Anonymous
Post 01/22/2026 08:43     Subject: Reading posts here makes me nervous about March
I feel like a broken record. This angst and misery is all self-imposed. It is simply common sense that there isn’t enough room at the most selective schools for all qualified candidates. Chasing admissions is a recipe for unhappiness. You’re just buying a lottery ticket even if highly qualified. Focus on targets and safeties and the entire experience will be much healthier for all involved. Your child can be happy at more than one place.
Anonymous
Post 01/22/2026 08:35     Subject: Reading posts here makes me nervous about March
Why is getting into a reach so important that you’re having, AS THE PARENT, to mentally prepare yourself MONTHS IN ADVANCE for the emotions you will feel.

Your kid is going to college. They already have options.

Anonymous
Post 01/22/2026 08:21     Subject: Reading posts here makes me nervous about March
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I don’t know what to say, OP. At my kid’s private all the acceptances were SCEA, REA, ED and EA. My kid (top flight) got in nowhere RD and IVY day was a complete bust. Only solace was that his friends experienced the same. Just prepare your kid in advance


Same here. Ivy day was a giant bust at our top private. 95% of the top20 acceptances were early. There was one RD Ivy admit.

Is there any other kind?


yeah, the kind of top private that gets two dozen kids into Ivies RD like our HS.

Congrats?
Anonymous
Post 01/22/2026 08:16     Subject: Reading posts here makes me nervous about March
Anonymous wrote:Have been reading some posts recently. Lots of complains about "American college admissions rat race". Reading posts here makes it clear that top schools are unattainable to most kids.

In March, there will be disappointment, a lot of disappointment. One after another. I think DC will be okay with that. I may not be. I am mentally preping myself not to expect much from March. One single reach hit would be good news (DC got in two targets EA). Just one! And that would not be any different from hitting 5 reaches in a row. DC is just attending one.


You are FAR too invested. This is your kid's thing. Let them work it out. Your job is to pay for it. That's it.
Anonymous
Post 01/22/2026 08:15     Subject: Reading posts here makes me nervous about March
There’s an interesting old post on here - private HS boys fare better in RD in my experience esp if not CS, Engineering, STEM or business.

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1176381.page
Anonymous
Post 01/22/2026 08:00     Subject: Reading posts here makes me nervous about March
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I don’t know what to say, OP. At my kid’s private all the acceptances were SCEA, REA, ED and EA. My kid (top flight) got in nowhere RD and IVY day was a complete bust. Only solace was that his friends experienced the same. Just prepare your kid in advance


Same here. Ivy day was a giant bust at our top private. 95% of the top20 acceptances were early. There was one RD Ivy admit.

Is there any other kind?


yeah, the kind of top private that gets two dozen kids into Ivies RD like our HS.
Anonymous
Post 01/22/2026 07:42     Subject: Reading posts here makes me nervous about March
Anonymous wrote:I have been pleased with the process so far. Although I made sure my child applied to a range of schools and I limited the number of reaches. We honed in on strong targets and likely reaches. So far they’ve been admitted to one reach.

Apply wisely. Keep finances in mind. I see so many students applying to schools they have no chances at. I feel for them.


Pleased with the process bc your kid got in one reach. OP isn’t there. Your story might be different if your didn’t have that one reach.

I think people may think by spreading out and applying to a bunch of reaches, statistically, their kids are more likely to get in to at least one. That isn’t how the math works. Each school is independent. Applying to any school, no matter how many, with less than 10 percent acceptance means 90 percent chance at every school, the child doesn’t get it.
Anonymous
Post 01/22/2026 07:36     Subject: Reading posts here makes me nervous about March
Anonymous wrote:Have been reading some posts recently. Lots of complains about "American college admissions rat race". Reading posts here makes it clear that top schools are unattainable to most kids.

In March, there will be disappointment, a lot of disappointment. One after another. I think DC will be okay with that. I may not be. I am mentally preping myself not to expect much from March. One single reach hit would be good news (DC got in two targets EA). Just one! And that would not be any different from hitting 5 reaches in a row. DC is just attending one.

Well the process is about you. It will be tough to discuss admissions with others at the club if you can't boast about the elite acceptance. You could always lie?
Anonymous
Post 01/22/2026 07:31     Subject: Reading posts here makes me nervous about March
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I don’t know what to say, OP. At my kid’s private all the acceptances were SCEA, REA, ED and EA. My kid (top flight) got in nowhere RD and IVY day was a complete bust. Only solace was that his friends experienced the same. Just prepare your kid in advance


Same here. Ivy day was a giant bust at our top private. 95% of the top20 acceptances were early. There was one RD Ivy admit.

Is there any other kind?
Anonymous
Post 01/22/2026 07:28     Subject: Reading posts here makes me nervous about March
Anonymous wrote:I don’t know what to say, OP. At my kid’s private all the acceptances were SCEA, REA, ED and EA. My kid (top flight) got in nowhere RD and IVY day was a complete bust. Only solace was that his friends experienced the same. Just prepare your kid in advance

Of course.
Anonymous
Post 01/22/2026 04:17     Subject: Reading posts here makes me nervous about March
Do NOT count on a reach. Even had you applied to 15 reaches, you should not count on any. Each one is a reach.
DC had 2 acceptances! How wonderful! Look at course catalogs, look at clubs, start having DC picture being there and find the good things. Bc all schools have many positives.
Anonymous
Post 01/22/2026 02:57     Subject: Reading posts here makes me nervous about March
We only have 3 RD coming up in March. DD already in at every single early action, including Georgetown. Deferred from ND and she has 2 more RD schools (one a reach and one a safety.

She will be upset if she doesn't get into her first choice, but learning to like different aspects of Georgetown and might even consider other schools which offered generous merit.

She's in a private that typically has success with the top Catholic schools, including ND, so we haven't given up hope yet.
Anonymous
Post 01/22/2026 02:15     Subject: Reading posts here makes me nervous about March
Anonymous wrote:ED: hooked

RD: all the unhooked kids.


While I agree this mostly true, I have an unhooked kid was admitted ED to a T10 this year. It happens.
Anonymous
Post 01/21/2026 22:25     Subject: Reading posts here makes me nervous about March
ED: hooked

RD: all the unhooked kids.
Anonymous
Post 01/21/2026 21:55     Subject: Reading posts here makes me nervous about March
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I don’t know what to say, OP. At my kid’s private all the acceptances were SCEA, REA, ED and EA. My kid (top flight) got in nowhere RD and IVY day was a complete bust. Only solace was that his friends experienced the same. Just prepare your kid in advance


Same here. Ivy day was a giant bust at our top private. 95% of the top20 acceptances were early. There was one RD Ivy admit.


I think this is very high school-dependent. Ivy day is a chance to get the very tippy top of the class, niche/truly different applicants.
In late March/RD, last 2 cycles, our school had better luck with:

Duke (maybe 1 really spiky kid)
Northwestern (a handful)
Cornell (1-3 kids at some of the niche colleges)
Vanderbilt (mostly deferred ED2 kids)
Georgetown (a large handful)
Emory
Rice (maybe 1)
WashU
USC (a really large handful)