Mootmom: you bring up my favorite kind of safety, one with early non-binding admission. My S only applied to two schools–CalTech and MIT–with the plan to reapply the next year if necessary, but my D applied EA to Lewis and Clark and not only had an admission to an acceptable school by December 15th, but a substantial merit offer. Great safety!
Beprepn you’re partially correct here and no apologies necessary. When May 1st came around, he was still thinking that he’d possibly get off a wait list. <em>Somehow</em> despite everything, we still hoped he’d get in. It wasn’t actually until mid June that the final rejections came. While it was possible to find a school with openings or that had rolling admissions there were reasons for not looking into that, some of which you touch upon. And–
*he was finishing a senior year with many honors/ap courses/exams so not a lot of time to look into schools in a thorough way.
*there were lots of senior year activities that he wanted to participate in- fun that he didn’t want to miss!
*needed some recovery time after the disappointments.
So if he wanted to just <em>grab</em> at any school, it WOULD have been possible, maybe, to get an acceptance. But here you’re right- he didn’t want just any school and least of all a school that he hadn’t had much time to research. And, paying full tuition wasn’t an option either.
He’s a kid - and there are many of them and their parents on CC - for whom learning comes naturally. No pushing or prodding necessary. No prep courses. He does what he loves and that’s learning- he was born like that! Never met a word or number he didn’t like.
So, in his case, our course of action was the right one. For others it wouldn’t be. It’s important to know the kid.
For newcomers to this thread it’s worth reemphasizing the fact that andison’s great results the second time around did not include the two schools that were repeat applications, ie. Swarthmore and Yale. Even though, he didn’t dwell on these results, parents reading here should be aware of the fact that with the exception of those two schools, the new list was created from scratch.
Andi:
That has got to be one of the best quotes I’ve seen on CC! 
wow that was an amazing story and made me feel somewhat scared yet relieved.
This story made me be sure my son has safer schools than I think he needs. Who knows what they need?
For academic superstars, I think it is good to consider the colleges listed in “Colleges that Change Lives” and include one or two of them on your list. They aren’t “safety schools” like your big State U but they are generally easy to get into and they have many academic plusses that make them appealing to the superstars.
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This is the first time I have seen andi’s story, and I thank her for posting it!
It is true that when one door closes, another opens. Arguably, andi’s son may actually be better off with all that he went through — and others may be more careful, as a result. It’s a win-win situation! I do commend your son, andi, on his accomplishments. His gap year was an incredible blessing.
It may seem “unfair” when such an excellent student is turned down by a school, but the reality is that there are just too many excellent students applying for the number of available spots. Most of us don’t know all that many top-notch students in our area, but these few elite schools attract applicants from all over the world. I think it’s very important for all students (and their parents) to understand this reality and plan accordingly.
But when all else fails & life gives you lemons, be like andi’s son and make the best darn lemonade you can!
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p.s., how about an update now that he is in school?
Yeah, where did he go? Did he wind up at MIT??
He’s at MIT.
Great story! Rarely, do we hear such optimistic and encouraging stories on College Confidential.
I am hoping that my gap year will also pay off
This is a great story - thanks for sharing it.
My son initially had his heart set on UC Berkeley. Being from the East Coast and not wealthy, I was a little put off by the high OOS cost with little merit aid to offer. I also know how competitive it was, and didn’t want him to be disappointed if he didn’t get in.Together we sat down and searched to find other schools that offered a good fit for him, with at least a few possibilities of merit aid. He came up with an interesting list:
Tulane (admitted EA with $18k merit award, waiting to hear about full-tuition scholarship, which required a separate project and application. He really liked it when we visited)
GWU (waiting to hear - he loved it, and an older baseball teammate of his from HS now attends with a $20k scholarship. They innundated him with literature after the visit, encouraging him to apply to the Honors program, which he did)
SUNY Geneseo (supposedly the most competitive SUNY - he liked it a lot, although its isolated small town location is a drawback for him. Waiting to hear, but they already sent him a t-shirt and a lot of encouraging literature)
Bard (admitted EA)
UC Berkeley (I let him apply, just in case some money flew our way)
Yale (a big reach, and no merit awards, but 100% need blind, and there is a family history of males attending, plus a Yale valedictorian several generations back)
Amherst (another reach, but a nice fit)
U of Vermont (a safety and a free application - they admitted him EA - Honors Program plus merit award)
I think at this point Tulane and GWU are his top choices, and neither one were really in his radar before we decided to look around a bit. He looked down his nose at SUNY Geneseo before we visited, but we were both impressed by the quality of the school. I really do think he would be happy with any of the schools on his list, though.
We did try to encourage him to do a gap year, since our EFC will be far lower next year (we are moving to Texas, and our income will be lower) and his birthday is late fall anyway, but he has his heart set on law school eventually and does not want to delay.
I thought your second list was wonderful; well thought out, and the results really show that. I would think that your son’s entire experience, while probably painful at the time, has given him the kind of self-knowledge he might never have gained otherwise. Glad to hear it turned out well.
Thank you for sharing this with us, Andi. I hope your son is doing well.
this is an amazing story, thanks for sharing it with us Andi
Andi: Did your son ever visit Oberlin’s campus? If not, that could have been THE main reason for his not being admitted.
The more selective colleges keep track of all contacts the student has made with the college (campus visits, etc.), as they try to evaluate the COMMITMENT level of the student.
In your son’s case, they probably looked at his background and considered him OVERQUALIFIED. On top of that, they had his list of schools that he was applying to. Oberlin was out of the norm, in terms of the types of schools he was considering, so admissions may have thought his level of interest (and chances of actually wanting to enroll!) were slim.
If he didn’t visit the campus, and showed no other outward signs of commitment to the college, it would no be unusual for him to be denied or wait listed.
Did he visit the campus?
Overqualified for Oberlin? You underestimate Oberlin if you think that. But it may well be that he had not shown enough interest.
Andi’s son is now a freshman at a great college, I really don’t think appropriate to go over his story again. I’m sure there are some high school juniors or seniors that need some help. Can’t we let this fall to the next page?