Parents of COLLEGE class of 2012...

Parents Forum
1

<p>Especially if you have a HS kid in the HS class of 2012.
I'm going to try this once again. I'm really interested in the thoughts of parents who's first is about to graduate college and have at least one more about to apply or enter college. It was suggested that I merge with the college class of 2012 but this is more about returning to CC for a younger sibling's search a couple years later. So here goes again...</p>

<p>Fellow parents of rising COLLEGE Seniors, thoughts? insights? ventings? Do you wish you would have just relaxed a little bit back then? </p>

<p>I thought I was relaxed back then(when D was going thru the app process), but in hindsight, I was worried she wouldn't be happy with her choice(she was and is and is very sad to be graduating "I want to go back and start all over and do it the same.") However, remembering this is maybe making me way TOO laid back now with S's app process. LOL</p>

<p>"Go to college, don't go, go to community college...life is what you make it, see the world, follow your dreams [not college, but college is a back up plan]..." Surprisingly every time I say this he freaks out and insists he is going to a "four year college or university!!!" When that's not even remotely what he is interested in right now - oh dear... I didn't mean to reverse psych him.</p>

<p>And another thing, is it just me or does it seem that despite all the additional technological advances in information about colleges, it's just more of the same things we were all hashing over a short 3-4 years ago? Did we listen as little to posters then who ACTUALLY had the experiences as it seems parents and prospective students don't now, to us, who now HAVE been down the path already? Did any of it REALLY make an impact on your S or D's ACTUAL college experience once they got into their college years? </p>

<p>I'm thinking no. D's application list was virtually unchanged from soph HS year on, and originated before she got anything from this board. D is about to grad college, S is graduating HS this year. As I come back to this board to see what's new and changed for his college search and application I find the usernames are different(in most cases) but the comments & opinions are the same. It cracks me up to see some users still on the same old soapboxes and anti-school crusades.</p>

<p>On a practical note, I'm disappointed to find that there still is virtually nothing about schools in the Rockies & Sierra mountain states. Only one of the eight major universities in these areas that S is planning on applying to has a named thread to it. But we have yet another sticky for the 100th thread debating the goods or evils of Greek Life. </p>

<p>Ahhhh everything old is new again...the circle of life. (or of college applications)</p>

2

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/658245-parents-high-school-class-2012-a.html?highlight=2016[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/658245-parents-high-school-class-2012-a.html?highlight=2016&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

3

<p>I have a college senior this year, and a high school junior who is actively visiting and planning for her applications. So almost your target audience. :slight_smile: I don’t know that we are more relaxed, but I am MUCH smarter this time around. I understand the ins and outs of merit aid, and finding a safety you love that is strong in your major (we lucked out, D1 fell in love with her only true safety AND got good merit aid AND is happily on track to graduate near the top of her class in the spring). But some of it was luck, and we are trying “make our own luck” with more foresight this time around.</p>

4

<p>believersmom, I can see why your questions would merit a separate thread, but to avoid confusion, the title probably should have been, “Parents of the College Class of 2012 who are about to Start the @*&%! College Search Process All Over Again…” :slight_smile: </p>

<p>Here’s how it went for me:</p>

<p>1) Child number 1: We knew nothing. She applied to schools she liked. Common App? What’s that? Her schools were mostly top tier. She got in. College Confidential didn’t exist, so I had no idea I was supposed to be frantic during the process.</p>

<p>2) Child number 2: We presumed everything would go off without a hitch, just as it did with Child number 1. We were flummoxed when Child number 2 was waitlisted at his top three schools (out of five). I did some research and realized, “Hey, these schools are hard to get into. Who knew?” </p>

<p>3) Child number 3: We found College Confidential. I soaked up lots of info. I obsessed too much. She got weary of me. I learned far more than I ever needed to about the college application process, as she was interested in only one school, which fortunately was a match. She was accepted and a happy four years ensued.</p>

<p>4) Child number 4: She is not looking at top-tier colleges, she does not have a 10-page resume, she does not have a wall of awards, and she threw away her AP and SAT scores. She’s just a really wonderful person who will be an asset to a College To Be Named Later. Odds are it won’t be a college that has its own thread on CC, but I’m wise enough now to say, “Who cares?”</p>

5

<p>I cant find the other parents of college class of 2012 thread…I have a college freshman and a college senior.</p>

6

<p>Shrinkrap, here’s one thread about the college class of 2012 (don’t know if this is the one you’re looking for):</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1153385-there-college-class-2012-thread-anywhere.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1153385-there-college-class-2012-thread-anywhere.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

7

<p>Shrinkrap, me too. I’m enjoying hearing the two of them talk about college over this break - one on the way in, one on the way out.</p>

8

<p>^^ Thats the one! Thanks! </p>

<p>Im especially interested to hear how others are handling the “what if I don’t find a job?” discussion.</p>

