s/o this brutal admissions year

[Anonymous]

I have two kids.

The older one cares what people think. She worked her ass off to get her 4.24 gpa and 35 ACT and legitimately would have been crushed if she hadn’t been admitted to her top choice. This is the type of kid that sees anything less than perfection as absolute failure and something that can derail her entire future.

The younger one is just as smart if not more so, but works kinda hard, has a lot of fun, and does not care at all what others think about his achievements. He could have straight As if he tried harder, but is not phased when he bombs a test C because he knows it is just a snapshot in time and not a reflection of who he is or what he is capable of. He is looking at colleges based on the experience and learning they can offer him on this road to adulthood and not at all based on acceptance rate or status.

I do not know how I raised two kids who are so different, but I can tell you that the college search with the first was so stressful and with the second it is a fun adventure, and I have no doubt that they will each be able to go just as far in life as they want to go and their ultimate success will have little to nothing to do with the name of the institution on their diploma.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The uncertainty is worse this year because of the heavy use of waitlists. We're going to have to wait through the summer for this all to play out. Even then many DCs will end up at safety schools.

It will be even worse next year. Maybe the waitlists and chaos will be lessened if the colleges somehow manage to adjust their yield calculations, but I doubt it. The same factors that gave rise to the chaos and uncertainty will be joined by another factor: the inconsistent application of lockdowns and virtual learning meant that some schools and some parts of the US had more opportunities for classes, sports and ECAs which the kids in this area didn't. That is yet another disadvantage that the class of 2022 will have to deal with.

Why would it be worse for class of 2022? Things should be much better by then.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have two kids.

The older one cares what people think. She worked her ass off to get her 4.24 gpa and 35 ACT and legitimately would have been crushed if she hadn’t been admitted to her top choice. This is the type of kid that sees anything less than perfection as absolute failure and something that can derail her entire future.

The younger one is just as smart if not more so, but works kinda hard, has a lot of fun, and does not care at all what others think about his achievements. He could have straight As if he tried harder, but is not phased when he bombs a test C because he knows it is just a snapshot in time and not a reflection of who he is or what he is capable of. He is looking at colleges based on the experience and learning they can offer him on this road to adulthood and not at all based on acceptance rate or status.

I do not know how I raised two kids who are so different, but I can tell you that the college search with the first was so stressful and with the second it is a fun adventure, and I have no doubt that they will each be able to go just as far in life as they want to go and their ultimate success will have little to nothing to do with the name of the institution on their diploma.

Which schools did they like and which ones did they pick?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The uncertainty is worse this year because of the heavy use of waitlists. We're going to have to wait through the summer for this all to play out. Even then many DCs will end up at safety schools.

It will be even worse next year. Maybe the waitlists and chaos will be lessened if the colleges somehow manage to adjust their yield calculations, but I doubt it. The same factors that gave rise to the chaos and uncertainty will be joined by another factor: the inconsistent application of lockdowns and virtual learning meant that some schools and some parts of the US had more opportunities for classes, sports and ECAs which the kids in this area didn't. That is yet another disadvantage that the class of 2022 will have to deal with.

Why would it be worse for class of 2022? Things should be much better by then.

Because people want to continue to have a crutch for their kid's failure to adapt, the whining will probably last forever because you know "THE PANDEMIC"!

[Anonymous]

I think course rigor and teacher recommendations heavily looked at in this year’s admission.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think course rigor and teacher recommendations heavily looked at in this year’s admission.

Yes. But that is no different than every year.

[Anonymous]

My kid is a high stat, Indian-American, STEM kid, with pretty good ECs, good social skills, and good work ethics. He will be dinged at the top school for being Indian-American, but he will nonetheless get into some good school in a eng/cs major. His hard work is not to get into a t20 school, though he will certainly apply to these top schools, but rather to be able to excel and enjoy the major he chooses. That the barrier to entry is high in these STEM majors puts merit at the forefront rather than race, legacy and nepotism.

Just like education and learning is not for the purpose of getting into T20, a career is also not just to make money. Hopefully, they will put their family first and provide security and support to their spouse and children.

In the end, you come out ahead not because you got in to a top college because of some kind of BS criteria, but because of your own merit. Similarly, what is the use of a high flying career that you have because of your connections if you have a broken family and children who have messed up their lives??

Hopefully, the fact that we are middle class but can fund our child's entire education and give them a leg up in life because of our frugality...will be more useful to them than anything else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Every year at this time we get the "admissions were brutal this year" post. Hmmmm...

Well, this certainly was not a typical year. Covid made this a very unique experience. Whether it was more brutal or not, I don't know.

It didn't

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Every year at this time we get the "admissions were brutal this year" post. Hmmmm...

Well, this certainly was not a typical year. Covid made this a very unique experience. Whether it was more brutal or not, I don't know.

