How “Honest” Are Counselors about Choices?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It would be next to impossible for her to get into 5 of her choices, and I don’t want her to feel really bad about her backup choices.

Five is a lot of reach schools. How many "match" schools does she have? Safety schools?

I have liked the advice to make sure the student has at least one safety that they could happily see themselves at. Then if she doesn't get into her reach schools (not too surprising), and even worse, doesn't get into her match schools (much more surprising), there's still an outcome that she can live with.

5 is not a lot of reach schools if you are a top student applying high. 2, however, is a very low number of match schools.

[Anonymous]

OP counselors at private schools want everyone to get in somewhere. So they can say everyone did. But don’t go through 7 applications for reach schools. Exhausting and very discouraging.
Hard to get into is counselor speak for reach school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Eh, guidance counselors are a joke. They have their own interests. My son went to public school and his gc kept suggesting Rutgers. He told her, "I hate New Jersey; I wouldn't go to any school in that state even if that's the only place I got in." She discouraged him from applying anywhere else.

He went to Stanford. He sent her a postcard.

Your son sounds provincial.

He sounds adorable

[Anonymous]

Op I have a rising junior at a big 3 who sounds a lot like your dd so I can at least partially relate. I am trying very hard to stay out of these discussions and let dc handle it. I do firmly believe that not getting into dream schools is one of life’s tough lessons.