College application lessons learned

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don’t pay $85 for the UNC-CH app unless you’re a recruited athlete, a legacy with a consistent family donation pattern, or a very high stats student from certain “top” publics or elite privates.

Apply to Pitt as soon as the app opens in early Aug. it’s a big confidence boost to have that first acceptance in your back pocket.

Get supplemental recommendations because they add another dimension to your application.

Do the tours, follow on Instagram, Zoom etc for the schools that track demonstrated interest (see CDS data to confirm)

True about UNC. I let my kid waste the money anyway.

What schools do they draw from? They have never accepted a student from our school. The school is mostly AA so I wonder about that.

I’m sorry, that is unfortunate.

They love their “pipeline” privates, sometimes but not always, aligning with Morehead Scholars’
They love MD magnets (e.g. Blair) and MD or DC privates, VA privates not so much
I don’t know about DC public high schools.
Only certain “pipeline” public high schools in Virginia.
They hate LCPS (grade inflation? Maybe)
They’ve been using this admissions strategy for decades. I guess it works for them!

We are at a Baltimore private and no private in this city is a feeder, unless we are talking about sending lacrosse recruits to UNC. I suspect the same for DMV private schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid has a rough time in Covid but a silver lining has been this: if you let go of the idea of going to a "top" or competitive school, the process is actually easy and fairly stress-free (and you'll get a lot of merit money too). There are a ton of schools with high acceptance rates that are eager to have your kid.

+1000

Focus on helping your kid build strengths for handling college, seizing opportunities, figuring out what they want to do with their life, and developing optimism and self-efficacy for their future rather than trying to optimize their admission into selective colleges. Every time they seem to be sucked into the college competition game, return them into thinking about what they want to do and why they want to do it.
Let the chips fall where they may with college admissions, but don't let your kid leave home into a massive financial and energy investment of college without feeling like they have some sense of control, purpose and excitement over their future and some visions for what that might be. Not just pride or disappointment because they got/didn't get some brass ring of college admission. It's very easy to just be good at school and think you need to just continue being good at school--it's harder to make that transition to building a life/career.

It's not either/or. Most kids at selective colleges know what they want and are ready for careers.

It's just jealousy to pretend otherwise.

They know what they want or what their parents tell them they want?

I have a very high achieving kid who was really not sure what she wanted. She went in with a major and changed her mind. Many, many kids change majors. The statistic is very high.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don’t pay $85 for the UNC-CH app unless you’re a recruited athlete, a legacy with a consistent family donation pattern, or a very high stats student from certain “top” publics or elite privates.

Apply to Pitt as soon as the app opens in early Aug. it’s a big confidence boost to have that first acceptance in your back pocket.

Get supplemental recommendations because they add another dimension to your application.

Do the tours, follow on Instagram, Zoom etc for the schools that track demonstrated interest (see CDS data to confirm)

Great threat. Disagree with UNC-CH comment. My MCPS kid was accepted and possesses none of the characteristics noted above. Child has decent test score (not perfect), four years on a sports team, many APs and a high GPA (not perfect).

[Anonymous]

Follow the schools on social media for free application fees dates.

Apply early. Be ready to start applying in August.

Choose a rolling admission school like Pitt but know Pitt gives very little merit money so figure out other schools that give early decisions. We chose Stephenson in Md, near Owings Mill and got a ton of merit which was a huge boost to my dc.

Talk to your dc about finances before they start picking schools. No need to put Vanderbilt on your list if you know you can’t pay for it and don’t qualify for financial aid.

[Anonymous]

^^a non-magnet MCPS school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don’t pay $85 for the UNC-CH app unless you’re a recruited athlete, a legacy with a consistent family donation pattern, or a very high stats student from certain “top” publics or elite privates.

Apply to Pitt as soon as the app opens in early Aug. it’s a big confidence boost to have that first acceptance in your back pocket.

Get supplemental recommendations because they add another dimension to your application.

Do the tours, follow on Instagram, Zoom etc for the schools that track demonstrated interest (see CDS data to confirm)

If a CS major, do not expect to get any merit. Engineering and A&S, yes, but NOT CS.

Do you mean at Pitt or do you mean anywhere?

PP. The bold (Pitt). Should have specified. For comparison, three Big Ten schools DID offer merit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid has a rough time in Covid but a silver lining has been this: if you let go of the idea of going to a "top" or competitive school, the process is actually easy and fairly stress-free (and you'll get a lot of merit money too). There are a ton of schools with high acceptance rates that are eager to have your kid.

+1000

Focus on helping your kid build strengths for handling college, seizing opportunities, figuring out what they want to do with their life, and developing optimism and self-efficacy for their future rather than trying to optimize their admission into selective colleges. Every time they seem to be sucked into the college competition game, return them into thinking about what they want to do and why they want to do it.
Let the chips fall where they may with college admissions, but don't let your kid leave home into a massive financial and energy investment of college without feeling like they have some sense of control, purpose and excitement over their future and some visions for what that might be. Not just pride or disappointment because they got/didn't get some brass ring of college admission. It's very easy to just be good at school and think you need to just continue being good at school--it's harder to make that transition to building a life/career.

