@4MyKidz Itās disappointing isnāt it?
I think there are stereotypes regarding athletes, Legacy, URM etcā¦ with respect to admissions but I donāt believe they are wholesale untrue or inaccurate. The schools themselves perpetuate those stereotypes by stating they use a holistic approach to admissions and then filling those ābucketsā which are not holistically based.
Just found this page, but my son definitely breaks all the stereotypes. Heās a QuestBridge Finalist, URM, Low-income, home schooled, has 2 major hooks, University and AP courses (not graded by me,) lots of EC, won a national scholarship, and worked 30+ hours a week (yes, Iām a single mom.) Oh yeahā¦and he has been denied or waitlisted to every QuestBridge partner so far. (W&L, Grinnell, UChicago, Swarthmore, Haverford, Notre Dame, Williams, Hamilton, Davidson, Emory.) He does have a full ride (merit and FA) to Gettysburg and he is thrilled (as well as an extremely good offer at Juniata.)
@carolinamom2boys Yes, it is sad, and even more sad is that I am not surprised.
Hey @4MyKidz Iāve posted up some info about my son being an athlete and how it has helped him. I can honestly say that it probably doubled his chances of getting in, at least. Without his sport Iād say he had a decent chance at best just like all of the kids, 14 percent. He has stats in line with what the school accepts. Iāve mentioned multiple times on this thread that the reason he got in was he checked off multiple boxes in what admissions was looking for, NOT just one box such as athlete, URM, First Gen, kid from Montana, legacy, tuba player. Most of the kids that get accepted there check off multiple boxes. Your son too!
I donāt think people are trying to be racist or perpetuate stigmas.
I think itās helpful for people to know how my son got in, it paints a realistic picture. Just like itās helpful to understand why your kid got in. I donāt really care if people I know they think my son got in because he was an athlete, itās fine because itās accurate to a point. Iām not even offended in the least, who cares? I also know he heās a nice, smart kid with other talents and interests.
I have gained some good and helpful insight on this site from parents who have been through this all before. Hopefully other people with younger kids can learn something from some of my posts.
@GFORCE2818 welcome and congrats on Gettysburg and Juaniita. A full ride is an amazing opportunity!
Congratulations @GFORCE2818 !! I also feel your frustration!
Thank you for sharing @GFORCE2818 Too bad some will only see what they want to see. Speaking of which, I had someone who I thought was an educated, well rounded, enlightened individual comment, āOh your son is a URM, so heāll get accepted and with a lot of scholarship money!ā Out of everything she knew about him and his accomplishments, that was what she chose to hone in on. Needless to say, that stereotype isnāt true eitherā¦just in case, anyone here believes that too.
@RightCoaster Thanks! Heās trying not to get attached because he knows he has other decisions to come, but heās not sure how they can get any better. He has dreamed about coming out of college debt-free but we never thought it could be a reality- and at a school that he really likes.
@momcatof4 Thanks! Iām sorry if you are going through this as well. It is extremely frustrating. My son also got rejected by a match college that is no QuestBridge, and we are pretty sure it is because they are need-aware. I think that one hurt harder than the other ones. At least it hurt me more. I hope you have some good luck. Like I said, I just found this page, so Iām not sure if your son or daughter has had any acceptances yet, but I will have fingers crossed.
Congrats to your son @GFORCE2818 . I know not matching must have been terribly difficult, but it sounds like Gettysburg realized that heād be an asset to their school. Good luck to him .
@RightCoaster You have every reason to be proud that your child got accepted because of being an athlete. It takes skill and training to be able to be good enough to be recruited, just as it takes skill and training to get high stats. There is a stigma with college students and parents that kids get accepted because of athletic ability, but typically, the student is an athlete AND an exceptional student.
@GFORCE2818 Iām glad you posted your story. Being able to come out of school debt free will be so helpful! Itās too bad some of the other schools have not come thru, but 2 solid choices is great! Especially if he likes It there. You should be proud and happy. I wish him the best on any remaining apps he is waiting on.
Hi all, Iāve been keeping up the best I could the last 2 weeks. I havenāt posted though because honestly Iāve been pretty sad and havenāt wanted to be a downer with so much great news coming in. Our dog of 13.8 years died after developing a neurological disorder that made him deteriorate severely within a month. The whole family has just been heartbroken.
Iāve seen the great news that has been posted and I am so happy for all of the acceptances! These kids have worked so hard and it truly makes me happy when I see them getting recognized for all of their efforts. Congrats!
And as for the rejections, I have a feeling that these kids will be fine where ever they decide to go.
Welcome @GFORCE2818 Congrats on Gettysburg. Being on the WL for any of those schools is a huge compliment. GL with those and upcoming decisions!
@letsshare so sad to lose your dog 
Itās never a good time to lose a pet, but right now must be tough on everyone. Hopefully you get through it and can enjoy the end of senior year.
@letsshare very sorry for your loss
I read a great article about teaching yesterday from a professor at Harvey Mudd. I wish I could somehow impart this wisdom to my kids in their academic journeys. Itās about separating your academic accomplishments from your self-worth and the authorās journey with that. How he used his own experience with almost failing as a graduate student to help him connect with his students and be a better teacher and person.
https://mathyawp.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-lesson-of-grace-in-teaching.html
@RightCoaster I appreciate your response. However, IMO, some assumptions/posts were just plain wrong. And it isnāt the first time Iāve seen questionable comments in this particular forum. Itās one of the reasons I choose not to post often, nor share too much info. I wonder if anyone else feels uncomfortable with some of these comments and choose to scroll by instead of participating.
@letsshare - I am so, so sorry to read about your dog. Losing a pet is just awful - sadly, I have been there many times. Sending hugs to you and your family.