<p>My first post was in about September 2003. I found CC sometime in summer or fall of 2002. Like others, I did a Google search for books about the college application process and that led me here. I checked out the forum briefly but didn't realize there was a parent's section. I think I found the parent's forum when I was looking more intently for specific information about being waitlisted. I started posting to warn future parents of how difficult it is to get into HY.(Son was rejected from Yale 2003, waitlisted and then rejected from H and attending Wash U) We were living in a vacuum in this particular school district of Minneapolis, so we didn't really understand the magnitude of qualified applicants to these schools. I was blown away when I found out 9,000 applicants to Yale had a score in the 1550 range. If I had known about the parents forum, I think we would have had a better perspective and a much less chaotic process.</p>
<p>I stayed to find out where everyone ended up and I haven't been able to leave. I do manage to leave for whole months at a time, but I keep getting sucked back in when I get a bit of free time . I think CC represents an amazing cross section of personalities, people, and professions from all over the country and I have continued to learn and get valuable information for college life beyond the application process. I have even learned to like people I vehemently disagree with on politics! I have a daughter that will graduate in 2008, so I will be around off and on for a while.</p>
<p>I think it was the fall of 2003. I had been reading another forum, one not nearly as good, and found a reference in there to this one. By then my oldest was in college. I've stayed on because I find it interesting and sometimes funny. I also have a younger child and so think my interest will ratchet up when she's looking at colleges. In a way I'm glad I didn't see it until after my lst had done his college search - it was already a crazy period, and things worked out well for him. More input might have been overload. It does work as a support forum, though, after kids have been placed into their 'slots' - issues of financial aid, internships, transferring, etc. It's easy to feel you're 'done' when your kid has sent in a deposit, but anyone who's gone past it knows that's just the beginning. The wonderful thing about the internet is that you can find people who share assumptions about education but at the same time challenge the beliefs we might hold - it's enlightening.</p>
<p>I came here probably early spring 03. I was trying to help my S do a better college search and application process than we'd done with his sister. I'd started at PR, came here when things got too nasty over there. I lurked awhile before I posted. I thought that people like Thedad and Morgantruce and Marite and Hautbois and Carolyn had been here forever, and I was a little nervous about being a newcomer (that obviously ended! :) )</p>
<p>May 2003 for me, although it seems lots longer than that. My story is similar to others. We were going to do some visits in Summer of 2003 and I wanted some information on colleges. I had somehow found princetonreview and it had some info. I tried to use the program there that helped select schools to look at, but was totally frustrated with it. Every time I said I wanted to see schools with NO religious affiliation, all the results were religious-affiliated schools and there was no way I could undo that. I really disliked the forums on that site (had to weed through LOTS of junk to find any useful information). Then one of the posts said something like "I'm outta here. Going to collegeconfidential.com." Hmmm, I thought, never heard of it, so off I went and never went back.</p>
<p>I'm more of a new timer than an old timer but I'm definitely a regular now. I posted on the Yale forum in the fall of 04 to ask about submitting supplementary music tapes with my son's EA app and haven't been able to tear myself away. Much like an earlier poster I found it a good way to obsess about the college stuff without burdening the rest of the family. However, instead of just worrying about him I ended up worrying about a whole lot of other kids too! In fact on the evening that the Yale decisions were posted, as disappointed as I was in my son's deferral, I was even more disappointed by the rejections of the kids I had gotten to know online who were rejected. (Try explaining that one! Boo hoo iplayoboe was rejected...) I enjoy reading posts by other parents about their experiences and am impressed by the knowledge that some of you have!! Do you work at high schools or colleges?? What are your sources?? In any case, I'll be around at least until April and possibly longer.....nice to "know" all of you.</p>
<p>Googled in January 2004, searching for information on the SAT II's. Discovered a group of folks discussing music auditions including an oboe teacher, hautbois. Lots of good advice on that front as well.</p>
<p>Fall of '03. Asked my son how he came to know so much about college admissions, and he told me about CC. Since he's now a freshman I have no excuse for staying except: I like it.</p>
<p>I think I first found CC in the fall of 2002 around the time D2 was auditioning for NYU. I lurked for a few months off and on as I helped a few kids I was counselling get college info. Coincidentally, D2 was directed here by a younger friend who read the forums and who had noticed some kids interested in information about Tisch. She then started to post. Not sure exactly when that was but I know she was here for several months. I returned last year, not really sure what month, again to get some information for one of my counselling kids. My D3 is also in the admissions process this year but she's going to a Canadian university and since the process is different, and there's rarely discussion of Canadian schools, I mostly participate here in the parents forum, and occasionally in the NYU forum, until the kids get too obnoxious. :) I stay because it's interesting and because I guess I hope I can help someone out occasionally.</p>
<p>When my now freshman college student was a sophomore in high school and his older sis was a freshman in college, she's going to be a senior now. But since I still have 3 more in high school I won't be vacating anytime soon. And yes I do remember MassDad and Anotherdad, I do think Susan came on around that time as well. I could be mistaken.</p>
<p>This board has helped tremendously, son wouldn't be where he is without all the advice and suggestions. PSAT, SAT, summer programs, class schedules, AP classes, sports, and on and on. As a single parent I haven't really felt the loss of not having another parent to bounce things off of because I could always come here and ask.</p>
<p>Heck, last spring I needed directions and info about getting to Harvard for son's interview for a summer program and EVERYONE helped. We got their safe and sound and home and didn't get lost once, thanks to everyone's help. And we had just moved from the west coast so I had no idea where I was driving to. Anytime I'm confused about financial aid, paperwork, admissions, counseling, I just log on to CC and do a search. It either gives me the answer or I ask and get one right away.</p>
