Merit at Temple, maybe honors college? Or Miami U of OH honors?
No you did not - she attended on scholarship at a cost of only 5k/year to her parents. It was amazing luck, we thought…
Nonsense. All kinds of quiet students are accepted into elite academies every year.
Apparently, she did not. That’s what we’ve learned.
OP, I don’t understand why you keep coming back to this attitude. It sounds as if your D got bad advice, or didn’t listen to the potentially good advice given by the GC. The posters here have explained over and over that 4 applications, none of which are affordable, are not enough. Neither is taking the ACT and SAT once (short of scoring a 36/2400).
I think your DD will have a much happier and more successful experience if you would stop with the persecution complex.
Really. Why? What about me seems inauthentic to you?
Well, it was not because she is shy.
yep. I read the story of a kid getting burned out in their senior year and identified with it. That is all.
Sorry, I have a day job and didn’t get back to this until now. I’m absolutely floored by all the responses. Thanks everyone.
^Not thinking McGill will be much cheaper, other than from the current exchange rate.
How involved were YOU in this process? Because most of the parents on this forum have been very involved in our kids’ college searches, whether there were GC’s or not. It’s the parents who have to say what they can afford to pay, how far away they are comfortable with the kid moving, and any manner of other details. It’s the parents who have to help with the tours and ultimately approve the final decision.
Frankly, this just comes off as petulant whining. Lots of people “work hard”. The garbage collectors are out there rain, shine, swelter, and -6 degrees. Sadly, they probably don’t make enough to live in McMansions. If you think academic success is meaningless, try academic failure for size. Your D has a very solid record and can find her way.
That you seem to have expected recruiters to roll out red carpets is laughable, given that even those at the “tippy top,” as posters here call it, are turned away from places like U Chicago, Stanford, and the Ivys in DROVES. You do realize the University of Chicago’s current acceptance rate is 9%, right?
She seems to be red flagged for sure. If only I knew what it was. She doesn’t have a police, mental heath or drug record. Honest.
Iffy whether she’ll give U of Illinois another look. They are unpleasant to deal with. But if she does, this will be good info thanks.
There is no red flag. Stop a minute and listen to the advice…this if fixable. You got bad advice, or incomplete advice the first time. Embrace the advice tis time and your daughter will end up happy, ok?
If she is taking a gap year, have her pick either the ACT or SAT to retake, and really study beforehand. Drill until she can get speed & correct results. It will give her a lot more merit options to get at least a 32 ACT.
Is she an introvert or is she shy?
They are different.
A gap year can be a blessing. A chance for her to find a list of colleges that are a better fit.
Not sure why you say she is unhooked. It sounds like your family was struggling financially for her growing up.
Colleges love first gen students. Both my girls were accepted to all their choices, including one with no merit & met 100% need.
They also decided to take gap years, so that they could enjoy a break before college.
“She seems to be red flagged for sure. If only I knew what it was. She doesn’t have a police, mental heath or drug record. Honest.”
Nonsense. She was rejected by two schools which reject 95% of all applicants. Illinois engineering isn’t a safety either according to posters on this thread and she was accepted at UDenver. It was the lack of guidance in crafting her list which was the failure.
Many kids get into fine schools with merit and/or FA with her stats.
Red flagged??? She only applied to 4 schools, two of which are reaches for everyone. She got in to one of the others. You need a much larger sample size if you truly believe she was somehow flagged.
She, of course, met all the deadlines when applying. It appears that the main issue is that she had selected inappropriate schools and possibly not enough schools. I have to ask, how many is enough? 10, 20, …? Crazy process.
College admissions in the US, like many things in life, requires you to play the game if you care to “win”.
You could argue that that isn’t right; that being a good student should be enough, but that’s true in life as well. You can be a hard worker and do good work, but when you interview for a new job, they’re not going to interview all the people you worked with and look at all your work; your resume, interview, and overall “package” may matter more. If you don’t do that well, they may treat you as a nobody, but it wouldn’t be their fault; it’s more your’s for not putting together a package that highlights your strong points (and if you feel it’s their fault for treating you as a “nobody” when you don’t, that’s a bit of an entitled attitude).
Likewise, when applying for college in the US, putting together a smart appplication strategy, prepping for standardized tests, and overall being more hands-on is quite beneficial.
Will do. But she is an adult now. It’s all up to her at this point. Our role as parents has changed, but we will still do whatever we can to help.