parents vs. students

<p>Hi everyone - I'm just curious: is this CC website used more by parents or students? I've been on here countless times, but my children (college and high school) have no interest at all. Am I a "helicopter" parent?</p>

<p>What I mean is, who reads this?</p>

<p>I'm obsessed with college admissions and my children are not and I found this online world of people who are as obsessed, if not more, than me.</p>

<p>I guess if you want to be informed and want the best for your child..call yourself a "helicopter parent".</p>

<p>I have been reading this forum for over a year(especially when we started the college search seriously). My D was posting most of the time, until recently. Watching other parents struggle, when my D's experience was not too bad...I decided that mine and my D's experience might be worth something.</p>

<p>When we found this site, others helped us...isn't that what this place is for??</p>

<p>My impression is that this website is populated about 2/3 by kids whose parents never come here and 1/3 by parents whose kids never come here.</p>

<p>That's interesting. I thought it would be the other way around. I wonder which children benefit more.</p>

<p>I'm not sure the splits... It seems to me if I go venture into some of the other forums here, I find no parents at all. I think the parents forums are dominated by parents and the other by kids...</p>

<p>Opie - that is probably why you get different quality of advice in different forums!</p>

<p>I found CC when I was obsessing about college and DS was just beginning to think about it. Now DS is a frosh in college, and DD is a soph in hs. I am in a blessed 2 year time frame of not having to do a college search! But I am here a lot anyway, mostly in the parent cafe, because I enjoy reading the threads about parenting issues. Issues about teens in general, not just college admissions. It makes me feel better to know that I'm not alone in how I'm feeling, either in letting the older child "go," or dealing with the younger one. Occasionally I venture into the admissions threads and share some hard-earned knowledge from DS's experiences. I appreciated the input we got last year from those who had "been there."</p>

<p>That said, DS and DD think I'm creepy for being here.</p>

<p>^"DS and DD think I'm creepy for being here."
Ditto, but I think DS is finally realizing that many parents of kids already in college are so grateful for the wisdom they received on CC from veteran parents, they they are still here "paying it forward".[sheesh, what a long run on sentence!]</p>

<p>I'm of the obsessed parent/ kid could care less persuasion ( but this is just my current forum obsession; I've also done tomato growers forums, competative soccer forums, disgruntled doctor forums). I've often wondered how many individual usesrs there are. It wouldnt surprise me if ten percent of the users ( both parents and kids) generated ninety percent of the posts. so for example we think "CC kids" might be "ivy obsessed" when really there are only maybe 20 best described that way.</p>

<p>I find this site therapeutic. My daughter has stopped by a few times with specific issues she is wondering about. I am here almost every day, way way way more often than she is. But are cc'ers are 2/3 kids whose parents never come here and 1/3 parents whose kids never come here, or is it the opposite? 2/3 parents whose kids don't come and 1/3 kids whose parents don't come? It really does vary from forum to forum.</p>

<p>My children have <em>absolutely</em> no interest in posting to or reading CC, as they find it very stressful to even think about. I use it as a resource in making suggestions to them. So, for example, I didn't know that my daughter might want to go to National Portfolio Day as a sophomore and junior until I researched it on CC. </p>

<p>OTOH, I feel like I'm not a "typical" CC parent because of our EFC=0 and no interest in Ivies. My son is a LAC kid, and my daughter wants to study art and NOT at a LAC -- she wants no academic courses at all.</p>

<p>College admissions? I thought this was a forum for discussing robotic vacuum cleaners, movies, and vacation planning. College admissions ... maybe that explains all those kids who butt in from time to time?</p>

<p>As an adult I (slowly) became aware that I DIDN'T know everything. The combination of ignorance and responsibly is generally a bad thing, so I come her to learn a little and help a little. With certain exceptions, Xiggi for one, it's a role better suited to Parents than kids. JMHO.</p>

<p>I think it was paying3tuitions who pointed out that the student postings seem to have dropped since facebook took off -- at least in the individual schools forums.
It also seems to me (non-scientifically) that many of the student posters are internationals. Perhaps CC provides an important resource for them.</p>

<p>When I first discovered CC during DD's junior year, she chided me for being creepy. Slowly she discovered that it was a great source of information, especially for her "little" questions.</p>

<p>Now she is a senior and has been accepted ED to her top choice school. We talked about it and both credit CC for one thing especially - keeping her modest! Some of her friends who are near the top of their class were shocked when deferred or rejected from ED schools. We agree that our time spent on CC helped to realize that there are MANY bright, talented kids out there!</p>

<p>Yes, WashDad, those pesky kids and their durn questions!</p>