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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Do your schools favor legacy kids? That might help.

Also, the youth population has been increasing but will likely be on the decline when your kids are applying. That may make a difference.

But, overall, to gain admission to top schools, kids need to stand out -- grades, tests are only the beginning. They need awards, leadership, great writing, targeting supplemental essays, unique talents. Mine was in, but she worked like crazy for all of that. She also found lots to like at state flagship and mid-tier LAC, both of which would have served her well.

There will be options, but don't base everything on status. Even if your kid does "all the things,"top ranked admission may not happen. But, good thing there are a LOT of terrific schools out there that will educate your kid well.[/quote]

Op here. My kids have no unique talents. Dh is successful while I am currently a SAHM.

Do Dh an I have to make opportunities for my kids to sound impressive?

Ugh I am torn on whether I should do this. I have one kid interested in becoming a doctor and one interested in business.[/quote]

PP here. I know, thinking about boarding this crazy train is stressful! My first went all in. Just got into a few Ivies and top 10 -- yay! But, as I said above, would have been happy at other options too. She was passionate about all her talents/activities, and she was driven. My #2 is less so, but becoming a little more inclined as college gets closer. We are MC in MD. We can get good FA at a top school who uses the CSS or decent merit aid at a mid school or go in state. I remind #2 that if she doesn't add a little more "sparkle," she'll be looking at 2nd tier state options. Flagship has gotten competitive, and she won't get enough merit without more and won't get into the CSS schools w/o more.  So, that motivated her a bit. And, though she's not the go-getter her sister is, she does like the activities she's in, and she has some unique ones -- car races for the engineering club (she's a driver, and they won last year), pro acting (SAG elig and worked at big local theatres for years) & school theatre, and creative writing. She plans to submit to a few pieces. She's also adhd and has been independently researching how it expresses in girls because it went unrecognized in her for a while. I'm hoping she could turn that into something. My part was to tell her to try at least one club in 9th, offer opportunities when I see them (casting notices, volunteer opps, writing competitions, summer opps, etc) and now to remind her of how she can build on that to demonstrate breadth of activities and leadership. It is really up to her, but I think it's fair to say she can't expect to be viable for some places without a few more pieces of flare!

It's OK not to need these bells and whistles if you have good state options that are attainable or plenty of money. But, it's also rewarding for kids to do some of this stuff -- to commit to and grow something. I don't think she would have joined the engineering club if I hadn't said join at least 1 club in 9th grade. But, it has opened up possibilities for her. She even invented a part for the car. So, maybe a nudge would beget some passion.

Also, if one wants to be a doctor, a small LAC can offer a great start where they can get to know faculty well and rise to the top of the class. We are in MD, and some say St. Mary's is better than UMD for getting into med school. Your kids will find options in both areas, even if they don't want to play this game. But, a little effort might yield something good. Good luck![/quote]

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