<p>I have had the opportunity to talk to a couple of parents of high school seniors this week and have been shocked at how little they have done about college apps. Neither senior has even started applications. One said that his daughter had the lead in the school play so they told her to not even think about college until after that. Do they care that little? Do they realize that they've missed out on many scholarship opportunities because they've missed deadlines? DS has completed and filed 6 applications; 2 more are done and ready to submit after a final review but aren't due until January 1st. 1 more is complete except for a scholarship essay (due this week). The last one needs some work but isn't due until 12/15, although the transcripts and SAT scores have already been sent. He has one acceptance already.</p>
<p>I was just really surprised to hear of high school seniors that haven't yet done a thing for college apps as we reach the middle of November. I don't know whether they are really far behind or the kids of CC are really far ahead. Maybe it's some of each.</p>
<p>I don’t think it’s that unusual. My kids were ahead because I’m neurotic and also because one of my Ds applied to a lot of rolling admission schools. Most of my friends and relatives kids were squeaking by at the last minute. Also, some kids just don’t plan on getting scholarships so they don’t worry about that part of it. It all works out in the end.</p>
<p>I think for the vast majority of schools, thousands of them, you’re fine as long as you apply by 3/1. It’s only a few hundred highly and very selective colleges that require any real effort in applying and being accepted. The CC world is not representative in the least of most students’ college application process.</p>
<p>I have chanced hundreds of students and it seems that the vast majority of students that asked to be chanced on CC all seemed to apply for the first-tier schools. Very few CCers are people who wanted to be chanced for second-tier schools, let alone third-tier or fourth-tier schools. And it’s currently the high season for chancing.</p>
<p>I think a lot of it’s ignorance. It’s surprising how many parents (not the ones on CC) are pretty clueless in the area of college admissions even if they attended college themselves (35-40 years ago when they applied). It’s even more difficult for parents who have never attended college - it’s as if they think it will somehow automatically get taken care of, as it pretty much has been for K-12, or that the guidance counselor (who may have 500 students they’re responsible for) will somehow apply a lot of personal attention (which they usually don’t at a large public HS).</p>
<p>They’re also usually out of touch as to selectivity. There are many who think it’ll be no problem getting into the state flagship because 40 years ago it wasn’t but now is a different story. Many think that as long as the student has straight A’s they’ll be able to go anywhere, including ivies. They’re also often out of touch as to the cost of colleges nowadays.</p>
<p>I know I educated a lot of the parents when my kids were in HS by casually letting them know some of the above points. Many were truly surprised.</p>
<p>I talked to a mom of a HS senior this week who said her son wants to major in architecture and is applying to Cornell, Maryland, Syracuse, and Virginia Tech. No applications are complete. I asked whether he had a safety. She said it was Virginia Tech, which might be an academic safety, but not financial. Anyway, I just think people do not understand the process.</p>
<p>MD Mom - I obviously don’t know the student, their credentials/stats, etc., but rarely if ever do you hear VT architecture and safety in the same sentence for any student, ever. It’s an exceptionally competitive program. It may very well be a ‘match’ for this student if they are high achieving, but some programs just don’t fall into the safety category for anyone.</p>
<p>Regarding the OP noticing students waiting until late to address applications and their general attitude towards admissions, I think this is more the norm throughout the US then what you will find certainly here on cc, as well as certain pockets of more competitive high schools in the country. Many state flagships have stats driven admissions where it is fairly clear where the admit line is. If a student is a safe notch above that in GPA and scores, they are content to go there, and tuition is within reach for their parents, it doesn’t have to be more complicated then that. Many don’t require essays, or accept LOR’s, so it’s not the same level of stress involved as filling out the common app, coordinating LOR’s, writing essays, filling out supplements and more essays, etc. Then you move on to honor’s college apps, essays, more LOR’s, etc. That’s just not part of the process for so many people. I don’t think it’s anything I need to educate them on if it works for them.</p>
<p>Hi there, as you can see I am new around here (posting that is!!). I have been a long time lurker. I felt the need to post as I am the parent you are talking about. Our D is the one applying to college (or has already applied) and this has been a totally new experience for all of us.</p>
<p>I nor my husband graduated from college - I attended community college, but did not graduate. Sometimes life just gets in the way!! Anyway, I was totally clueless when it came to helping our D apply to college. If it were not for a friend that is an admissions counselor at a nearby private college, D would have never got her applications in by the November deadlines. Its not because we did not know applications were coming, but we had no idea how involved the process is. </p>
<p>Our D is not applying to a first tier college, but many state colleges. So sometimes I feel out of place here, but I do continue reading and I have learned many things from this site that no one bothered to tell us. I have learned we cannot rely on GC’s to get the needed information to us, the student and parents have to go out and find it. Big eye opener for us, but we are so far ahead of the game compared to D’s peers at school it is really sad. </p>
<p>Most of us do care, but we just do not know where to start or that it is time (or past time) to start. I have directed many friends to this site and I hope they have visited and have learned how to get their children into their desired college (regardless of the college).</p>
<p>I guess it is all relative, OP. I could say the same about you–why aren’t you done yet? Our kids have applied to and have gotten acceptances to all of their schools except one. They have all of their merit awards done and in…DD has already committed to a school and deposit sent.</p>
