<p>ctmom2boys, I’m not in any way offended. Our kids’ disappointments hit us right in the gut, believe me i know. Your son sounds like a really super kid, so he’ll definitely land on his feet. And Bryant and UVM ain’t shabby at all (we considered Bryant also, another up and comer about to get HOT like Loyola, imo, but hubby and GC had to calm me down to pare down the list as it was). It’s a goofy world when your solid student with solid stats is considered marginal in the admissions world.</p>
<p>tunagoddess - thanks for your reply - my dd has also applied to princeton, yale & georgetown and is - of course - anxiusly awaiting word. BUT people are always surprised when she says Loyola is still one of her top choices – her friends/relatives have had such great experiences there and she just felt right at home when we visited. Of course an ivy is an ivy and I think that’ll be hard to turn down but I had the feeling she’d get ‘lost’ at Georgetown.</p>
<p>ctmom2boys - I share your exasperation (or maybe I will more once April 1 rolls around and she gets her other decisions!). DD has outstanding stats, ECs, recommendation etc. and certaininly falls into top tier for Gtown and well above avg for the ivies - but like your son we were never able to send her to any of the multitude of summer programs she was invited to, get her tutors etc. and I know a lot of the kids applying to the ivies have family connections and resumes loaded with those types of things. So even though she has worked really, really hard to get where she is she may find herself not in at any of these schools. </p>
<p>Plus I would say if he has his heart set on Loyola to let them know - maybe have him contact his admission counselor directly?
Good Luck with everything!</p>
<p>I’m seeing the waitlist situation happening at many different schools, where the prospectives should have definitely been accepted, but instead have been waitlisted. I think certain schools have made it so incredibly easy and inexpensive to apply, that many have applied when they are not truly interested. I have some friends who have applied to 15+ schools, some of which they have never visited and knew very little about. It seems that the ones that did apply to a multitude of schools, were told to by their college planners. Since I did not use such a planner, I first shocked at the amount. However, the more I spoke to people about it, the more it seemed that I was in the minority by only applying to 6.</p>
<p>For those of you who have been waitlisted, I certainly wouldn’t give up hope. I think that the waitlist will be used heavily this year. Good luck!</p>
<p>The common app has led to the decline of the entire application process – too many kids have the resources and apply to way too many schools.<br>
And, many schools are using the ‘apply for free!’ ‘get a decision in a week’ ‘you don’t have to write an essay - just apply!’ tactic --to increase the number of applicants they get. I read an article, I think in the NYTimes, where colleges are doing this b/c it obviously increases their number of applicants, but they can keep the amt of accepted the same so it will make their numbers look better.</p>
<p>So in the end, it is unfair b/c many kids will just apply, apply, apply even to schools that they aren’t interested in and then kids who REALLY are interested may not get in.</p>
<p>ctmom, I was really touched when you said you didn’t sleep at all. I also thought about your son sleeping in his Loyola shirt. </p>
<p>I know how very hard it is to see this happen, and to think it’s your fault. So let me say what you already know. You did what you thought was right, and that’s really all anyone can do.</p>
<p>The good news is that kids are resilient, and disappointment is a great teacher. Your son still has two fine choices. And the way you deal with this may have alot to do with how he deals with it. </p>
<p>My wife and I are sending you positive parental energy, which you should be receiving shortly (since we’re from your neck of the woods).</p>
<p>Thank you Gweeta, my husband and I are putting a positive spin on this for him and trying to get him excited about his limited choices.</p>
<p>I’ve already registered him for the accepted students day at UVM and promised him a new snowboard and full gear for graduation. A seasons ski pass for VT college students is $35, so he can at least look forward to that!</p>
<p>ctmom, don’t give up hope yet for Loyola. My son is a freshman there and when we went to freshman orientation there were MANY who had just gotten in off the waitlist (and this was the end of June). I think they took many more off the waitlist than people know… Also, my son was heartbroken not getting into his first choice and now is so incredibly happy where he is. Things really do happen for a reason sometimes… UVM is an awesome school also and may be his dream school after he gets there!</p>