<p>I was teasing DS#2 last night about if he has to write the val speech, I told him he has to thank all the posters on CC, because otherwise he would be at a vocational school!!! He replied in all seriousness, and said yes, without all the info and advice we had received throughout his high school and last year of middle school, he would be thinking about the local community college and not Princeton!</p>
<p>And the trip reports, we couldn't make decisions without them. Due to many constraints we haven't gone to many schools so these are invaluable to us.</p>
<p>I only found out about this thread mid-Dec 2004 and found this so interesting. Wished I had known about it earlier. My D is now a sophomore in college and I had no idea about CC until now. Well, she was pretty much on her own and is doing well in college. My son got deffered from MIT and I am extremely worried after reading about some of the very well qualified candidates on CC that he will be competing with for the RD session. His other schools are just as hard to get into - since decisions are not based merely on SAT scores or grades alone. I think he has a decent EC - nothing extra-ordinary like any International titles, etc, no major research papers, no major sports. His stats are not shabby : 1600 for SATI, 3x800 for the SATII and currently rank 1/273, not sure what his GPA is. He's taking all APs this year and had 4 (5's) on his APs last year.</p>
<p>I find this waiting period to be the most difficult - period of uncertainty and is extremely stressful waiting for the decisions. On the other hand, it is helpful to know that I can share this with other parents on CC.</p>
<p>I was looking for musical theatre info which is not easy to find. My son was interested in majoring in that field, and I did not even know it existed as a major. I actually submitted a question to the formal "Ask the dean" which was never answered, but I found the MT thread here. I lurked for a long time before posting. But I really like the regular parent poster here. Don't always agree, but the reasoning and the heart conveyed are probably what I consider ideal. It 's great to have the diversity in thought but still be able to be civilised about it. I have learned some from this forum, and am now addicted to it. It's really a window into the world for me though because I sit on the computer all day doing things, and just to break to CC when I don't feel like working on my task at hand. I don't socialize much and do not know that many people in this area where I live as we just moved here 4 years ago. Being a severe introvert does not help. I do better in answering specific concerns than in general conversation. Because I have dealt with students just about all of my life, I have a pretty good nose at sniffing the real issue out when there is a problem or concern, usually not stated or even implied. My kids swear I am a witch, and my H calls me Cassandra which I would have taken as a user name if I had thought about it for a moment longer.</p>
<p>Is H referring to you as Cassandra from the old Dark Shadows days or Cassandra the Prophet from greek mythology as while you explain and tell many young people on this board the truth, they just don't believe you</p>
<p>The prophet, who sees but no one believes. Mainly my own kids, Sybbie. I don't know how many times I have laid out my concerns and gotten just blown offf, and of course, it happens exactly as I predicted. And I hate it. I would love to be wrong, because the consequences are not what I want for my family. And don't think anyone is impressed or learns anything from what happens either. As in the Greek mythology, it is truly a curse.</p>
<p>I found CC in the end of 2002 after taking the PSAT. Like most everyone, lurked for several months and did not start posting intil the Spring 2003. CC helped me make a deal with my parents. They wanted me to sign up for a Sylvan SAT preparation class. I convinced them to give me the budget, let me buy a bunch of books, and use CC as guiding rod. I ordered -and read- every book that has SAT on the cover, signed up for online classes, and realized that the collection of books provided a vast range of helpful tips ... and not so helpful tips. At the end of the 2002 school year, I had the opportunity to be online and started answering questions in the SAT Preparation forum hoping to share my newly discovered "knowledge". </p>
<p>I like the sense of community of CC. I come back to to see what happens to the names that have become familiar. CC has also been a wonderful lesson in US geography. I had no idea where most of the colleges discussed on CC are located, or even worse never heard about 90% of the schools. Now I know that Harvard is where Marite lives, UCLA where TheDad lives, UCSD where Carolyn lives, and the list goes on! </p>
<p>In March 2004, after my daughter had completed the college application process, I Googled the phrase likely letter and landed here. I learned what a likely letter was, and a whole lot more! My younger one is just a freshman in high school, but here I stay. I don't post too often (as I just learned from reading a recent series of posts, I'm an "I" on the Myers Briggs continuum!) but I do try to help when I can, and the parents' board is filled with knowledge, humor, and just the right amount of controversy. Works for me.</p>
<p>My intro was the same as archermom's, google, but about a year later. I don't know if I will hang out here as much when my D's decisions are made. This forum burns off my worrying energy while we wait; that is the addiction for me. (However, I will probably start posting other sorts of questions-- what is the best hot pot?-- etc!) </p>
<p>I will keep visiting at least periodically next fall, because I would love to hear how all the kids are doing in their new schools, and to "pay forward" any helpful advice for the next round of parents/kids, especially in specific areas (like athletic recruitment) where my D's experiences are giving us some interesting insights. </p>
<p>I gave some general essay comments to a couple of kids and they were so grateful (very different when it isn't <em>your</em> mom... LOL) One PM'd me about a month later to thank me & tell me of his EA admission to Stanford. That really made my day.</p>
<p>Finally, I enjoy having this virtual "village" of nice, caring, thoughtful & funny people who are all obsessing on the same topic....</p>
<p>November/December 2003, when we got our S's PSAT scores and the counselor said he made National Merit. Googled to see what that was about, found the old board and lurked for months. The generous advice from people a year or two ahead of us helped immensely with S's college search, trips, applications and, more importantly, our expectations for this process. I hesitate to imagine what his college list or applications would look like had I not stumbled upon this community. Now, the wait for April... and yeah, who's going to do the countdown?</p>
<p>TheDad, you are one I was glad to see finally come over to the new boards after some months away, but I can't believe how many posts you have in this new forum already! You maniac! :)</p>