So far our S24 has also not shown any interest in graduation party. So my current thinking is to have “College Send off Party” in August closer to when he will go to college.
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I’m adamantly against the concept of a dream school for that very reason. Also, no college, no matter how prestigious, can possibly live up to the level of idealization that can happen around “dream” schools - it can be a recipe for some level of disappointment even if you get in.
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Our school has a lot of connections to Cornell and Brown.
I dont have any empirical evidence other than bumper stickers on the back of SUVS I see driving around town. 
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All this Yale talk is so interesting. I’m convinced it’s the Gilmore Girls effect. Since it hit Netflix there’s a whole generation that talks about Yale now. I saw on Reddit one girl said she impulse applied after binging GG. haha
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I get that question for C24, too, and I always reply “they’re not Ivy material.” There’s never a follow up.
(and before folks start thinking I’m dissing my kid, please know that I am not. They’re amazing and talented and I have no doubt that they’d thrive at any school. But they’re not at all competitive and they are focusing on BFA programs and/or schools known for their Theatre programs. The ivies, wonderful as they are, don’t offer what my kid wants. Thus, not Ivy material.)
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My kid may very well be an anomaly but she would much rather go to Vanderbilt than Yale or Harvard. The only Ivy she may apply to is Penn.
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Yale was the first college my daughter wanted to attend when she was 10 because that’s where Charlie from Disney Channel’s “Good Luck, Charlie” was going. 
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Was just watching GG and had to laugh when Rory said her backups to Harvard were Yale and Princeton. Also chuckled when the grandmother mentioned that so and so couldn’t even get in to Brown!
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Lol it’s seeped down too. My best friends eight yr old daughter keeps talking about Yale, and she’s never even seen GG
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D24 attends a 100+ year old international school, with a class size of around 120. So many students shoot the moon and several are accepted to ivies each year. Her HS has history with Yale, Princeton, and Brown specifically, but quite a few parents are Harvard grads, so that gets mixed in too. We are in Asia, so CA schools are super popular and over half the class applies to UCs. A few attend unis in the UK, Netherlands, Aussie — and if they get into one of the HYPs of Korea, they will remain here in Seoul.
D24 is completing the IBDP and is buried in coursework right now. This helps keep the conversation off college and more on what needs to be tackled for her current classes. The workload is unwelcome, but it is a great distraction during this waiting period.
D24 applied to six early, with only one rolling, so one acceptance. Two of the six are international, but she would prefer to attend in the US (we are US citizens).
The next CC internal deadline for regular decision apps is Dec 8. Is that on par with your US high schools? And, how many applications do your counselors advise? For D24 it’s 14, but many international schools here “only” support 10. (In my opinion, it’s 14 because students aim so high and are likely rejected, but would never say that part out loud. Thoughts on this?)
I really appreciate all your wisdom! What a great group of parents…
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Same.
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Question for you all:
After applications are done and students start receiving admissions decisions, what can parents do to support them and deal with next steps? I’ve been through this once before but with a very different kid, and am trying to focus my energy on how to parent well through this time (rather than worry about results). Any ideas? Thanks 
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Personally, I would ask my child how I can support them or how they would like us to be involved when decisions roll out. One of my kids wanted complete privacy through the entire process including when opening decisions and handled all the enrollment paperwork - only asking for $ and a few questions. Our other child was happy to have us tell anyone that asked us where they were applying, opened decisions right in front of us and forward every piece of communication they received from college for us to track deadlines. I think our kids know what they want and just need to feel comfortable communicating that to their family.
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My S24 is still deciding but may only apply to one Ivy. I think they are a more specific taste for some people, which of course is perfectly fine.
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After decisions started rolling in, we began the “what do you see your dorm room space being like” conversation and starting actively planning decor/color palette/what will packing look like discussions.
D20 was a minimalist for the most part, D23 a maximalist. Very different processes but both took quite a bit of time and it was nice to not feel rushed. Also allowed us to grab stuff cheap because we had an idea before most people were shopping.
Right now, Keurig minis are on sale for like $50 at Target. If your child is a coffee drinker its a good time to grab one for next year even if it won’t be a Christmas present.
P.S. S24 already has started talking dorm room stuff, which shocked me. Guess having two sisters jump started his process.
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D24 does not want to share her entire list with others, so my answer to the where is she applying question is “ I’m not at liberty to say”, and people seem to accept that answer so far. We will see if that sticks as decisions start coming in.
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Trying to help S with UC application. Took high school biology in 8th grade. I am struggling to find instructions for this scenario. The middle school section only allows input of math and foreign lang. Anyone know how to handle this? Maybe @Gumbymom ? Seems wrong to put it under 9th grade. (I am still searching for instructions…)
Did he take biology at the high school when in 8th grade? If so, I would list it as 9th grade. Use the additional comments section to explain that he took a high school course as an 8th grader.
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Yes, he took bio at the high school while in 8th grade. Your suggestion makes sense, thank you!
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editing because I gave out incorrect info. Sorry!