Congratulations! 
That is so exciting! This admissions ride is just so crazy.
And congrats to everyone else too who has been getting positive news!
For those who havenât, I must say that a lot of these decisions seem incomprehensible and I know your kid deserved acceptances as much as every kid who got into those schools that rejected yours. But the pain is real. Sending acceptance vibes your way! 
Youâre on to something⌠empathy and optimism seem to work well for teens in uncertainty 
Itâs hard and it will be ok. Thatâs my mantra these days 
Yes, completely agree that the college decision pain is real and it will pass.
The best antidote weâve found is to dive into the admitted student visits, whether virtual or in-person⌠there is so much enthusiasm in those communities
Kids will grow where planted, I am (kind of) sure?! Itâs the parents that need convincing 
Most definitely. Iâm a big believer that resilience is created when things donât go as planned. And not getting what you want is part of creating humility. All good lessons. But damn if it isnât brutal having to watch our kids go through the disappointment.
Such wonderful news! So happy for you and your son 
Congratulations and best wishes!
Mostly good news this week. D accepted to a top choice and had another acceptance with a surprisingly large merit award and offer to pay her airfare and hotel for accepted students day. They quoted her essay on her acceptance letter, which was awesome. They saw her! Waitlisted at another school but thatâs okay.
Well, since theyâre all in So Cal, land of traffic and beaches.
Wow! They quoted her? Was this a small school?
Yes, a small LAC. They have certainly won my heart but I think D wants the excitement of a big-time sports atmosphere. Weâll see what happens.
Thatâs an outstanding customer service/marketing move.
A few years ago a son of a friend of mine had Lafayette College quote his essay. I believe they often add a personal note to their acceptance letter. Something similar happened to S20 when he got his acceptance from CWRU. There was a personal note regarding his EC.
Itâs really nice to know that they read the application thoroughly and took their time to add a personal note.
Beloit talked about all the things my daughter had done in her acceptance letter and also paraphrased what was in her rec letters (and you were described asâŚ) - she also got some very personalized emails from them - they clearly cared about her as an individual. She was accepted ED elsewhere so we never exploredBeloit too much (too far to visit ahead of time) but it seems like a very good school for a lot of reasons and especially for those that like a personal touch. It was the only school she heard from prior to her ED decision and withdrawal of her other apps but it was a huge boost when it came in Dec 1.
I have a question: is the college admissions process particularly difficult this year or does it feel that way every year? Is this going to continue to get worse or will it be fixed before my now freshman applies?
Things will improve materially if they stepped back from test optional and test blind. But schools (not counting the top ones) cannot step back alone. This is a game theoretic situation from their point of view. Slippery slope.
Congrats to all the students and Iâm sorry that not everyone got into their desired school. One of my friendsâ kids got WL at UCSD, UCI, rejected at UCLA and sheâs in shock because she thought she would get in to one of the SoCal schools. You must never know with the UCs.
@Evie800 UCI and UCSD are really recent in my mind since we did college tours this same time last year. Let me know if you have questions! I think you also have the UW as an option, too, right? UCI and UCSD get you warmer oceans but UW gets you many other things. All great choices.
I feel like my son has done a lot better than I expected. His stats are below average for every school he applied to and he was TO. However, he is a male applying to SLACs, full pay, great ECs, and not applying to top ranked schools (most competitive schools he applied to were Rhodes and Oberlin and he got waitlisted at both). So obviously, there are lots of factors at play. My guess is that top schools will still be crazy competitive and less selective schools will be possibly easier to get into than ever before.
@murray93 Agree 100%. Full pay is absolutely a hook for small LACâs.
My daughter received one like that too! Was it Dickinson by any chance?
Itâs just one factor, but I keep reading about a âdemographic cliffâ that is supposed to arrive in 2026, when the number of college-age kids declines significantlyâ I am wondering if that will alter the current admissions scenario for the better. But maybe not if the applicant pool is still all gunning for the same 50 schools. 
I think it depends. My son applied to 8 schools, all but one (his single unlikely school) were in the T50-75 range. His stats put him squarely in the mix for most of the schools he applied to, although these days that doesnât necessarily mean anything. Thus far he has been accepted at 4 and waitlisted at two. I donât expect him to get into his reach and the one other school is also a likely rejection or waitlist just because he applied late and they fill much of their class from EA. These results are just about what I expected, although, he could have been accepted to all but 1 if heâd been a little quicker in applying. I think for students like my son - strong but not outstanding students - results are a little more predictable. For kids with top grades/scores, many of whom are applying to the same 50 schools, it is much tougher.