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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP - is schooling in your spouse's foreign country an option?

We are in a similar boat in which I am Asian American and my spouse is from the EU. We are planning on sending children to my spouse's alma mater unless DC gets merit aid from a top choice in the US. We figured this is a good option especially since professional schooling in the US requires a bachelor's first.

Congratulate your son on his likely - he can always go to his likely (or a CC) and transfer but know that hard work and perseverance will pay off in the end. [/quote]

OP- I also think that if your son takes time off, to [b]perhaps work on finding an academic focus. [/b]I used to do college interviews for my alma mater -- a top college that is talked about frequently here. When I think back at students who interviewed with very little career direction versus those who had crafted a nice path that coincided with some of the strengths of my school, it made a difference in how I viewed that student. I said to myself  "this is a top college that this student is interviewing with. Could this student come in on day one and fit in/contribute to the conversation?" To make sure that I wasn't too harsh, I had shared my experience generically with a few select alumni at an outing (student name withheld). Oddly enough, they were more harsh than I was. And these were alum who went to the same caliber of top level grad schools (top 10). So I think we pretty much held the same approach to what type of students should get the nod. It wasn't just smarts and top numbers that impressed because many students had that. We wanted the story.

I am sure the same comes across in admissions essays where the student will have to state why they want to attend that school. Emory's stats and reputation have really increased over time. I think that it's hard to go in undecided or without a path of some sort or another, into a top school these days.

Some colleges will care less about career/major direction etc. But others will care because they force the student to apply to one of the divisions/departments for admissions. If you don't get into the division, you usually don't get into that college.We experienced that and it was a tough learning.

Having said all of that, again, I really wish you the best of luck. Your son will find a good path forward. And thanks for sharing so that others can learn.[/quote]
Isn't part of the purpose of liberal arts education to gain broad exposure and eventually find academic focus? It's nuts, IMHO, to expect a 17 y.o. to know what they want to do with the rest of their life. I'm so glad that wasn't an expectation when I went to school. Being a generalist w.r.t. academic interests doesn't mean someone can't "contribute to the conversation on day one". What nonsense!

--HYPS alum for undergrad and grad[/quote]

Well, it wasn't nonsense for those students who interviewed with me. Several of them had an idea if they were STEM focused or Humanities/Social Science. I have talked with several students from different types of schools across the DMV, and usually they have some sort of focus, even if it's not 100% in stone. I have some really wonderful interviews. There are some really talented students here in the DMV, and several of those I interviewed got into my alma mater. They were really, really good candidates. And there were those who did not gain acceptance.

Any kid not having some sort of strength out there or display of interest is, in my opinion, going up against a lot of other students who have a plausible path in something or another. Not saying that you have to have it. Just saying that I have seen those with it, and those without it while interviewing for my school.

This may not apply to all schools.

I'm just trying to help.

And yes, my credentials speak as loudly as yours. I am as HYP, etc., as you can get. [/quote]
I'm not denying that you might be correct about what gets you into a top-ranked school. I'm challenging the idea that a 17 y.o. who hasn't picked an "academic focus" can't "contribute to the conversation from day one". While there are a select few places where deep specialization is sufficient, in most pursuits generalist skills are required...and there is absolutely no reason that a reasonable liberal arts-focused educational system should force a smart kid with aptitude in multiple areas (STEM and humanities) to feign interest in one vs. the other. It's a messed up system that pretends that picking early on is somehow a sign of future aptitude. It's not. The most successful people I know (and I'm talking Fortune 100 CEOs, Nobel Laureates, and politicians you've heard of among others) have a breadth of interests and skills. I'm not someone you've heard of, but I have a STEM PhD and wrote my undergrad thesis in a humanities subject. So far, I've done well in my field and have had a lot of unique opportunities because of my breadth of skills and interests. Focus isn't everything...and I think it's harmful the extent to which we force young people to narrow their interests early on.

OP's kid sounds awesome. Don't tell her that it's a deficiency that her child hasn't picked an "academic focus" yet. It's a deficiency in any school that would value that over a kid who is good at and interested in a lot of things. He probably has strengths that schools (even ones I was excited to attend a few decades ago) no longer seem to recognize. That doesn't mean those aren't strengths he won't benefit from in the long run.[/quote]

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