@packacards My kids high school is 3% African American…total. It is one of the largest high schools in our city. They are unicorns, yet have rolled with the punches and have excelled despite all the crap they’ve dealt with from their peers AND their peers’ parents. The #1 requirement all 3 have in common regarding college was that it had to be diverse. So I completely understand why a diverse environment is an important characteristic for your daughter!
@homerdog are you worried he won’t get in because a college will choose an URM? I want to be really careful here! I don’t want to misunderstand you!
@letsshare I’m so sorry. We only have our first doggy now. Obviously his name is Homer. He’s six. I’m already dreading the day when we have to say goodbye. Dogs are the best. Hugs to you and your family.
@packacards what I am saying is that Williams has made a big push to be diverse. Which is great. I love that. So does S19. But when they’ve started accepting only 200 white boys, it’s insanely competitive. Other LACs that aren’t as diverse have more spots for someone like him. So, he can do his best and apply to very diverse schools but it’s just harder to get in.
We visited mostly lacs. And found some to be quite diverse. And found most to be making real efforts to recruit more diversity through targeted recruiting, fly in programs, partnerships with community based organizations and truly excellent financial aid. For some moving the needle takes time, as the yield for urms can be lower at a lot of lacs than the yield for Caucasian kids. But schools are trying hard. Will be interesting to see how the enrollment numbers for William differs from the admit numbers in terms of makeup of the class.
@packacards not all LAC’s are homogeneous. For example, I believe Pomona, Williams and Amherst all admit classes that are over 50% domestic students of color. I think it’s true that schools as they say like to “build a class.” They want that class to include recruited athletes, first generation students, international students, Questbridge and Posse admits, etc. Look at the announcements every year for the top LAC’s and what do they brag about? (Here’s Pomona’s from last year: https://www.pomona.edu/news/2018/03/16-introducing-pomona-college-class-2022). I’m not saying that’s bad. In fact it’s part of what makes these schools so desirable. But it also means that it’s a very tough admit for the unhooked applicant. In fact, for Pomona I’ve often thought that the toughest demographic to be in is the unhooked white or Asian female from Southern California.That’s just the way it is and why it’s important to make a thoughtful list of colleges to apply to.
@homerdog I hear what you’re saying. And when it’s your kid that is looking for a spot in a very competitive field, it’s rough. But, when all things are equal, and I believe there are SO many kids who are qualified for these few spots, choosing a kid who is qualified and is an URM whether that be a person of color or a person who’s first gen college or an LGBQ kid makes the school better for everyone. My kid is a white girl which is the most represented demographic at LACs. She’s a dime a dozen, god bless her. But she wants a school that values diversity, so she understands and appreciates when a school chooses an URM over her, when everything else is equal - which is a super subjective
@homerdog What a blessing for your son to get into all schools except the one! But unless you have insider knowledge and/or are an AC at the ONE college your son did not get into…you are drawing a conclusion based on speculations and assumptions. Do you have some kind of insider track with Williams (besides Naviance/CDS) to prove that what you say is actually true? Does Williams have a quota on White boys?
@Corinthian makes a valid point about female applicants to lacs. Female applicants outnumber male applicants at lacs and at some schools the number is significant and the female admit rate can be 2-3 points lower for females. Bowdoin in particular has a bigger differential in female to male applicants than most of its peer schools, so going in we knew that was a tough one. It pays to look at common data sets to see where there may be slight advantages or big disadvantages for certain applicants.
@4mykidz I’m not sure what you’re asking. First let me say he doesn’t have all of his decisions yet so he’s not into all of his list, just the ones who have given decisions so far.
I’m not saying a URM is taking his place or any other white student’s place. I’m trying to say that, in Williams’ case or at a school like Pomona, they’ve chosen to only accept a certain percentage of ORMs so it’s evdn more difficult for that type of student to get in. As for Naviance and our school, no one has gotten into Williams in three years. I think nine kids applied. All had above a 1560 and a weighted GpA that indicates they took almost all honors and AP classes and graduated in the top five percent of the class. Not sure that says anything other than it’s really hard to get in.
also @homerdog we’re on a lot of the same boards and I’ve read a ton of your posts. I don’t think you’re suggesting anyone is stealing your kid’s spot! I think you’re looking around and saying what you think is attractive to colleges.
Also, schools like Pomona have the pick of the litter. They can get qualified students from every demographic they want. Sure, it’s more competitive for white girls than URMs, but that doesn’t mean for a second that the kids who get in aren’t deserving. They 100% are! There are just more white girls applying for a ton of reasons, starting with privilege.
The Williams number were reported in a press release and many schools will also follow suit once they release decisions. They reported accepting 1205 applicants with 134 being International. So there were 1071 U.S. admits. Press release said of domestic admits, 37% were Caucasian, 57% students of color and 5% did not report. It is a safe assumption that they are looking for a roughly 50/50 male/female split. So that’s where you can come up with the numbers in @homerdog’s post. Don’t think she was making anything up.
@wisteria100 I don’t think homerdog is making the numbers up. I’m looking for the why in those numbers. I am genuinely curious. I am not familiar with the school. Has Williams stated that there is a limit to the number of white boys they will accept?
I think we can all agree that an experience that includes students from all walks of life and cultures is the best experience. I do not believe that just because my kids are white, they will lose out on options. The saying “a rising tide lifts all boats” is applicable here and many colleges and universities are taking this mission seriously, as they should. Is the system 100% fair. Likely not, but neither is life so one could drive themselves crazy talking about slots, spots, URMs, or athletes and the shoulda coulda woulda.
And about collegiate athletes… I will admit to feeling a certain way regarding the assumptions that collegiate athletes are somehow less studious, have lower GPAs & standardized test scores. Not only was I a D1 athlete and the 1st AfAm woman to play for my private Jesuit LAC, my son attended an invitation only football recruitment camp sponsored by the top Ivy League schools in the nation. And in order to get invited the athlete had to have a 30 ACT and above 3.7 unweighted GPA. Interestingly the Brown coach was one who spoke personally to him about his academics. Something does not add up.
I think the football player who says he was accepted to Brown with an ACT of 19 is blowing smoke.
@4MyKidz I’m getting frustrated. The numbers tell the story. Williams accepted a certain number of white students. As did Pomona. They are striving for a certain balance so yes there are only so many spots for the ORM boys.
@MAandMEmom exactly. I am the mom to two white sons from an upper middle class family, and we have never once believed that someone took a spot that they deserved.
Agreed @carolinamom2boys! S19 was accepted to Villanova yesterday and GWU today and we will likely be totally donut holed there if he doesn’t get the tuition exchange program through hubby’s work. Just looking at the merit stats at GWU on here, I can tell they are using their funds to promote access. And I’m ok with that.