Tue 7 Aug 2007
The son of an Eph wants to know if being a legacy helps with admissions. I offer my thoughts. You can too!
A longer term goal of EphBlog is to move all the discussion which occurs on College Confidential over to here. Suggestions on how to accomplish that are welcome.
August 7th, 2007 at 3:47 pm
My suggestions, as a former CC user: 1) Establish an “Inside Link” here at Ephblog for Williams prospects…a separate admissions category. 2) Use CC’s “personal message” function (you have to be a “member” to use this, but IIRC, you are a CC member/poster) to alert the various denizens therein that you are offering the very inside scoop they so desperately crave. The word will out.
There are a handful of helpful Williams parents at the CC site who would probably be glad to pass your URL on to the curious. There are also a couple of disgruntled alums, one of whom posts here, so you have to be careful about whom you contact, but it’s pretty obvious who’s who.
August 7th, 2007 at 4:59 pm
And manually (or otherwise) cross-post any discussion on CC to this forum, with a link– presuming the CC people don’t find that hostile (or work out a content-sharing agreement with them, if you’re not hostile to them).
August 7th, 2007 at 5:26 pm
Technically, according to the CC TOS, you’re not supposed to link to blogs, although enforcement is inconsistent, and I’m almost certain that I linked this blog a couple of times there when I was still a participant, with no complaint from them.
However….if they think you’re trying to compete with them as the “go-to” forum for all things related to Williams College admissions, they’ll delete you, which is why PM’ing might be the tactic of choice, if you want to divert the traffic here. I think that would be a good thing, btw….the Williams discussion on CC is all too often dominated by sanctimonious “Swattie” dads with various and sundry axes to grind from their bitter Purple pasts.
August 8th, 2007 at 12:30 am
Agree. It’s a wonder anyone on CC ever applies to Williams once the Dad/Alum in question starts his bitter rants. If I were 16, I’d be bowled over. We need to counteract this.
And there are some nice current students who post on CC to take applicants’ questions (and who might be enticed to come over here as well - I’d love more contact with current students). Just recently, they’ve been very helpful in answering questions from pre-frosh and new parents about room dimensions, phones, and local banks. It makes Williams a friendly, appealing place.
August 8th, 2007 at 2:55 am
Just asking, but why do legacies need help?
August 8th, 2007 at 9:22 am
Because providing a minor bump to legacies keeps alumni happy and giving lots of money, thus allowing Williams to provide a better experience for everyone, give more financial aid to disadvantaged applicants, etc. It’s for the greater good, or at least that’s the argument.
August 8th, 2007 at 10:24 am
Also it tends to put a few more students on campus, who have a superior appreciation of the institutional history of, and arguably superior allegiance to, the College.