Success stories/fairy tale endings please

[Anonymous]

OP, people have used the phrase “blood bath” to me also. I wasn’t that worried before but it is easy to fall into a hole of concern when folks talk like that. I get where you are coming from.

My kid is going through the process now but I know of several kids who ended up at first choice dream school. My take on last year: no one got shut out (to me, no acceptances would be a blood bath) and every kid ended up at a great school. One parent who was complaining to me was frustrated because kid was denied top 20 first choice and ended up at Michigan. Lots of stories like that. Maybe someone would say those are bad outcomes but ending up at a highly reputable school where the kid will get a stellar education and is happy seems like a fairy tale to me.

Hang in there! You are not alone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry OP, but your post does sound geared toward true reaches (not the "reach" to a school with a 60% acceptance rate). The best thing you can do for your kid to avoid the "bloodbath" is to help him/her find reaches, targets, and TRUE safeties they'd be happy going to. And if you have a high stats kid, they need to put the work in with the safety just as they would with the reach/match. High stat kids are sometimes sidelined in the yeild protection process.

This is what worries me.

Then apply ED. The only people complaining about "yield protection" are those who didn't bother to apply ED and still thought they'd get in.
DP

This is typical DCUM tone deaf. Not everyone can chance going ED if it means full pay at $80/year. Why is that so difficult to grasp?

If you are accepted ED but cannot afford it, you can decline. Why is that so difficult to grasp?

That really applies only to full pay or low income. If EFC is $50K and you cannot actually pay that (Because you just only make $160K/year and the federal govt somehow thinks that means you can afford $50K/year for your kid), then you can only get out of the ED if the aid is less than Total cost -50K. That is where many middle income families are---they can't afford to pay the EFC!!! So it means ED is not an option for your family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are you calling a bloodbath? I assume all these kids ended up somewhere.

It's the entitlement culture.

And if they didn't create a list of True Safeties they may not be happy with the "somewhere" they got in. THat's why it's so important to create the correct list. Be realistic and assume you have to go to a safety, have several great safeties and show continued interest in them so you don't get rejected because of high scores and the believe you won't attend. And remember that true safeties need an acceptance rate of 50%+ and scoring at 75%+ for SAT/GPA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry OP, but your post does sound geared toward true reaches (not the "reach" to a school with a 60% acceptance rate). The best thing you can do for your kid to avoid the "bloodbath" is to help him/her find reaches, targets, and TRUE safeties they'd be happy going to. And if you have a high stats kid, they need to put the work in with the safety just as they would with the reach/match. High stat kids are sometimes sidelined in the yeild protection process.

This is what worries me.

Then apply ED. The only people complaining about "yield protection" are those who didn't bother to apply ED and still thought they'd get in.
DP

This is typical DCUM tone deaf. Not everyone can chance going ED if it means full pay at $80/year. Why is that so difficult to grasp?

If you are accepted ED but cannot afford it, you can decline. Why is that so difficult to grasp?

That really applies only to full pay or low income. If EFC is $50K and you cannot actually pay that (Because you just only make $160K/year and the federal govt somehow thinks that means you can afford $50K/year for your kid), then you can only get out of the ED if the aid is less than Total cost -50K. That is where many middle income families are---they can't afford to pay the EFC!!! So it means ED is not an option for your family.

Yea too bad the whole system is against hard working tax paying middle class.
ED to State flagship

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry OP, but your post does sound geared toward true reaches (not the "reach" to a school with a 60% acceptance rate). The best thing you can do for your kid to avoid the "bloodbath" is to help him/her find reaches, targets, and TRUE safeties they'd be happy going to. And if you have a high stats kid, they need to put the work in with the safety just as they would with the reach/match. High stat kids are sometimes sidelined in the yeild protection process.

This is what worries me.

Then apply ED. The only people complaining about "yield protection" are those who didn't bother to apply ED and still thought they'd get in.
DP

This is typical DCUM tone deaf. Not everyone can chance going ED if it means full pay at $80/year. Why is that so difficult to grasp?

If you are accepted ED but cannot afford it, you can decline. Why is that so difficult to grasp?

That really applies only to full pay or low income. If EFC is $50K and you cannot actually pay that (Because you just only make $160K/year and the federal govt somehow thinks that means you can afford $50K/year for your kid), then you can only get out of the ED if the aid is less than Total cost -50K. That is where many middle income families are---they can't afford to pay the EFC!!! So it means ED is not an option for your family.

