<p>I'm a parent of a "more typical" student than what is seen on these boards. I have gotten a ton of useful information and have found a number of parents who are looking at the same schools that we did. I lurk on CC (and occasionally post a question) not so much for information on the schools we were interested in, but for the process of looking, applying, finding a safety school, financial aid, etc. I also enjoy a good discussion on topics that don't necessarily concern me or my children, such as the recent thread on athletes gaining admission to selective schools with lower stats.<br>
There are a lot of intelligent, thoughtful and witty people on this board who are quite generous with their information. I appreciate it, and never felt slighted.
By the way, my son is going to Quinnipiac and we are thrilled!</p>
<p>Chocolate. Congratulations on the great college outcome.</p>
<p>chocolate~</p>
<p>CONGRATULATIONS to your son on his decision to attend QUINNIPIAC!!!!!!!!! That is so awesome! I am so glad that you are all so thrilled. I am thrilled for you both as well!</p>
<p>~berurah</p>
<p>berurah you are definitely our conscience on this board. Being fairly new to this board, I tend to congratulate those that have bled the most and have posted more, so I feel that I "know" their stories. Going to college is a great adventure and no less for it not being an ivy or top LAC. After all, we want all the kids and parents to be happy. There is no lesser road - the maturation process and gaining of knowledge is unique to everyone.</p>
<p>chocolate - congrats on the Quinnipiac acceptance. Have you posted it on the Final Decisions thread? S's best friend visited there and was quite impressed.</p>
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berurah you are definitely our conscience on this board
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evita~
awwwww, thanks! I do make a conscious effort to respond to all decision announcements because I know how sustained we were by all of the incredible support on this forum. Truthfully, the people on this forum were the ONLY ones who REALLY knew what we were going through. My next child, my sophomore daughter, is quite different from her older brother. Her strengths and desires are in very different areas (and areas not always reflected by grades and test scores). I so hope that these same great people will be just as excited for her college application process and decision as they have been for my son, even though we will not be following the path of elite admissions for her. So, you see, I DO feel that each and every student (and hence each and every decision) is worth celebrating!</p>
<p>~berurah</p>
<p>What bias? Thanks you all of you for your kind wishes.
And Evita (I'm humming "Don't Cry For Me Argentina " while I type this), your quote "the maturation process and gaining of knowledge is unique to everyone" is well-taken. It's all about fit. We all love our kids to pieces and want them to be happy and thrive in a place where they can learn.</p>
<p>Hmmmm...I never noticed the bias (and I'm the biggest underdog fan around so I like to think I might have noted it and said something). </p>
<p>YAY for everyone in the Class of '05!!! Woot Woot!</p>
<p>Congrats on Quinnipiac...is that the college whose political polls are all "the rage" here in Wash, DC? If so, can I "brag" that I know you? It's a big deal in my world to have your political chances measured by the Quinnipiac polls...</p>
<p>Anyway, whether or not it's the same...CONGRATS...it's so great when kids find their places and are excited about their launches, isn't it? Even if it means confronting empty nest syndrome and starting the fast-run down the road to poverty!!!! (Grin)...</p>
<p>Congrats--</p>
<p>Congrats! I do believe it's the same Quinnipiac as the polls. I feel confident your son will thrive there.</p>
<p>Wow, I think the only biases are based on what people on this forum actually know about schools they have experienced to one degree or another. That is what makes CC so incredibly helpful. My junior S is very different from S who is graduating this year, and I will need even more help with him than I have this year with S1! Looking forward to it!</p>
<p>Check out the thread "world rankings' and you will see some of the bias that I am talking about. For the most part not the people here but it certainly does exist on CC. The "World Rankings" thread just goes to show how name brand we have become.</p>
<p>Cama</p>
<p>Cama, I hear what you're saying -- but when I read the "World Rankings" thread I was pleased to see that a number of the posters thought the subject was as idiotic as I did. Granted, there will always be those who are convinced that life is meaningless w/o an "elite" degree. But thankfully those people are few and far between on the parents forum.</p>
<p>My D chose her saftey school and I was overwhelmed with the number of good wishes she recieved on this board, it warmed my heart. I just think people choosing top tier schools tend to post more. I do not feel that bias at all.</p>
<p>I think part of the bias cama feels is driven by the large number of international students that are now applying to US Colleges. If I were an international parent, and I was trying to help my child decide where to go to college without being able to travel over and see each school--I would probably buy a lot of the "rankings" guides to see how these schools stack up, at least in some manner. Think about it, if you live in China or India, what schools will your potential employers recognize? Do you have the resources to find a hidden gem among the elites? </p>
<p>Some of the bias is regional. I can tell you that where I live, it is all about UT and A &M...outside of a few elites (don't ask about a Dartmouth or Cornell) people haven't heard of, nor take any interest in, other schools--regardless of how they rank in what program. Some of the National Us and Ivys can transcend regionalism, and so they are discussed more often. </p>
<p>And then there is what is more important to each family. For some people, the name <em>is</em> the most important thing. For others it's athletics. Cost. Size. Proximity. Majors. If you check around on the threads you will see just as many on big vs little; private vs public; party school vs non-party school as you will Yale vs Harvard. </p>
<p>Perhaps there seem to be more elite applicants posting because they need more help navigating the elite admissions process? It's very tough these days for any applicant to be admitted. I tend to take the information posted about elites, and use it for my own purposes. I do post on the "underground" threads when I think I can be of help, but I don't post as often on the threads that deal with elite admissions. It's not an area which I have firsthand knowledge.</p>
<p>We did use the rankings guides at our house. We looked particularly at freshman retention rate, graduation rates, and class sizes. The selectivity data was used to put schools in the likely to admit/not likely to admit catagories so as to end up with some choices. But if someone else wants to apply because it is ranked #1 then that is their choice as well. I don't feel the need to question why a person comes here for help.</p>
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I don't feel the need to question why a person comes here for help.
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Generous soul, texastaximom.</p>