Around here Sidwell is considered a pressure cooker school when it comes to academics. You may get into Sidwell with hooks but a student is going to have to put in the effort to do well there. The students there are topnotch and it is one of the best private schools in the area and one of the most competitive to get into. I would think a majority if not all of the graduating class is looking to get into top notch schools. They have an excellent college counseling team advising the students and are very interactive with the students about the process once they start upper school. Given that I am sure Malia had a challenging and rigorous four years. Aside from her hook she must also be a good student with a good resume to be a candidate for the schools that she applied to. I am happy for her and I feel she has what it takes to succeed in any path that she chooses.
That’s odd. Wonder why Gerald Ford’s daughter chose to attend Mount Vernon College if it would have been just as easy for her to enroll at Harvard while her dad was President?
I think that even in case of applicants who are as “hooked” as Malia Obama, Harvard expects to see a GPA that passes muster.
Malia is the daughter of two highly intelligent and highly educated parents, both Harvard Law graduates. Barack Obama was on law review at Harvard --his initial claim to fame was that the was the first African American ever selected to become editor of the law review. So it’s logical to assume that her parents have always had high expectations for her academics, and that she did well in high school.
The value of a “hook” is that it makes a smart and capable student stand out in comparison to the thousands of other smart and capable students who are applying for admission. But it isn’t much help to a student whose high school performance is substandard. I think that if Harvard turns down the daughter of sitting president, there’s a high likelihood that the admissions director is going to pick up the phone and call the school guidance counselor to explain why, in the most diplomatic fashion possible … but I think the bottom line is that if Malia were to post her stats anonymously on CC on the Harvard admit thread… they probably wouldn’t stand out as being meaningfully different than those of the other admitted and waitlisted students.
** A sitting president’s child has a 100% admit rate.**. Period.
Malia is not only a first daughter but she is a first daughter who is a URM and triple legacy. Obama, his dad and Mrs.Obama, all attended Harvard. She’ll probably pay full price but other three studied on financial aid. They are a smart family who are lucky as well. Considered her family’s genes, luck and her upbringing and schooling, it’s highly likely that she was qualified to get in, though we all know that GPA/SAT/EC of a girl in her position doesn’t matter. She can pick any college on the map and get in. I wouldn’t be surprised if Harvard is giving her a free ride. Some people are born lucky. Good for her.
"I wouldn’t be surprised if Harvard is giving her a free ride. "
I doubt it. Harvard does not offer merit scholarships, to anyone. The Obama family is too classy to pull any shenanigans in that regard.
Not that they need to. They are top 1% earners and Obama can charge $250k per speech on Wall Street like Clintons do. Harvard must be eager to rope her in so they must have offered whatever they can offer legally.
@WorryHurry411 I don’t understand why some people want to hold on to the belief that the Ivy’s offer under-the-table merit scholarships. They do not.
Although the pay for the job of President of the United States ($400,000 plus a house to live in and other benefits) is relatively low compared to (for example) CEO of a major corporation, it should still be sufficient to afford to send a kid to Harvard.
I trust that you have access to Susan Ford Bales’s academic records as well as having had the ability to read her mind around that time period, then, @calmom?
Not @calmom, but Mt. Vernon Junior College was where my parents used to get our sweet, but not very smart babysitters when we were little.
I think Harvard accepted Malia to get a lock on a prestigious graduation speaker. 
“I personally am in favor of either a gap year or some kind of national service before heading off to college. Many students are simply not mature enough at the start of college.”
Although this is definitely a good use for a gap year, really anyone is bound to benefit incredibly from one. My own kids, having boarded in and studied abroad high school, were already living fairly independently for 4 years prior to their gap years and college, so were perfectly ready to move on to college. With a gap year, they were looking for the learning opportunities outside the classroom and the cultural exploration and personal growth opportunities as @LeftofPisa described in post #159 for her daughter. Just want to put it out there that its not just a thing done by those who “are simply not mature enough”, but for many other personal reasons as well. There’s a reason why Harvard and many, many of the top schools in the country recommend it to their accepted students.
I truly cannot believe that some people are so negative as to subtly or overtly dismiss the achievements of a young woman they’ve never met.
This is why I’m glad the Obamas have mostly kept quiet about their kids.
I just wish people would leave her alone. Imagine getting admission to very good, selective schools, and then having strangers who have no idea what her stats are, ECs are, etc saying that she only got in because of X, Y, and Z.
I’m out of this thread. Too much negativity towards a young woman they’ve never met.
@suzyQ7 Being the daughter of a former President didn’t stop Amy Carter from being invited to leave Brown University.
Harvard is need blind. Being full pay means nothing in admissions there.
Also, who knows if she is sure she wants to work in film? Yes, she did some summer internship work in it, but how many kids explore multiple majors and/or switch majors in college? Film could be so “last year” for her, and none of us would know it! I say congratulations to her, and I hope she has a great college experience. Her parents can now heave a sigh of relief… and start worrying about Sasha’s search next year. 
I thought she worked on the set of HBO’s Girls with Lena Dunham. Lots of television’s comedy writers come out of Harvard.
I didn’t mean in my earlier post that a gap year is only for those who are not mature enough for college. A gap year is an outstanding idea for those who are ready to explore different areas and experiences and can afford to do so. Although neither of my girls had gap years before they began college, I do think that a year of some kind of service is a maturing and growth experience as would be a self-defined gap year experience. A self-defined gap year is an increasing trend. A year of service and that type of gap year are not necessarily one and the same. Sorry if I confused the issue a bit.
I am not going to speculate how she got in. I am happy that she is having the opportunity to attend. Any college would be lucky to have her as a student. What she decides to do in her future is her choice. She has life experiences she can share with others and I am sure she will take advantage of all the opportunities available in college to make the most of her four years at the school. I wish her all the best. It’s time for her to celebrate with her family. This year is going to be an exciting one for her family. We can all remember what it was like when our kids got into college and how happy we were at that moment in time.
I’m 100% sure she deserves all the acceptances she got. Obviously, she has a very unique situation, but you play the hand you are dealt.
I am, however, somewhat offended by the stuff the Washington Post keeps writing about how “every child should take a gap year” and then quoting Harvard’s own admissions people who say that kids are getting burnt out and no longer allowed to fail, when Harvard (and others) are the ones driving that!!! example: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2016/05/02/why-more-high-school-seniors-need-to-be-like-malia-obama-and-take-a-gap-year/
The Onion was inspired to address gape years.
http://www.theonion.com/graphic/pros-and-cons-taking-gap-year-52852
I used a gap year to become fluent in a foreign language before attending college. I ended up using that ability to take advanced literature courses and also to do research in a France for my senior thesis. I also translated a book for one of my professors. (The book was mostly photos, so not as onerous as it sounds!)