Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can exhale now
I've had nightmares of a complete shut out...

Congrats. I knew a kid at Gilman a few years ago who was completely shut out and one at BCC who was completely shut out. They weren't untalented kids, but they sure didn't know how to choose safeties. Both kids had parents who were able to pull strings to get them admitted to flagship state universities but it wasn't a done deal until well into the summer.

I wonder if college counselor dropped the ball, or if the family was just completely unrealistic and refused to listen to the college counselor...

-Gilman mom

The parents are Ivy grads who just couldn't seem to understand that legacy applications aren't what they used to be and that there is much more competition for the limited spots at any really competitive college than there was even 15 years ago. Don't think their son applied to any school not rated in the top 15 - national universities and liberals arts colleges. Their son is no dummy but you have to include safeties. He ended up at a state flagship and later transferred to a top 15.

Thanks for filling in. Not the college counselor's fault, then. A good reminder to all of us not to get too cocky!

My top-10 university hosts "College Admissions Advisory Sessions for Alumni" which I read as "Let's see if we can soften the blow that their kid is NOT getting in here so hopefully we'll keep receiving those annual fund checks".

Just want to agree with the PP who said the admissions process is not the same as it was even 10 years ago. Kids with great grades, scores and ECs are getting turned down at top 25 schools. In order to get into Ivies/top SLACs, kids need a hook, not just grades/scores/ECs. There really has to be something special about your kid, and even then, there's no guarantee, since your brilliant musician (for example) may be up against dozens of equally brilliant musicians this year at this particular school, so your kid doesn't make it. It's almost a crap shoot or a lottery at some of these schools (Stanford).

Anyway, congrats, OP. We have to wait until April because DD is only applying to private schools regular decision. Sigh. But she's mostly applying to match and foundation schools, avoiding the craziness of the Ivies/top 25 colleges.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can exhale now
I've had nightmares of a complete shut out...

Congrats. I knew a kid at Gilman a few years ago who was completely shut out and one at BCC who was completely shut out. They weren't untalented kids, but they sure didn't know how to choose safeties. Both kids had parents who were able to pull strings to get them admitted to flagship state universities but it wasn't a done deal until well into the summer.

I wonder if college counselor dropped the ball, or if the family was just completely unrealistic and refused to listen to the college counselor...

-Gilman mom

The parents are Ivy grads who just couldn't seem to understand that legacy applications aren't what they used to be and that there is much more competition for the limited spots at any really competitive college than there was even 15 years ago. Don't think their son applied to any school not rated in the top 15 - national universities and liberals arts colleges. Their son is no dummy but you have to include safeties. He ended up at a state flagship and later transferred to a top 15.

Thanks for filling in. Not the college counselor's fault, then. A good reminder to all of us not to get too cocky!

Yay. Daughter chose her school this weekend and two of my three are done. And we will not go broke.

Anonymous wrote:Congrats. We have our fingers crossed for our kid for state flagship.

It is such a gamble that sometimes I feel even safeties are not safeties.

My DC got into his 3 safeties and in retrospect he was lucky because lots of kids didn't get into those schools.

Congrats. We have our fingers crossed for our kid for state flagship.

It is such a gamble that sometimes I feel even safeties are not safeties.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can exhale now
I've had nightmares of a complete shut out...

Congrats. I knew a kid at Gilman a few years ago who was completely shut out and one at BCC who was completely shut out. They weren't untalented kids, but they sure didn't know how to choose safeties. Both kids had parents who were able to pull strings to get them admitted to flagship state universities but it wasn't a done deal until well into the summer.

I wonder if college counselor dropped the ball, or if the family was just completely unrealistic and refused to listen to the college counselor...

-Gilman mom

The parents are Ivy grads who just couldn't seem to understand that legacy applications aren't what they used to be and that there is much more competition for the limited spots at any really competitive college than there was even 15 years ago. Don't think their son applied to any school not rated in the top 15 - national universities and liberals arts colleges. Their son is no dummy but you have to include safeties. He ended up at a state flagship and later transferred to a top 15.

Anonymous wrote:I'm happy for you. I'm afraid my high schooler may not be on a college track. Not sure what the track will be.

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Maybe this is a different thread, but don't underestimate the value of some time in the work place for some kids before they start school. It can really help them understand the importance of a schedule and how much they'll get paid for different types of jobs.