I got the sense that more selective schools used a committee and less selective schools used individual review.
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I am not the one making the claim a school is more generous than another.
In Germany, access to public university is free. Private insitutions are roughly no more than $25K. The difference is Germany has the philosophy that universities are not there for âprofitsâ. The premise of working hard should mean that grades should be the deciding factor of school acceptance and not wealth.
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It was a while ago, but I remember a student using the word âIâ a lot in her essays and this absolutely triggered an AO. Other kids would talk about what wonderful people they were and sometimes the AOs bought it and other times they didnât. They were making âsincereâ vs âinsincereâ determinations on each candidate. I didnât like it. I would be careful laying things on too thick in an essay.
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Sorry misunderstood thisâŠ
Actually you do seem to be saying the âselectiveâ schools are less generous using âsmoke and mirrorsâ to attract the âaffluentâ who according to you âthey only really wantâ.
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UCLA guarantees two reads as well, and they have the greatest app volume of any US college.
If an applicant has 1/2 Bs, and/or Cs and/or Ds on their transcript a reader at a selective school may need a max of a minute to get thru that app.
Their net price is still higher than every other school. They are like that car dealer that bumps up the sticker price and then the manager gets you the âspecial dealâ. You come out thinking you got the best deal.
And good for them, but I would never change the US university system (and the results they yield) for theirs, or the Canadians, or, the French,âŠ
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Really depends where in the process. Just as a matter of time/resource management, there will be a funneling process where apps are first screened with little time used to kick out definite ânoâsâ. More time and resources are applied as the funnell gets narrower. Curious, how similar were the 6 colleges or was it a diverse mix?
If you are trying to get an insight into âprocessâ and what AOâs are looking for at private selective colleges, I suggest as a good resource the Yale AOâs series of podcasts. Inside the Yale Admissions Office Podcast | Yale College Undergraduate Admissions
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Didnât you just say?
Thatâs a claim. You seem to be contradicting yourself post to post yet still unable to provide data.
It was as good a mix of 6 as you could get. Everything from an OK state school to an elite LAC. A couple of flagship state schools were in the middle.
Except, if there were some linear path to acceptance, some kids would get in everywhere, and some nowhere. I am glad schools have institutional priorities. Iâm glad that girls have an admissions advantage at RIT and boys at Vassar. Iâm glad arty kids do better with Wesleyanâs admissions (to make up an example). Because this means that kids can find their places. Not everyone needs to be a math genius, though, say, thatâs what MIT is looking for. Not everyone needs to go to MIT.
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Another thing. AOs put A LOT of weight on references.
I HATE references because some people are lavish with praise in writing references and others are sparing. And some people are just lazy and just send out a form letter for everyone. Our school has a rule that the kids will not get to see the references. So this is concerning.
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Right. That is your mistake. Thinking one system is better and not looking at what is going on elsewhere and maybe learning from it. The US ranked 16th in the world (US News and World Report) in Well- Developed Public Education System. Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Canada and Germany were Top 5.
Not true of many of the most selective full needs met schools. Here is the chart for Yale:
| Class of 2023 First-Year Students | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Income Range | Median Net Cost* | Median Scholarship | Percentage Who Qualified for Aid |
| Less than $65,000 | $2,850 | $76,925 | 100% |
| $65,000-$100,000 | $5,701 | $70,217 | 99% |
| $100,000-$150,000 | $15,528 | $60,295 | 99% |
| $150,000-$200,000 | $29,721 | $46,326 | 95% |
| $200,000-$250,000 | $42,964 | $31,196 | 79% |
| Greater than $250,000** | $43,704 | $28,881 | 25% |
| Affordability | Financial Aid |
55% of the latest class is on financial aid.
Other elites are similarly affordable. They are just difficult to get into. Plenty to criticize or question about elite admissions policies, but smoke and mirrors discounting is not one of them.
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âŠand how do their top universities rank compared to the top universities in the US?
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âThe difference is Germany has the philosophy that universities are not there for âprofitsâ. The premise of working hard should mean that grades should be the deciding factor of school acceptance and not wealth.â
Now itâs time for you to post some actual statistics in support of your claims.
Personally, Iâd love to know:
What percentage of 18/19 year olds in Germany enroll in Bachelorâs (or equivalent) degree programs vs. the US?
What is the median tax bill paid on the median salary in Germany vs. the US, and what is the number for those in the top 10% and the bottom 10%?
Post those statistics and then we can have an actual discussion. Without those numbers, you are merely venting (or sounding like an extremist politician running for office). Iâm willing to bet that the universities in Germany are cheaper because EVERYONE is paying higher taxes (since thatâs the situation in many other countries around the world with inexpensive higher ed) AND that the percentage of kids in university is LOWER because of massive gate-keeping in the 7th/8th grade. Iâve got relatives in Europe whoâd gladly give up their 5 weeks of guaranteed paid vacation and the other perks of their situation for a shot at a college in the US. Warts and all.
They pay more taxes than we do, university is cheaper, fewer kids get to go. There are no âlate bloomersâ or kids with dyslexia or kids that take the longer path in their countries. Youâre either university bound or you arenât.
But youâre the one whoâs making these claims. Post some data please.
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Their methodology is hilarious. No mistake here.
Why would you want your kids in such an inferior educational system if you believe this to be true???
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You are missing the point. These countries are educating a wider depth and breadth of the population. Who cares what a school is ranked if it is inaccessible to the vast majority of the population? But, hey at least your better than Estonia!