<p>Not every college in the country has the same deadlines. There are plenty of schools that have a LOT of time left. I agree that they should probably at least know where they are applying but even with that, there is still a LOT of time.</p>
<p>^This. You can lead a horse kicking and screaming to water, but you can’t always make him finish applications early, no matter how well-informed (or neurotic) you as a parent may be.</p>
<p>The overwhelming majority of students attend public universities in their home state (cc is no where reflective of the college attending population). Most public schools have rolling admissions well into march. </p>
<p>In NYC, everyone who submits an application to CUNY by 2/1 is guaranteed a seat @ CUNY (you may not be admitted to your chosen program, but you will get a seat). Even students who are denied admission at every school on their initial application is sent a letter asking them to choose 1-4 year college and community college for admission consideration (minimally they are guaranteed a seat in community college). At our school we encourage all seniors to apply to CUNY by the end of september (because it is a financial safety). We collect the $65 fee as part of their senior dues. </p>
<p>We also encourage each student to submit a SUNY application by thanksgiving (the fee is $50 per school, up to 4 schools on a SUNY fee waiver and many of the SUNY CC’s will waive the fee if you apply directly through their website). However, every student is not guaranteed a seat at SUNY. This way, we are making sure that each student has a financial safety lined up.</p>
<p>For kids who are extremely late in the process, NACAC will post a list of schools that are still accepting students in early May.</p>
<p>I think it’s early still and you are being a little hard on those families whose kids have not submitted anything yet. If my child had the lead in a play, definitely I would put that ahead of college applications, especially if none were due before Jan 1 and the play closed well before that. Is it possible that some of the parents sensed your frenzied attitude and maybe decided to be a little guarded in their responses, for fear of a grilling about where their child is applying? Sometimes parents don’t like to reveal too much.</p>
<p>The vast majority of colleges and universities take applications for several more months…it’s only EA or ED applications that are due 'right now." I’m sure there are plenty of kids and families across the country that won’t give it a thought until after the holidays. It’s only a year long quest if you make it a year long quest. Mine fortunately just wanted to get the applications done so they could get back to having “fun” senior year so I was fortunate as they finished in time for the EA colleges and hit submit for the regular decision colleges that only have ED or Regular. That probably is unusual and certainly not something I talk much about with “other parents” except on here.</p>
<p>Maybe some students find filling out college applications and writing essays not that difficult. If the student is a talented writer and has something interesting to say then…what’s the rush?</p>
<p>I think some CC parents get way too excited about this stuff and assume anyone who isn’t must be clueless. It doesn’t take everyone " months" to perfect the admissions essay.</p>
<p>My niece (who is the fourth child) and has two Harvard educated parents was still visiting colleges as of last week. Really though unless you are applying EA or ED even for the highly selective colleges you can do them all in December. I insisted that my kids apply EA to any school that offered it and they both had schools on there list that did, but otherwise I am sure they would never have been very far along at this point otherwise. And both kids were still sending in applications after Christmas. My younger son didn’t write his optional Tufts essay until January, though he’d given it a lot of thought before then. He wanted to do a really good job on it, so he got everything else in first. I guess it was a fine strategy since they accepted him!</p>
<p>I do not think that all parents and students realize that so many schools require the application by November 1 to even be considered for merit scholarships. And how much money that may amount to. Or that rolling admissions become more competitive for both admission and merit the later in the year. </p>
<p>Or maybe they do, and cost is not an issue for them. Or they already know the schools they are applying to do not have these same rules. MDmom, we are very in tune to this in MD because our state school has these rules. And is a very competitive school. That is not true for many/most state schools. </p>
<p>None of the above. Most deadlines are the end of December or later. Plenty of time to enjoy fall work then do the apps. Not everyone is obsessed with getting things done early. Some parents nag sons to no avail as well (…midnight CALIFORNIA time for one per son who clicked send by 2 am, mid January for flagship with Feb 1st deadline- found out within 3 weeks). This was a gifted procrastinator kid.</p>
<p>Blue iguana, I agree with you though (no safety) I am not all that familiar with architecture. And vlines, the student I am talking about did not apply to Maryland by November 1 because his mom says he really does not want to go there. Many of us start out thinking our brilliant kids can go anywhere they want. Somewhere along the line we figure out that even the superstars need a safety…if we are lucky.</p>
<p>The reason he hasn’t completed all apps is because 2 of the schools are early decision rather than early action and he isn’t sure enough about any one school to apply early decision. He did apply early action where it applies and early to meet scholarship deadlines where it applies. Out of the 4 apps left, 2 are RD, one is for med school (undergrad already applied and accepted) and one undergrad (med school already applied) has an 11/15 scholarship deadline.</p>
<p>These parents had kids (seniors) that hadn’t even thought about college yet; it wasn’t just that they hadn’t submitted anything. And, it’s more than ED or EA that have November or even October deadlines, it’s scholarships. DS applied early to a few schools to meet scholarship deadlines. I can understand not having completed applications but I was really surprised to come across seniors in high school who hadn’t even thought about where they would apply.</p>
and also because one of my Ds applied to a lot of rolling admission schools. Most of my friends and relatives kids were squeaking by at the last minute. Also, some kids just don’t plan on getting scholarships so they don’t worry about that part of it. It all works out in the end.</p>