I can’t say this to my kid’s face, of course, but...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
That's why I despise the American college exceptionalism.

Everywhere else, students are accepted on academic merit, with thresholds for grades and/or exams, which universities tweak for international students with different high school systems.

This makes the most sense, because universities remain places of higher learning, and judging based on extra-curriculars that don't have standardized norms makes comparing students impossible.

So at least in other countries, you know where you are. You're not messed around and have hopes dashed after waiting for months. As soon as you know your exam results, you also know where you're getting in.

Oh please. Colleges accept students who are qualified, interesting and will do well. Maybe your snowflake doesn't come off particularly well in his applications. No one owes you anything.

Seriously. I didn't read this whole thread, but OP's son seems academically motivated, but as a rich private school kid, what else does he bring to the table? An interesting personal story and perspective? Sports accomplishments? Jobs? Clubs? Personality?

Can I say this again - JOBS?

I would waitlist him too. Or reject him for the next generation of leaders, who don't sound like him, as intelligent as he might (or might not) be.

[Anonymous]

Good luck to your child. I hope it works out with CWRU.
He sounds like a great student and I am sure he will do well wherever he lands given his academic strengths. Your job now is to help him to love the school that showed him some love.
I will keep my fingers crossed for that waitlist to move

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hello, everyone. This is OP: He has decided to push hard to get off the waitlist at CWRU. We will keep our fingers crossed.Thank you to everyone who asked for an update. He is still upset but has come to terms that he will either go to his safety or hopefully get off of one of the waitlists, preferably CWRU at the point.

It has been a challenging journey and it is not over yet. Hopefully it won't take all summer for schools to figure out the waitlist situation.

Your son should write a waitlist letter:
1. make sure your son ends the letter with: if admitted off the waitlist, he will go to the school. Start the letter by saying, the school is his top choice, etc.etc.

2. In the middle of the letter: give updates of son’s achievements/activities since application

3. Keep length to one page

You and your son should go back to your private school college counselor and ask them to call the waitlisted college admissions. College counselor should stress that the college is son’s top choice and if admitted, would attend.

Colleges want to protect yield. Good luck!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
That's why I despise the American college exceptionalism.

Everywhere else, students are accepted on academic merit, with thresholds for grades and/or exams, which universities tweak for international students with different high school systems.

This makes the most sense, because universities remain places of higher learning, and judging based on extra-curriculars that don't have standardized norms makes comparing students impossible.

So at least in other countries, you know where you are. You're not messed around and have hopes dashed after waiting for months. As soon as you know your exam results, you also know where you're getting in.

Oh please. Colleges accept students who are qualified, interesting and will do well. Maybe your snowflake doesn't come off particularly well in his applications. No one owes you anything.

Seriously. I didn't read this whole thread, but OP's son seems academically motivated, but as a rich private school kid, what else does he bring to the table? An interesting personal story and perspective? Sports accomplishments? Jobs? Clubs? Personality?

Can I say this again - JOBS?

I would waitlist him too. Or reject him for the next generation of leaders, who don't sound like him, as intelligent as he might (or might not) be.

Can you say, pandemic year?! In a normal year, maybe. But pandemic year makes it tough, especially if you happened to live with someone who has health issues or a grandparent. He did continue volunteering, but I don’t think you can throw the “get a JOB” statement around like in a normal year.

[Anonymous]

Thank you, OP, for your first clarion song of common, if not universal, ache of parents whose kids' college options are not what we hoped for, after 12 years of not enough sleep, and so much stress for them.

I have taken many long walks down quiet back roads the past week, and your words, OP, have consoled me again and again, just as hearing the pre-historic shrieks of Sandhill Cranes helped me in my homesickness, as an 18-year-old away from home for the first time...

I hope your son is happy at CASE or wherever he ends up, and that he will not be irredeemably homesick, as I was. I hope he makes dear friends, and thrives, feeling that his studies are leading him into a magical world of uncharted thought....I wish this for him, and all the kids facing college after this brutal admissions year...

...and tonight is Ivy night. The tears and envy could propel momentarily to the moon....I wish it wasn't so...Best of luck to all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
That's why I despise the American college exceptionalism.

Everywhere else, students are accepted on academic merit, with thresholds for grades and/or exams, which universities tweak for international students with different high school systems.

This makes the most sense, because universities remain places of higher learning, and judging based on extra-curriculars that don't have standardized norms makes comparing students impossible.

So at least in other countries, you know where you are. You're not messed around and have hopes dashed after waiting for months. As soon as you know your exam results, you also know where you're getting in.

Oh please. Colleges accept students who are qualified, interesting and will do well. Maybe your snowflake doesn't come off particularly well in his applications. No one owes you anything.

Seriously. I didn't read this whole thread, but OP's son seems academically motivated, but as a rich private school kid, what else does he bring to the table? An interesting personal story and perspective? Sports accomplishments? Jobs? Clubs? Personality?

Can I say this again - JOBS?

I would waitlist him too. Or reject him for the next generation of leaders, who don't sound like him, as intelligent as he might (or might not) be.

Got it, white man bad! Racist!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you, OP, for your first clarion song of common, if not universal, ache of parents whose kids' college options are not what we hoped for, after 12 years of not enough sleep, and so much stress for them.

I have taken many long walks down quiet back roads the past week, and your words, OP, have consoled me again and again, just as hearing the pre-historic shrieks of Sandhill Cranes helped me in my homesickness, as an 18-year-old away from home for the first time...