It didn't

Really?

Funny, you must know something that all the college counselors, private counselors and even, wait for it, college admissions officers ALL acknowlege.

[Anonymous]

COVID impacted the mc and poor students negatively. Full pay students were ok.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The uncertainty is worse this year because of the heavy use of waitlists. We're going to have to wait through the summer for this all to play out. Even then many DCs will end up at safety schools.

It will be even worse next year. Maybe the waitlists and chaos will be lessened if the colleges somehow manage to adjust their yield calculations, but I doubt it. The same factors that gave rise to the chaos and uncertainty will be joined by another factor: the inconsistent application of lockdowns and virtual learning meant that some schools and some parts of the US had more opportunities for classes, sports and ECAs which the kids in this area didn't. That is yet another disadvantage that the class of 2022 will have to deal with.

Why would it be worse for class of 2022? Things should be much better by then.

NP. Still test optional, more semesters of covid grades (half of sophomore year and all of junior year), interrupted/halted ECs. I have a senior, and it's a nutty year, but I do think juniors can expect something similar for their admission season.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:COVID impacted the mc and poor students negatively. Full pay students were ok.

Actually full pay students were a bit advantaged.
- parent of a full pay student.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The uncertainty is worse this year because of the heavy use of waitlists. We're going to have to wait through the summer for this all to play out. Even then many DCs will end up at safety schools.

It will be even worse next year. Maybe the waitlists and chaos will be lessened if the colleges somehow manage to adjust their yield calculations, but I doubt it. The same factors that gave rise to the chaos and uncertainty will be joined by another factor: the inconsistent application of lockdowns and virtual learning meant that some schools and some parts of the US had more opportunities for classes, sports and ECAs which the kids in this area didn't. That is yet another disadvantage that the class of 2022 will have to deal with.

Why would it be worse for class of 2022? Things should be much better by then.

NP. Still test optional, more semesters of covid grades (half of sophomore year and all of junior year), interrupted/halted ECs. I have a senior, and it's a nutty year, but I do think juniors can expect something similar for their admission season.

+1. I have a junior and I am already concerned about next year. Test optional is not a benefit to my DC, along with the almost halted ECs. It's going to be tough all the way around and - I admit it - I'm already thinking about connections to lean on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The uncertainty is worse this year because of the heavy use of waitlists. We're going to have to wait through the summer for this all to play out. Even then many DCs will end up at safety schools.

It will be even worse next year. Maybe the waitlists and chaos will be lessened if the colleges somehow manage to adjust their yield calculations, but I doubt it. The same factors that gave rise to the chaos and uncertainty will be joined by another factor: the inconsistent application of lockdowns and virtual learning meant that some schools and some parts of the US had more opportunities for classes, sports and ECAs which the kids in this area didn't. That is yet another disadvantage that the class of 2022 will have to deal with.

Why would it be worse for class of 2022? Things should be much better by then.

NP. Still test optional, more semesters of covid grades (half of sophomore year and all of junior year), interrupted/halted ECs. I have a senior, and it's a nutty year, but I do think juniors can expect something similar for their admission season.

+1. I have a junior and I am already concerned about next year. Test optional is not a benefit to my DC, along with the almost halted ECs. It's going to be tough all the way around and - I admit it - I'm already thinking about connections to lean on.

For my senior, the hardest part was the inertia early in the process, from being home so much, plus the lack of visits. The thinking process was in slow mode, so he was unprepared to apply ED, which was a missed opportunity, we are full pay. The RD round has been stressful and now the waitlists. Maybe the waitlist will work out thanks to full pay, but if we had known last fall that he'd have been interested in this big reach where he's on the waitlist, I definitely would have had him apply ED1. It was a last minute addition to the list in early January. Hindsight is 20/20.... especially now that other schools were eliminated via denials.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid is a high stat, Indian-American, STEM kid, with pretty good ECs, good social skills, and good work ethics. He will be dinged at the top school for being Indian-American, but he will nonetheless get into some good school in a eng/cs major. His hard work is not to get into a t20 school, though he will certainly apply to these top schools, but rather to be able to excel and enjoy the major he chooses. That the barrier to entry is high in these STEM majors puts merit at the forefront rather than race, legacy and nepotism.

Just like education and learning is not for the purpose of getting into T20, a career is also not just to make money. Hopefully, they will put their family first and provide security and support to their spouse and children.

In the end, you come out ahead not because you got in to a top college because of some kind of BS criteria, but because of your own merit. Similarly, what is the use of a high flying career that you have because of your connections if you have a broken family and children who have messed up their lives??

Hopefully, the fact that we are middle class but can fund our child's entire education and give them a leg up in life because of our frugality...will be more useful to them than anything else.

Beautifully put! +1