LOL. I think many parents of regular kids read most threads on CC for the first time and do a “Home Alone” cheek squeeze with an “Ohhhh No!” These “Class of 20xx” threads really default to discussions about colleges for high-stats students. Nothing wrong with that at all, but it presents a quandry for parents who want to discuss other types of college application journeys.
Welcome to CC @TheRents522 . After a while, you’ll start skimming past the high-stats threads but digging deep into the regular-kids threads. One thread that is good for parents whose kids are not applying to top-30 or top-75 schools is this one:
It’s for parents of students with a 3.0-3.4 GPA. Occasionally a parent of a high-stats kids will join under the pretense of having a kid who “barely” fits that requirement (3.6UW GPA, but a 4.3 W GPA with a 1460 SAT, LOL) but mostly it is a safe space for parents of regular stats students to hang out, share information, and share a college application journey much different than those shooting for Top-20 schools. There are many situations of 3.2 GPA with a 1080 SAT and such.
Like you, in our household, a deferral from some schools was cheered as loudly as an acceptance from a safety. My son would be like “so they’re saying I still have a shot!” LOL.
BTW, once you settle into that 2021 thread for 3.0-3.4 parents, you might find it helpful to track down the 2020 and 2019 threads for the same groups. There is a lot of good information and tips in those threads. Also, there are recommendations of universities that you might not have considered yet, but which are great fits for your child.
Oh, and regarding the “getting into dream school” worry, I’d suggest not to worry too much. The student’s disappointment stings, but is usually brief. At least it was with my S. And after movein, I think many students forget about the “dream” school and start settling into and enjoying their real school.
Good luck!