<p>CtMom - Your post really resonated with me. Please don’t second guess yourself. You did all the right things to help your son become a caring, productive member of society, and that’s much more important than any college acceptance. We too know people who did some, if not all, of the things you mention, including hiring a person who basically writes the essay. We also know people who sent their kids abroad over the summer in order to obtain eye-catching community service. And yes, the private tutors to bring up SAT scores.</p>
<p>It’s disappointing that colleges are impressed by essays that were not written by the applicant, and kids who build houses in South America because their parents could afford the air fare and related expenses, and don’t need their child to earn money during the summer months.</p>
<p>I still believe the combination of a shaky economy, coupled with kids applying to a multitude of schools, makes for a very uncertain college admission process this year. Waiting lists will play a greater role than they have in the past, according to many knowledgeable people.</p>
<p>You have my best wishes.</p>
<p>i was priority waitlisted… and i was in constant communication with the university and grades and sats were good and in their range but my friend who did not communicate with them at all grades lower then me and in lower level classes them me got in soo i think that loyola is a great school but they know it so they take advantage of that. Personally i got into to 6 of the 8 universities i applied to: Drexel, St. Joseph’s, University of the Science in Philadelphia, Immaculata, Philadelphia, and Dickinson. I got money from three of the six. Loyola was my first choice. I just took it as a sign to step away and i am ok with that. Although i was upset i am not taking it personally and to those who got waitlisted DO NOT TAKE IT PERSONALLY they are not worth it! Congrats on everyone who got in though!</p>
<p>Ctmom, I hope your news from Providence is better. My son did not get in. It is such a nice school we were really hoping. It is really a very stressful time not knowing which direction your child is headed. I wish your family the best.</p>
<p>I am so sorry to hear that!</p>
<p>I’m surprised you got the news already, they told us they weren’t sending them out until yesterday, but I have zero hope that the news from PC will be good.</p>
<p>Did you ever contact Loyola to find out about the chances of getting in with the “priority” waitlist?</p>
<p>What schools was your son accepted at?</p>
<p>I can’t believe how many people Loyola waitlisted…I haven’t heard of anyone getting rejected, it seems like they just waitlisted everyone, which IMO, is giving a whole lot of people false hope.</p>
<p>Ctmom, We are only 40" from Providence. They said they had 8,400 applicants for 1,050 spaces. I think your son has just as much a chance as anyone else applying. My son contacted Loyola and priority is no guarantee. We just have to hope and wait. He was accepted to Fairfield. He rec’d academic scholarships from the following five schools Xavier, St.Josephs, Lemoyne, Canisus, and Loyola New orleans. Waiting on Rollins, West Virginia University and High Point. His 1st choice now is Loyola Maryland since Providence is no longer an option. As a parent we always 2nd guess ourselves. We did not hire a college counselor. My sons school is a top notch all boy’s catholic school and they were extremely helpful during this stressful time. You seem like a very caring mother and I am sure you did everything right.</p>
<p>Thanks Mass…just got the mail, it’s a small envelope, but heavier, almost feels like card stock, I peeked through the side and it’s more than one sheet. (Yes, I know how crazed I sound).</p>
<p>Was yours like that or just a single sheet letter? S is out with friends and not answering his phone! I want to ask him if we can open it.</p>
<p>He’s waitlisted.</p>
<p>Good luck, we’ll be pursuing the waitlist at PC and Loyola, something tells me his chances are better at PC though.</p>
<p>We’ll also be sending a deposit to UVM which, IMO is just as good and will provide as good of an experience as the other two, but we can’t seem to convince him of that.</p>
<p>ctmom, Sorry just got home. That is good news,congratulations! Your son might have to decide which one he wants more when they both open up (I am a firm believer in prayer and positive thoughts!), does your son know what he will major in? My son wants journalism, writing (sports). UVM is a good school.</p>
