What has surprised you - as your kid comes to the end of this process

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Surprising ? How “state school” has been rebranded to “public FLAGSHIP dammit” in just 3-4 years’ time.

Look, Beth, we all knew your kid was never going to apply, let alone attend, UW-Stevens Point. Just say your kid is applying to “several state schools” and chose “Wisconsin.”

FLAGSHIP dammit is the new North Bethesda North Potomac Hill East

lol

[Anonymous]

It's the inability to predict outcomes that is driving the tremendous growth of the individual numbers of applications to 20+.

Although I think it is personally fine to be undecided as a HS senior, it is very difficult to tell the story of why a college is a good match without a major.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The humanities kids get in to T25 with lower stats, especially if they have ANY sort of well-regarded honor or award.

Makes you sound like they are undeserving when the truth of the matter is that they should be favored even more than they are, to stem (pardon the pun) the STEM+business+econ trade school tide. I’d go so far as to say they merit a tuition reduction, as they cost almost nothing to teach and get no benefit from a school’s latest science center in the hundreds of millions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The idea of perfect fit is utter BS...most kids could be happy at many different places - parents are just putting more pressure on kids to subscribe to some concept of the perfect fit when its not realistic.

And parents should remember this also applies to DC’s future spouse!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That it's really easy to get into college if you're a good student with pretty good scores but not top scores (in this case a 1400). My ds got in everywhere he applied but one college as a normal kid who picked easier APs and enjoyed his life without stress. I was so worried and thought it would be a lot harder than it was.

Thank you so much for sharing this!! I’m so happy for your DC!!!

Our younger DC starts high school next year and will likely follow a similar path (which is quite different than our older DC’s path.)

If you’d be willing to share a few of the schools, we’d be grateful. But totally understand if you’d rather keep it low-key. The “T-20 or die” crew on here are A LOT ….

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The humanities kids get in to T25 with lower stats, especially if they have ANY sort of well-regarded honor or award.

Makes you sound like they are undeserving when the truth of the matter is that they should be favored even more than they are, to stem (pardon the pun) the STEM+business+econ trade school tide. I’d go so far as to say they merit a tuition reduction, as they cost almost nothing to teach and get no benefit from a school’s latest science center in the hundreds of millions.

Will be interesting to see how RD turns out for this group.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The humanities kids get in to T25 with lower stats, especially if they have ANY sort of well-regarded honor or award.

Makes you sound like they are undeserving when the truth of the matter is that they should be favored even more than they are, to stem (pardon the pun) the STEM+business+econ trade school tide. I’d go so far as to say they merit a tuition reduction, as they cost almost nothing to teach and get no benefit from a school’s latest science center in the hundreds of millions.

+1

T25 schools are much more than STEM diploma factories …..

[Anonymous]

Holistic is only meaningful once you have a 3.95 (or whatever it is for your hs) and a 1520

Schools like Dartmouth who talk about wanting to hear your truth, only listen if you also have test scores. But yes, once you have the stats, they’ll listen. But don’t bother if you don’t have them

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That it's really easy to get into college if you're a good student with pretty good scores but not top scores (in this case a 1400). My ds got in everywhere he applied but one college as a normal kid who picked easier APs and enjoyed his life without stress. I was so worried and thought it would be a lot harder than it was.

Thank you so much for sharing this!! I’m so happy for your DC!!!

Our younger DC starts high school next year and will likely follow a similar path (which is quite different than our older DC’s path.)

If you’d be willing to share a few of the schools, we’d be grateful. But totally understand if you’d rather keep it low-key. The “T-20 or die” crew on here are A LOT ….

Identify a true target (and not a reach you call a target), apply ED1 to it, and you are done. It is that simple. Easier to do for SLACs…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That it's really easy to get into college if you're a good student with pretty good scores but not top scores (in this case a 1400). My ds got in everywhere he applied but one college as a normal kid who picked easier APs and enjoyed his life without stress. I was so worried and thought it would be a lot harder than it was.

Thank you so much for sharing this!! I’m so happy for your DC!!!

Our younger DC starts high school next year and will likely follow a similar path (which is quite different than our older DC’s path.)

If you’d be willing to share a few of the schools, we’d be grateful. But totally understand if you’d rather keep it low-key. The “T-20 or die” crew on here are A LOT ….

Figure out how competitive your kid truly is. You can usually do that by talking to older parents from your high school. Some kids have no business applying to 80% of the schools they apply to. Someone should’ve been honest with them.

Others it makes sense. Either because of their high school’s data or something else that stands out in their background.

Take a look at stats that are published on Reddit, here or on your school’s data providers to figure out what are good high targets and low reaches - ED 1 to a low reach and ED2 to high target - if private HS.

If public HS, both ED should be targets - unless kid has something exceptional or noteworthy about them.

Remember, major matters a lot. You will have to classify down if applying to an over-subscribed/popular major. Regardless of type of HS.

[Anonymous]

Bering reasonable makes the whole process easier for everyone involved. My kid applied as a business major for most of his schools. By default he said he wanted to major in business/accounting/finance because that is what a 18 year old boy does when he isn't a STEM kid or doesn't want to be doctor or lawyer. We knew that was going to make it tougher. He didn't apply as a business major for two schools. One he applied as a liberal arts (econ) major. The other he applied to a less competitive program that he was interested in. He got into both. Got into the business schools everywhere but one. That one school accepted him as a pre-business major due to being test optional. So, he has choices. Lots of great choices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That it's really easy to get into college if you're a good student with pretty good scores but not top scores (in this case a 1400). My ds got in everywhere he applied but one college as a normal kid who picked easier APs and enjoyed his life without stress. I was so worried and thought it would be a lot harder than it was.

Honestly this is only true if he went to a not very competitive public high school or a private school that universities like.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bering reasonable makes the whole process easier for everyone involved. My kid applied as a business major for most of his schools. By default he said he wanted to major in business/accounting/finance because that is what a 18 year old boy does when he isn't a STEM kid or doesn't want to be doctor or lawyer. We knew that was going to make it tougher. He didn't apply as a business major for two schools. One he applied as a liberal arts (econ) major. The other he applied to a less competitive program that he was interested in. He got into both. Got into the business schools everywhere but one. That one school accepted him as a pre-business major due to being test optional. So, he has choices. Lots of great choices.

Wow. That’s amazing.
Can you name schools for the rest of us looking?

[Anonymous]

that there is life after just 3 years of a foreign language. as DD heads to a T30-35 school (which ironically has a foreign language proficiency requirement)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What has surprised you - that you were clueless about?

Fake virtue signaling and faux activism are highly valued in the process by the liberal arts majors that are the AOs at these schools. Tough road for great, but not elite, scholar-athletes and brilliant, but introverted kids.