<p>I believe that when I hit the "Submit" button I'll graduate to Senior Member status, so it seems like an appropriate occasion on which to give all of you my sincere thanks. I've been on CC for five years, driven here by daughters whose passions were in vastly differing disciplines that I knew little about. Five years later, I've been able to help them make mature decisions about their priorities and find the places of their dreams because you all either told me what I didn't know or led me to the answers I needed. </p>
<p>My first two years on CC were spent almost exclusively on the Musical Theatre boards, and while my kids' musical passions eventually took them into other areas, I was able to help a couple of other kids in my town learn about MT programs and how auditions, curricula, and school selection work in that specialty. Then I spent over a year trying to determine whether one can simultaneously pursue conservatory-level opera training and a top-rate liberal arts curriculum (short answer: not very likely). Then you all expanded my understanding of how to prepare for SATs; decide about AP and joint-enrollment courses; rate reach, target, and safety schools; and plan an application strategy. </p>
<p>The outcome has been invaluable to our daughters and to our family. And in the process, I've gained a reputation in our little town for knowing some of the things that you all taught me, and I've had a chance to tutor other local kids in test-taking skills and application strategies. It now occurs to me that while our local HS has avid Athletic and Band Booster parent organizations, there's no academic boosters group. I'll be eligible for retirement a year or two after my current eighth-grader goes off to college, and I'm thinking about taking that on as a retirement project.</p>
<p>So as I "graduate," thanks once again for sharing your wisdom with everyone in this community. Many of you never knew how helpful you were to my family, and your input has clearly touched many, many more families as well.</p>
<p>Now, if I'm wrong about this 1,000-post threshold thing, I'm going to look pretty stupid.</p>
<p>Hi, gadad, you've been a "senior member" in terms of value of posts you post since long before you reached the post count that designates you that way. I've learned a lot from your posts, and it's great to hear the good news about your children.</p>
<p>Aww yayy Gadad! Congrats on senior status.I also was on the MT board for some time, but since I decided not to go for a BFA I have migrated away from it, but I still check it from time to time. Though I am not a parent, I spend most of my time here and on the transfer forum. I have been a member since June 2005 (wow) and have learned so much. My mom can't understand why when she says the same thing some of you guys say I won't listen to her lol. I am now even considering a career in College Admissions ( like Carolyn), and enjoyed helping my senior friends with the process.</p>
<p>Another kind and generous post, Gadad. Comgrats are in order on several fronts. I only wish I had discovered y'all before S applied to his schools! But now I pass suggest this site to one and all with high school students.</p>
<p>gadad:
Congratulations on your Senior Member status. </p>
<p>I really enjoyed reading your lovely post and can concur with how much can be learned on this forum...I've been a beneficiary, as have both my college-aged kids.</p>
<p>I also want to personally thank you for replies to a couple of posts of mine with some very useful advice. You've probably given more than you "got".
Thanks.</p>
<p>What a lovely post. I too feel soooooo informed from my time on CC. Unfortunately I found it too late to be helpful in getting my 2 Ss into college -- but hey, there's always graduate school!!</p>
<p>"mimk6, once you hit 300 posts, you will be elevated to "Member" until the magic 1000 number is reached."</p>
<p>Well, gee, I started visiting here before my daughter, who is about to graduate, started college. If the kid going off to college next year doesn't gain me full membership, maybe his younger brother will at some point. It sure feels like I've posted more than 256 times!</p>
<p>Wait -- they don't count the posts in the Parents Cafe? So that's why I thought the "counter" wasn't working for me here on CC! What's the rationale for this?</p>
<p>The rationale for not counting posts in either cafe (Parents Cafe or College Confidential Cafe) is that many of those posts are not related to the topics of discussion that define College Confidential.</p>