A place for ordinary kids?
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Anonymous
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Okay, I'm crazy about my kids -- but they are just kids. I mean: I think they are smart, funny, gorgeous, interesting and kind. And they do fine at school: not super-genius-level fine, but fine; both are in middle school at a decent private pre-k-8, where one gets mostly Bs and the other gets mostly As, and they have standardized test scores in the highly respectable-by-non-DC standards range (>85th percentile). But they are not specialists: neither one knows Urdu, or creates centrifuges in a home lab, or performs in Kennedy Center productions, or has written a three-act play, or is budding collegiate athlete (or any kind of athlete, really). And neither shows any particular interest in becoming the kind of kid who does those things. They have no interest in taking any kind of lessons. They go to summer camp but prefer the kind of old-fashioned camp where you do a bit of everything to specialty camps.
To me, this seems just fine. To me, it seems like they're doing exactly what kids should do, which is enjoy their friends and family, enjoy school, dabble in a little of this and a little of that, and generally be relaxed and happy little people. But everyone now and then, reading the posts on this board, I freak out, and become convinced that they will never get into a decent college. So how about it, folks: do you have a bright kid who's not a super-specialist or super-genius? And how are they doing in the college admissions game? Is there any hope for my normal, bright, generalist kids? |
Anonymous
| State school all the way. |
Anonymous
| It's still early. But my guess is they'll go to a fine school outside of the top 50 colleges as ranked by USNWR. |
Anonymous
Anonymous
| Well, you have just described my kids, to a T. Bright, lovely, witty, easy-to-be-around kids. But no specialists here either, and like you, I wouldn't have it any other way. My oldest is currently a senior and we are waiting on college results. DH and I decided to tell all the kids that they could go to any state school they chose, and oldest seems fine with that. So we shall see what the outcome is! |
Anonymous
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Schools like Mary Washington and Catholic University.
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Anonymous
| Plenty of universities will take them. There are hundreds of them in the US, and some of the second tier universities and LACs offer great educations. Don't worry. |
Anonymous
| Read "Colleges That Change Lives" for a look at schools that provide wonderful experiences to kids who aren't necessarily high flyers. |
Anonymous
This is silly. My teenagers and I visited several schools in the "20-35 range" this fall, and their overwhelming impression of the students they saw around campus and speaking at tours and open houses was, "These kids don't seem THAT smart." They were pleasantly surprised at how regular everyone seemed. We remember especially fondly one tour guide who introduced us to the performing arts center with,"now I'm tone deaf, but we have a great music program"; the athletic program with, "I don't play any sports, but I really like going to my friends' games"; and the science department with, "I'm not good at science, but I took this geology class, and now I can name all these different types of rocks. . . ." We found her so refreshing and unpretentious! And she had gotten into a college many kids around here would be thrilled to go to. Your kids sound wonderful, OP, and they will do just fine! |
Anonymous
| Middle school is earlier to give a guess about your kids' prospects OP. Mine did terrible in middle school at an elite private...did superb in h.s. and ended up at top-ranked Ivy. We would have never guessed it. Don't sell them short. If they don't excel in h.s. then they'll end up at a mid-tier state school or mid-tier private school like most other kids. Don't sell them short at this point. |
Anonymous
Ok, silly. Maybe you know better but please report back after you've gone through the college admissions process 3 times with unhooked, smart, wonderful, talented, varsity athletes, volunteers, etc etc, kids with a GPA less than 3.7 and SATs under 1300. |
Anonymous
| My high school senior is applying to college right now. I can assure you that there are many places for ordinary kids. All you need to do is to save enough so when they are admitted by outside state schools, you can support them |
Anonymous
| It sounds like your kids will be happy, well adjusted kids. Many of these "geniuses" are pushed by parents and end up succumbing to stress, afraid to try new things & fail, etc. if your kid is getting As and Bs, your kid will get into a good school and do well. |
Anonymous
My DC was the classic well-rounded kid who is supposed to be out of fashion these says -- As and Bs at an excellent private school, test scores aligned with her grades and very strong extracurriculars but no big awards, etc. -- and she got into every school she applied to, all of them in the top 50 and several in the top 25. We were somewhat surprised because of course we believe all the crap we had heard...but not really because deep down, even though I've lived in this town far too long, I knew that authenticity had to count for something. So OP -- don't give it another thought. Raising a happy, well adjusted high school kid is an excellent long term strategy. |
Anonymous
There's some truth to this, especially the part about good schools taking B students. But it's also the sort of gross over-generalization about kids and motivation that can be very misleading. By high school, most of the "geniuses" I know are self-motivated, and many of the kids who were pushed have rebelled and won't be going to Harvard after all. On the flip side, being a B student doesn't mean, by any stretch of logic, that the kid is well-adjusted and happy. |