Mistakes you made in the admissions process...

[Anonymous]

I don't mean this to sound negative, because that is a nice list of schools, but with those stats, shouldn't your DC be setting his sights higher than that? I understand that Ivies are too unpredictable, but it seems that the top SLACS would be well within reach and candidates for merit or other forms of aid. Right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't mean this to sound negative, because that is a nice list of schools, but with those stats, shouldn't your DC be setting his sights higher than that? I understand that Ivies are too unpredictable, but it seems that the top SLACS would be well within reach and candidates for merit or other forms of aid. Right?

I’m one of the PPs on this.

Nope. Top SLACs are not giving that type of merit aid - that was the lesson learned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't mean this to sound negative, because that is a nice list of schools, but with those stats, shouldn't your DC be setting his sights higher than that? I understand that Ivies are too unpredictable, but it seems that the top SLACS would be well within reach and candidates for merit or other forms of aid. Right?

DC is applying to more selective SLACs too - Kenyon, Oberlin, Grinnell but those are all RD so no idea if he will be admitted or not. The more selective SLACs do not all give merit aid and our family's NPC results were all over the place (e.g. Kenyon was $31K, Wesleyan was $49K, Oberlin was $63K ... ). DC has a "dream" selective SLAC in mind but they give no merit aid, the NPC amount was $45K and we couldn't afford to commit to ED, which probably would have boosted his admissions chances.

The hope is that DC has offers from many colleges to choose from and that he finds one that he both really wants and can afford.

Sorry to have hijacked the thread. Hopefully seeing his thought process will help someone else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just barfed at the word unhooked

Why?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't mean this to sound negative, because that is a nice list of schools, but with those stats, shouldn't your DC be setting his sights higher than that? I understand that Ivies are too unpredictable, but it seems that the top SLACS would be well within reach and candidates for merit or other forms of aid. Right?

Top SLACs and universities do not award merit aid.

That is why so many donut hole families send their kids to in-state publics, or to lower-ranked privates with merit aid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just barfed at the word unhooked

Why?

Curious about this as well. "Unhooked" is a very commonly used shorthand on college admissions threads here and elsewhere. What's objectionable about it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid applied to 8. Choices ended up too limited.

Then you selected the wrong eight. Probably over-projected. MISTAKE.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just be happy with UVA and call it a day. Wasting all the time chasing an Ivy is honestly so pointless in retrospect.

—Ivy parent

So your child didn't get admitted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The process is also pretty random. The apps reader hasn’t had his morning coffee yet? Out you go. She hates hipsters and she thinks your essay has a tinge of hipster vibe? Out you go. Try not to invest everything in a single college.

This is so true. Also don’t forget about yield protection which has become very real as kids are over applying tonschools. Completely random. Looking at college confidential and the stats of admitted and deferred or rejected are ALL OVER.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just barfed at the word unhooked

Why?

Bc you are too caught up in all the bs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just barfed at the word unhooked

Why?

Bc you are too caught up in all the bs.

I am? My first post was “why?”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Paying cash for UVA when our DS qualified for Univ. of Alabama's 100% full ride out-of-state scholarship.

Unless something is going wrong, that’s not a mistake (if UVA is in state). Alabama’s ranking is awful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Paying cash for UVA when our DS qualified for Univ. of Alabama's 100% full ride out-of-state scholarship.

Unless something is going wrong, that’s not a mistake (if UVA is in state). Alabama’s ranking is awful.

While it might be a nice place to be for four years as an undergrad, the fact is, as an academic school, Alabama has almost no respect outside of the state. It is, at best, a regional school. So unless your kid is on the football team or wants to live in Alabama, an Alabama degree is almost useless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Caring so much, obsessing about this for five plus years. Our oldest are at "elite" colleges and doing really well. But the honest truth is they'd be doing just as well at any selective school.

Also, once they're at college the clock resets for top internships and professional school. The state U engineering kid who gets the $120,000 offer from Apple and podunk private college kid who gets into a good medical school are more impressive than the Ivy grad making $35,000 on the Hill or $55,000 as a consultant.

Yes, it’s always better to be top dog, at, say Kansas State or Florida Atlantic than it is to be be another generic graduate of an “elite” place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just barfed at the word unhooked

Why?

Bc you are too caught up in all the bs.

I am? My first post was “why?”.

my point is when terms like "unhooked" become a fixture in your vocabulary you are too caught up in all of this. Things will work out, they always do.