<p>In an apparently endless line - another article on "Admission Angst"</p>
<p>It really creeps me out. I guess it's 'legal' to write about the despondent student, but I don't think it was very nice. </p>
<p>We should all learn from that and be very careful what we reveal.</p>
<p>While the article brought up some of the down sides....such as raising anxiety or having lay people or other students provide false information or rate one's chances, etc.....it never really got much into the positive aspects. It didn't really get into the support system. It didn't get into really finding out inside information or first hand experiences from others who attend or visit a college or who have some information. For instance, I think a lof of parents on CC would agree that they have LEARNED a lot about the process and about the schools (and related issues) by reading CC....a lot of stuff you can't read in a book. CC should never ever be someone's sole source of information. Some things are BEST to learn directly from the colleges and not rely on what is read here. But some things can only be learned through word of mouth and not directly from a college. Experiential sharing is important. Support is important. There are also knowledgeable posters on CC and reputations as to who knows what they are talking about or not can be fairly determined over time. </p>
<p>I also frequent the musical theater forum and right now, anyone there will tell you that it is the best source of information out there about that very specialized admissions process. Readers on that forum would be the first to say that they never could have gone through that process without that forum which has proved invaluable to them. </p>
<p>So, I think the article missed out on some of the benefits or plus side of CC participation, even though the other points are quite valid. </p>
<p>But hey, I imagine the hits to CC will now go through the roof!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) :D :cool: :eek:
(I added exclamation marks and emoticons on purpose if you have read the article, LOL. Berurah...you should read that part.) :p !!!!!!!!</p>
<p>soozie,</p>
<p>I agree. Maybe if they only focusesd on some of the teen oriented forums I could see their point.</p>
<p>But the parent forums, and some of the college major forums have a lot of valuable information. CC is not your typical on line forum.</p>
<p>You may have to register to read this article in case the link fails...</p>
<p>"But the amount of misinformation about the applications process, like any other topic online, is staggering, and there is no way to verify the identify of bloggers and writers. At the same time, guidance counselors and admissions officers some of whom monitor the sites to check out what is being said about their colleges suspect that the online chatter may do more to reinforce anxiety than curb it.</p>
<p>"It's really accelerated in the past year to the point where there is a ton of bad information out there," said Robert Massa, the vice president of enrollment at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pa. "People need to realize that anybody can say anything on the Internet."</p>
<p>Misinformation galore? Compared to whom? The NY Times own discussion forum that was so polluted by a couple of nitwits that it has to shut down? The NY Times education own coverage? Or the "advice" of the avaerage guidance counselor in our high schools? </p>
<p>"Almost all of it feeds anxiety," Ms. Norman added. "I see people on those boards asking questions that should be directed at a knowledgeable college adviser." </p>
<p>And how do we ascertain YOUR amount of knowledge, Ms. Norman? Your word? </p>
<p>FWIW, I'd take the collective wisdom of THIS board anytime over that one of any two-bit counselor who only need a shingle over his or her door to gain immediate credibility. Also notice how this unbiased author conveniently failed to address the advice given by parents who have a few seasons under their belt or acknowledge that a prestigious school such as MIT does not hesitate to jump in our abyss of misinformation and anxiety and mix it up with misguided students and parents. The only element that was missed in the article was an interview of Jay Matthews on the State of CC. :)</p>
<p><a href="Note%20to%20readers:%20the%20use%20of%20multiple%20punctuation%20marks%20is%20practically%20required!!!%20As%20is%20the%20prodigious%20use%20of%20emoticons%20:-">quote</a> End note!!!)
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<p><a href="I%20added%20exclamation%20marks%20and%20emoticons%20on%20purpose%20if%20you%20have%20read%20the%20article,%20LOL.%20Berurah...you%20should%20read%20that%20part.">quote</a>
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<p>****<strong><em>ROFLMAO</em></strong>****!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) ;)</p>
<p>OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But what about color?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!</p>
<p>Susan, I always knew I was ahead of my time!;)</p>
<p>Now, maybe some people will stop complaining about it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ;)</p>
<p>~berurah, the exclamation point and emoticon queen</p>
<p>Berurah:
Well, I always did think that you had a colorful personality..</p>
<p>
[quote]
Berurah:
Well, I always did think that you had a colorful personality..
