Since my daughter's private academic was placing kids in these schools. The experience in her grade was diversity mattered more than academics. The trans girl that got into Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Princeton et al, applied as joke since her grades were mediocre and her ECs weak. But got into all. All. She laughed about it, took Stanford.
This year also, the trans boy got in. His grades were better and he had connections. But it threw the whole class for a loop. The process is changing. My late husband was Harvard class of 80. It was a whole different dynamic then. And connections are not the same. Nor like when I went to Wall St. Now kids in business are doing all kinds of business competitions, recruiting two years out for summer positions, it is crazy. Because there are a million and one kids in business programs, not only Harvard, NYU, U Chicago and so on, all good, all competitive and these kids are jumping through loops I have never seen before.
And since my husband went into medicine, Harvard doesn't help there, you have to apply and get in like everyone else. Same with law.
Yes, top students are going to do well getting placed in graduate programs, but I think expectations might be a little off.
There was that study, way back when on Hunter high school. Kids that got into the elementary school then went on to the high school, did less well than the kids that only entered Hunter for high school. They were more driven. They had less entitlement or something.
A classmate of my husband had a daughter, older than mine, who went to Harvard undergrad for oceanography then PhD Stanford. My daughter is in touch. There were very few courses for her and little research opportunities. But yes, she got into PhD for Stanford. She is now working for people with only their masters. They have a greater knowlege base and experience than she has. It kind of shocked her, shocked my daughter hearing that. But I can understand it.
At USC aerospace engineering, there are kids working on ISS projects like docking stations, in their second year.
Do you remember the old commercials about Avis, we're second, so we try harder? USC has all this research giving their students opportunities that you don't always get at most schools.
Is it great for journalism, or international relations? I would probably go to American U for international relations, isn't that the place?
Like I would go to Carnegie if you want AI.
But you said you know first hand. Well my daughter is being mentored by this woman who did her undergrad at Harvard, because her father went to Harvard, and it was not the best choice for her career. And it doesn't help her with her career now. She did not get the research opportunities even close to what my daughter is getting. In hindsight, Harvard hurt her career. If she had done her undergrad at Stanford or USC, she would have a better knowledge base. And better networking in this field.
I am just trying to provide an alternative. Before this, I was a die hard Harvard fan. And I firmly believe that if my husband was still alive and donating she would have gotten in. She had an amazing package. The guidance said it was the best package they had sent Harvard in years, and they always got kids in. But the trans girl, who applied as a joke, got in. And they filled the legacy spots with living parents. Yes, I was very disappointed, but now I am glad she is not there.
And I wanted to stress my conversion to all the other parents out there and say there are amazing opportunities for kids. My kid's application for Stanford was screwed up by her school, so that was not an option, which made me very sad. But she ended up with a golden ticket.
The fact that she has created all this, I think also speaks to her go getter ness. She networked, she got the opportunities, she did the work, created more opportunities. She is doing first year PhD research starting this summer. Because this top oceanographer got an extra 2 million and thinks she is bright and hard working. Where else does this happen? And he is the type of connection she needs to get an advisor for her PhD at MIT.
So in your experience, you see this. In my experience, I see that. Just wanted to provide an alternative to the group.
