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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m surprised that DH is surprised by DC’s results.

DC is a prospective engineering student with great grades and test scores - just like the bulk of their magnet peers. Results are rejections (at a few highly ranked schools) and acceptances with lots of merit everywhere else. They have lots of good choices at schools they’re interested in, all for roughly the same price as in-state public.

Kid seems fine with it, and it’s what I expected, but DH just can’t believe it.

Did DH over or underestimate?

[Anonymous]

What surprised me is that my dd had better stats as other kids who got into T-20 schools. The only difference they had more reputable stem awards. Even though they are not pursuing stem majors. Actually quite a few of them had lower standardized scores. I guess these top schools like these kind of ec, and it makes it easier for counselor to write the rec as further validation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What surprised me is that my dd had better stats as other kids who got into T-20 schools. The only difference they had more reputable stem awards. Even though they are not pursuing stem majors. Actually quite a few of them had lower standardized scores. I guess these top schools like these kind of ec, and it makes it easier for counselor to write the rec as further validation.

Awards make a difference.

Also stats don’t really matter once you meet a baseline. It’s not about the highest stats.

Overly packaged applications can doom an applicant.

[Anonymous]

That as usual timing is everything. This year same as it has been since COVID. Next year will be the start of a new paradigm. No more open spigot funding from the federal government, no more DEI, no more pointless majors. Test optional will fade, sure top schools will get tons of applications but colleges will begin to look like they did in the 50s, 60s, and 70s. Population cliff will thin the number of universities. State schools will begin shutting down satellite campuses. The percentage of Americans with a college degree will decline and non-US students will look at the UK and Europe instead of US schools.

Colleges and the professorial class had a good run, but tough times are ahead.

[Anonymous]

That getting the IB diploma is a waste if time.

[Anonymous]

IB kids did worse comparatively. At the end of the year when other kids were done, they felt completely blindsided since they did worse in adimissions. Then they still had to deal with their IB Exams. It was disheartening to witness.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But which school that accepts more than 50% of students is likely to be a great fit for a kid with perfect GPA and scores?

The sad fact is that posting about a school that satisfies this (and I have one in mind), would only prompt the jackasses on DCUM to savage it. But my 1560, 4.0 UW, NMF student from a well-known private school is in to a college that has a 48% admit rate, where she received a generous scholarship, and where she would have absolutely loved to go. It has one of the highest graduate school placement ratios, and is known for stellar undergraduate teaching. If none of her other schools had worked out, she would have loved going there.

I'm sympathetic to the "true likelies that are still desirable are hard to find" concerns, but the schools are out there.

Hendrix, Rhodes, Rose-Hulman

LOVED Hendrix when we visited.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m surprised that DH is surprised by DC’s results.

DC is a prospective engineering student with great grades and test scores - just like the bulk of their magnet peers. Results are rejections (at a few highly ranked schools) and acceptances with lots of merit everywhere else. They have lots of good choices at schools they’re interested in, all for roughly the same price as in-state public.

Kid seems fine with it, and it’s what I expected, but DH just can’t believe it.

Did DH over or underestimate?

He thought DC should get into the ultra competitive schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m surprised that DH is surprised by DC’s results.

DC is a prospective engineering student with great grades and test scores - just like the bulk of their magnet peers. Results are rejections (at a few highly ranked schools) and acceptances with lots of merit everywhere else. They have lots of good choices at schools they’re interested in, all for roughly the same price as in-state public.

Kid seems fine with it, and it’s what I expected, but DH just can’t believe it.

Did DH over or underestimate?

He thought DC should get into the ultra competitive schools.

This has been a very common situation with parents (and grandparents who saw us go through this process during the late 80’s and early 90’s). My parents couldn’t understand why my high stats kid wasn’t aspiring to ultra competitive schools (Ivies, WASP). They don’t grasp how much the landscape has changed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:IB kids did worse comparatively. At the end of the year when other kids were done, they felt completely blindsided since they did worse in adimissions. Then they still had to deal with their IB Exams. It was disheartening to witness.

What high school? I think IB kids at W&L usually do pretty well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Taking into account all the discounting, most colleges cost the same. At least that is our experience.

What are you finding? About $55k all in (R&B, tuition, books).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Applying from an over-represented state puts you at a huge disadvantage.

This is very true. Reddit is full of smart but unremarkable kids getting into top schools from under-represented states.

[Anonymous]

The problem is many kids sound the same on paper so finding a way to stand out is crucial.

[Anonymous]

Surprised when my child received an REA offer from HYPSM that many kids reacted negatively.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was surprised how mean and judgmental people can be about other people’s kids. Adult snark is one thing, mocking teenagers quite another. Regardless of the anonymous nature of this forum, I don’t understand why anyone feels the need to belittle a high schooler’s character, intellect, or choice of ECs, college, major, etc.

I admit anonymously to being overly harsh about a few kids who appear to have waltzed into tippy top schools to play sports but have not done anything close to the academic work my kid and friends have done (many of whom are still waiting for decisions).

Until I had a kid with tippy top athletic ability and saw the amount of work that goes into "waltzing" into any school . . .

+1. I am hoping my very hard working and ambitious DD, currently an 8th grader, will drop her sport in HS, because it is taking an insane amount of time and hard work will likely not pay off. On the other hand, I don't wan to advise her to do that because she has played it for 7 years, loves it, has many friends on the team, and it would be difficult to walk away. She is a top student at a rigorous school but has very little time for anything else.