the time of day if they worked in sandwich shop.
Or the guy who hears about his classmates idea for a social networking site and quits college to become the richest kid on the planet?
She didn’t take your friends spot. Maybe her strong profile took another “billionaire’s kids” spot. But not his.
Smile and be happy for them both.
The billionairess was accepted to 5 Ivies, including Harvard. She is not that compelling in comparison to him. While she is ‘a good student,’ she is by no means in the same league as him. His number one choice is Harvard. If she goes to Harvard (likely because that way her parents can brag at the country club and/or yacht club that she got accepted to 5 Ivies, but ultimately chose Harvard), it’s almost certain that he won’t get that Harvard spot. In my opinion, it’s truly Harvard’s loss. But the tragedy is that it’s our society’s loss and humanity’s loss. While he will go to Yale, it’s not his #1 choice. If anyone “deserves” to go to Harvard, it’s him!
@brainstormcouture, you sound as if Yale is your friends consolation prize, it is most definitely not! I can guarantee in 5 or 10 years you will laugh at the things you have written here. Enjoy YOUR college years and try not to be so judgemental of others accomplishments, whether it came about from their birth lottery or their accomplishments.
@brainstormcouture Is it him or you?
Society will not lose anything by someone attending Yale or Harvard. But especially between attending either.
Just reading Stephen Hawkings book about “Big Questions”.
He mentions in his introduction that he didn’t finish in the top half of any of his schools. Interesting.
And talk about playing the card one can be dealt in life.
One of the big questions he doesn’t tackle in his book is why students or “friends of students” with fantastic schools to attend spend so much time consumed by the one that didn’t go their way.
@brainstormcouture He got into Yale. Does that mean that only Harvard’s admission’s policies are broken, but Yale’s are fine? The extreme success this young person has had indicates to me that, at least in this case, the system is functioning well.
Your ‘friend’ was admitted to ever T10 school to which he applied, except Harvard. Even one T10 is a cause for celebration. Multiple T10 offers? Hmmmm I am not sure what the problem is. This sounds like a serious case of misplaced jealousy and anger…Are you the ‘friend’?
P.S. - Russell Simmons (billionaire) D, age 16, was also admitted to Harvard on her own merit.
@brainstormcouture - we can discuss all the ways that the wealthy and powerful have unfair advantages, but how dare you give a real world example from your personal experience?
It’s not that big of a deal that the American aristocracy continues to control and run America by keeping regular peons out of our elite universities that feed the power structures of our country.
George Bush likely never becomes President without buying his way into the Ivy League.
It’s a special club and we’re not members.
President Obama went to Occidental when they had 50 percent acceptance rates and was denied at Swathmore. He did ok.
Jimmy Carter went to Georgia Southwestern State initially.
Richard Nixon went to Whittier College.
Bill Clinton went to Georgetown on a full scholarship needs based scholarship.
Ronald Reagan went to Whittier College.
None had money except for carter. But they were peanut farmers. Not exactly a tech billionaire.
And none went to an ivy.
Remember the Sony email hacks? There was a long thread, still up and searchable on WikiLeaks mind you, about a guy trying to get his daughter into Brown. His assistant called up the school’s development office and he made a substantial “anonymous” donation to the school, whereupon he was given the red carpet treatment including a meeting with Brown’s President Paxson when they toured and a welcome packet waiting when they checked in to the hotel. Another email thread about someone else involved a long back and forth between an influential alum and an applicant’s dad about getting a kid in to a different school.
I’m not sure a consultant would add a ton of value if you’re a billionaire and willing to make a large, front door donation.
@privatebanker, not me! Hahaha! I’m not going to Yale University. Although I was given a full ride to Fordham University, I’ll probably end up going to Northeastern University because I really like their Co-Op program and it’s been my #1 choice. However, I’m still considering all my options (as I was accepted into 8 schools). My parents and I actually have to sit down and contrast and compare all the options we have on the table and realistically look at our finances.
I only applied to colleges in the northeast but didn’t bother with any of the Ivies. I’m very pragmatic. I had to check the “Yes” box for this question, “Do you intend to pursue need-based financial aid?” If my parents were billionaires, I too would have checked the “NO” answer and probably been accepted into at least one Ivy (if not more), had I applied to any of them.
The title of this thread is “Feds uncover admissions test cheating plot.” In my original post #3479, I did mention the billionairess’ family have their own bank. Just now, I’m noticing your handle is “@privatebanker.” Yes, my classmate’s parents have their own private bank too. Do you have a student applying to Ivy League colleges in the future? If so, make sure they check the “NO” box to that question too. Your student will get in.
Personally, I’m very happy with my options. That said, I feel for my classmates that didn’t get into their number one choices. I’ve had more than a few crying on my shoulder (literally). It’s very disheartening! Especially, when “need-blind” college admissions, that supposedly operate as meritocracies, admit less qualified candidates solely based on their parents’ bank accounts. If you don’t believe me, a graduating senior Class of 2019, would you believe the former Dean of Admissions at the University of Pennsylvania? I would imagine her opinion would carry a bit more weight, perhaps?
Read “Colleges need to start disclosing all their admissions data to the public.” This article was published on March 27, 2019, in the Los Angeles Time. In the article, a former Dean of Admissions at the University of Pennsylvania clearly states: “When I became dean of admissions at a need-aware college, I was alarmed that we admitted certain students simply because they didn’t need financial aid. Students with straight A’s and strong test scores who needed aid were passed over in favor of students with Cs, Ds and academic dishonesty issues on their records because they could pay the full freight.”
The above is not lost on me, though perhaps many posters here so vehemently deny it. One of my other friends, also a girl, has statistics nearly identical to the billionairess’ profile. Their one-and-only difference, as far as collegiate stats go, is that my friend placed second in the state for lacrosse while the billionairess doesn’t have that accolade attached to her name for the same sport. Needless to say, my friend didn’t get into any of the Ivies. Neither she nor the boy who got waitlisted at Harvard, have families with private banks. Neither one could check the “NO” box to this question: “Do you intend to pursue need-based financial aid?” The billionairess kid could.