Pre-application visits can be nice but in my mind are very much not mandatory.
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You are good. My first one was in the same boat as you and she did fine. This is my second child and he is not applying to many colleges so it has simplified things quite a bit.
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Unless one of the applications is binding EDâŠ
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Yeah, that would make me nervous. Although even then, there is one college on our list that we might not visit in person before ED II, but my S24 might consider anyway based on a virtual visit and a bunch of other information.
Although come to think of it, we could probably figure out how to visit anyway.
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Or if oneâs high school strongly discourages more than a couple of additional applications after an EA acceptance. I do think that D24 could be happy most places so in a way, the decision of where to apply in a few weeks is not as high stakes as it might seem. On the other hand, I would have said the same about her older sister --but two years later, I am not so sure. I think D22 might be happier if she had chosen a different college.
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You are absolutely not alone. D24 thought she was going to ED to one school but there are several others she has gotten very excited about and now sheâs not sure about committing so early. To make matters harder, thereâs one school where sheâd like to visit before making ED decision but itâs across the country.
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I continue to think at least if that is not REA/SCEA, that is not a fair policy.
But I also think it likely doesnât matter much, because I think outside of a few very specific cases (possibly although not necessarily including REA/SCEA, and some specific restricted majors at certain publics), there is unlikely to be any notable admissions benefit to applying EA. It is a convenience for the applicant, and your school should not be discouraging it as such, but I would not personally worry about it making a difference in the end at most regular EA schools.
My S23 refused to do any tours. We required him to visit his first choice after acceptances before he could formally accept, otherwise his orientation might have been his first time on campus. 
Anyway, it all worked out fine. If you have a kid that doesnât want to tour, more than likely they will be inclined not to love what they see which wonât make it any easier. Thereâs always an upside to not touring (or touring much) before acceptances, which is not getting invested in any particular college until you know they love you back.
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He should go ahead and apply, our year 2 students were accepted RD from our high school and two others from another school in our district.
I know that you mean to be reassuring, but I donât fully understand your point. She still has to pick a place to submit an early application in the next 15-30 days. The school wants her to apply some place early. There is no point in applying to a college that is not going to be affordable (we have a negative SAI so many colleges that she finds interesting including publics have already been crossed off her list due to finances).
While, she does know some colleges where NPC shows a COA that is affordable, she still needs to pick one by some criteria and I hope that she does it more thoughtfully than throwing a dart at the board. Especially since she needs to be able to craft a reasonable âwhy usâ essay. The longer it takes her to pick the college, the less time she has to write something authentic.
Yes, it is true that she could satisfy her high school by just submitting some EA apps to some random colleges that she doesnât know much about or that we know in advance are unaffordable. But that is just kicking the can down the road. If we already know that if admitted, she wonât be attending one of those colleges, what is the point of a submitting an app? It seems like an especially bad idea since her high school will then pressure her not to put in (many) additional applications. In other words, I do think making a judicious decision now about where to apply might save later heartache and stress.
Iâm OK with her not touring, but she still has to decide where to apply and write the supplements.
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Yup, exactly the same. EC is usual stuff, varsity soccer from freshman and school clubs. Iâm calculating his chances by looking at Cialfo data. Only 2 Brown admissions last year. One of them was on Good Morning America for her EC/Award apparently.
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Many, many thanks all. Everything that everyone has said is reassuring. It was a silly concern and I feel silly for having voiced it, but I genuinely appreciate the reassurance.
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Voice away! CC has provided a safe space to vent, voice concerns etc. The parents have provided so much emotional support along with data (So important!). We know how this whole process can drive anyone nutty.
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This is kind of where we are. C24 has three schools they absolutely love, and therefore isnât doing any ED (but is applying to two of them EA). One of them is a super-reach school and we know their chances would be better in ED, but there are significant downsides to committing to that school (specifically, it would be full pay, whereas they could possibly get merit discounts at the other two schools). I think they understand that theyâre trading a better shot of getting in for flexibility, and theyâre ok with that.
Meanwhile, from the roses/thorns file, C24 went out and got a job this week. Itâs a really cool job, and Iâm delighted to see them demonstrate initiative and responsibility, but they also have at least four apps to finish in the next two weeks, plus tech week/performances for the fall play. I do not know how (or if) itâs all going to get done.
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I think itâs ridiculous and unfair that the school is strong arming your daughter into applying early (and, then , limiting her rd applications) if she doesnât have a favorite. Given that finances are important to your family you should be able to compare multiple offers if that is what is best for your daughter.
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We are also a behind from where we wanted to be. Our High school has a deadline of October 10th to provide a list of colleges we are applying to and where the counsellors and teachers need to send recommendation letters. THey said they need this 20 days to actual send the transcripts and letters to the schools if they need. So check if your school has some dates like that.
Also if she waits too long will she have time for supplemental essays if they ask for them?
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Ha! Kids from our school who get into Brown are more the average excellent type. Sometimes the Val plus one other. Itâs different every year.
You have lots of company here! Our list is still evolving and there will be a couple of EA submissions but D24 seems to have a plan on how to get everything done in the next 4 weeks. She is still tuning her common app essay after receiving great feedback from her mentor and she got some ideas on some supplemental essays.
Canâ wait for JanuaryâŠand then April 
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I generally agree with this, but my son applied ED and is now attending Williams, having never been to the northeast part of the US before.
Now that I think about it though ⊠it was 2021 so still coming out of Covid travel restrictions, etc. Anyway, it worked out for him, so itâs not 100% unheard of.
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