I hope your son is happy at CASE or wherever he ends up, and that he will not be irredeemably homesick, as I was. I hope he makes dear friends, and thrives, feeling that his studies are leading him into a magical world of uncharted thought....I wish this for him, and all the kids facing college after this brutal admissions year...

...and tonight is Ivy night. The tears and envy could propel momentarily to the moon....I wish it wasn't so...Best of luck to all.

Do you, by any chance, hate the planting of monoculture grass along trails?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hello, everyone. This is OP: He has decided to push hard to get off the waitlist at CWRU. We will keep our fingers crossed.Thank you to everyone who asked for an update. He is still upset but has come to terms that he will either go to his safety or hopefully get off of one of the waitlists, preferably CWRU at the point.

It has been a challenging journey and it is not over yet. Hopefully it won't take all summer for schools to figure out the waitlist situation.

Good luck to your son, OP!! My gut says that there will likely be a larger number of people offered spots off the waitlists this year than usual (as may kids applied to a larger number of school, just to hedge their bets) so I think he has a very good chance. And thanks for updating us.

[Anonymous]

My DS will be declining his spot at Case, so maybe that will open up a spot for your son, OP.

This is a tough year for college admissions. It’s been extremely unpredictable. Good luck to your son. I think he will be extremely successful in his college career.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DS will be declining his spot at Case, so maybe that will open up a spot for your son, OP.

This is a tough year for college admissions. It’s been extremely unpredictable. Good luck to your son. I think he will be extremely successful in his college career.

Wonderful post, PP. I too will hope that OP’s kid winds up with that now-vacated spot!

[Anonymous]

OP, please know that your son's experience is not rare this year, regardless of what the yahoos here say. My high stats kid, 3.9 UW, 36 ACT, white male child, solid ECs, math focus, did not get into any but his safeties. He attends a lesser know private not known for its rigor, which certainly didn't help this year. We are lucky that one of his safeties made his top three list and came with good merit aid. But it would have been nice to have a choice. He has decided to accept one waitlist spot at Amherst, but not the one at Rice. He will most likely attend St. Olaf in MN.

This year is all about equity, inclusion, and diversity, both racial and economic. I can't argue with that, and my son understands it. There are lots of different paths forward for these kids. If he's open to big state publics, look west. If he would tolerate a smaller SLAC, look west. I think there will still be options for him. And yes, he is still as brilliant as you think he is. Check out this talk by Makcolm Gladwell if you want some reassurance about his future, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7J-wCHDJYmo

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son is in a similar boat. 3.9 GPA at a Big 3, perfect ACT score (36 on all sections), waitlisted at UChicago, WashU and Emory so far. College counselor had called Emory a match/likely for him.

Pp if you are reading this, where did your son get accepted?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I give up. It’s hard to to stay optimistic. He worked his ass off at his private school, got mid-1500 on his SAT, continued his in person volunteering throughout the pandemic (which I was not excited about, but he wanted to do it). He has had one B+ his entire 4 years of college, the rest As. His teachers speak highly of him and I believe they must have written good letters.

His counselor said his list was solid. He’s been waitlisted or rejected nearly everywhere. He has one acceptance to a “likely” and that’s it. Only one place teaming and it’s a huge reach, esp this year.

It’s hard to stay positive, happy, and upbeat for my kid. He is unexcited about the one place he got in. I know I should try to point out the positives of getting in that one place but it is so hard. I wish he would defer and take a gap year. I brought it up once but he said he isn’t interested.

I’m not thrilled with his college counselor at school. She hasn’t even checked in on his to see how he is doing. I give up on that process too. He is crushed. I am crushed for him.

I’d anyone else having this horrible of a situation? And please don’t say, “my love sucks too, my daughter only got into Emory and not Brown” or some such nonsense. His safety he got in is a safety for everyone.

He must be Asian American.

OP confirmed that he is HAPA about halfway through the thread.

HAPA and one parent born in another country

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hello, everyone. This is OP: He has decided to push hard to get off the waitlist at CWRU. We will keep our fingers crossed.Thank you to everyone who asked for an update. He is still upset but has come to terms that he will either go to his safety or hopefully get off of one of the waitlists, preferably CWRU at the point.

It has been a challenging journey and it is not over yet. Hopefully it won't take all summer for schools to figure out the waitlist situation.

Good luck to your son, OP!! My gut says that there will likely be a larger number of people offered spots off the waitlists this year than usual (as may kids applied to a larger number of school, just to hedge their bets) so I think he has a very good chance. And thanks for updating us.

Hate to burst the bubble, but there will be less off waitlist as a lot of kids took gap year last year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hello, everyone. This is OP: He has decided to push hard to get off the waitlist at CWRU. We will keep our fingers crossed.Thank you to everyone who asked for an update. He is still upset but has come to terms that he will either go to his safety or hopefully get off of one of the waitlists, preferably CWRU at the point.

It has been a challenging journey and it is not over yet. Hopefully it won't take all summer for schools to figure out the waitlist situation.

Good luck to your son, OP!! My gut says that there will likely be a larger number of people offered spots off the waitlists this year than usual (as may kids applied to a larger number of school, just to hedge their bets) so I think he has a very good chance. And thanks for updating us.

Hate to burst the bubble, but there will be less off waitlist as a lot of kids took gap year last year.

Just not true