<p>"Have you parents ever thought about letting your children decide where they want to go to be happy, rather than forcing your decisions onto them?"</p>
<p>My D made her own decisions when it came to applying and the final choice. As parents we did cooperate in trying to gain information and our part was heavily weighted towards deciding what we could afford and how to be able to afford the cost of attendence.</p>
<p>Unfortunately when it comes to college applications selectivity is becoming a big problem. It is often not a case of deciding what you want, but trying to decide where you fit and where and how you can gain admission. By the way you need not be disgusted. For a great many of us, our kids are well past the application and acceptance phase. Best of luck to you in your process. If you have interested parents, work together to learn as much as you can and in trying to piece together your strategies. It could be you are just so bright, so accomplished and so far beyond everyone else that you will have no problems with acceptances or financial aid. That was not the case for some of our kids.</p>