Ah that’s probably true but it also depends on the schools’ questions. D’s didn’t overlap that much and many were very specific to the school. She’s just glad they are done for now! She’ll have to decide on honors college apps but we are waiting on one more EA that would trump her current acceptances. If she does not get in, then she should probably do some honors college apps.
3 Likes
The in state admit rate is roughly the same for UNC and UGA (mid 40s) although UGA does not consider residency as a factor while it is a huge factor at UNC. Did your daughter apply RD to UNC? They don’t defer EA. It is accept, reject or waitlist.
1 Like
S is close with 20 in. There are several reasons for this. UC going test blind and being totally unpredictable and overcrowded anyway, his late fall ACT score, not being able to travel and tour for a year, having two different strong areas of Stem interest / majors, COVID mismanagement, drastically different and changing college COVID policies, a rough half remote fall semester, higher app rates at high targets and reaches, relatively unhelpful virtual sessions, and several free or school-sponsored apps at targets and reaches. Even the extreme protesting in beloved Seattle cropped up near one of his safeties during the process and made a negative impression. The only things you could control this year is the number and quality of apps.
It’s been a crazy ride with so much uncertainty but worth all his work to have solid choices in the end when hopefully things are looking somewhat normal for fall. Bonus is we will have more merit offers to compare.
One downside to this spray approach is that there was no gas in the tank for scholarship or separate honors college apps. We are now regretting not doing one full scholarship app for the Seattle safety that was due during the heat of RD apps and school pressure.
5 Likes
That’s remarkable endurance. She must be a great writer!
Haven’t posted in a while! Lots to catch up on!
D21 ended up with 11. S17 did 9 because he was lower stats and honestly didn’t know where he would end up, but he got 9 acceptances and will be graduating in May (fingers crossed!).
D21 was going to stick to 10, but got some fee waivers so added a couple. She’s in at I think 5 right now. She added UGA at the last minute (which, reading this forum, now seems like a bad idea! LOL). We didn’t get to visit there, so she won’t be crushed if she doesn’t get in. Last honors app is going in today, and then we wait! Her top picks she won’t know about until March.
8 Likes
If it was common app and the boy had a fee waiver, he applied LOL.
I lost track at a dozen. His SAT was bad so some of the elite academic institutions that were interested in him for football have ghosted him since that happened, oh well…I didnt see him fitting in at CWRU anyhow LOL
4 Likes
D applied to 13 schools. We had visited a lot of schools pre-Covid when we happened to be somewhere for a family vacation, that sort of thing, but it took quite a few visits to various types of colleges for her to decide to focus on LACs. Like many of you, we were planning to hit those on her short list over spring break last year, but she is fortunate to have visited 5 of the schools where she applied.
She probably could have dropped 2 or 3, but given all of the uncertainty around the admissions process, especially this year, we encouraged her to keep her options more open. She also got fee waivers from the majority of the schools (not sure if this happens every year or is a Covid thing), and she started essays over the summer, so it wasn’t overwhelming (though she might disagree!).
She has 3 EA acceptances from her likely schools (the only ones that offered EA), and we wait until March to hear back from the other 10. We’ll do our best to get her on campus in person after decisions are in 
. Alternatively – some of the schools have been extremely strict about outside visitors – we’ll encourage her to find students/professors to connect with.
7 Likes
So I’ve always been curious - for the UCs, you have to apply by major right? When a large percentage of students in the US change their majors, how does that work if you want to switch? Is it something you research for each UC and see how hard it would be to move majors? How does one dabble in subjects to figure out a major if they weren’t sure?
Yes - she applied EA - meant to say “waitlist” when referring to UNC.
1 Like
My daughter applied to 6. I thought it was too few, especially because one was our in state flagship that she doesn’t really want to go to, but I insisted she apply to. So that was five contenders. Only one has a low enough admission rate to be considered a reach for regular admission, so she didn’t feel the need to apply to more (she’s braver than I would have been). But there were special programs/honors colleges at four of her schools that required separate applications and are competitive, so that’s the “reachy” part of the process for her. She is lucky enough to have stepped foot on every campus of the schools she applied to. Official tours at three (one pre-covid, two post covid), an unofficial tour at one (with her cousin, a current student), and just walking around the other two.
If she hadn’t seen schools, I’m sure she would have applied to more.
6 Likes
D applied to 11 schools - 6 acceptances, 1 deferred and 4 (3 high reach & 1 in-state) still waiting for decisions.
With heavy school loads and ECs. I think 11 was the about right for her.
3 Likes
D applied to 17 schools (6 UC’s and 2 state). She had a plan to apply for another 12 schools in RD. Luckily she got into one of her dream schools. So applied to only one in RD.