I love this and am saving it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid has a rough time in Covid but a silver lining has been this: if you let go of the idea of going to a "top" or competitive school, the process is actually easy and fairly stress-free (and you'll get a lot of merit money too). There are a ton of schools with high acceptance rates that are eager to have your kid.

+1000

Focus on helping your kid build strengths for handling college, seizing opportunities, figuring out what they want to do with their life, and developing optimism and self-efficacy for their future rather than trying to optimize their admission into selective colleges. Every time they seem to be sucked into the college competition game, return them into thinking about what they want to do and why they want to do it.
Let the chips fall where they may with college admissions, but don't let your kid leave home into a massive financial and energy investment of college without feeling like they have some sense of control, purpose and excitement over their future and some visions for what that might be. Not just pride or disappointment because they got/didn't get some brass ring of college admission. It's very easy to just be good at school and think you need to just continue being good at school--it's harder to make that transition to building a life/career.

It's not either/or. Most kids at selective colleges know what they want and are ready for careers.

It's just jealousy to pretend otherwise.

They know what they want or what their parents tell them they want?

I have a very high achieving kid who was really not sure what she wanted. She went in with a major and changed her mind. Many, many kids change majors. The statistic is very high.

Supposedly 75% of kids change their major at least once in college. Are you suggesting that the other 25% can't think for themselves and blindly follow what their parents tell them to do?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid has a rough time in Covid but a silver lining has been this: if you let go of the idea of going to a "top" or competitive school, the process is actually easy and fairly stress-free (and you'll get a lot of merit money too). There are a ton of schools with high acceptance rates that are eager to have your kid.

+1000

Focus on helping your kid build strengths for handling college, seizing opportunities, figuring out what they want to do with their life, and developing optimism and self-efficacy for their future rather than trying to optimize their admission into selective colleges. Every time they seem to be sucked into the college competition game, return them into thinking about what they want to do and why they want to do it.
Let the chips fall where they may with college admissions, but don't let your kid leave home into a massive financial and energy investment of college without feeling like they have some sense of control, purpose and excitement over their future and some visions for what that might be. Not just pride or disappointment because they got/didn't get some brass ring of college admission. It's very easy to just be good at school and think you need to just continue being good at school--it's harder to make that transition to building a life/career.

+1. Great advice! Would love to see more specific recommendations on how..

[Anonymous]

Every time I see UNC-CH, I think of Charlotte, not Chapel Hill.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid has a rough time in Covid but a silver lining has been this: if you let go of the idea of going to a "top" or competitive school, the process is actually easy and fairly stress-free (and you'll get a lot of merit money too). There are a ton of schools with high acceptance rates that are eager to have your kid.

+1000

Focus on helping your kid build strengths for handling college, seizing opportunities, figuring out what they want to do with their life, and developing optimism and self-efficacy for their future rather than trying to optimize their admission into selective colleges. Every time they seem to be sucked into the college competition game, return them into thinking about what they want to do and why they want to do it.
Let the chips fall where they may with college admissions, but don't let your kid leave home into a massive financial and energy investment of college without feeling like they have some sense of control, purpose and excitement over their future and some visions for what that might be. Not just pride or disappointment because they got/didn't get some brass ring of college admission. It's very easy to just be good at school and think you need to just continue being good at school--it's harder to make that transition to building a life/career.

It's not either/or. Most kids at selective colleges know what they want and are ready for careers.

It's just jealousy to pretend otherwise.

I didn't say it was either/or--rather "let the chips fall where they may" but prioritize sense of purpose first. I say this advice as my eldest kid who is now a senior at a highly selective college and, like many of his friends there, are feeling a lot of anxiety about life after school. They have been successful so long at school, but they feel vaguely unmoved by future opportunities. Some have good job prospects, some don't know yet. But for both groups the vibe is more like "is this all there is?". What I've learned for my younger is to start addressing purpose earlier and don't let them get sucked into competitive college process at the expense of it. Kids only have so much time/energy and for high-achieving kids the culture is often pushing them just to get into the best college possible--some of which is very much out of their control. And the evidence doesn't show that it makes a huge difference anyway--it's the kid not the school that makes the difference.

And they need to be prepared for the reality that when they get that first job, they are the same as all the other people starting that day who didn't go to their prestige school. The quickest way down is to assume you are better simply because of where you went to college. Don't be that fool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:AOs no longer want kids from good high schools with stable families.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Follow the schools on social media for free application fees dates.

Apply early. Be ready to start applying in August.

Choose a rolling admission school like Pitt but know Pitt gives very little merit money so figure out other schools that give early decisions. We chose Stephenson in Md, near Owings Mill and got a ton of merit which was a huge boost to my dc.

Talk to your dc about finances before they start picking schools. No need to put Vanderbilt on your list if you know you can’t pay for it and don’t qualify for financial aid.

Early decision is binding, so using that phrase in another context could throw people off, especially since this is supposed to be a thread for parents that are new to the college application process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do schools track whether you opened their emails BEFORE you submit an app, or only after?

once your kid adds
A college to the dashboard in common app even if they have not actually applied yet- the mail starts coming in full!

Does the Common App form allow the use of 2 different email addresses for the same applicant? So all mail to the student is sent to both addresses?

[Anonymous]

How can you get data on acceptance rate by major?? Please share!