Anonymous
01/13/2026 14:29
Subject: Did your kid enjoy process of applying to colleges?
Both of my kids were accepted ED/SCEA.
So they never got a chance to consider anything. One and done.
Good fits for both of them. But still.
It'd be a nice world if bright students could consider all the options. But that's not reality today.
So they never got a chance to consider anything. One and done.
Good fits for both of them. But still.
It'd be a nice world if bright students could consider all the options. But that's not reality today.
Anonymous
01/13/2026 14:25
Subject: Did your kid enjoy process of applying to colleges?
Anonymous wrote:Yes, mine did. They liked the common app, the web interface, filling it out, adding the colleges. Hitting submit! The supplements were their least favorite part. If those went away, the process would be much less annoying.
+1
The supplements suck.
Anonymous
01/13/2026 14:24
Subject: Did your kid enjoy process of applying to colleges?
Anonymous wrote:Applying to scholarships was a complete waste of time for my first so we won't even be doing that for my second, except for NMSF.
Why was it a "complete waste?"
Anonymous
01/13/2026 14:22
Subject: Did your kid enjoy process of applying to colleges?
Anonymous wrote:I loved it ALL. Every minute. Helping kid research, searching CDS, finding "majors" that kid might want to research. Listening to podcast, making notes.
Every single minute.
You should be a college counselor since you loved this so much!
Anonymous
01/13/2026 14:22
Subject: Did your kid enjoy process of applying to colleges?
No, did not enjoy it.
Neither did parents.
The applying is ridiculous, waste of brainpower and time. But alas, it’s a necessary evil in our system.
DC loves school, super involved, nothing done just for college, ECs stemmed from interests. Great friends, likely great LORs. Didn’t use AI for apps. Researched each school, essays were fav but no, did not enjoy it. In early at an ivy.
Neither did parents.
The applying is ridiculous, waste of brainpower and time. But alas, it’s a necessary evil in our system.
DC loves school, super involved, nothing done just for college, ECs stemmed from interests. Great friends, likely great LORs. Didn’t use AI for apps. Researched each school, essays were fav but no, did not enjoy it. In early at an ivy.
Anonymous
01/13/2026 14:22
Subject: Re:Did your kid enjoy process of applying to colleges?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Parent of a junior here. For those who've gone through this, is there anything that you think helped ease the process, or would have in retrospect? I'm trying to pay attention to which schools notify early (like Pitt, or those with EA that give an answer by Christmas)--seems like getting a couple acceptances from places a kid likes can be so psychologically helpful. I'm wondering if it even makes sense to check out the ultra-reach schools with single-digit acceptances, or just forget about them. Worth trying to apply to as few schools as possible? Are there benefits to forgoing ED? With a junior I feel like we are "supposed to" hunt for a first choice for ED purposes.
Any advice is most welcome.
Oh "hon" you've got to do the homework with or without your kid like all parents have (how much varies by family) before you. Sources: this board, other sources, your kid's school. Etc. GL.
yeah this has been covered so please do a search
Anonymous
01/13/2026 14:20
Subject: Did your kid enjoy process of applying to colleges?
Anonymous wrote:Are college visits necessary before applying? Or wait to visit until accepted?
Yes if you want to ED. Also I don't understand how you would develop a college list of schools that they are truly interested in without it even without an ED. Some schools looked great on paper but came off the list after a visit.
Both kids had clear yes'es and no's and favorites within the yes list after visiting.
So we visited all or nearly all of the schools on their list.
I watched other families do it differently and it looked like a stressful scramble to work in visits to all the accepted schools in the spring of sr yr. No thanks!
Anonymous
01/13/2026 14:20
Subject: Did your kid enjoy process of applying to colleges?
Oh and go to admitted students days before making the decision. Let the schools show the love 
Anonymous
01/13/2026 14:18
Subject: Did your kid enjoy process of applying to colleges?
Applying to scholarships was a complete waste of time for my first so we won't even be doing that for my second, except for NMSF.
Anonymous
01/13/2026 14:18
Subject: Did your kid enjoy process of applying to colleges?
Anonymous wrote:We limited to 10 schools and visited them all. They are all within driving distance though (one of our parameters). Visited other schools as well and were able to rule out certain types of campuses. We were looking more for what type of campus do you like (what is your dream house) and then find others that are similar.