7 Likes
While we don’t win the sweepstakes, we’re among the “honorable mentions,” I’d guess: my D21 applied to 22 schools in the end. She started with nine, ended up with an early acceptance, then got an unexpected denial from a top choice and panicked a bit, wondering if she over-shot the bar. So, the December scramble ensued. And, I think it was a good idea in her case: she got some quick acceptances which boosted her morale and now she feels that she has a group of viable options. We are doing visits to the schools where she’s been accepted. We have three coming up that are in-person and we’re looking forward to them. But, she awaits the number-one decision, which is an EA school from the original batch, however I think she might have cooled off a bit on that school now that she has some other viable options. This is such a rollercoaster this year! Good luck to all.
8 Likes
Seeking some advice from this group. I’ve seen some folks talk about visiting campuses realizing it will not be the same experience as pre-COVID but my daughter really wants to visit her top two OOS schools in March/April before she makes a decision (assuming she gets in to both). These schools require taking a flight, and being there for a long weekend. Living in NY we will need multiple tests, one of which has to be 4 days after we get back which means she needs to quarantine until she gets her second negative test. Our school district is hybrid (2 days in person, 3 days virtual synchronous learning) so technically she can just attend class virtually. The big question is, do I open Pandora’s box and ask permission from the superintendent for my daughter (and all seniors) to go virtual if they visit and OOS school knowing she may say it not allowed and my daughter would have to take the days as an absence, OR do I ask for forgiveness after we schedule the trips?
My opinion is that selecting a college is a very big decision and the district has a way of making this happen for our seniors without them missing a beat. I recognize that there are some logistical things I am likely not aware of, which is why I’m asking for other opinions. I also acknowledge that travel is not advised and would absolutely comply with the state rules of quarantining afterwards to minimize the risk to anyone else.
Thanks!
What are the exact school rules? Are kids allowed to “float” between hybrid and virtual due to exposure, etc? Or is the school saying - if you can’t come on your in-person day, you are considered absent and can’t attend virtually?
It’s difficult to switch into an impacted major like CS and you need to apply directly to impacted majors. Our local UC is a desirable location and has a comparatively small but good engineering department. It’s extremely competitive for engineering majors. You get to choose a second choice major on your application. I’m not sure how often applicants are admitted for second choice major vs. rejected. If anyone knows if they publish that, please chime in.
When my son was a sophomore, we knew of a family whose son got into Stanford but not mid-teir UCs. At that point, luckily we knew to make sure there were other options. They are pretty transparent about admissions and there is a strong demographic correlation each year between the make up of the applicants and the admitted students. If you are top 9% and don’t make it into at least mid-tier, they just offer you one of the least desirable locations in the central area of California.
2 Likes
Having a kid that goes to college in NY and knowing how strict they are with everything there and sometimes high schools not always understanding that, at this point, I wouldn’t say anything and would just wait until it’s closer to see what’s going on because as we’ve seen, so many things have changed especially in NY from one month to the next. Just a few months ago, if you left, you needed the 14 day quarantine.
That said, can she not visit on a long weekend or over spring break so that you get your 4 day quarantine when you return during the break and then she can get back to school without missing a beat? The other side of the coin, she’s a senior, so missing 4 days of school hybrid, won’t matter at the end of the day, and it’s not the Supt business where you are, so why not just call her out sick or whatever you need to do?
Normally, I’m a stickler for all of those rules, etc, but right now and as a second semester senior who may never have seen a school and needing to make a big decision, why make things worse for your kid than need to?
3 Likes
@CollegeNerd67 and @VirginiaBelle We’re in the same boat with UNC. Maybe 1 kid every few years gets in from our school. Someone went there a couple years ago with a full ride, and I know someone went there I think 5 years ago. But other than that, I think few have applied or gotten in. It’s one of those huge longshots being from the midwest especially and with their in state admit requirements that makes it even harder so expecting a denial or waitlist at best. One of my other kids previously applied but never heard because she was accepted to her ED school so here we go.
Has anyone seen if they’ve released the number of applications they’ve received for EA?
1 Like
I wouldn’t say anything. What do they do in cases where someone has been potentially exposed and must quarantine? Are those days counted as absences? That’s how I’d look at it.
1 Like
D had 19 on her list, but ended up with 17 applications. She had a fee waiver to #18, and the essays were pretty easy, but she decided she would prefer one of her current admits over it, so why bother. Then she was fully engaged with #19 and researching for the very school specific essays and realized that not only was the school a big reach, it wasn’t a very good fit after all. Decided not to complete the application the night before it was due. Of the 17, we ended up with fee waivers to 13. Hardly any of the essays could be recycled, so it was a ton of writing. And now the waiting!
4 Likes