My heart goes out to you, @saraacortes. You sound a lot like my son’s friends. College admissions can feel random in any year, but I think it’s especially true this year. You’re obviously a fantastic student, and any college will be lucky to have you contributing to campus life. You’ve done everything you possibly could to pave your way to success, and I am confident that you will do just that. As @Gumbymom always says, it’s about making the most of wherever you land and “blooming where you’re planted.” I know that seems like empty consolation right now, but I know this from personal experience. I’ll send you a PM.
Big hugs coming your way, and praying you get an outcome that you’re super excited about.
I suspect you have some pleasant news coming your way this week. Hold on…you are not alone. We know a few with stats similar to yours feeling like things are slipping away. It’s still very early. By the time the dust settles, things will work out. I’ll be awaiting updates from you on the CA school threads.
@saracortes, I’m another parent who feels for you. You seem wise beyond your years and are obviously a fantastic student. I’m confident it will work out for you and you’ll end up at a school that’s great for you. My son is one of the kids who hasn’t heard anything from SLO (Biomed Engineering) but received admission to UCI. Clearly, those 2 schools are looking for different things in their student body. You obviously have excellent stats and any UC would be lucky to have you at their school. I’ll be thinking of you as the next 2 weeks of UC decisions roll out.
@saraacortes, another parent thinking about you. Feel proud and confident that all your hard work and dedication will pay off. You’ve done a great job at preparing for your future! I see good things ahead for you!!!
Though it still has last year’s data up, since it’s not May 5, 2021 yet, there will be a list posted here on 5/5 of colleges still accepting applications:
Yeah, similarly, my good friend’s daughter got her BS at Humboldt, did a year of research at Stanford, and just got admitted to every med school at which she interviewed, including her number one choice. Many of us (guilty) have gotten an idea that only some schools are not good enough. Sadly it’s turning out that there are just not enough spots at a handful of schools for all the “top” kids. The good news is that now many of these “top” kids will be at all those other schools.
My daughter is experiencing the same emotions. She worked so hard throughout High School with grades, sports, job, EC, NHS etc and now is waiting and trying to stay positive, not knowing if she will get into any of her top choices. I feel so badly because we always talk about working hard and it will pay off in the end. I know she would love to go to Cal Poly like her sister but now she is hoping for any school in her major. I know she will do great wherever she ends up as will all these kids. It’s just a hard, long wait. Best of you luck to you all!!
SLO should never be considered a safety or match. Especially for certain majors. SLO has very different recommended a-g and that needs to be on your radar early in HS or even middle school.
Best school isn’t always best fit. You will find a school that is perfect for you and where you will thrive. I know that has been said so many times here but it’s easy to forget. Visiting the campuses really helps, even during COVID.
I’m wishing for the very best happy ending for everyone.
How do we find out what their specific recommended a-g is? My D moved to California in 8th grade and not a single advisor informed us how different tracks could affect her high school pathways/college decisions and college was not even on our radar at that point anyway.
When are kids allowed to just be middle schoolers? It’s a complete racket that kids should be thinking about what they need to achieve to get into college when they are 13. I understand there are some kids who are very driven from a very young age, and there there are also those who are under pressure from their parents.
My D21 has made straight A’s since 9th grade. Honors, AP,community college classes, job, sport, leadership etc. She’s being shut out because of potential acceptances because math of pathways that started in middle school. I find it completely obnoxious that it could have happened because we moved to California when she was in middle school.
I know my daughter will attend school where she will thrive, but the process of getting to that point has been riddled with stress, frustration, and anxiety. She was told to work hard, get good grades, take rigorous classes and we are stunned and numb at this point.
I would though really love to know what Cal Poly wants to see for their A-G so I can look at what my daughter took.
I hear you on this frustration point. There is a LOT we would have done differently with S21’s HS course selection (and choices he made during MS) had we known then what we know now. He attends a public HS with 3600 students and there is no strategy/planning provided - there aren’t enough resources.
Example: he was on an accel math track in MS but decided to go back to normal track in the middle of 8th grade due to a really poor teacher. Wasn’t worth stress. It wasn’t until he decided at the end of 9th grade he probably wanted to major in a STEM field that we realized he’d need to have as many math classes as possible. Problem was that the choice in 8th grade had locked him into a fixed pathway that we could not vary. He would not be able to take Calc until senior year. We didn’t even really know at that point that he would be a very, very high stat kid. We just knew he was a solid student with lofty goals.
I got permission from the HS principal to let him take geometry online over the summer after 9th grade, so that he could get directly in to Algebra 2/Trig Honors sophomore year and then take Calc junior year. If we hadn’t spent hours figuring this all out on our own, he would have been stuck. After he completed geometry, our school instituted a new rule banning kids from taking any core A-G courses outside of the school for graduation reqts credit other than foreign language. They only count as elective credit.
A decision he made in 8th grade could have had major consequences Yes, he would have gotten into a school eventually, but the fact that one decision at age 12 or 13 could have such an impact - especially if the kid is your first and you have no idea how crazy this college process is - is insane.
I just want to add a few words of encouragement. First, decisions are still to come, so try not to feel dejected just yet. You could get some very good news this week, so try to stay positive. Second, all your hard work will pay off in some form. There is a lot of focus on college during high school, but your perseverance, ability to perform under pressure, and discipline to do what you need to do even if you don’t feel like it are all traits that will serve you well in future jobs and in life. While you may be questioning your work in high school, please know that college is just one step in life. Yes, it’s important, but the work ethic and attitude that you have developed in high school will serve you well in many areas.
Keep your chin up and know that you are more than a number. Don’t let rejection define who you are!
It is really terrible that kids can get locked into a math track at eighth grade. Same happened to my son. Wasn’t worth the stress to keep dealing with the math teacher and we only had two days to figure it all out. Realized too late that it would affect his path with math and the hard sciences. We opted not to try to take summer school, because we wanted our son to experience the wilderness in the summers with an amazing camp. His experiences there will far outweigh his school experience in the long run. He is still getting into CS programs elsewhere, although he was waitlisted here. Will bloom wherever planted.
