<p>OK, D is really going to college! On Friday, she was accepted both at her state school safety and at a wonderful match that she loves and where she could be extremely happy. When I think of all of the things I learned from other parents on CC that have facilitated this happy outcome, I wanted to thank everyone and to enumerate all of the things that should have been common sense, but weren't.</p>
<p>-- We learned about admissions policies and quirks at different schools. We were able to ask parents and students questions that really helped D to focus on the schools that interested her most.</p>
<p>-- We got advice on interviews. A couple of parents even linked to sites for alumni interviewers that gave the inside scoop on how they evaluated interviewees and what kinds of questions to prepare for.</p>
<p>-- We learned about alternatives in standardized testing: D was not, in fact, trapped with the SAT's. Her ACT's were much better and seem to have done the trick. When we had trouble extracting her scores from the CB, which lost them and then was rude and unhelpful when we tried to find out what the scores were, we got the help and info that allowed us to finally get to a competent CB administrator who made sure we had the scores literally overnight.</p>
<p>-- Advice about contacting people in D's area at various schools was most helpful. This enabled her to eliminate a couple of schools that had been top choices since it was clear that she couldn't get what she needed there, and it also allowed her to understand schools she had barely considered in more depth.</p>
<p>-- We changed our list to include a couple of safeties we knew she could get into no matter what. (Thank you, Andi.) She didn't actually love her safety, but she could see herself getting an excellent education and having a good time there.</p>
<p>-- We found out about excellent summer programs, one of which she auditioned into and was a superb, life-changing experience that also, because it has a national reputation, seems to have been helpful with college. </p>
<p>-- Private messages allowed D to compare the music scene at different schools she was considering. The info and support around auditions has been wonderful.</p>
<p>-- Understanding the superb qualifications of the students applying to various colleges has made my H and me much more realistic and able to offer better guidance.</p>
<p>And so much more. Mind you, D has a wonderful GC at school who has been exemplary, both supportive and informative. But you can't really call up your kid's GC as frequently as questions and anxieties arise. I've changed screen names because I was afraid I'd said a couple of things that might identify D, who is a very private kid, but I've been a constant poster since early in her junior year, and there hasn't been a single time I've asked for advice or info on CC when the request hasn't been met with the most generous, insightful responses I could have hoped for.</p>
<p>So thanks, everyone. We couldn't have done it without you.</p>