Claudia Lane commits to Dartmouth

Claudio Lone wrote:

You are probably correct which is what makes it an illogical decision. She could have gone to many great schools that would have provided a scholarship. So may parents just cave in to their childrens' whims.

Why is everyone so concerned about the Lane family finances and second guessing Claudia's decision about where to attend college? She obviously decided to go to the college that she thinks is best for her and i would assume her parents are supportive and were involved with the secision.

Somehow everyone seems to think they know what is best for Claudia and her family.

Ivies Suck wrote:

What don't people understand about the Ivies? They give no aid either athletically or academically. They use a formula based on income and assets to determine the cost. It doesn't matter if you are Einstein or Cheserek. You pay based on your family's ability to pay. Lane's cost is $70k per year. Please call the coach or their financial aid department to find out how it works. If they do anything differert for an athlete, they would be suspended by the NCAA. I had a son who ran 4:07 junior year and had nearly a perfect SAT. He was heavily recruited by several Ivies and we were thinking about Princeton until the financial aid package showed up. We were offered a $1000 reduction off of the sticker price of $65k at the time.

Sounds like you know what you are talking about, but you are wrong. My son was offered an Ivy package that included aid from several sources, all combined, this school would have paid about 1/3rd of his tuition/R&B. Even having 1/3rd of his school cost being taken care of, the remaining cost was still more than the full tuition at most schools. He ran track and played football, but had nowhere the credentials Claudia has. He did not qualify for any federal financial aid. He chose another top-tier non-ivy school that offered more and would allow him to pursue his major starting as a freshman whereas this Ivy school would not allow him to go directly into his major. Unfortunately, the science majors at some Ivies are so competitive that even a straight-A kid with high SAT scores can't get in. If the Ivies did not discriminate, 90% of their science major would be foreign students.

Back on topic: Every school and every situation is different, you can't assume your situation is the way it works everywhere for everyone. If you are an exceptional student-athlete, the Ivies have a number of mechanisms to provide aid if they choose to.

In term of Claudia Lane, I am pretty sure her parents are successful, high wage earners and know the value of the best education. I would be very surprised if Claudia is not getting some amount of financial support from Dartmouth and if not, it is because her parents are fairly wealthy, which is certainly possible if the Lane family lives in Malibu 'proper'. Malibu has a few pockets, where the teachers and civil servants live, but anywhere near the water is for the rich.

The aid that your son was offered was not based on academics or athletics. It had to be the same aid package that any other student would have been offered who had the same financial situation as you. The ivies submit their information to the NCAA just like every other NCAA institution.

there seems to be some here who think they are all knowing

I am not questioning their decision. Just trying to get people to realize that it was obviously made for other than purely mathematical reasons. That seems to be what people are arguing about. The ivies post in bold lettering on their websites that there is no academic or athletic based aid, but the naysayers don’t believe the actual source.

I don't disagree with you on what is likely to be (or close to) her tuition bill, but not sure why the NCAA would come knocking if Dartmouth paid her an athletic scholarship? The prohibition on athletic scholarships is an Ivy rule. The NCAA is obviously OK with athletic scholarships. I can't imagine it would be the enforcement body for the Ivy League.

Uh, you have heard of Erin Keogh , right ?

Correct that it is an Ivy League rule. But if they change their policy, it would require he entire cocnference’s approval. It would also require an equal number of scholarships to both males and females. It would take the conference a year or 2 to work out all of the details.

Duane wrote:

there seems to be some here who think they are all knowing

Now entering, Duane the know-it-all!!!

The discriminate comment is bullish*t. Your kid may not have been smart enough, that's the problem.

I know many, yes many kids with super high ACT scores, think 35-36, and perfect A's while taking tough, tough courses, no A-'s. You've fallen into the reverse discrimination group on foreign students versus U.S. Congrats!

You know who this is Claudia, go where you want and stop listening to these guys trying to decide what's right for "you". It's your life, NOT theirs. Good luck at Darmouth, I know your Mom and Dad are both proud, as they should be.

No track coach wrote:

The aid that your son was offered was not based on academics or athletics. It had to be the same aid package that any other student would have been offered who had the same financial situation as you. The ivies submit their information to the NCAA just like every other NCAA institution.

You are correct, but does it matter where the aid comes from? The point I was trying to make is the Ivies can put together aid packages for athletes.

I think it's fantastic that she chose Dartmouth. Only she and her parents know if it's the right choice for her. She is obviously a very bright girl who feels that Dartmouth is the place where she will be happiest.

For the record, my son wasn't just a straight-A student, he was ranked 4th in his class at a high performing high school, took a ton of AP classes, his SAT/ACT scores were exceptional. Academically, he could not have done much more and still have a life, but it wasn't enough to be admitted directly into Princeton's BSE program.

It is a fact that the Ivies discriminate against foreign students in their STEM majors. I don't necessarily have a problem with it because U.S. high schools aren't designed and can't compete with the Asian Ivy-mills. These kids get 7 hours a day of class time, spend years preparing for U.S. standardized test and their classes are designed specifically to game the the Ivy entrance formula. Look at the YouTube post by the many Americans who teach at these Asian schools if you want verification. Compare this to my son who was a 2 sport athlete, engineering club, yearbook, community service, etc., and only received 5 hours of class time each day and one week of SAT prep. U.S. high schools aren't designed to get you into an Ivy, their goal is to provide an overall high school experience. The last time I was on the Princeton campus, it looked like little Asia. Btw, this is not a knock on the Asian Ivy-mills or Asians in general, those kids are focused and work really hard. I am just describing the situation. If the Ivy admissions criteria were completely objective, the Ivy STEM majors would be dominated by Asians.