<p>
</p>
<p>Yes, playing around with it, I agree this question is heavily weighted.</p>
<p>But it is false, in my opinion. There is a huge difference between writing essays and filling in forms (name, date of birth).</p>
<p>I got a “get more involved.” When I changed the answer about influencing course selection from “no” to “yes”, it said to “stay the course”. Since S is in an IBDP, I didn’t think that I influenced his course selection but I guess back in kindergarten when we chose an international studies feeder to the IB, we chose his future courses.</p>
<p>“stay the course”</p>
<p>I do know a mother who actually wrote up and sent in an application to a college because her D refused to consider it. Never would I have so little shame as to do that.</p>
<p>As to the question #8 that keeps coming up, their school offered separate individual meeting opportunities for concerned or inquiring parents who might have needed direction or wanted to dialogue a bit with the GC. What you have to understand is that in a small private school, there are dozens of opportunities during the school week for the student to casually drop in and jaw with the college counselor. It is also encouraged in other settings, and there is a scheduled meeting once/week for the whole class, with the college counselor for juniors, and a separate day once/week for seniors. There are also the many college rep sessions between September and January.</p>
<p>The only parental interface time was back in junior year, at a one-time “parent Info night” which was generic. I knew everything there already, and naturally there were no specifics for either one of my D’s. So taking advantage of the additional option to have an in-person mtg with the GC allowed me to throw out possiibilities about specific college names. Indirectly, and to my surprise, it ended up being a way to learn about how the school administration viewed my D, and how little the college counselor knew her – which is why the counselor’s suggested college list made no sense. Bottom line? It was validation for the previous ideas my D and I agreed were a good fit, and much greater confidence regarding those college names.</p>
<p>Another bottom line: even at outstanding privates, sometimes the college counselor is not much help on the list itself. Depends on her or his intelligence, curiosity, ability to read people, possibly also experience (this one was very young). I heard the same complaints about GC’s in large publics (“They have no idea what colleges might be right for my S/D”).</p>
<p>Well, I waived on the question #5 about contacting folks at colleges child is interested in – I initially answered YES because I will be contacting financial aid. </p>
<p>The College Board came back & said “STEP BACK”</p>
<p>I changed my answer for #5 and the College Board said GET MORE INVOLVED.</p>
<p>Hmm, guess I need to find a happy medium</p>
<p>“I do know a mother who actually wrote up and sent in an application to a college because her D refused to consider it.”</p>
<p>What good did that do? If her daughter didn’t want to apply I imagine she didn’t want to go even if she were accepted. What were this mother’s motives?</p>
<p>My score was: Stay the Course. I am actually more involved with my daughter than I was with my son. Different personalities and my daughter and I are very close and similar.</p>
<p>To QwertyKey,
Not surprisingly, it did zero. :)<br>
Mom was exasperated with D for being less ambitious than she wanted her to be, and less accomplished as well. D was rejected from college with pseudonym’ed app. Similarly exasperated with D’s college essays, Mom rewrote sections of (or all of, I forget) girl’s college essay, using clearly adult verbiage. I told Mom to knock it off because it would be a giveaway that it wasn’t the D’s. Bottom line: She wanted a different D, i.m.o.</p>
<p>suggesting to get more involved…hmm </p>
<p>thought the question about helping student get a job…and a few others weird because half of it might be appropriate but the other half of the question smothering</p>
<p>working to give our student space to be</p>
<p>YAY…a Stay the Course…and I was conservative and honest with my answers…</p>
<p>But my 17 and 19 year old swear I’m a hover mom!
We’re not even FB friends!</p>
<p>I sent them my results…ROFL!</p>
<p>What parent writes a student’s essays or meets with a GC without them…that is weird…</p>
<p>I too got a “stay the course” but dont you think that the degree of involvement depends on the child? Some kids just have their acts together and others need all the help they can get. I remember being horrified when one mom told me she was totally hands off - letting her son pick whatever schools he chose to and not even attending parent meetings at the school about the college search. Her son had his act together and is now at the Tisch school at NYU but had auditions at several other schools. Not sure I could do that but then my kids weren’t quite as together…</p>
<p>“Stay the course” here, but I think that the age of the student can also be a factor. DD is a rising freshmen, and just beginning to look at colleges…of course she would need more direction at this point.</p>
<p>I don’t need to take the quiz to know I am a helicopter parent. My daughter told me that a long time ago. To be more precise, she said I was more a ‘blimp’ than a ‘helicopter’. Not sure what to make of that comment.</p>
<p>I never filled in applications or wrote essays but I have been there all along to answer questions, provide guidance and, yes, pay the application fees (DD is currently applying to grad school). For those of you that watch 24, I like to think of myself as kind of a ‘Chloe O’Brian’; confined to headquarters but ready to reposition the satellites on short notice and send Jack the information he needs to fight the bad guys.</p>
<p>Throughout my life I have had my parents a phone call away ready to do whatever it takes to help. At the risk of sounding immodest, I’ve turn out OK. I like doing the same for my kids.</p>
<p>^^^
You might be surprised! I got “stay the course” even though I consider myself so much of a helicopter parent that S needs to duck to avoid the blades… :rolleyes:</p>
<p>I scored “stay the course”. My son has called me an obsessive mother. I wear that badge with honor.</p>
<p>w00t!</p>
<p>“Stay the course”</p>
<p>I answered as I would/should have when one-and-only was still in high school:
“stay the course”
I hope and suspect that the questions are weighted: writing an app counts more towards helicoptering than does discussing finances.</p>
<p>Too involved - but even D thinks some of those questions are absurd. Of course I talk with her about her career goals and share tips about interview skills; that’s part of how I define parenting.</p>
<p>I am involved in hiring at a major bank. On two occasions, I have had soon to be COLLEGE graduates show up for the interview with one parent in tow! One just waited in the building lobby, fine. The other insisted on being present in the interview. I told the applicant (and his parent) that the interview would not be conducted and his application was denied.</p>
<p>Stay the course- compared to other parents and D’s teachers I look helicopter - thats why this site is so helpful to me!</p>