<p>KR, to be honest, I deal more with parents than students, except here on CC, and a lot of parents just don’t have a clue on multiple levels. Which is why I like dealing with the parents here on CC…they’re actively seeking information and are mostly open to it.</p>
<p>Face it, it’s a pretty complicated process. First you have to understand what I call the game: the map of all the hoops you have to jump through, what the various pieces are and how they move. Then finding the right balance of input & labor between parent and student; the uber-helicopter parents and the touch-me-not students are just mirror images, imo, who need to internalize the meaning of “appropriate.”</p>
<p>And then there’s just…uninformed. I was talking to a Dad who has a very high achieving son. Dad was offended when I suggested he needed a back-up, that he wasn’t a slam-dunk to get into UCLA. Well, son <em>did</em> get into UCLA, but that doesn’t negate the fact that the son wasn’t a slam dunk. It’s when you see the number of 4.3 gpa’s or valedictorians or whatever that get rejected that you sober up fast.</p>
<p>And this is why Smith is a good “admissions value.” Not trying to rub salt in the wounds of those who were denied or wait-listed, but for the quality of education, Smith is a <em>lot</em> easier to get into than comparable schools, largely due to the single-sex factor making it less competitive; admissions rates have been running around 50 percent, give or take a couple of points, which is a hell of a lot better than the 20’s and teens of many highly competitive schools.</p>
<p>^ Oh yeah… totally know what you’re saying.</p>
<p>My parents are uninformed, but aren’t really like the dad you mentioned. Since I’m first generation, they’re just really proud of ANY acceptance. Which is nice. I didn’t want them to write a letter on my behalf because I thought they would mention all the fluffy, unimportant stuff. :-P</p>
<p>Phew, just re-read parent’s letter (I’m the parent); not fluffy, a tad redundant. Smith was the only one of my daughter’s schools to ask for this. It’s nice to have our voices as parents, heard a little bit. I hated the coldness of the format of the Common App. and relished adding some richness & depth back into the process. Oh, KR, I’m fotb, so my daughter is 1/2 first gen. too!</p>
<p>Rocket, all parents are invited to write the letter but it comes late in the game and is easy to misplace. I was excited about the opportunity, but never got around to it! Fortunately, my D still got it :)</p>
<p>Wow. This must have been a tough year. The daughter of a friend who lives in the Southeast was waitlisted. Valedictorian or close to it in her class. An engineering student. I’m stunned. I thought she’d be in in the proverbial cake walk.</p>
<p>One girl at my school (lower GPA and rank than me, but probably slightly higher SATs) got in as a STRIDE, too, and she’s just blowing it off like Smith was community college. She should be grateful that she got in at all given the increased competition this year.</p>
<p>I hope the same, nightpwns. I think you deserve that spot far more than she does (as do the women who were waitlisted at Bryn Mawr, another acceptance she doesn’t seem to care about).</p>
<p>Agreed on the Bryn Mawr thing. And thanks! <3 Honestly, if she feels that way now, I’m wondering why she bothered to apply at all. Perhaps for an ego-booster? =/ I know I really would prefer to go to my matches over my safeties, but I still love them (albeit a tad less than Smith!).</p>
<p>My friend CMK92, who was accepted to Bryn Mawr ED II and knows that I love Smith, leaned over to me the other day and said, “Here’s to keeping her off our campuses.” I agreed wholeheartedly. </p>
<p>MiChiamanoMimi, she has been telling people that she is going to UPenn next year. She applied to Wharton, which is obviously extremely competitive, and the rest of us seem to agree that her chances are slim. It will be interesting to see what happens.</p>
<p>I’m kind of hoping that she is accepted to Wharton, or at least accepted to schools that she finds more desirable than Bryn Mawr/Smith, just so that she doesn’t end up with your friend/all of you/me (hopefully?!).</p>
<p>Depending on what one is focused on, Smith could well be a lesser choice. The MIT or Cal-Tech student. The Swarthmore or U/Chicago student. The Reed student. And, if one wishes to prematurely sell one’s soul to the lesser gods of business, Wharton actually makes sense as a superior choice. But note that all of those are very focused conditional circumstances.</p>
<p>Smith or Bryn Mawr vs. Williams/Amherst/Middlebury? In my book, not even close in most cases.</p>
<p>Now Smith vs. Wellesley, Barnard, and Mount Holyoke is where the sharp elbows and blades whistling through the air comes out. <insert repeat=“” of=“” joke=“” about=“” the=“” differences=“” among=“” four=“” schools=“”></insert></p>
<p>Sorry to backtrack… but my dad wrote up a parent rec and oh god… I’d rather not send it in haha. I keep trying to tell him that he needs to write about specific, unique things rather than general redundant statements, but he’s so proud of his writing and I don’t think he’s getting the message.</p>
I didn’t want them to write a letter on my behalf because I thought they would mention all the fluffy, unimportant stuff. :-P</p>
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