Love that story!
In one of my younger daughter’s BS classes (Econ, I think), the teacher asked “Does anyone know what C.R.E.A.M. stands for?” And thanks to her Wu-Tang Clan fan of a dad, my daughter said “Yes.” Teacher was skeptical, until she dropped “Cash Rules Everything Around Me” on him. 
Golf Kiddo team’s just won the university’s policy Case Competition - on to the International Competition next month. This is for grad students and undergrads. After surviving 4 years of Harkness hogs and the teacher’s who supported them, nothing intimidates Golfkiddo. Kiddo stated “I could never have had the courage to argue without surviving Deerfield’s culture”……
PS : Go Choat ! 
I have to say, from everything you’ve posted over the past year, I feel like we dodged a bullet when our daughter decided not to apply to Deerfield! Despite all of the wonderful marketing materials, after an initial thought that it was a great place, my daughter did further research and decided it was not for her (she doesn’t know about this forum, so it was just based on her own research and process).
Completely unrelated, I have been knocked out with a bad cold for the past four days. I am ready for this to be done and to be able to swallow water without feeling like it is tearing my throat apart!
Hoping your student has found the best fit and is enjoying school🙏
Hope you feel better soon!
We’ll find out if she has any fits on March 10! And then cross our fingers that she has done a good job sussing out which schools would be good for her and that she will be happy where she ends up next year. It feels like such a gamble and we don’t know how much to believe in the marketing and everything. Especially not being able to visit when schools are in session. One thing that has been helpful are the virtual panels - there are some where the kids are super down-to-earth and you can see the strong relationship with the admins/adults on the panel as well by the way they talk about each other.
My daughter attends Deerfield. She started as a repeat Junior. She has had a completely different experience than Golfgr8’s kiddo. I am so glad I did not know about this forum before she applied. She has enjoyed it so much and had experiences she never could have imagined at her public school.
Yes, seeing everyone’s experiences definitely highlights the need to go for fit first and foremost when looking at schools. There are many reasons (not just posts on this forum) why Deerfield would not have been a good fit for my daughter, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be the perfect school for someone else!
Mine applied during Covid, so no visits anywhere. Only applied to 3. Only got into 1. The first time we saw it in person was at drop off. Luckily it has all worked out.
That does give me hope that even though we can’t do revisits and we have only been able to visit when no students are on campus, that she might still be able to find a place where she’ll be really happy. 
Most kids will have many places that they can find their “fit”.
Mine is now a senior and is awaiting admission decision for 7 schools, none of which we have visited. She did not want to visit before acceptances.
PLEASE tell me there was a follow-up question about Shaolin.
I honestly think most schools are more alike than different and most kids will fit most places. I think kids run into trouble with the intense pressure and institutional priorities of the tippy top schools. So groton is trying to churn and burn, institutionally they’re obsessed with rigor. Pomfret or mercersburg or st Andrews doesn’t have that institutional pressure so those schools can be more focused on the kids in the school now. And most kids would do well at any of the three.
I have no idea who that is! And @SevenDad - I don’t think I’ve ever heard a Wu-Tang Clan song before, so I would have been completely lost in that conversation as well! Now, if we’re talking 80s pop, I am able to hold my own! 
This is for the single parents. As a divorced daddy who nursed and supervised my kid for the past 6 years and through COVID, and is now reaping the rewards of his struggles and efforts in the process, I am happy to see the conclusion of this process. We know how much sacrifice and struggle we experienced along w the kids and I want to raise a glass to us. Especially the single moms. Cheers!
You’ve come to the right place, @doublebubbletrouble. Cheers to all of our hardworking, sacrificing CC prep parents and, yes, especially to those of you who have done all this navigating and shepherding alone. Congratulations on a job well done!
Best of luck next week to every family and student here who has run this gauntlet.
Cheers, indeed!
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You get the gist.
Serious questions deserve their own threads.
Any parents of seniors getting sad? Graduation announcements arrived today. I don’t know why I am sad. D23 entered as a repeat Junior, so had 5 years of HS. She has been 8 hours away at BS, it’s not like anything will really change next year, except her FA won’t be nearly as good. Anyone else getting weepy yet?