I like to try to “teach them to fish”. So many posters have never heard of the Common Data Set, which is a treasure trove of information.
I understand your FRUstration but you also have to see how limited time these kids have sometimes. That is why they try to take the shortcut to get a response instead of researching. TIME is becoming a problem everywhere.
I thought that going on this site would be considered a form of research. CC turns up high in searches. A kid is more likely to stumble on us than on some of the more authoritative sites he really needs to consult.
I think the search function is tough to use… I don’t think most new posters even know what to ask. The question they come with often is ill formed because it is all so new to them. So they can’t search when they are kind of lost to start with. Or they don’t know the terminology…
I get the frustration, and I see both sides of it. On the one hand, I get that the search function here isn’t the best (I tried finding some Questbridge info for a student I know and all I found was thread on CC going back to 2009 of people linking people to Google search results of Questbridge on CC–not helpful!), and that for a newbie, it’s easier to just to ask the question. We’re here to help, and luckily the regulars don’t mind giving the same answers over and over again (I’m a relative newb here and am in awe of so many of the regulars!).
But I’ve also noticed the current generation just has no common sense when it comes to research. I see it here, on reddit (A LOT), on Gawker, etc. I have to do the “Let me Google that for you” a lot. I think people are becoming increasingly lazy in the Internet age and/or just have no clue how to parse data. I don’t know if it’s because I’m a Ravenclaw or because I was one of the last of my generation (I’m an “old” Millennial) to actually use a card catalog/dictionary/encyclopedia/books/the library, but the very same thing someone asks, I’m able to do a 5 second search and maybe a minute of browsing to find the answer, even if I didn’t know it already. Often, the data is out there, but I do think it’s an endemic thing that people just have no idea how to search for that info effectively. Or maybe I just really like doing research and the average person doesn’t 
@proudterrier - <<<or maybe="" i="" just="" really="" like="" doing="" research="" and="" the="" average="" person="" doesn’t="" .="">>> Are you me posting under a different name? :))
The other day a student asked where to start looking.
I went through my son’s notes, and got him a list of about 30 schools that might meet his SAT scores and location and financial requirements.
His response was a more pointed look at his grades, and a request that I let him know which of those schools would be the best fit for him.
I’m still shaking my head.
Asking for help because you have no idea where to start or what to ask is what this forum is for.
Asking for help because you’re too…let’s be kind and say “busy”… to use Google is another thing entirely.
No, sweetheart. I’m not your mommy. I’ll be more than happy to offer my opinions, for what they’re worth. But if you’re smart enough to go to college, then you should also be smart enough to find the admission requirements of a list of schools I’ve given you.
When I said research, I did at least mean the colleges’ own websites. How hard is that to figure out?
Weirdest: what’s Harvard’s address? Or phone number.
Best: the kids who get a little good support, absorb it and then are on the right track.
The main problem with the repetitive nature of the questions is when a piece of suspect advice gets caught up in the echo chamber of CC and quickly becomes established as the stock answer.
@digmedia, charging by the hour assuages a lot of the frustration.
Not looking for an answer on the school’s website gets me. If only they would start with “I’ve tried to find this but…”"
The question may be the same, but the answer may change over time.
I don’t mind answering most questions, although I’ll admit to having parts of stock answers (such as how much the current student loans are, what aid is available to low income students at NYS publics, etc) saved to my phone so they’re easily copied and pasted into new messages. I agree that some people seem more than willing to let others do their research for them. I don’t have time to be a personal secretary, so I don’t spend a lot of time on research unless somebody really seems to be lost; otherwise, I try to give them pointers so they can find information on their own.
I do wish posters wouldn’t post different details across multiple threads. Standardized test scores, what your parents will pay, and your GPA need to be reported accurately if you want anyone to help you, and I know they didn’t jump 400 points and sixty thousand dollars overnight.
I would love, just once, for someone to answer one of the “do colleges check to see if we’re” …cheating, stealing, lying… with, “Yes, yes they do.”
Teach a man to fish…
@Hanna - <<>>
If only…
I did that for a while (editing essays) but I was charging too little and ran into a situation where, no matter how much “advice” I gave, we got nowhere. I refused to WRITE essays for students, but apparently there are some services out there that do that. There are some very good essay reviewers/sites (e.g., “Essay Hell”), many charging a lot more than I did. So for now, I just give overall impressions (no charge) and pass detailed work on to other reviewers.
@ClassicRockerDad - <<>>
Are you suggesting I’m old? Wait… I AM old!!!
“I was charging too little”
It’s amazing how much better my client base gets every time I raise my fee. I’m experiencing the same pricing phenomenon as many colleges: people value the product more when they pay more. When it comes to their kids’ education, a lot of families are NOT looking for a bargain…they’re looking for the very best they can get, and it’s impossible to present the service as the very best when it’s cheaper than the competition. People just don’t believe you can get top quality for half the price.
I’m sure that for people who’ve studied marketing, this is basic freshman material, but I’m working on the fundamentals now.
Have you looked at college websites lately?
Some of them are marvels of information delivery. Most…Well, I’ll just say that I work at a university where, if I want to find information about the place, I turn to googling instead.
I mean, I’ve been working with my oldest on getting information about colleges on her shortlist, and have noticed that some schools’ websites don’t even have reasonably-easy-to-find information about where they’re located! Yes, that’s the kind of thing googling will give you easily enough, but if they don’t give you even that, imagine how hard it can be to find some less-obvious bits of useful information.
So no, I don’t begrudge the questions. Well, maybe the endless “chance me” threads from 9th-graders—but even that presents an opportunity to offer advice to relax a little and don’t let a hyperfocus on a destination get in the way of the journey.
@dfbdfb Have you seen this regarding college websites? https://xkcd.com/773/
“Have you looked at college websites lately?”
I know they can be bad. And sure, sometimes googling is the fastest way to what you’re looking for, within the college site. My issue is with kids who don’t try. And really, usually only kids who want top 25 or so, who have some high level of self confidence based on high school performance, and can’t look. Or those you freaking point to the detail, who then say they don’t believe it. Or (it has happened many times,) who say, but my friend said… I’ve had kids tell me I’m wrong about the school I work for.
I do agree with the comment that, said often enough, some erroneous advice somehow becomes accepted. Sheesh.