Yea too bad the whole system is against hard working tax paying middle class.
ED to State flagship

but 50K is not that bad. check UVA instate tuition

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah OP = sorry everyone is being so harsh about your request but it's just hard to say in this environment and more kids get rejected than admitted to almost all of the top 100 schools. So that's why everyone is being so negative.

But yes, my DS got into 1 of his reaches and rejected from 4 other reaches. He ended up at a target and is very happy he chose that school.

I'm in it now with my DS 2023 senior and it really is all about the idea that no school is perfect, admissions is hard to predict, he will get into some school and probably like it, he has schools in the reach, target and safety that he would like to attend. And he knows from his older brother there is no school that is really perfect and you don't have to pick the school that is ranked highest.

Note as well - I know a few kids from my older DS year that transferred - even from high-ranking schools - so it really is better to focus on what your kid wants versus how a school is ranked.

The bolded part is what I think my family needs to focus on. The reason all these people are saying their kid is so happy they chose the school they did is, at least partially, b/c it's the only school they know as a student. Kids can be happy at a lot of places if they can let go of the idea that there was one perfect school for them. I was happy at my college, but I know I would have had a completely different and, likely, completely happy experience at a much larger school. My kid loves a T25 school with scary admissions rates, no ED option, but also without super high average stats for freshman class. No hook here, so we know the chances are slim. I think you have to be OK going somewhere where your stats are higher than the average.

And "going somewhere where your stats are higher than average" is perfectly fine. Keep in mind that a 1350 SAT is ~90th percentile. Still someone who is really smart, and your kid will do just fine surrounded by others like that even if they have a 1580. In fact, it might be helpful to learn to associate with a variety of people, because nobody is in a job where everyone is a "genius". Good practice for life.

If you want to choose a bigger school with more range of scores, then pick the honors college to find your group of "higher scoring" kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah OP = sorry everyone is being so harsh about your request but it's just hard to say in this environment and more kids get rejected than admitted to almost all of the top 100 schools. So that's why everyone is being so negative.

But yes, my DS got into 1 of his reaches and rejected from 4 other reaches. He ended up at a target and is very happy he chose that school.

I'm in it now with my DS 2023 senior and it really is all about the idea that no school is perfect, admissions is hard to predict, he will get into some school and probably like it, he has schools in the reach, target and safety that he would like to attend. And he knows from his older brother there is no school that is really perfect and you don't have to pick the school that is ranked highest.

Note as well - I know a few kids from my older DS year that transferred - even from high-ranking schools - so it really is better to focus on what your kid wants versus how a school is ranked.

The bolded part is what I think my family needs to focus on. The reason all these people are saying their kid is so happy they chose the school they did is, at least partially, b/c it's the only school they know as a student. Kids can be happy at a lot of places if they can let go of the idea that there was one perfect school for them. I was happy at my college, but I know I would have had a completely different and, likely, completely happy experience at a much larger school. My kid loves a T25 school with scary admissions rates, no ED option, but also without super high average stats for freshman class. No hook here, so we know the chances are slim. I think you have to be OK going somewhere where your stats are higher than the average.

And "going somewhere where your stats are higher than average" is perfectly fine. Keep in mind that a 1350 SAT is ~90th percentile. Still someone who is really smart, and your kid will do just fine surrounded by others like that even if they have a 1580. In fact, it might be helpful to learn to associate with a variety of people, because nobody is in a job where everyone is a "genius". Good practice for life.

If you want to choose a bigger school with more range of scores, then pick the honors college to find your group of "higher scoring" kids.

Agree with you. The “stats higher than average” comment says a lot about that poster. Stats aren’t everything. There are really bright kids who are lte bloomers, creative kids who don’t do well in traditional HS settings, etc. Thise kids have a ton to offer. Your “high stats” kid may gain a different perspective.

[Anonymous]

says parents of lower stat kids

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah OP = sorry everyone is being so harsh about your request but it's just hard to say in this environment and more kids get rejected than admitted to almost all of the top 100 schools. So that's why everyone is being so negative.

But yes, my DS got into 1 of his reaches and rejected from 4 other reaches. He ended up at a target and is very happy he chose that school.

I'm in it now with my DS 2023 senior and it really is all about the idea that no school is perfect, admissions is hard to predict, he will get into some school and probably like it, he has schools in the reach, target and safety that he would like to attend. And he knows from his older brother there is no school that is really perfect and you don't have to pick the school that is ranked highest.

