Anonymous wrote:Tips after 3 kids:

1. Your kids have to write their own essays. Editing and suggesting changes, especially topic changes, is fine, especially if coming from an advisor with really good common sense about college admissions. The student's voice must come through. If it doesn't, throw it all out.

2. Do these essays in the summer. Even your kid will thank you.

3. It's fine to apply all over the map for the cost of a Score Send and the Application fee. But in the end, those extra 10 schools he really didn't want to go to anyway cost you $700+. Use that on a nice pair of shoes. (jk) But my point is, please don't apply anywhere he really doesn't want to go in the name of safety. Just need one good one.

4. Carefully research which schools require interest. CWRU and Tulane - I'm talking to you. Don't bother if they didn't show any. Waste of the fees.

5. Do take as many APs as possible. They do look at Senior year schedule - load up. Dual credit and AP are not the same - AP looks more prestigious at 9/10 colleges.

6. Get a job. My unofficial research shows that kids who worked in fast food or really anything with a regular pay check do better in admissions.

7. The most rigorous schedule means the most rigorous schedule. If you are in STEM and BC Calc is offered, take it.

8. Review the various grade inputs that kids do. Every college does it different - weighted grades ,classification as honors or AP or Pre-AP, number of AP, semester or yearly classes. It is so easy to make a mistake if you aren't careful here. Admissions will double check these, but will they catch an error before you've been put in a lower bucket because the computer didn't give you credit for a bunch of weighted courses? So please double check.

9. Triple check that all materials have been received. We had a school (with a verified train wreck of a portal) call to say information was not received at the very last minute. Thankfully, had a fabulous counselor who got it in. But don't assume anything. Have your kid send emails to admissions to confirm they are good.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Take all of these ED responses with a grain of salt bc they range from:

- we ED’d somewhere and think we cld have reached higher

- we ED’ed/scea’ed somewhere and wish we picked a lower one bc we picked a lower ranked one

I really think this is true. Unless your kid has a very clear #1 choice (ie using ED as I believe it was originally intended vs using it to try to game the system or get a bump) or is knowingly aiming really high and being clear-headed that there’s only a small chance anyway, there’s always going to be a feeling of either “gee, if I got into X, I should have aimed higher and tried for Y instead” or “dang, I miscalculated that and should have ED’ed a rung lower.”

We will see how this cycle goes in RD. If it remembers 2023 and 2022 more than 2024, people will be happy they got the ED acceptance when all is said and done. Remember, at most schools ED acceptance rate is two or three times higher than RD. Getting in an Emory or Wash U, which accept over 30 percent ED1, is hardly a sign your kid would get into Harvard which will accept less than 5 percent RD. Be happy you’re kid is in at a place they presumably really wanted to go.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Take all of these ED responses with a grain of salt bc they range from:

- we ED’d somewhere and think we cld have reached higher

- we ED’ed/scea’ed somewhere and wish we picked a lower one bc we picked a lower ranked one

I really think this is true. Unless your kid has a very clear #1 choice (ie using ED as I believe it was originally intended vs using it to try to game the system or get a bump) or is knowingly aiming really high and being clear-headed that there’s only a small chance anyway, there’s always going to be a feeling of either “gee, if I got into X, I should have aimed higher and tried for Y instead” or “dang, I miscalculated that and should have ED’ed a rung lower.”

Anonymous wrote:Take all of these ED responses with a grain of salt bc they range from:

- we ED’d somewhere and think we cld have reached higher

- we ED’ed/scea’ed somewhere and wish we picked a lower one bc we picked a lower ranked one

Anonymous wrote:Not realizing that Bucknell has a Strong Pipeline to The Street. Waste of time to apply anywhere else if you're interested in finance / IB.

Anonymous wrote:Don't chase an approved SAT score unless you have a kid who is 100% committed. TO is real option especially if other stats are high.

Anonymous wrote:Not my story but from a friend. Her kid did not follow through that he checked box to accept. I guess it didn’t go through and he didn’t accept by May 1 and he had to go to another college. True story.
Double check this one.