Oh to apply to high schools in the Big Apple! The Brearley School, a tony all-girls prep school on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, has instituted a new requirement in its admissions process. No, it’s not a new test. It’s not a new interview. Students will not have to sing, play the banjo, or juggle spoons. This particular requirement is for the parents of applicants to The Brearley School. Hey, any school that begins with “The” is probably trying too hard to sound prestigious, so is it any wonder that the school would require parents to write a 500-word essay if their children hope to have a shot at earning admission? Sorry, The Wheatley School, The School for the Talented and Gifted, The Davidson Academy of Nevada, and others — are we wrong!?

At Brearley, Admission Depends on More Than Just the Child

As Jon Levine reports for The New York Post in a piece entitled “Elite $60K-a-year NYC schools forcing woke indoctrination on parents, too,” “Prospective parents at The Brearley School, an all-girls school on the Upper East Side, are informed on their application that ’parents are expected to attend two diversity, equity, inclusion and antiracism (DEIA) workshops per school year,’ and write a 500-word essay demonstrating their fealty to those values. If their daughters are accepted, parents are then expected to sign a pledge vowing to support the new religion.”

Yes, that’s right. Parents of applicants to The Brearley School must write a 500-word essay to demonstrate their pledge to the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. And, no, it can’t be a Bart Simpson-style “I vow to respect diversity. I vow to respect diversity. I vow to respect diversity.” It must be a thoughtful response if your child hopes to earn admission to the fancy schmancy school, one that, quite importantly, can impact your child’s odds of admission if you don’t give sufficient consideration.

What Brearley’s Parent Essay Reveals About the Future of Elite Admissions

While there’s nothing inherently wrong with such an essay topic, to demand that the parents of applicants get involved in their child’s admissions plight by putting their writing skills to the test, for admission to a grade-level school no less, well, that’s undoubtedly a sign that admissions competitiveness is at an all-time high. Regardless of how you feel about the political content of the essay prompt, ask yourself: is it fair to the children that part (or all) of their admissions destiny is in the hands of their parents? Perhaps for primary school students who haven’t yet distinguished themselves academically or intellectually, but what about the older children who simply want the best education for themselves?

The fact of the matter is that parents have always been heavily involved in school admissions processes at the elite, highly selective level. Just ask the many highly motivated parents who take the initiative to reach out to Ivy Coach to optimize their child’s odds of admission to the college of their dreams. This is especially true in light of the fact that the earlier a parent reaches out to us in their child’s educational career, the more of an impact we will have on their odds of elite college admission.

Ivy Coach’s Assistance With Optimizing High School and College Admissions Odds

In a perfect world, every student would be able to access educational opportunities on the basis of merit and merit alone. But that’s just not the reality of the admissions landscape in 2025. Yet if you leave the heavy lifting to us, you can take your writing skills out of the equation and give your child the best shot of getting into a top high school like Brearely (or a top college). And yes, our team of former elite college admissions officers would be happy to help you put your best foot forward when responding to Brearley’s essay prompt.

To get started with us, fill out Ivy Coach’s complimentary consultation form. We’ll then be in touch with an outline of our services.