Anonymous wrote:They asked students to plan their application activities in advance --- It's not like closing a hospital ER....

But a prime time to work on apps due Jan. 1 is over winter break, when there's no classwork or exams.

College counselors in my experience are just gladhanders paid to schmooze you and your kid to make you feel warm and fuzzy. They have no juice. If they did, they'd have a better job.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone on this absurd thread should have to read this, twice: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/08/opinion/college-gpa-career-success.html?module=inline

Yeah but parents and students cannot do anything differently unless college admissions change their game. No point preaching it here. The top colleges are the ones demanding the straight A's and perfect SAT scores. The students and parents are merely responding to their admission requirements.

Sure they can. They can decide they would rather raise their kid the way they want to raise him and have him go to University of Maryland than raise him the way that some stranger in an admissions office demands so he can go to Brown.

They asked students to plan their application activities in advance --- It's not like closing a hospital ER....

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ours are available through the holidays and even responded to an email on Xmas day.

The head of the SFS college counseling office sent out an email reminding all seniors and their parents that the office would be closed through early January.

How can this function close completely over the holidays, with the crucial January 1 application date looming? Other schools seem to staff their offices, at least lightly, or designate counselors on call during this period.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The SFS college counseling office is a mere three-legged stool, and one of the legs has been broken for a while. Now the whole stool is unstable.

for an SFS parent of an underclassman, what does this mean? please enlighten us.

Ask your child or ask a junior or senior.

Anonymous wrote:Everyone on this absurd thread should have to read this, twice: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/08/opinion/college-gpa-career-success.html?module=inline

If you read it twice you’d understand that he’s talking mostly about college academic performance and even then debating the merits of being a straight A student in college versus not. It has some lessons for high school but based on what colleges expect, I’m not sure how relevant it is other than to give you a smug sense of superiority.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone on this absurd thread should have to read this, twice: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/08/opinion/college-gpa-career-success.html?module=inline

Yeah but parents and students cannot do anything differently unless college admissions change their game. No point preaching it here. The top colleges are the ones demanding the straight A's and perfect SAT scores. The students and parents are merely responding to their admission requirements.

Great article. Describes my kid perfectly. He will do great in life, apparently, but it’s been rough with deferrals so far.

Anonymous wrote:Everyone on this absurd thread should have to read this, twice: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/08/opinion/college-gpa-career-success.html?module=inline

Yeah but parents and students cannot do anything differently unless college admissions change their game. No point preaching it here. The top colleges are the ones demanding the straight A's and perfect SAT scores. The students and parents are merely responding to their admission requirements.

Everyone on this absurd thread should have to read this, twice: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/08/opinion/college-gpa-career-success.html?module=inline

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone feel the Big 3 are feeder schools or have preference for some colleges? Outside of the academic rigor can the school connect students with schools of their choice?

IMO their relationship and reputation with some schools probably can help at RD time to push through a few students. Not miracles but may be just enough to turn a waitlist into an accept.

Anonymous wrote:The SFS college counseling office is a mere three-legged stool, and one of the legs has been broken for a while. Now the whole stool is unstable.

for an SFS parent of an underclassman, what does this mean? please enlighten us.

No. Big push to get families to consider a *broad* variety of schools, not just "top 10" schools.

Does anyone feel the Big 3 are feeder schools or have preference for some colleges? Outside of the academic rigor can the school connect students with schools of their choice?

Anonymous wrote:Ours are available through the holidays and even responded to an email on Xmas day.

The head of the SFS college counseling office sent out an email reminding all seniors and their parents that the office would be closed through early January.