<p>First of all Neato, let me add to the chorus of good wishes to your family. I mostly lurk but you have been unfailingly helpful to all on this site and good karma dictates that you be rewarded. </p>
<p>My DD applied to 5 schools and one local PS magnet program, which included testing, essays, etc. I can’t imagine having done more just in terms of visits, testing and essays. The results were acceptance to the magnet–the “hallelujah” safety–two denials, including from her sister’s HADES school, two waitlists (one her top choice), and an acceptance to a girls school with generous (but still “how the hell are we going to swing this?”) financial aid.</p>
<p>In our case, I don’t think I really understood my daughter’s commitment to wanting to attend BS. We looked at day and boarding, and because she is pretty much a family girl, we didn’t think that her commitment to living in a BS environment was what she really wanted. We only allowed her to apply to two. She is currently on a scholarship at a very prestigious day school in DC. What we told her was, that if she can get into a school that is offering the same level of scholarship she is receiving now, we would allow her to go. We were lucky, she applied to two, and got into one and waitlisted at the other. But as the March 10 deadline approached she was on pins and needles as to who was going to accept her. I think if I had to do it all over again, I would have allowed her explore additional schools so her life, as she knows it, would not have been as crazy hoping that at least one of the two schools accepted her. Again we were lucky, because the two schools she did pick out, were perfect for what she wanted, what they wanted and just an all around good pick.</p>