9

<p>I have a college senior, a college sophomore, and a high school junior. They are so different that what applied to the eldest isn’t very helpful for the youngest. None of them have been very interested in looking at the school’s websites, etc. and they haven’t been on college confidential at all. </p>

<p>Child #1 had very high test scores, a 3.6 unweighted gpa from an all girls Catholic high school where many of the students apply to top schools. (They offer numerous AP classes, and have 20 valedictorians, which kind of dilutes the honor of the thing.) We had to push her to get her applications done, but she was accepted to all the schools she applied to - state flagship, state directional, three regional Catholic universities, with merit scholarships to all but the state flagship. She chose the state flagship, to our surprise, and has majored in sorority life, pretty much. (And English.) The AP classes she took in high school are allowing her to graduate a quarter early, even though she’s averaged only 15 credits a quarter. She’s upset about that, because she’ll miss the senior Greek events in the spring. </p>

<p>She plans to take a paralegal certification course (for b.a. holders) at the community college, to figure out if she wants to go to law school. (After getting a paralegal job to see the field up close.)</p>

<p>Child #2 had similar test scores, but is a very organized and goal oriented person. She had one A- in her high school career and was the Salutatorian at another Catholic high school which doesn’t offer many AP classes. Her guidance counselors encouraged her to add a reach school to her list. She picked one out of the air - Notre Dame - wrote a lousy early action application, got rejected, and settled down to write decent applications to the schools she actually knew anything about, and was interested in attending. She was accepted by all, including the state flagship, 2 regional Catholic universities and a highly ranked LAC. </p>

<p>She chose one of the Catholic schools, where she had very generous merit scholarships and is very happy there now, after having been very unhappy her first semester, to the point of applying to transfer to the state flagship. By the time she got the acceptance letter in June, she had gotten over the issues with her school, and turned down the offer. </p>

<p>Child #3 is an athlete with relatively low test scores and a 3.6 unweighted gpa. The schools her sisters attend will be reaches for her. She is probably a good enough athlete to play her sport at a DII or DIII school. The college search process will be entirely different for her. Looking for parent perspectives on athletic recruiting is what led me to college confidential. It has been somewhat useful, although the Ivy League - centric aspect of many of the posts isn’t relevant to our situation. </p>

<p>Her grades are good enough that she can be automatically admitted to a couple of our state schools, where I think she would do well, so I’m not too worried about the search. She’ll apply to the Catholic university her sister attends, mostly because she loves their men’s basketball team. She’ll be very disappointed if she doesn’t get in. She has a hook beyond her sports ability, in that she is an under-represented minority at this school. (She’s adopted, so her sisters are not.) She won’t be offered the merit aid her sister was, because neither her grades nor her test scores are in that range. </p>

<p>If she doesn’t get any interest from college coaches, we’ll be happy if she applies to three schools.</p>

10

<p>Happy to see this thread but please tell me I’m not the only one who’s squinting through my fingers, hoping this doesn’t turn into a bunch of postings about class of '12 college grads who already have VP of Goldman Sachs jobs lined up. Please tell me there are other parents out there whose kids haven’t exactly made a definite long-term plan yet. (And they’re great kids–really great kids!!)</p>

<p>Ennyhoo. My oldest is a college senior (really–where has the time gone?). His current plan is to spend some time pursuing the passion he discovered his sophomore year. Will spend the summer following graduation in a city near his college where he will sleep on someone’s floor, work part-time at a friend’s gym, all while. . . um. . . playing rugby. No plans for next fall yet, but he has mentioned applying to graduate school for the year after. The only thing we’ve told him is it’s his life and he can do whatever he wants, but it’ll have to be self-funded.</p>

<p>As to the younger sibs, the middle just finished his first semester as a college freshman and seems pretty settled in (hooray!!). The youngest is a high school junior and I’m trying not to utter the words, “Oh just tell me where to send the check” when he gets serious about college applications next fall. I’ve had <em>such</em> fun with #s 1 and 2–and used CC heavily throughout–but, really, it’s a lot of time and energy. I’m sure I’ll get more enthusiastic in a few months. Probably.</p>

11

<p>“Happy to see this thread but please tell me I’m not the only one who’s squinting through my fingers, hoping this doesn’t turn into a bunch of postings about class of '12 college grads who already have VP of Goldman Sachs jobs lined up”</p>

<p>Not squinting through my fingers, but won’t hesitate too long before I pull the plug and move on. We have both been here long enough. </p>

<p>AmericaMom, I am intrigued. Our kids have some things, but not everything in common. I have a senior English major at a top 20, who was a high school superstar, “yeah…I got to get on that job thing…”, and a freshman engineering major, "the smartest “not smart kid/jock”, talking about grad school, now at a Jesuit school. A girl and a boy, both “URM”.</p>

<p>Can you guess which is which?</p>

12

<p>My D graduated from h.s. in 2008 and son will graduate from h.s. this spring, 2012. I have been far more relaxed during his college search. He’s more laid back than his sister is so I’m sure that’s part of it.</p>