<p>I’m totally onboard for airing out pent- up emotions but when people start saying “I actually think OP has everyone’s best interest at heart…” is an attack- I’m sorry but the needle just fell off the sensitivity meter. My comment wasn’t an attempt to misrepresent anything someone said nor was it meant to be unkind. </p>
<p>This thread is akin to chastising a fireman for poorly chosen words after being rescued from a burning building. </p>
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<p>Thanks for that, GMT. (Sounds like my life before CK was potty-trained.) You’ve made me realize just how pleasant my current job is.</p>
<p>I feel like I’m responsible for starting all this and I’m really, really sorry- but I’d like to point out that I never meant to attack anyone. Just because I expressed a different point of view does not mean I was actively trying to chastise anyone or be rude. Also, I feel pretty patronized by some of you. I think I’m going to follow 7D’s advice and take a break from CC. </p>
<p>All right, what is the Bunkel index? Dog poop isn’t doing it for me (our dog’s is generally aligned NE-SW if that helps - pointing to New England? 
).</p>
<p>Found it, and it is as useful as I hoped it would be. :-)</p>
<p>Ditto to that, @whyamievenhere.</p>
<p>I feel like what I expressed has been wildly misinterpreted. If you read the posts that I actually wrote, you will see that all I really said was “thanks for all your help, but please be a little more patient with us.” I can’t speak to anyone’s comments after that, but they don’t they speak for me, either. </p>
<p>I never attacked anyone, I never accused anyone of attacking anyone…(“I don’t want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. I don’t want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed. You know, as a career, I don’t want to do that…”)</p>
<p>Anyway. Definitely stepping away for a bit. Sorry to have been an annoyance. Good luck to all in a couple weeks.</p>
<p>I KNOW the OP is trying to help. If those of you who have just joined would take the time to read some of his other posts you will realize that he is a very helpful contributor to this board. Because there are so many threads, it might be easy to get the wrong impression if you have only read one thing by one person. FWIW, when I joined (and was just as panicked about decision time as many of you), I actually read the ENTIRE board. I started with the earliest threads (and yes that is about 70 pages of threads). Many of my questions were answered, many fears allayed and I made some good friends to boot. </p>
<p>I can appreciate that not every one wants to read every thread, but if you start at the earliest page and scan for threads that apply to your particular situation, you may find loads of helpful information. You can also use the search function to narrow your field to a specific school or topic. </p>
<p>EDIT: haha, ChoatieMom. I just read your post about doing this as well. :)</p>
<p>Another point: SevenDad may be a “veteran” poster, but he also has a child in THIS admission cycle and so is in the same situation as many of you waiting…</p>
<p>I wonder whether you can read the whole board now, even if you want to. The last page (p. 250) is only from 2010. I know I have read a lot of threads from earlier than that. </p>
<p>FWIW, I read the entire SPS thread when my older daughter was applying a few years ago — spread it out over a few days, but it was very worthwhile. I look at Winterset (who started that SPS thread) as sort of “The Godfather” of all the school-specific threads. He was/is a great ambassador for his alma mater.</p>
<p>And yes, london203 is correct…I do have a child who, like many of us, is eagerly awaiting news on M10, 2014.</p>
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<p>For a major trafficked site like CC, I can state declaratively and definitively that CC has the absolutely worst search function of any you will likely encounter. You would think someone could just pick up the phone to Google and ask for help. Seriously, I had to vent.</p>
<p>And we have effectively driven people off of CC…Could we just let this thread and this argument die? It obviously isn’t getting anywhere. My mom saw this and got a completely wrong impression of CC. And it was right when I was final getting her to join. This isn’t a good way for us to portray ourselves over the internet anyways. A bunch of kids and adults arguing about frivolous posts on a blog. When you step away from it, it really doesn’t look too good. </p>
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<p>What I meant (and london203 probably, too) was that we just went to the last page on the forum and read backwards, whatever that last page was at the time we started. The “last” page is whatever the online limit is for the forum; oldest threads roll off forever as newer threads are created and push the oldest threads into the abyss. If you were to read (or sample) from 2010 to now, you probably couldn’t think of a question to ask. By the time I was done reading, I knew almost as much about BS as I do today. What I’ve picked up since ChoatieKid first stepped foot on campus is only incremental compared to the arsenal of information I got from these “archives.”</p>
<p>Plus, for those of you waiting in agony this round, it’s very instructive to read the archives around M10 for each of the previous years still accessible here. You will see how the days surrounding each M10 play out and get a real idea of how results roll in and are reported. If you’re still asking “what to do now?” that would be my suggestion.</p>
<p>My daughter recently found her way on here (no doubt through me) and I am pretty sure there is a direct relationship between her pouring over these threads and her stress level, which is now officially high. I love what classicalmomma said and I wish I could put the genie back in the bottle. This site has been very helpful but the recent obsessiveness is just not healthy. Restraint from going down the rabbit hole might not be easy but I do recommend it…</p>
<p>No one should stay away from CC because of this thread. We are all in the same boat!</p>
<p>@SevenDad There seem to be a lot more anxious kids who all want to start their own threads… </p>
<p>But last year seems like centuries ago. I can’t believe where I am now. </p>
<p>My kids and I like to discuss CC as if it is a soap opera. But on the topic of reading the board, has anyone else noticed that the powers that be have removed the ability to sort old posts (I had found it useful in the past to sort by most replies; a lot of important topics come up on the first few pages that way).</p>
<p>Our family would always have a fight at the end of vacation. It helped to relieve the tension to be really mad at someone.</p>
<p>I understand what 7Dad means. One year (was it last year?) a new poster claimed before M10 to have received news of his son’s acceptance. Dispute and bitter feelings ensued. The thread was taken down. </p>
<p>I have the impression there are many lurkers on this forum. Your posts are being read by many more people than those who post. A fair number of those lurkers are 13, 14 years old. I see no benefit in causing panic in children. The whole process is stressful for all involved. </p>
<p>If you want feedback on something like, “I saw the head of admissions at Starbuck’s today, and she whispered ‘The eagle flies widdershins at midnight’ in my ear. Is that a good sign?” Send an experienced poster (or posters) a personal message. We will have of course no idea if that’s a good sign, but we can give our opinions. </p>
<p>FWIW, I would recommend that all posters check out ALL of the Featured Threads that appear above the main forum thread list (click “View All”). Lots of good info there on a wide range of topics.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/categories/featured/prep-school-admissions/”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/categories/featured/prep-school-admissions/</a></p>
<p>Oh, @Periwinkle. I believe I know that thread. It was two years ago? The vicarious-living father of the star athlete who came on gloating about all the pre-March 10 action “they” were getting and then putting everyone else down as jealous? It whipped many of us into a frenzy, the very worst of CC. Thankfully, I’ve seen nothing like it since!</p>
<p>Good luck, kids. You are almost there! </p>