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</p>
<p>od~</p>
<p>Even more so in person! ;)</p>
<p>And.....well, thanks. That was sweet. <em>blush</em></p>
<p>~berurah :)</p>
<p>No doubt about it, this is the best place in town!...I even find out about news--usually before it hits the mainstream papers, moral issues and the like by visiting every day.</p>
<p>Funny, I just read this artilce from a different link on CC <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=164798%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=164798</a> and the title of the NYT article had changed! It had previously been called " :-) !!!! )-: !!! (-: What's all this? Admission Angst"</p>
<p>Wait a minute, wait a minute, are OptimizerDad and Berurah flirting? :)
Just kidding, just kidding!!</p>
<p>
[quote]
Wait a minute, wait a minute, are OptimizerDad and Berurah flirting?
[/quote]
Who? Me? Never. ;)</p>
<p>~b.</p>
<p>Achat:
Hey, <em>nobody</em> was supposed to find out....</p>
<p>...but alas, Berurah and I are just punsters who enjoy our occasional mutual zingers. (We have to, nobody else does :) ). Oh, we will probably get along like a house on fire if & when we do meet in person.</p>
<p>(Marite - add that 'house on fire' to your list...)</p>
<p>
[quote]
Hey, <em>nobody</em> was supposed to find out....
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</p>
<p>od~</p>
<p><em>ROFL</em>!!!!!!!! I guess I'm both colorful.....AND transparent! :)</p>
<p>~b.</p>
<p>I thought it was pretty funny that they quoted (without the slightest sense of irony) a presumably knowledgeable college advisor suggesting that these questions should be directed to a knowledgeble college advisor. Does the reporter not mind providing free advertising for the professional? </p>
<p>Missing entirely from the article is the most valuable function of a forum like this; the sharing of information that schools, admissions officers, financial aid officers and the College Board would like to keep private. Information truly is power.</p>
<p>I see a lot of good here. However, I do see weird guesses, wild speculation, and some flat-out wrong information. It awfully hard to know which is which.</p>
<p>I truly enjoy this place when people offer support and good sound advice. When people purport to provide insider information and revealing dirt on higher education, and it lacks much whiff of truth....well, then I'm not so hot on CC. I suppose it's the near-desperate craving for more information about the opaque admissions process that gives those kinds of posts such credibility with some readers.</p>
<p>The NYT may cancel my subscription for this, but I have to say it anyway -- CC people are the BEST!!!</p>
<p>I am relatively new to CC and I will say that it has been a revelation, but a sobering one. There are some terrific and very helpful threads, and I have met a few other moms whose kids will be going to the same school as my D next fall and who live near me. But last night I came across several scary threads and low and behold, there they were in the NYT article this morning. If you wish to make yourselves frightened and sad, take a look at these threads that fall under the College Admissions Forum: Feeling Crappy, To All those Rejected & Waitlisted and A Hard Broken Rejectee. I'm sure there are others. </p>
<p>Probably the very fact that I am reading and posting on CC attests to my overinvestment in my kid. So many of us dedicated parents want only the best for our kids, but when caring and willingness to help WHEN ASKED cross over into high pressure, our kids are at risk. I see threads where kids ask eachother for help with major life decisions and kids answer by telling them to decide based on how much money they will make after college or how much "better" A is than B. Few of them seem to base a decision on whether or not they love something about a school or whether they think they will be happy there. Happy! I see kids who are clearly aware that the college apps process is way out of control, and that the grown-ups don't know how to fix it. Against all better judgment we keep lining the pockets of the College Board and pushing our kids to test, study, and test again. Many of these kids are applying to 20 or more schools! </p>
<p>From experience I realize that many large public schools don't have the resources to adequately counsel these college hopefuls and private advisors are out of the question for many families. It takes time and money to visit schools before applying. If many of the kids posting are telling the truth about their stats, it sounds like they are applying to lots of schools that are super-reaches and not enough that are really good matches. They admit the randomness of rejections, and yet they still blame themselves for not measuring up. Many don't know much about the schools to which they applied and a lot of them seem to believe that status and money are the major human values. They will undoubtedly be surprised when they end up in a dorm full of competitive people who share those shallow ideals. </p>
<p>If anyone benefits from this website I hope it is the parents of current sophomores and juniors. Take a look at these confused anxious kids who make up a small slice of the class of 2010 and who have lost all confidence in themselves. Let's raise awareness of what this process is doing to many kids and explore ways in which we might make it easier for them in the future. It might help to pressure the high schools to limit the number of recommendations they are willing to send. I know large universities don't require recs (at least UC doesn't want 'em) but this might cut down the absurd number of overall apps and it might force kids to take a closer look at what schools make sense for them. Maybe then adcoms will have a little more time to carefully evaluate apps for subtlety and for fit, rather than having to rely mostly on grade pt and scores. Ultimately the colleges are not to blame. We need to figure out ways to reduce the stress our kids are under. As a parent it's painful to read those posts.</p>