What happens if they're not accepted anywhere?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know, this is partly just the anxiety of the whole process. But DD has only applied to one safety which is honestly more like a lower target, in my opinion. Do I insist she apply for a few more places with a 90%+ acceptance rate? Let the natural consequences happen? I don't want to harp, and I'm pretty amenable to the schools she has chosen, just think she needs a better backup.

I insisted my older DC had an equal number
of so called safeties as matches and reaches. They even ended attending one of the safeties (despite getting into a number of reaches and matches) as it was the best overall fit.

So I would encourage many more safeties and they may even find some safeties are highly desirable.

There are quite a few good universities that have high admit rates.

If you equate selectivity with quality, this is a huge problem.

If you evaluate schools separately from how rejective they are, the. “won’t get in anywhere” isn’t a significant problem to worry about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know, this is partly just the anxiety of the whole process. But DD has only applied to one safety which is honestly more like a lower target, in my opinion. Do I insist she apply for a few more places with a 90%+ acceptance rate? Let the natural consequences happen? I don't want to harp, and I'm pretty amenable to the schools she has chosen, just think she needs a better backup.

I insisted my older DC had an equal number
of so called safeties as matches and reaches. They even ended attending one of the safeties (despite getting into a number of reaches and matches) as it was the best overall fit.

So I would encourage many more safeties and they may even find some safeties are highly desirable.

There are quite a few good universities that have high admit rates.

If you equate selectivity with quality, this is a huge problem.

If you evaluate schools separately from how rejective they are, the. “won’t get in anywhere” isn’t a significant problem to worry about.

You appear to have comprehension problems -

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She does community college and applies again for the sophomore year.

She's a straight-A student. We're not looking for Ivy League, but I'd be pissed if it came to this, to put it mildly.

Yes, definitely apply to some others. You know which ones she is applying to, so that means you know, or can easily research, which ones are similar but have higher admissions rates. Pick those out, and then just sit down with her next to the computer some Saturday afternoon and just do it.

This. I never understand kids dreaming of Michigan (OOS) who don't also apply early to IU. Or UVA (OOS) dreamers who don't apply also early to KU. Or Williams dreamers who don't also apply to St. Lawrence. Etc. There surely are schools on her list that have near-doppelgangers that are substantially less rejective--she should apply to those near-doppelgangers. (Plural: It's a mental health win to have more acceptances than rejections, at at least multiple acceptances to choose between/among.)

NP here. This makes me feel good about my kid’s list: they are applying/have already applied to the first four schools you listed.

What is KU?

The University of Kansas. Wildly underrated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If it were my kid, I'd say, "humor me ... I need this. I need for you to apply to a few more schools. Pick 3 from this list." I would, already, have a list. At this point, schools that you think might be a good fit. And you know you can afford. Downplay you went to much effort. But on the contrary, I think it is imperative to have taken this chore seriously.

You're not saying they have to go. I do think it's ok to recognize that this whole process is stressful to parents. And lessening our stress is a reasonable ask. As parents, we each have thresholds so we feel like good-enough parents. For many of us, one of those is, that the student gets into college.

Why, so many commas?

Not PP but when I use voice to text with my iPhone lately it’s adding commas even when I don’t tell it to. Chill.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She does community college and applies again for the sophomore year.

She's a straight-A student. We're not looking for Ivy League, but I'd be pissed if it came to this, to put it mildly.

Yes, definitely apply to some others. You know which ones she is applying to, so that means you know, or can easily research, which ones are similar but have higher admissions rates. Pick those out, and then just sit down with her next to the computer some Saturday afternoon and just do it.

This. I never understand kids dreaming of Michigan (OOS) who don't also apply early to IU. Or UVA (OOS) dreamers who don't apply also early to KU. Or Williams dreamers who don't also apply to St. Lawrence. Etc. There surely are schools on her list that have near-doppelgangers that are substantially less rejective--she should apply to those near-doppelgangers. (Plural: It's a mental health win to have more acceptances than rejections, at at least multiple acceptances to choose between/among.)

NP here. This makes me feel good about my kid’s list: they are applying/have already applied to the first four schools you listed.

What is KU?

The University of Kansas. Wildly underrated.

A few years ago I drove through the center of the country & was in no hurry. I grew up watching college football & seized the opportunity to see a bunch of colleges whose teams I had seen on TV many times. I came away from the experience quite amazed by what I saw. I stopped at Iowa, Iowa State, Nebraska, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, & Wichita State.

Each school exceeded my expectations. Beautiful campuses, smiling students, decent places to eat.

[Anonymous]

I would def consider Iowa State for STEM

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In May NACAC publishes a list of colleges that still have openings. Most colleges accept most students. I'd only push to add another safety now if she doesn't love that safety. If the more selective ones don't work out, it's nice to still have options to choose between.

