And, in terms of the original topic, in speaking with my D this afternoon, she reminded me that she originally hadn’t been interested in ivies and was pretty much convinced that she wanted an LAC. Over time, she kept tweaking her list and refining her criteria. She ended up applying to Yale SCEA, along with a broad cross-section of LACs and research unis, mainly based on their programs and their potential for merit aid scholarships. Her apps to Stanford, Harvard and Princeton were originally sent in order to find out whether or not she might get some FA offers that would exceed that which Yale had offered. It was only at the (literal) 11th hour that she realized that Stanford was the best overall fit for her (and, thankfully, they did indeed reconsider FA in light of other offers), and Yale and her myriad scholarship possibilities her off the table.
As for CC, I would advise @drjmom and others not to disparage the benefits of this website and its community. Both my daughter and I have found a supportive community and a treasure trove of ideas and information with respect to schools, programs, institutional and outside scholarships, and summer programs – I daresay more than any school or independent counselor could or would have provided. Like everything else on the internet, caveat emptor and YMMV, but don’t underestimate the usefulness of this website and the benefits of being part of this community, warts and all.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to pay it forward and go provide feedback and help edit some kid’s essay.