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True, but the perception (especially from reading too much of this board) is that Irvine is mostly rich, hence the Irvine advantage theory.    :p  Only Mr. IHO and I seem to be the only poor people living in Irvine.  :p

Irvinecommuter said:
That's advantage for being upper middle/upper class...not special to the city of Irvine.
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TBF...being rich just means that you potentially have more time and resources to devote to to your children.  Plenty of rich people neglect their children.

As for Irvine, it is "special" in that the people who move here have education as a top priority.  Thus, they are willing to devote time and resources to their children and classrooms.  Parents are more than happy to bring supplies for the classroom and even  volunteer through the class day.  You don't get those things in poorer neighborhood.
 
Unlike regular admission where the students could submit applications to unlimited colleges most early action schools limit the applicants to applying for just one school.

Early action is acceptance excluding the financial aid package for the applicants. Parents are required to submit a FAFSA base on their tax documents but all that would not be possible prior to the end of the year when the Early action decision takes place. Some early acceptances are binding means that students must attend this school once accepted regardless whether they can or can't afford the tuition. The applicants' portal is closed preventing applicants applying to other schools. What if the applicants can't afford it when the financial package comes out in April? The rich students have no worries when their parents can pay for full tuition. The poor students' decision in choosing the university often is based on which college offers them the most money. Early action acceptances would rob them of having a backup plan and if the money issue does not work out with the early action school then the applicants must withdraw from the college and the positions will be given to the wait listed students. The applicants will have to wait until the following year to apply.

The article did not imply that the rich students have a better chance at acceptance than the poor students. Students applying for early action are mostly from wealthy families who could afford the binding decision regardless.
 
Living in Irvine is neither an advantage, nor it is a liability when it comes to the college admissions, generally speaking (however, there might a bit of reverse discrimination against Asian American students in college admissions: being Asian in Irvine is somewhat a liability, as you need to work even harder).  Admissions officers at top universities are very familiar with each Irvine school and know exactly the "type" of the student they are looking for, how many they admitted in the past and how many they will be admitting this year.  They are familiar with high quality of Irvine schools, so they respect them.  They compare apples to apples: e.g. top Irvine kids with other top Irvine kids (relative to their background).  You gotta work hard, no matter where you are.  Also, depends on a major.  Computer science/engineering vs. Language Arts - that's another admission criteria, and GPA requirement differs from major to major.  Personally, I think secondary school education (even in Irvine) is far below European and Asian standards, so I would not rely on public school curriculum too much to prepare kids for top college admissions. 
 
Veronica said:
Living in Irvine is neither an advantage, nor it is a liability when it comes to the college admissions, generally speaking (however, there might a bit of reverse discrimination against Asian American students in college admissions
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my daughter will be checking off the mexican/hispanic box, pretty much guaranteed acceptance to anywhere she wants to go :)
 
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