<p>Around this time each year, it seems like we have a proliferation of threads about low acceptance rates, astonishing rejections, crestfallen students and indignant parents. Those are valuable threads- the disappointed families get to vent their frustration, experienced parents get to provide perspective, and parents of future applicants get cautioned about not getting too 'top heavy' in their search.</p>
<p>But a negative side effect, in my opinion, is that we may be getting a one-sided view of the college admissions process. Rejected applicants are probably the ones not out partying and instead are starting these sad threads. Cumulatively, these threads tend to fan the flames of parental anxiety and despair leading to generally negative thoughts. </p>
<p>I would like this thread to serve as an antidote to such negative thoughts. I suspect that there probably are the opposite kind of stories too- stories where parents and students were blessed with unexpected acceptances, lots of financial aid, or other happy outcomes. I invite parents and students to take a moment out of their celebrations to post on this thread. Did your kid get in some place amazing with a less than perfect SAT or GPA? Did your kid get into all his/her reach schools? Share your joys and tell us what you think worked in your case. We need some cheer and some hope.</p>
<p>what a nice suggestion! I hope many parents add to your thread! I certainly hope I can make a contribution to this thread in a little over 2 hours But, even if that is not the case, I will certainly enjoy reading uplifting posts from others, and I wish all the anxious parents and kids all the best. Collectively, you all have taught me so much during last few month, and the valuable knowledge will help me guide my S2 intelligently.</p>
<p>We are incredibly grateful after several years of struggling in jr and sr high school, our son started experiencing academic success and has ended up being accepted into 9 different colleges, many more than we thought possible. He has narrowed it down to 2 that would both be great choices for him. AND he has a pretty clear idea about what he wants to study, so we are celebrating!</p>
<p>I have been scouring these boards since my d was a HS freshman, as she is not the typical CC student (ie, no APs, SAT scores well below 2400/2400, etc.) and I was concerned about finding good schools where she would be accepted.</p>
<p>She applied early action to 7 schools, was accepted to 5, and deferred then waitlisted at the other two.</p>
<p>Since she had already decided she wanted to attend the school where she was first accepted, she did not follow up with the schools where she was deferred – so she had no experience of rejection whatsoever, and can hardly wait to leave for her university!</p>
<p>The exceedingly nice neighbor kid applied to three schools, got into two (one of which is his preferred school) and was waiting on the third (RISD). He’s happy! He’s talented, a good student, not a high stats kid by CC standards, but a genuinely good kid, and I was very glad to hear the good news!</p>
<p>My twin nieces are finishing up the process right now. Being, basically, BWRK’s from Northern Virginia, and looking mostly at good state schools, the process had gotten a little fraught with anxiety, especially because though both are sparklingly smart and accomplished, one tests much better than the other,giving their parents a lot of added stress. However, at the end, both got in just about everywhere they applied (Twin1 tended to get early acceptances, but then Twin2, first deferred, was eventually also accepted). so, the ball’s in their court now, as they decide where they are going, and if they’ll decide to go to the same school (it’s nice that the choice is there if they want it, though I think they will most likely not.)</p>
<p>Saturday a.m., son banged downstairs. “Oh no, I messed everything up! I sent the wrong version of my essays on the common app! I sent the version with typos!” Then he slammed upstairs to his room.</p>
<p>Half an hour later, the mail comes. Two envelopes, fat and thin. Thin: waitlisted at Amherst. Thick, accepted to Swarthmore!!! Guess the typos didn’t hurt him too much!!</p>
<p>We learned that colleges, even the Ivy League, are building a community, not JUST choosing the kids with perfect SATs and grades. My son, of whom I am inordinately proud, has a “hook” which happens to be music, but is also a great (not perfect) student and is intellectually curious and very engaged. Well-rounded. Funny. He goes to a teeny public high school, very academic, where he did well, but also got to participate in varsity sports, lots of community service and other things like Mock Trial. He wasn’t the captain or the star. He isn’t the one teachers hand scholarship applications to, though they love him. Primary passion is music, and he does it very very well. His SAT II scores, which he took for the one Ivy league school he applied to, quite frankly were barely average. Not exaggerating. ACT was great, on the low end of the range. He had a stellar interview, with an alum who told him on parting “I can’t wait to write about you.” In his essays he spoke about his high regard for the school because one could be involved in a premiere university but also contribute to the community as a musician. He hasn’t saved the world, but clearly communicated that he would be a great, engaged community member. He was accepted to Columbia yesterday.</p>