<p>My DD’s acceptance arrived in yesterday’s mail. While still one of her “top choices”, she viewed their deferring her from EA to RD as not matching her firm commitment that she was perfect for Loyola and it was perfect for her and started looking more seriously at other options and won’t decide for sure where she’ll go until she hears from her other Top Choice and we see the financial aid package from both.</p>
<p>CTMom, I felt your venting post in my gut and DH and I thought long and hard about whether we would also feel that we had done a disservice to our DD by also not hiring the college counselor, SAT tutors, etc., if she didn’t get into Loyola. We both agreed that it was more important to us to raise her to be an extraordinarily well-rounded person. There is more to childhood and high school than schoolwork and grades, and I’m glad DD has had us still deeply involved in her life as she has branched out into many, many different areas, including her first part-time job. I firmly believe that kids will “bloom where they’re planted” and that the values we have all planted in our kids are what will make them extraordinary adults. Please don’t second-guess yourself. You’ve done what you felt was right - for you and for your son. And I completely believe that he will excel and become the best he can be because of it.</p>
<p>While Loyola was not quite a “reach” school for my DD, it was a “high target” (if that’s the right term for it) for her. We pushed her some but believed she needed to “own” her own academic future and thankfully she did come around to wanting to do well in school - but not until towards the end of sophomore year. <em>gasp</em> Interestingly enough, this was around the same time as we decided we’d be okay with an in-state school and turned over to her the reins of her future. Since then she’s seemed to be on par with Loyola’s stats grade-wise and perhaps she will be able to do well there if that’s what she chooses.</p>
<p>The whole increase in admissions to Loyola just flabbergasts me - and I have no clue as to how admissions folks make these seemingly inconceivable choices…not a job I would want, for sure!</p>
<p>FWIW, I’ve known many students who have gone to UVM over the 20yrs I’ve been working in our high school and all of them have thoroughly enjoyed their years there - even those who were less-than-thrilled when they entered…</p>
<p>ctmom …</p>
<p>My son just found out he was accepted at his first choice school, a target for him, so he will be turning down Loyola’s offer of admission. He loved the school, as everybody else seems to, but his heart has belonged to his first choice for a couple of years now and he has friends who already attend.</p>
<p>I wish we could give you his spot at Loyola, but at least you know one person who is not matriculating. He is going to decline the admission offer Monday, the faster to give Loyola a picture of what their numbers look like.</p>
<p>Keeping my fingers crossed for you.</p>
<p>Kelly, I wish you could give us your spot too! ;)</p>
<p>Congratulations on your S getting into his first choice. If you don’t mind my asking, where will he be going?</p>
<p>NHmom, I know, the whole application process does seem so arbitrary, on the other hand, it seems that the vast majority of admissions counselors are young and inexperienced and I admit that that bothers me.</p>
<p>Are these really the best judges of a persons character and chances for success? I don’t see how they’re equipped to make the decisions they do, but it’s not for me to say.</p>
<p>Hi CT mom…
Im here rooting for you!
I have heard nothing from Loyola. I am on the waitlist too…
Quite honestly we are visiting Gettysburg and Geneseo next week…
I hope to make a final decision soon…It may be too late for me to even still consider Loyola…</p>
<p>CTMom, I think you’ve really tugged on every mother’s heartstrings with your venting post. I wish you and your son the best. My D is a junior in a very academically rigorous boarding school and we’re going to visit Loyola in a few weeks and just wanted to get a feel for how things were going with admissions. I certainly didn’t anticipate this. </p>
<p>I guess we will be applying to many schools next year.</p>
<p>And our story sounds a lot like NHMom’s story…D didn’t take grades seriously until towards the end of her sophmore year. Could have been a combination of getting used to not having a parent over her shoulder or the high school adjustment…doesn’t really matter. There is nothing we can do about the past.</p>