+1. You can look at this list. There are plenty of schools that you have heard of. Make sure she has a true safety that she likes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If it were my kid, I'd say, "humor me ... I need this. I need for you to apply to a few more schools. Pick 3 from this list." I would, already, have a list. At this point, schools that you think might be a good fit. And you know you can afford. Downplay you went to much effort. But on the contrary, I think it is imperative to have taken this chore seriously.

You're not saying they have to go. I do think it's ok to recognize that this whole process is stressful to parents. And lessening our stress is a reasonable ask. As parents, we each have thresholds so we feel like good-enough parents. For many of us, one of those is, that the student gets into college.

Why, so many commas?

Not PP but when I use voice to text with my iPhone lately it’s adding commas even when I don’t tell it to. Chill.

DP, but SAME! Mine adds tons of commas and capitalizes random letters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know, this is partly just the anxiety of the whole process. But DD has only applied to one safety which is honestly more like a lower target, in my opinion. Do I insist she apply for a few more places with a 90%+ acceptance rate? Let the natural consequences happen? I don't want to harp, and I'm pretty amenable to the schools she has chosen, just think she needs a better backup.

Yes, you strongly encourage her to find a few more true safeties (75%+ acceptances, where DD is at/+ the 75% for sat/gpa).

Without this, this is they type who come April is complaining they are scrambling to find schools still letting kids apply. Much better to select your safety from a wider pool now

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She does community college and applies again for the sophomore year.

She's a straight-A student. We're not looking for Ivy League, but I'd be pissed if it came to this, to put it mildly.

So that is why you find a few more true safeties NOW and have her apply. If you only apply to reach and targets there is always a slight chance you don't get in anywhere. Much better to select your safeties and apply now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't worry, OP. My son's safeties were UMD, St John's College and George Washington. He got into one of his reaches and all of his targets and safeties. GW made him an offer he couldn't refuse so he went there.

If your kid is a strong student and they have personalized their statement/essays to explain how they'd fit at each college they apply to, there is a very high chance they'll be admitted at all their targets and safeties. The only reason for a safety to reject a student is if they feel that the student put no effort into the application and is just checking off the safety box. Don't do that. Make them feel worthy.

There are kids each year who DO NOT get into their reaches and targets and also get rejected from at least 1 of their safeties. So the current plan of only 1 safety that really isn't a safety is not the best plan.
Much better to select 3-4 true safeties that your kid would be happy to attend NOW rather than scrambling for "what is left come May"---mentally at that point they would be rejected from everywhere and that is not healthy. It doesn't have to be that way---make them find 2-3 true safeties and apply now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She does community college and applies again for the sophomore year.

She's a straight-A student. We're not looking for Ivy League, but I'd be pissed if it came to this, to put it mildly.

I didn’t get into UC Berkeley initially so went to community college and transferred. It’s honestly not a big deal and I saved a ton of money. She will be ok “if it came to this”.

An xlnt plan . . .in California. It's a much more popular and sensible route there. My relatives all did it. It is not as accepted a route here in DCUM land. The California system developed differently. Almost all of my public classmates went to the community college, Cal States (not available anywhere else - as in a 3 tier system) and a few in the UC system. Very few had family resources to go SLAC/private.

There was (for me) an eye-opening story how the UVA admissions office looks at transfers from community colleges. While only one article, it did cause me to reconsider my views on the utility of a community college as a stepping stone to a 4-year school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If it were my kid, I'd say, "humor me ... I need this. I need for you to apply to a few more schools. Pick 3 from this list." I would, already, have a list. At this point, schools that you think might be a good fit. And you know you can afford. Downplay you went to much effort. But on the contrary, I think it is imperative to have taken this chore seriously.

You're not saying they have to go. I do think it's ok to recognize that this whole process is stressful to parents. And lessening our stress is a reasonable ask. As parents, we each have thresholds so we feel like good-enough parents. For many of us, one of those is, that the student gets into college.

Why, so many commas?

Not PP but when I use voice to text with my iPhone lately it’s adding commas even when I don’t tell it to. Chill.

DP, but SAME! Mine adds tons of commas and capitalizes random letters.

There’s a setting to turn that off. Type “punctuation” into the search bar when you open settings and it’ll get you there.

[Anonymous]

If she is straight A then add Penn State, Ohio State, Rutgers, Delaware, TCNJ, South Carolina, Michigan State, UNCW, UMass, Louisville. Surely, she could be happy at a few of those.

[Anonymous]

Among the schools that are already on the application list, do any have a guaranteed transfer agreement with another school (e.g., Notre Dame and Holy Cross College (IN))? If so, applying to the other school should be an easy one for the 'humor me' conversation.