I think articles on CC almost always mischaracterize it to fit some preconceived narrative, and of course this one showed up two days before college admissions decisions go out for many elite schools.
Overall, the advice on here tends toward advocating for less stress, maintaining balance, researching a wide variety of schools beyond the top ones, and good “fit.” I don’t think this forum is geared to top schools at all.
The forums for specific majors can be really helpful.
And every article leaves out the fact that many posters have kids who have developed medical or mental health challenges and are either entering college, or have to leave. The support here is from others who have gone through these things and come out the other side and It think is helpful.
The Ivy forums and chance me forums are not typical of the rest of the site.
I thought it was weird that they thought parents were infiltrating the kid’s section and pose as kids. My username makes it obvious who I am, but I don’t spend a lot of time in the non-parent part of the site. Sometime I go to the three college forums that I am most familiar with, or to the architecture forum. Anyway, I just wished they’d notice that the parents and kids parts of the site are pretty different.
I believe that people obsessed about Ivy League admissions are going to be obsessed regardless of their activity on CC. I have a HS freshman, and when they were filling out schedules for next year, she had friends telling her that she HAD to take at least three APs as a sophomore (World History, Human Geography AND a science) or she wouldn’t get into a “good” college.
Because of CC, we now know that (1) Ivy is most likely out because she made a B (she didn’t want to go anyway), (2) AP World History is enough AP for 10th grader who will still end up with 8-10 of them thank you very much, (3) there are many, many great schools in between our state flagship and Harvard, (4) there are great schools that meet need!!! and (4) there are great schools that have merit aid.
Did I mention that I learned there are great schools that meet need??? Because our EFC is about as low as a Flo Rida song.
I had never heard of Williams … or Pomona … or Davidson … or Grinnell … or a myriad of other schools. I feel like we will be able to find a great college that will be a great fit for my child. And I use “we” because College Confidential really is a village.
Oh, and I follow two of the “kid” forums - the HS class of XXXX and the “I got in with a …” The first helps me understand my child’s troubles in high school; the second gives me hope.
The writer was on CC very recently wanting to talk to parents whose kids were applying to the Ivies. Is this what the article morphed into – an article about CC?
Exactly. And timed for just before Ivy decisions are released. Preconceived narrative. I wish someone would write about how helpful this forum is and often, how kind. Many of us posters are grateful enough to try to pay it forward.
The article didn’t seem to end up the way she said it was going to be:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1972002-help-with-a-washington-post-story.html
Nope and what the heck parent would want to “pretend” they are a kid?
Not a great story, I agree. But I did notice that they interviewed the OP of a recent empty next discussion in Parent Cafe, my favorite forum at this point.
I was one of the parents that spoke to the reporter. Though my kid is at Yale as a legacy, I concentrated on how CC is a great community for parents, how the parents that I went through the admission process with are now “friends” and I can’t wait to meet them face to face at graduation. I also tell her that most regular posters field the same questions over and over and try to lessen the angst of parents and students. I also said that CC is a great place to find out about schools BESIDES the Ivies and to find the right fit for your child as far as location, major, social scene, etc. The lessons learned advice (make sure you have matches and safeties your child will be happy to attend) and to have the financial talk BEFORE they apply, has helped many a parent. My child is a junior and I still come on CC regularly to talk to my “friends”, especially in the Yale parent forum. We have weathered homesickness, fears as our kids traveled abroad, GF/BF breakups and desperate calls home when they got their first bad grade (which in their world is anything less than an A). We have given advice on what company is best to store items over the summer, how to navigate Yale’s horrid post office, what a California kid needs to bring for the snow and how to deal with the fact that Yale classes are going to kick your smart freshman’s butt. None of this made it into the article and I think she turned it into the usual Ivy bashing article. I am glad I told her she could not use my handle.
I 100% believe that parents pose as kids here, because they’re helicoptering to the max yet don’t want to be accused of doing so. :)) But I also think that’s likely a minority of posters. Most kids are obviously kids, parents are obviously parents, etc.
WaPo is obsessed with Ivy league colleges, not surprising when so many DC politicians attended them.
I agree that CC users are obsessed with top colleges. And I don’t care. I love this site and I am a proud CC junkie.
Gee… the author caught me … Colorado_mom is not a high school student 
Sometime on the Engineering threads I do mention that I am an engineer so that readers know my comments are based on more than just college research / experiences of my kids.
So who are the queen bees and alpha moms??
@citymama9
It appears that there are several Queen Bees, but no AlphaMoms.
@queenbee89 @Queenbee1144 @queenbee1 @QueenBee2015 @queenbee14 @queenbee12 @queenbee117 @QueenBee1129
haha. And there was such an emphasis in the other thread about “don’t criticize the writer.” Which I didn’t. I did suggest a few alternate premises, though. Pre-conceived articles tend to write themselves.
This was not an impressive effort by the Washington Post. No depth to this article at all; appears that the reporter wanted a story to coincide with Ivy Day and this was the best she could come with.
THere are periodic articles about cc. Most arent really familiar with the forum and misrepresent it. Oh well. Their loss.
The reporter, in that other thread linked above, just wanted to talk to parents of kids at Ivies. Posters from CC asked, several times, why just Ivies?
So who is obsessed with Ivies? It would seem the reporter, not CC.