<p>I have three older brothers, none of whom were successful in school. Now that I have good grades, my parents think I am some sort of prodigy. I have made my college list, but my mom & dad think I should be applying to schools that are harder to get into and more prestigious. I think it would probably be a waste of time and money to apply to these harder to get into schools. Has anyone else had this problem? How did you deal with it?</p>
<p>Explain the situation. If they insist you apply to these places, let them pay the fees. Sounds fair to me.</p>
<p>yeah, I have explained it, but they insist that I'm being modest. But i think it's a good idea to just let them pay haha.</p>
<p>hey u never know....esp. if you would like to go anyways i say apply =)</p>
<p>What's the harm in applying if they want to pay for it? Focus on the essays for your real target schools, modify those essays for the super-reaches.</p>
<p>It's usually a good idea to apply to a mix of schools, some you think you might not get into but would like to attend if you do, some you think are a good fit, and some you think you're easily qualified for. Give your parents' list a fair shot and select a couple or 3 at that level (i.e., schools they suggest or others of similar stature) that seem attractive. Can't hurt, right? At least it keeps the parents happy, and as they used to say on the ads for the NY State Lottery, "Hey, you never know!"</p>
<p>yeah, I guess so. I'm just a little worried because neither of my parents have jobs, and I think they are sacrificing for me, and it might be pointless.</p>
<p>i'm sure your parents mean good intention and they surely have a lot of confidence in you. so it's a good sign. just work it out with them. they might have a lot of good advice for you as you move along the application process which often times is a teamwork process.</p>
<p>Does your high school have naviance or similar reporting of admissions outcomes for previous classes? That data is very useful in realistically assessing your chances.</p>
<p>no one from my school has ever been admitted to Harvard, Princeton, or Yale. Last year the valedictorian went to Cornell which a HUGE deal for our school. Almost all the kids go to the state school in my town, or if they are good students, then they go to Penn State or Pitt. My mom, however, thinks I should apply to Princeton and Yale because they give such good aid packages and my dad wants me to apply to Brown...I guess it never hurts to try even though it looks unlikely...</p>
<p>WOW, I actually do have the same problem. I just explained to my parents that it's unlikely that I'll get in certain places, not that it has changed their minds very much, It is still a good idea to apply to reaches because it is possible! I mean, I guess it depends on if your parents will listen to you, and hey, I don't know your achievements so maybe you are qualified. Good luck with that</p>
<p>My guess is that you are probably not quite as good as your proud parents think you are, but you are probably a lot better than you think you are.</p>
<p>Be sure to nail down some safeties and draw up a balanced list, but also include a couple of reaches in the balance too.</p>
<p>Yea my dad tried to convince me today that me and my 3.7 GPA have a shot at harvard.</p>
<p>obtain fee waivers and make your parents happy.
what are your stats? where do they want you to apply?</p>
<p>
[quote]
Yea my dad tried to convince me today that me and my 3.7 GPA have a shot at harvard.
[/quote]
You actually do... With the proper SAT scores, extracurriculars, Essay, Credentials, Race, and Excuses you could very well be admitted with a 3.7.
I doubt universities take High School grade very serious... They aren't there to monitor your learning to see if you teacher is hard or easy, whether you are actually learning... they have to rely on people they don't know to make sure that their university is the star university...Generally once you have a 3.7... some universities will view that as a 4.0...</p>
<p>My parents are indifferent... I don't have the desire and probably won't have the grades to go to Harvard...</p>
<p>hmm my parents were kinda like that too. they wanted me to apply to privates.. i was like ehh noo they're too expensive.. w.e UC's are fine. parents payed taxes, lets not waste it~ lol</p>
<p>If your parents are both out of work, you wont have to pay any application fees so you might as well just try. also, top schools give good financial aid which might help you.</p>
<p>Am I the only one wondering elsaphant's stats?</p>
<p>ok here are my stats.</p>
<p>GPA--95/100
rank--3/160 at the end of last year but i think this might go up
hardest curriculum at my school
my school is pretty small and like I said, they don't really send kids to good schools but it's not a bad high school..
AP bio and APUSh--5 on APUSH and not sure on bio
SAT--2100 but I took them again in May
SAT IIs--only took one so far (750 on History)
ECs--I'm class president and I just won 2nd in the state in National History Day so I'm going to nationals... and I have loads more but I have to get to work...</p>
<p>thanks</p>
<p>Your parents are partially right. You may not be a "prodigy", but you are certainly a good student. If your parents are lower income and if you are the first to go to college, you could be in a very good position to make a run at some of the nation's better universities.</p>