“Applying to college” is practically an EC

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just apply to 5-6 colleges. Make sure 3 are safeties or sure shots.

Pick 2-3 target/reaches.

It's chill.

College apps are only hard for reachy strivers.

But if you’re not a top student it’s not really clear what safeties are. My kid will be applying to a million schools most of which are considered “safeties” on this board.

I had that kid last year. She got an early admit through niche direct admissions. She applied to three other schools, all with admissions rates above 60% (and got into all of them with merit). Only one had a supplement. The process was much easier for her than for kids applying to lottery schools. You really don't need to apply to a million schools.

Correct. It is EASIER when you're not trying to get into a T20. Calm her down and have her pick a handful of schools with 60-80% acceptance rates that are good fits for HER.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just apply to 5-6 colleges. Make sure 3 are safeties or sure shots.

Pick 2-3 target/reaches.

It's chill.

College apps are only hard for reachy strivers.

Bad strategy after this year, if you are aiming for T25....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The top 10-15 colleges are such work. Some have 3-4 200-250 word essays and then a few short answers, then graded paper or a video, etc etc

It’s the kids applying to the top schools that really have so much to do. I was glad to see UVA has nothing extra- beyond common app this year.

As the parent of a musician preparing for auditions, I would say they are up there too.

As the parent of a high level musician who has close friends preparing for conservatory auditions, I would say your kid has it worse. My kid is glad to just have college applications.

[Anonymous]

Metagame the college application.

ECs: researching college options, planning and implementing college visits, crafting creative essay responses, programming complex databases and spreadsheets to capture and synthesize a wide range of variables and financial data.

Leadership as founder and president of a club to help students identify and apply to college.

Essays about writing essays, or about the fulfillment of finding the right school and helping others achieve the same goal.

LOR about how well kid has balanced school with their dedication to the search for the perfect college.

[Anonymous]

You apply to schools you are likely to get into and if you want to throw an arrow in the dark at HYPSM or T20 then there is very little stress.

DS got into UPitt and Case Western early and good with both choices. Then with nothing to do in winter break, was picking between H or Y or P to apply, just for kicks. Picked one purely based on which essays were the easiest for him to write. Did not even bother to look at the admission result until the next day. Got into one of HYP. When he told us we thought he was kidding and his sister was making fun of him. He had to bring his laptop and show us the result!

[Anonymous]

It doesn’t have to be this way.

My son is thrilled to be going to a good state school (UC Boulder) on rides. He handled all aspects of applying- and selecting his school. Turned down expensive schools such as Villanova and auburn to make a wise financial decision ahead of law school.

This forum caters to parents who control everything and micro manage their kids li es. If it’s sooooo hard to apply for college maybe the child isn’t ready.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just apply to 5-6 colleges. Make sure 3 are safeties or sure shots.

Pick 2-3 target/reaches.

It's chill.

College apps are only hard for reachy strivers.

But if you’re not a top student it’s not really clear what safeties are. My kid will be applying to a million schools most of which are considered “safeties” on this board.

Does your child have some kind of executive function disorder? A million is a lot and they really have endless resources to determine what is a safety for your kid, based on your kids stats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The top 10-15 colleges are such work. Some have 3-4 200-250 word essays and then a few short answers, then graded paper or a video, etc etc

It’s the kids applying to the top schools that really have so much to do. I was glad to see UVA has nothing extra- beyond common app this year.

A couple of years ago my kid rolled the dice on a couple of reaches. As a CS major looked at the MIT app and said "no thank you".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It doesn’t have to be this way.

My son is thrilled to be going to a good state school (UC Boulder) on rides. He handled all aspects of applying- and selecting his school. Turned down expensive schools such as Villanova and auburn to make a wise financial decision ahead of law school.

This forum caters to parents who control everything and micro manage their kids li es. If it’s sooooo hard to apply for college maybe the child isn’t ready.

+100

Congrats to your son - CU Boulder will be an excellent education and fun experience!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It doesn’t have to be this way.

My son is thrilled to be going to a good state school (UC Boulder) on rides. He handled all aspects of applying- and selecting his school. Turned down expensive schools such as Villanova and auburn to make a wise financial decision ahead of law school.

This forum caters to parents who control everything and micro manage their kids li es. If it’s sooooo hard to apply for college maybe the child isn’t ready.

I think one thing many non-DMV posters (like PP) don't recognize about this board is that it is first meant for DMV residents and that there are actual Washington, DC residents posting on here who do not have that in-state school that is the easy choice. It is a different calculation for us. We will not get in-state tuition anywhere so COA is a factor for every school.