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[quote=Anonymous]I was very worried, mostly because that's my personality type. My child had very high stats and grades, no hooks (other than legacy at the SLACs we attended), and unremarkable ECs.   I found that talking to folks who had been through it, carefully reviewing Naviance results for schools my kid was potentially interested in, and spending a lot of time on College Confidential was useful in helping my child come up with a well-balanced list.  It all worked out well, and in line with my predictions.  I talked about some of the specifics on the "Surprises?" thread, but thought I'd share some general advice:

People who have been through it often say that you should start by researching safeties heavily, and learn to love the ones on your list.  I completely agree.  A lot of really talented kids end up shut out at all but their safeties, or find them the only affordable option, so you ideally want to think of them as a place you could be really happy to attend.

If you don't have hooks, truly astonishing ECs, or attend a known feeder school, you are very unlikely to be accepted to an Ivy or other highly selective school no matter your grades or scores.  By all means apply, but be realistic about your chances.  Don't take it personally if you are rejected.  It's not a referendum on how capable or talented you are.  Be aware that some majors, like CS or engineering are extremely competitive, so you may need to expand your list and add additional safeties if those are your preferred options.

Apply to schools with early action or rolling admissions if at all possible.  Even if you are applying Early Decision or Single Choice Early Action, most schools will allow you to apply to a public university with rolling admissions (check the terms of the ED/SCEA requirements carefully).  It is a huge relief to get good news early in the process rather than waiting until the end of March.

Read each school's Common Data Set closely to see what things the school thinks are Very Important, Important, or Considered.  If a school says it takes interest into account and you want to go there, then show interest ( for example, visiting campus for an official tour, arranging for an on- or off-campus interview, attending info sessions at your school or in your town, emailing the admissions office or your regional admissions rep frequently (but not so often that you make a nuisance of yourself)).  You can do searches online to get a sense of which schools are particularly focused on interest.

If you need financial aid to make school affordable, start early in researching merit and scholarship options for your child.  Make sure your child has a realistic sense of what schools will be in the family budget.  Don't ignore schools with great honor programs that offer full tuition scholarships for high stats kids, like University of Alabama.  There are a bunch.
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