<p>Agree that many (most?) kids haven’t firmly decided where they want to go in January because they don’t have to decide then. The timetable is May 1 for decisions. There is time to revisit, do more research on specific majors and clubs available, wait for aid, and think about it all. If my kid has a paper due in May, she may have started it by January, but it won’t be done until the due date. I expect the same with college decisions.</p>
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But she did.</p>
<p>And even though she never read CC, she followed the advice given on CC and didn’t want to “fall in love” with a school until she got in. </p>
<p>It’s no different than dreaming about a car. You can have the “dream car” in mind when you can’t afford one. But when you finally get your act together and go shopping, and kick the tires and check under the hood and sit in the driver’s seat for a while, with an eye towards buying it, your “dream car” may not be all that anymore.</p>
<p>When a school was a dream, because she hadn’t gotten in, that was one thing. But once she did, she kicked the tires of a few, and found they really weren’t everything she wanted after all.</p>
<p>I’m curious whether you never changed your mind over the course of a few months, PG?</p>
<p>Pizzagirl–kids change, circumstances change. Our S just decided that the school that was previously his #1 non-lottery choice is no longer in contention. We still think it’s a great fit for him but in talking to current classmates, at least 5 kids from his high school class will be attending that school, majoring in the same area he is, with classes of 20 kids or less. He said it would feel too much like high school for him. We agreed with that. He had no way of knowing that when he applied.</p>
<p>You are paying money to have your application evaluated by a particular college. You are under no obligation to seriously consider attending the college you applied to. That said, it seems pretty stupid to apply to a college you have no interest in attending. Unless you applied ED, you are free to await decisions on as many schools as you like.</p>