<p>My kid decided her first choice was a private that had everything she was looking for academically, socially, and where she could easily continue her main EC passion. It is highly ranked, but below top 20. She was in the 75th percentile for stats, and the school has a 35% overall acceptance rate and over 50% ED. We visited twice, she put her heart and personality into a cohesive application, applied ED and was accepted in December. DONE!! I give her credit for not going on the high reach/prestige rollercoaster as most of her classmates have done. It’s true that it would have been discouraging to her if she didn’t get in ED, but she already had a safety school acceptance in hand and other applications out when the result came in.</p>
<p>Strictly speaking admissions and not FA, Ms. Artsypants (my one and only niece) did very well. She is a Technical Theatre kid with a life-long interest in Holocaust Studies from a good suburban high-school. Probably top 11-12%. Very interesting profile. I think a 29 ACT (very un-balanced). She can always say she was accepted at NYU/Tisch, Fordham/LC, Wagner, Pace Honors, Drew but I’m betting she ends up at Boston U/School of Theatre (with a whale of an FA package, just fantastic). </p>
<p>I get the honor of taking her to an accepted students gig next week in Dallas.</p>
<p>My S was rejected or waitlisted at 7 schools, 2 of which we felt were slight reaches. The others were matches/safeties, or so we thought. We are thrilled he got in 1 school, which was by far the best college for him in many ways.</p>
<p>My D’s story is very happy. She’s a talented kid: art, music and a pretty good one-sport athlete. 3.9GPA - 20th decile in her class - far from the most difficult courseload, only 3 APs. Lots of Community service, no leadership - she’s definitely the worker bee. Never acknowledged for anything in school. Things that she actually won were never publicized - I cared, she didn’t. SATs were horribly bad and I mean horribly bad. ACTs not much better - we’re talking 25%ile. She made a great list of safeties and matches(from test-optional schools) and a couple of insane reaches. She ended up with 8 acceptances out of 10, one WL and one we don’t know yet. She recieved very nice merit at 7 schools - totalling over $200K including her WL school!!
Yesterday was the topper - accepted at Cornell for a specific major. She wrote some very compelling essays about her potential for fit at the school and I think that 's what Cornell wanted hear. I can’t believe they actually looked past her scores and saw the great kid that she is.</p>
<p>We’re from the Left Coast and kids have been raised in Southern Cal, so both kids have wanted to go to the East Coast for college to experience something different. Oldest D went to school in Massachusetts. D2 had applied to colleges back east also this year. She really liked Dartmouth when she visited as part of the summer college tour, but refused to fall in love with it.</p>
<p>She only got into 1 back east school–you guessed it, Dartmouth! One yes can make up for a lot of no/maybes. She is happy as a clam.</p>
<p>She’ll do some visiting to other schools that accepted her. But they’ll have to convince her.</p>
<p>I would like to share DD success at this year college acceptances. Even though she was not in the top 10% or any where close GPA wise at her high school she did much better than many of her classmates with much higher GPA. She had a cumulative GPA of weighted A- while there were lots of students with GPA greater than weighted A and a GPA between weighted A and A-. We will not know the exact rank but it seems it was pretty low GPA wise. The only consolation we had that her course load is one of the toughest and all 3 students with similar course load and cumulative GPA of weighted A or more got into H.</p>
<p>This was her college list of 14 acceptances (A)/ 1 waitlist (W)/ 1 rejection(R)
Reaches:
Harvard - R
MIT - A (EA)
Princeton - A
Stanford - W (RD)
Caltech - A (EA)
Cornell - A (Likely)
Dartmouth - A (RD)
Olin - A for Interview (Declined the interview)
Matches:
Rice - A (Likely) - Trustee and Century Scholarship
Duke - A (RD)
JHU - A (RD)
UC B - A (Regents/Likely)
Safeties:
UC LA - A (Regents/Likely)
UC SD - A (Regents/Likely)
CMU - A
USC - A (likely) - Presidential Scholarship</p>
<p>DD school required 2 reaches, 3 matches and 2 safeties. DD applied to CMU and USC as she would have chosen CMU over UCLA and USC over UCSD.
She applied to all schools before EA results as she was of the opinion that if she doesn’t get into MIT/Caltech during EA then she won’t be able to do these properly. She would have to apply to Yale, Columbia, U Penn, Brown which would have taken a lot more time. Since she was reaches heavy, so she applied to matches and safety much earlier.</p>
But, even if that is not the case, I will certainly enjoy reading uplifting posts from others, and I wish all the anxious parents and kids all the best. Collectively, you all have taught me so much during last few month, and the valuable knowledge will help me guide my S2 intelligently.</p>