Thanks !!
If weather/location/OOS fee is not a concern, I would definitely choose UIUC in your case.
I know some kids chose UIUC CS & ditched UCB/CMU etc.
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I was speaking more from the public high schoolâs perspective, where the school counselors donât even know most kids names. And I donât blame them. They are overwhelmed with the amount of kids they have to take care of.
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We didnât use a college counselor or any SAT prep services/classes. Both S20 and S22 took an essay workshop class, and thatâs the entire extent of outside help. We were lucky that both of their majors (cs and math) fell into my and DH area of expertise, so evaluating different programs was rather easy for us. We were also seeking merit which I donât think is what counselors around us worry about 
It worked great for both of them. They got accepted everywhere and received plenty of merit in most of the colleges. S22 even ended up with an unexpected full ride.
I am actually one of the people who tutors math to students whose parents feel they need to get ahead. This doesnât mean teaching kids geometry or calculus because they need help in the class. It means teaching them the material the year before they take the class so they can be the class stars the following year! I find it insane, though I sure donât mind the extra money 
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Well, I hesitate to speak on behalf of my entire state 
, but it is my impression that most people are proud of U of Washington, our state flagship, and think it is an excellent school. It has excellent, cutting-edge programs spanning a huge number of fields with international reach.
That said, the alums and current students who are most likely to LOVE it â in my experience â are those who majored in a subject that was not capacity-constrained or was âlightlyâ capacity-constrained (that is, one that still accepts most applicants).
It has been more of a mixed bag with some of the STEM and business majors. A few kids we know were just miserable and stressed out and transferred to a lower-ranked school (although that may happen in engineering programs everywhere). Others thrive there.
It might just be the people I know, but in recent years, UW has seemed to favor extroverts or particularly not-shy introverts. The ones who seem to do best now are those who are comfortable speaking up for themselves, starting conversations with others, and raising their hands for leadership roles. Many joined fraternities or sororities, also, including some I would not have expected. That certainly isnât everyone, by any means, but it made me think that maybe Greek life is an easier path there to making friends and/or housing?
The quieter introverts seem to struggle more, but that could be pandemic-related or just due to the small sample set of my personal circle.
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My kids go to such a school, the guidance counselor couldnât pick D out of a lineup (1 counselor for 600 students, suburban public HS with a good reputation).
I talked to an AO of a T50 earlier this week who knows the school well and she said that this HSâs counselorsâ LORs often just say âdefer to teacher LORâ.
Has anybody else heard this before?
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That is a good question.
I know it has become very common if not ubiquitous in NE and Mid-Atlantic prep schools.
This is a big change from when I applied to colleges in 1991.
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I think that is what happens at my kidâs school, too. I believe there is a box to check on the Common App school report form where the counselor can indicate they donât have a personal relationship with the student.
I think AOs know that school counselors who can provide real (or any)college counseling is not the norm in many, many public schools.
Yes. This is so common â teaching ahead in math and science and even foreign language. At lease common where we are.
thanks for the explanation! thatâs probably the only way these counselors can handle their caseload of LORs (in addition to everything else they have to do). I donât have an axe to grind as my D did well in this process. But it goes back to what was said earlier in the thread, if your kids donât have a well resourced school, parent involvement becomes more important and that in turn means the parent has to have the time, interest and resources themselves, a vicious cycle.
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At our large public high school guidance counselors have parents fill out a âbrag sheetâ with different categories to use as the basis for their LORs.
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Appreciate your insight. Thanks!
The challenge with teaching ahead is that it is not an efficient use of time. I guess still better than the kid having trouble in the class
If you have a college nearby, you will find far better rates for tutors posted around the campus. Libraries also sometimes have free tutoring. Not sure how well either of those would have worked with Covid though.
We live in suburbs of Seattle and I couldnât agree more with your assessment! I will add that I would absolutely not send my child there if they were not a direct admit to their major and:or were pretty unsure about what they wanted to study. Iâve heard of too many kids not being able to major in what they wanted.
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My D is also considering UCSC for CS. Can I ask why he doesnât love it? Weâre visiting hopefully next week so only know the town as a great vacation spot. Thanks!
Thatâs pretty great backup plan! 
Good luck on the rest!
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Here we are and all results are in. Now DD has to make a decision. I have a pretty good guess, but she has never been one for rash decision making and wants to give each admission their proper consideration.
Accepted & under consideration:
College of William & Mary
UVA
University of Rochester (Deanâs scholarship)
Carnegie Mellon (generous grant that requires though annual renewal)
UNC Chapel Hill (awaiting FA letter)
Accepted, but likely declining:
Virginia Tech
UIUI
Syracuse
Clemson
Fordham
Waitlisted:
Emory/Oxford
Georgia Tech
Case Western
Northeastern
Brandeis
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Really impressive acceptances. Congrats!
Thank you