Note as well - I know a few kids from my older DS year that transferred - even from high-ranking schools - so it really is better to focus on what your kid wants versus how a school is ranked.

The bolded part is what I think my family needs to focus on. The reason all these people are saying their kid is so happy they chose the school they did is, at least partially, b/c it's the only school they know as a student. Kids can be happy at a lot of places if they can let go of the idea that there was one perfect school for them. I was happy at my college, but I know I would have had a completely different and, likely, completely happy experience at a much larger school. My kid loves a T25 school with scary admissions rates, no ED option, but also without super high average stats for freshman class. No hook here, so we know the chances are slim. I think you have to be OK going somewhere where your stats are higher than the average.

And "going somewhere where your stats are higher than average" is perfectly fine. Keep in mind that a 1350 SAT is ~90th percentile. Still someone who is really smart, and your kid will do just fine surrounded by others like that even if they have a 1580. In fact, it might be helpful to learn to associate with a variety of people, because nobody is in a job where everyone is a "genius". Good practice for life.

If you want to choose a bigger school with more range of scores, then pick the honors college to find your group of "higher scoring" kids.

Agree with you. The “stats higher than average” comment says a lot about that poster. Stats aren’t everything. There are really bright kids who are lte bloomers, creative kids who don’t do well in traditional HS settings, etc. Thise kids have a ton to offer. Your “high stats” kid may gain a different perspective.

So, what's the point of working hard for those A's in the intense classes? The response above is disingenuous. I'm wondering what's the benefit of all that work if you could also get to the same spot with regular classes and more free time. I mean, I like that idea, but I'm not sure how that would fly with kids who have heard about the importance of class choice and grades since they were in middle school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah OP = sorry everyone is being so harsh about your request but it's just hard to say in this environment and more kids get rejected than admitted to almost all of the top 100 schools. So that's why everyone is being so negative.

But yes, my DS got into 1 of his reaches and rejected from 4 other reaches. He ended up at a target and is very happy he chose that school.

I'm in it now with my DS 2023 senior and it really is all about the idea that no school is perfect, admissions is hard to predict, he will get into some school and probably like it, he has schools in the reach, target and safety that he would like to attend. And he knows from his older brother there is no school that is really perfect and you don't have to pick the school that is ranked highest.

Note as well - I know a few kids from my older DS year that transferred - even from high-ranking schools - so it really is better to focus on what your kid wants versus how a school is ranked.

The bolded part is what I think my family needs to focus on. The reason all these people are saying their kid is so happy they chose the school they did is, at least partially, b/c it's the only school they know as a student. Kids can be happy at a lot of places if they can let go of the idea that there was one perfect school for them. I was happy at my college, but I know I would have had a completely different and, likely, completely happy experience at a much larger school. My kid loves a T25 school with scary admissions rates, no ED option, but also without super high average stats for freshman class. No hook here, so we know the chances are slim. I think you have to be OK going somewhere where your stats are higher than the average.

And "going somewhere where your stats are higher than average" is perfectly fine. Keep in mind that a 1350 SAT is ~90th percentile. Still someone who is really smart, and your kid will do just fine surrounded by others like that even if they have a 1580. In fact, it might be helpful to learn to associate with a variety of people, because nobody is in a job where everyone is a "genius". Good practice for life.

If you want to choose a bigger school with more range of scores, then pick the honors college to find your group of "higher scoring" kids.

Agree with you. The “stats higher than average” comment says a lot about that poster. Stats aren’t everything. There are really bright kids who are lte bloomers, creative kids who don’t do well in traditional HS settings, etc. Thise kids have a ton to offer. Your “high stats” kid may gain a different perspective.

So, what's the point of working hard for those A's in the intense classes? The response above is disingenuous. I'm wondering what's the benefit of all that work if you could also get to the same spot with regular classes and more free time. I mean, I like that idea, but I'm not sure how that would fly with kids who have heard about the importance of class choice and grades since they were in middle school.

Don't listen to that. You'll run into plenty of less intelligent people throughout your life.
College is not the place for that. You want to be surrounded by equally or little more intelligent peers in academic environments.
No need to dumb down at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, people have used the phrase “blood bath” to me also. I wasn’t that worried before but it is easy to fall into a hole of concern when folks talk like that. I get where you are coming from.

