Now that most are in the “wait and see” mode, I thought I would post what I hope will be a small note of encouragement to the parents of what I am sure are very exceptional children…
Two years ago, my daughter applied to many top schools. She had excellent grades and good, but not exceptional, test scores. Her ECs where, in my view, stellar: silver medal in full-contact world kickboxing championships, speaking on a panel at a United Nations symposium, essay highlighted in global competition and starting women’s issues club in high school, among others. She was a long shot for a top school, as everyone is, but we thought that casting a wide net would yield one or two acceptances.
Nope. She did not get into a single “top” school. She was accepted into all of her reasonable schools and decided to attend a highly regarded state school (top 30ish according to USNews). She was very disappointed, but her boxing taught her how to take a punch.
So, here is where I hope to encourage parents of those who might experience something similar in the coming months…Life is not over if your child does not get into an Ivy.
My daughter was just accepted into a two year internship program. According to one of her interviewers, if she is not horrible, she is pretty much guaranteed an offer upon graduation. This is one of the most selective employers in the world - they have a less than 5% applicant acceptance rate and have a very large applicant pool from the Ivies. This is her dream job and she could not be happier, if not a little intimidated.
In her “second tier” school she has straight As, ran a blogging platform with 30 contributors and spent her summer studying abroad. Importantly, her summer abroad was not in Madrid, London or Paris, but in a small city in a developing country where women are repressed. The experience started off as hellish, but turned into one of her best experiences and one she would do again in a heartbeat. (Had she not been a fighter, I would have worried a lot more!)
My unsolicited advice to parents of children who may face disappointment in the coming months is to inspire your child to attend the school that fits them best, then own it. Be a big fish in a small pond. Do hard things and be different. This is the first of many challenges your children will face, make it a fantastic formative experience.
Best of luck to all! No matter the outcome, your child is fantastic in their own right. Make sure they know that before they receive their decisions.