I understand why students apply to 20 (it’s a crap shoot at a lot of these schools) but I think a lot of kids overshoot or expect they will be one of the select few who get in and then they are disappointed. This can spoil the entire experience. One of our DC’s friends was “only going to apply to Ivies.” Guess what - he is at WashU.
The supplementals are a lot of work for your student, if done properly. I think more work thinking about the schools up front and what they want could limit the list of schools.
We visited to see if DD liked the school, not just to demonstrate interest. This is a major investment for families - your student should feel comfortable on campus.
My kids applied to 12-14. I don't see how kids can apply to more than that without getting overwhelmed or sacrificing quality.
Anonymous
01/13/2026 14:18
Subject: Did your kid enjoy process of applying to colleges?
Anonymous wrote:They both enjoyed college visits . . . it was good family time. The rest is pretty tedious and stressful. One is at Swarthmore, the other starts at Carleton in the fall.
Those college visits are meant for families to see the amazing places in the good ole US of A. It's a "trap"
to get folks to fall in love with its beautiful country and the outstanding higher institutions that exist here.
Anonymous
01/13/2026 14:17
Subject: Did your kid enjoy process of applying to colleges?
The visits were fun- seeing different cities and trying local food places. The anticipation was fun. The uncertainty was not fun.
Anonymous
01/13/2026 14:17
Subject: Re:Did your kid enjoy process of applying to colleges?
Anonymous wrote:Parent of a junior here. For those who've gone through this, is there anything that you think helped ease the process, or would have in retrospect? I'm trying to pay attention to which schools notify early (like Pitt, or those with EA that give an answer by Christmas)--seems like getting a couple acceptances from places a kid likes can be so psychologically helpful. I'm wondering if it even makes sense to check out the ultra-reach schools with single-digit acceptances, or just forget about them. Worth trying to apply to as few schools as possible? Are there benefits to forgoing ED? With a junior I feel like we are "supposed to" hunt for a first choice for ED purposes.
Any advice is most welcome.
Yes but some of it is too late for you.
Start early so you can spread things out and avoid crunch times as much as possible.
prep for the standardized tests the summer before jr year. Figure out which one your kid is better at/finds more tolerable and just prep for and take that one
take the test in late summer or early fall of jr year.
if you are planning to ED (which can be a real advantage) then make sure you plan enough visits early enough so they can decide upfront where to ED.
have a balanced list with high reach, low reach, targets and safeties. visits schools in all categories. it's important to have safeties that your kid likes a lot. don't just visit the reaches.
Anonymous
01/13/2026 14:14
Subject: Did your kid enjoy process of applying to colleges?
We limited to 10 schools and visited them all. They are all within driving distance though (one of our parameters). Visited other schools as well and were able to rule out certain types of campuses. We were looking more for what type of campus do you like (what is your dream house) and then find others that are similar.
I understand why students apply to 20 (it’s a crap shoot at a lot of these schools) but I think a lot of kids overshoot or expect they will be one of the select few who get in and then they are disappointed. This can spoil the entire experience. One of our DC’s friends was “only going to apply to Ivies.” Guess what - he is at WashU.
The supplementals are a lot of work for your student, if done properly. I think more work thinking about the schools up front and what they want could limit the list of schools.
We visited to see if DD liked the school, not just to demonstrate interest. This is a major investment for families - your student should feel comfortable on campus.
I understand why students apply to 20 (it’s a crap shoot at a lot of these schools) but I think a lot of kids overshoot or expect they will be one of the select few who get in and then they are disappointed. This can spoil the entire experience. One of our DC’s friends was “only going to apply to Ivies.” Guess what - he is at WashU.
The supplementals are a lot of work for your student, if done properly. I think more work thinking about the schools up front and what they want could limit the list of schools.
We visited to see if DD liked the school, not just to demonstrate interest. This is a major investment for families - your student should feel comfortable on campus.
Anonymous
01/13/2026 14:13
Subject: Did your kid enjoy process of applying to colleges?
I wouldn't say it was enjoyable but my college sophomore was literally just telling me that she thought her writing improved a lot through the process of writing all those supplemental apps. So in retrospect she appreciated the process, or at least that part of it. And this is an English major who has always been good at writing!