My kid is going through the process now but I know of several kids who ended up at first choice dream school. My take on last year: no one got shut out (to me, no acceptances would be a blood bath) and every kid ended up at a great school. One parent who was complaining to me was frustrated because kid was denied top 20 first choice and ended up at Michigan. Lots of stories like that. Maybe someone would say those are bad outcomes but ending up at a highly reputable school where the kid will get a stellar education and is happy seems like a fairy tale to me.

Hang in there! You are not alone.

yes!
the "blood bath" posters last year (I think i read every freaking post) were all "my 4.0/1580/18 AP kid was denied at 14/15 schools! He was only admitted at Brown".
Hmm. Not sure I'd call that a bloodbath.

[Anonymous]

Well a bit more sympathy for op and all parents of seniors from me. These kids went through high school in a pandemic and now are applying to college in what is a fluid and changing landscape. My kids are younger so no happy endings from me but from what I can tell in this new world, the biggest thing you can do as a student to up you chances is write a compelling and interesting essay.

Good luck to all!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry OP, but your post does sound geared toward true reaches (not the "reach" to a school with a 60% acceptance rate). The best thing you can do for your kid to avoid the "bloodbath" is to help him/her find reaches, targets, and TRUE safeties they'd be happy going to. And if you have a high stats kid, they need to put the work in with the safety just as they would with the reach/match. High stat kids are sometimes sidelined in the yeild protection process.

This is what worries me.

Yep. You have to show them love. I had a high stats kid who did not want T20. She showed the lower ranked schools the love and got into all of them.

What to do though with like a JMU which I don’t think looks at demonstrates interest? It should be a safety for my kid but I worry about yield protection. He actually is interested in the school and while he has the stats for higher ranked schools he’d be happy to go there.

This is so creepy.

Yes, JMU does demonstrated interest. You should have a JMYou account - different from the my Madison login for applicants - which tracks demonstrated interest. I think my DS has an 88% - won’t get much higher b/c he doesn’t want to make public comments on the account. The more you watch their videos, visit the school and click on links in their emails to you, the more the % goes up. Just FYI.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah OP = sorry everyone is being so harsh about your request but it's just hard to say in this environment and more kids get rejected than admitted to almost all of the top 100 schools. So that's why everyone is being so negative.

But yes, my DS got into 1 of his reaches and rejected from 4 other reaches. He ended up at a target and is very happy he chose that school.

I'm in it now with my DS 2023 senior and it really is all about the idea that no school is perfect, admissions is hard to predict, he will get into some school and probably like it, he has schools in the reach, target and safety that he would like to attend. And he knows from his older brother there is no school that is really perfect and you don't have to pick the school that is ranked highest.

Note as well - I know a few kids from my older DS year that transferred - even from high-ranking schools - so it really is better to focus on what your kid wants versus how a school is ranked.

The bolded part is what I think my family needs to focus on. The reason all these people are saying their kid is so happy they chose the school they did is, at least partially, b/c it's the only school they know as a student. Kids can be happy at a lot of places if they can let go of the idea that there was one perfect school for them. I was happy at my college, but I know I would have had a completely different and, likely, completely happy experience at a much larger school. My kid loves a T25 school with scary admissions rates, no ED option, but also without super high average stats for freshman class. No hook here, so we know the chances are slim. I think you have to be OK going somewhere where your stats are higher than the average.

And "going somewhere where your stats are higher than average" is perfectly fine. Keep in mind that a 1350 SAT is ~90th percentile. Still someone who is really smart, and your kid will do just fine surrounded by others like that even if they have a 1580. In fact, it might be helpful to learn to associate with a variety of people, because nobody is in a job where everyone is a "genius". Good practice for life.

If you want to choose a bigger school with more range of scores, then pick the honors college to find your group of "higher scoring" kids.

Agree with you. The “stats higher than average” comment says a lot about that poster. Stats aren’t everything. There are really bright kids who are lte bloomers, creative kids who don’t do well in traditional HS settings, etc. Thise kids have a ton to offer. Your “high stats” kid may gain a different perspective.

So, what's the point of working hard for those A's in the intense classes? The response above is disingenuous. I'm wondering what's the benefit of all that work if you could also get to the same spot with regular classes and more free time. I mean, I like that idea, but I'm not sure how that would fly with kids who have heard about the importance of class choice and grades since they were in middle school.

This only works for some kids. The rest have to do the work to get into safeties and maybe targets.

[Anonymous]

Our school's college counselor presented to the parents of juniors this week and said look, all of your come into my office in the spring with this list of schools you think your kid is applying to, and I'm telling you right now the vast majority are not getting into any of them. Things have changed.