An interesting article in Forbes from a couple days ago titled, “Six Terms to Stop Using in College Admissions”. Here’s the link, though I’m not sure CC will allow it…
If not, it’s an easy Google away.
In short, some interesting arguments against the use of Process, Fit, Well-rounded, Passion, Diversity, and Under-matching. Should these terms stop being used in Prep School admissions too?
Not a term, but I wish posters recognized that BS admissions can be fiercely competitive for FP kids too. I cringe every time I read “You don’t need FA so you will get in.” There are variants of this, but the message is pretty much “If you have decent stats and a fat checkbook, you’re in!” So what are these kids to think if they aren’t accepted? And many are not.
We all acknowledge that a kid who needs FA will be subject to a second round of review and that that could be the end for them because at most schools, the FA pool is limited. And because what many families want in FA exceeds what the school thinks they need. Kids who need a lot of FA have a lot of competition, often from other kids who need a lot of FA.
All these schools are committed to a level of diversity in their student bodies that they could not achieve without a mix of kids who can pay and kids who can’t. There are FP kids with high stats who are rejected every year. There are kids with lower stats who bring something else to the school who need FA who get in.
So yes, make sure kids who need FA know to cast their net wide and really research where what they bring to a class will make a difference. But don’t assume because a kid can pay that the schools will auyomatically prefer him to one who needs FA. If that were the case, some of the top schools wouldn’t need an FA budget at all.
The article focuses on six words: “fit, passion, diversity, process, well-rounded and undermatching”.
The piece is a quick, easy read that lacks any new significant insights or analysis.
Should the terms stop being used or mis-used? I think all of those words, when used in the correct context and not manipulated to suit one’s own personal agenda, slight or situation are perfectly appropriate. But, like as @gardenstategal indicates, the skewing and/or misinterpretations of those terms is the problem. And never in life, whether it be in school admissions or job hunts…is there a “blanket” situation for any candidate.
I am intrigued now, though, to read part two…
In short, please do not misuse these words with respect to college admissions.
On this forum, I suggest we eliminate the terms “top” and “HADES” (which I’m glad to see is waning on its own) when referring to boarding schools.
And GLADCHEMMS. These labels deter applicants from casting wider nets. By associating these schools as being the top or the best of the best, many students see other schools as less than and why would they apply to a school that’s less than?
@ChoatieMom: I thought it was CHADES. Am I mistaken ?
It’s “CHASED,” as in the most CHASED schools. 
(Just kidding everyone — please DON’T use that.)
@gardenstategal Totally agree. FP and FA are in different buckets. In some areas( parts of CA, MA and CT) there are loads of high income towns near great BS schools and the kids are FP and high achieving ( a real stat on this is national merit scores by state). So there will be lots of kids who are FP and not far away from schools 1-2 hours or day students competing against each other. They are by no means less than/better than, just as FA is by no means less than/better than. The only way you could really see is to look at the number in each bucket. My guess is there are more FP applicants as many parents know about BS. For most middle schoolers, they don’t know a soul who goes to BS.
I wish schools were more transparent about the chances for admission for each bucket. According to Thacher fundraising documents, the overall acceptance rate is 12 percent, but it is 9 percent for kids who need FA and 16 percent for FP.
Overall, I do think rising income inequality combined with helicopter parenting styles conspire to reduce the number of US families that can afford boarding school AND decrease the number willing to send kids away to school. It is why so many boarding schools have shut down, become day schools only, or grown to depend on FP international students.
Overall, in general (NOT at any particular, high demand boarding school or in any particular region), boarding schools are competing for FP kids who are high achieving, kind/nice, and can contribute to school ECs … and the FA kids are competing for a more limited # of FA spots/dollars.
New Term: CLASHED = Choate, Lawrenceville, Andover, St. Paul’s, Hotchkiss, Exeter, & Deerfield.
MODERATOR’S NOTE:
Let’s move on from inventing acronyms please or I’ll be forced to revive the one that @GMTplus7 was desperate to have catch on.
Please, @skieurope, NOT that one!