My daughter is a senior at a HADES school. So far is deferred from her ED school and all of her high targets but except for Chicago. She did ED2 to Vanderbilt which is coming out Friday. It’s hard for me to understand if this is common or something we need to worry about.
How are kids doing at your school?
S23 went to a school where kids don’t chase prestige and the CCs very much emphasize fit. Small graduating classes (65-75). It is one of the schools that specializes in learning differences (thus fit being more important than prestige). I’ve already seen 2 Ivies this year which is not the norm. Tulane and NYU are becoming hot schools and Wake Forest is new to the mix. CC’s used to really steer kids toward small to mid-size privates, but kids are really drawn toward large D1 publics recently.
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It has been mixed so far at my child’s HADES school. Setting aside the “hooked” kids, wonderful, well-rounded academically strong kids with very good scores but no “hooks” or in-demand characteristics have generally been deferred or rejected by their early admit reaches. However, some kids with a record of demonstrated interest in certain disciplines/areas of study that a school wants to fill have done well, even if they don’t appear hooked in more conventional ways.
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At my child’s “hidden gem” boarding school with a little over 100 kids per year they already have acceptances to Harvard, Penn, MIT, Brown, UVA, UNC, Tufts, Carnegie
Mellon and Vanderbilt - I’ve been very impressed with their college counseling department.
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A mixed bag for our school. My DC has been deferred to 6 (EA) or rejected (REA/ED) with the exception of state schools who admit by SAT/GPA only (don’t read essays). International students have had success at NYU and Cornell, mainly, along with the usual privates (Tulane, Tufts, BC) for REA/ED. Domestic students have a lot of acceptances at the large schools- Clemson, Purdue, ‘Cuse as well. Athletes committed at all levels, Ivy and D3 mostly. I think our options will come done to the state schools, which is ok but unexpected. DC is in the top quartile (school doesn’t rank, but based on academic awards, easy to figure out).
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Lots and lots of deferrals at ours; not sure if that is typical or not.
My daughter graduated last year, not from a HADES, from the same prep school I went to. Things have definitely changed.
Her SAT score was above 1500, and her grades were straight As. (School doesn’t give A+s.) Her extracurriculars were nontrivial. In the end she did fine, but…
She was deferred and then waitlisted from her ED.
She was waitlisted by my and my father’s college alma mater (multi-generational legacy). Ivy, so a reach for everyone.
She was waitlisted by my mother’s college alma mater (undergrad and grad). Highly selective university but not Ivy. Plenty of kids from her prep school have gone there, the Naviance scattergram would indicate that her stats are well within range, her summer programs there should have demonstrated enough interest to not trigger yield protection, but whatever… She’ll now be responsible for that one dot of a different color in the sea on that scatterplot.
However, she also got accepted at some wonderful places.
It feels like a crap shoot, but it’ll work out in the end.
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I am guessing she applied to both you and your mom’s alma maters in RD? I have been told on multiple occasions that legacy only counts if you apply early. So that might well have been the reason they did not accept her.
I will PM you with another question. Thanks!
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Correct.
I’m not surprised she was only waitlisted at my alma mater, because I felt like she applied as an afterthought, and she wasn’t interested in my advice on strategically applying.
I was surprised that she didn’t get into my late mother’s alma mater. Not because of the legacy thing. According to kid’s school’s 5 year matriculation list, it’s in the top 5 most common. She was in summer programs there as a rising junior (college course) and rising senior (internship). Heck, she was even dating a faculty brat at the time she applied. Personally, I was against her applying there, because I thought there were better places for her… and she’s at one. 
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Curious if anyone has any updates on this topic?
Have been very impressed with results. And also surprised to see that a few very selective schools that usually take a number of kids from our school were total wash-outs this year.
I am reminded that variability from year ro year is often the result of the strengths and gifts of a particular class. Some are just more competition in this landscape than others.
Interesting - ours seems good too, but on their insta page only 85/168 have gone public with their commitments, heard that many were waitlisted at their first choices so I am wondering if people are waiting for WL movement?
Many have not gone public on insta, but I don’t think it’s bc they are waiting for WL movement (based on the schools.) They may be waiting to make a final decision or feeling like those who need to know do (through their personal pages).
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I know of a few who committed long ago to prestigious colleges but have simply not chosen to say so on the unofficial boarding school Instagram page.
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Especially 7-figure gifts 
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Lol! Not what I was thinking about but it could certainly move the needle.
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