I am losing heart.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It seems that excellent GPA and SAT is no longer enough. EC activities have to be supplemented with trips to teach underprivileged children in 3rd world countries. And you have to be able to afford the said trips to foreign countries. You have to know people to get internships and recommendations. All this in HS.

I just feel that I have failed my kids because this is just so overwhelming.

No longer enough for what?

If your kids don't get into an elite college you will have failed them? Wow, that's pretty bleak, OP.

[Anonymous]

I think that PP might have it confused with McGill in Montreal

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think that PP might have it confused with McGill in Montreal

Or McMaster.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems that excellent GPA and SAT is no longer enough. EC activities have to be supplemented with trips to teach underprivileged children in 3rd world countries. And you have to be able to afford the said trips to foreign countries. You have to know people to get internships and recommendations. All this in HS.

I just feel that I have failed my kids because this is just so overwhelming.

No longer enough for what?

If your kids don't get into an elite college you will have failed them? Wow, that's pretty bleak, OP.

I agree.

It amazes me how much pressure people put on themselves and their children. Our DS is a HS Junior and we don't feel the pressure the OP is experiencing.

[Anonymous]

Op~ where are you hoping your kid could go? What is your reference point?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I have a normal stats kid that did just fine in the admissions process. His unweighted GPA was around 3.6, he took 5 AP classes but didn't take the tests, and he scored 29 on the ACT. His EC's were football, wrestling, some normal kid volunteer stuff (little league, hospital), got a couple of awards, nothing spectacular... Interviewed great, wrote a solid essay and picked a reasonable selection of schools. I'm proud of his results and he ended up going to Macalester. Here's the breakdown:
St Olaf - accepted with aid
Luther - accepted with aid
Carelton - denied
College of Wooster - Wait list
Kenyon - accepted with aid
Grinnell - Wait list, no aid
Denison - accepted with aid
Cornell - denied

So you see, even with a normal GPA and ACT, he had his choice of St. Olaf, Macalester, Luther college (his safety), Kenyon and Denison.

So, please don't lose heart based on what you read here. Your kid will do just fine.

What is Macalester? Never heard of it.

Clearly your frame of reference is very, very limited.

[Anonymous]

OP here. My kid is in a magnet HS in MCPS. Straight A's. 1560 SAT (taken only once, he is not keen to retake again because of lack of time). Not a sports person. Participates in 4 clubs. Belongs to a couple of scholastic honors societies. 300 Hours of SSL - various local charities and volunteer work he has been involved in since MS. Leadership position in a couple of clubs. Goes for a few competitions from his clubs - wins a few. 7 APs (Mainly 5s) by end of junior year.

I have been told that he should not even bother to apply to the top schools because he should have done things that differentiates him from other students. Examples that I was given of charities that were founded, travel to 3rd world countries etc., Interning at NIH, Intel competition etc. - is not something we can afford because of lack of time and money.

I do not have a problem with him applying to state public colleges as long as he does something that he will enjoy (he is equally good in Humanities and STEM).

Thank you for your replies. I am actually beginning to feel a lot better now.

[Anonymous]

Oh boy! Way to humble brag OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
OP here. My kid is in a magnet HS in MCPS. Straight A's. 1560 SAT (taken only once, he is not keen to retake again because of lack of time). Not a sports person. Participates in 4 clubs. Belongs to a couple of scholastic honors societies. 300 Hours of SSL - various local charities and volunteer work he has been involved in since MS. Leadership position in a couple of clubs. Goes for a few competitions from his clubs - wins a few. 7 APs (Mainly 5s) by end of junior year.

I have been told that he should not even bother to apply to the top schools because he should have done things that differentiates him from other students. Examples that I was given of charities that were founded, travel to 3rd world countries etc., Interning at NIH, Intel competition etc. - is not something we can afford because of lack of time and money.

I do not have a problem with him applying to state public colleges as long as he does something that he will enjoy (he is equally good in Humanities and STEM).

Thank you for your replies. I am actually beginning to feel a lot better now.

First of all, don't listen to what someone tells you about where you son should apply. I am the poster above whose son got into 3 Ivy's and a number of top slac's. We were told that he should not apply because he was too well rounded, not "pointy" enough, and did not have leadership. In short, he was not the current model for a top school despite a perfect GPA and near perfect SAT's. He said "screw it. The worst they can do is reject me." If there are a few top schools that he interested in attending and you don't mind the application fee and he doesn't mind the extra essays then what does he have to lose?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I have a normal stats kid that did just fine in the admissions process. His unweighted GPA was around 3.6, he took 5 AP classes but didn't take the tests, and he scored 29 on the ACT. His EC's were football, wrestling, some normal kid volunteer stuff (little league, hospital), got a couple of awards, nothing spectacular... Interviewed great, wrote a solid essay and picked a reasonable selection of schools. I'm proud of his results and he ended up going to Macalester. Here's the breakdown:
St Olaf - accepted with aid
Luther - accepted with aid
Carelton - denied
College of Wooster - Wait list
Kenyon - accepted with aid
Grinnell - Wait list, no aid
Denison - accepted with aid
Cornell - denied

So you see, even with a normal GPA and ACT, he had his choice of St. Olaf, Macalester, Luther college (his safety), Kenyon and Denison.

So, please don't lose heart based on what you read here. Your kid will do just fine.

What is Macalester? Never heard of it.

I have never heard of it either, along with Grinnell and Carelton.

[Anonymous]

People, people, people: It's Carleton. A crazy prestigious SLAC in Northfield, MN.

[Anonymous]

Carleton and Macalester - both very good small schools in Minnesota.

I applied to Carleton ages ago and was rejected - ended up at UVA.

[Anonymous]

OP, consider top British schools for your DC. It will save you a lot of angst. Applications and admissions are straightforward, with minimum guess work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am getting sick of the whole "wealthy hire tutors to spoon feed their kids." The people that I know who hire tutors (very few) have kids who are struggling either with a poor teacher or an LD. The idea that most are rigging the system by buying special assistance for their child is so overblown. The tutor is needed to help the kids grasp information that is needed to pass, not move a kid from an A- to an A. Poor kids have access to Khan Academy, libraries and non profit tutoring groups. If you are worried about any child having access to homework help, I hope you are volunteering to help.

You are uninformed. My kids go to best schools and competition is fierce. Type A parents play every angle there is to eke out a little extra. Tutors aren't just for geometry struggles. Tutors can also help kids learn Mandarin outside of school, and other things like that to get an edge on classmates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
OP here. My kid is in a magnet HS in MCPS. Straight A's. 1560 SAT (taken only once, he is not keen to retake again because of lack of time). Not a sports person. Participates in 4 clubs. Belongs to a couple of scholastic honors societies. 300 Hours of SSL - various local charities and volunteer work he has been involved in since MS. Leadership position in a couple of clubs. Goes for a few competitions from his clubs - wins a few. 7 APs (Mainly 5s) by end of junior year.

I have been told that he should not even bother to apply to the top schools because he should have done things that differentiates him from other students. Examples that I was given of charities that were founded, travel to 3rd world countries etc., Interning at NIH, Intel competition etc. - is not something we can afford because of lack of time and money.

I do not have a problem with him applying to state public colleges as long as he does something that he will enjoy (he is equally good in Humanities and STEM).

Thank you for your replies. I am actually beginning to feel a lot better now.

Are you trolling? Your kid will get into at least one top 25 university, guaranteed.