<p>kayleigh3: Does your second have stats for need blind schools? Even admitting that no school is truly, a hundred percent need-blind, it's a good way to go if financial aid is an issue.</p>
<p>Applying for financial aid not an issue for at need blind schools and I am positive it was at schools they aren't.</p>
<p>There were some schools that the kids were so overqualified that they were accepted into a need-aware school, but their packages did not approach the packages at the need-blind schools.</p>
<p>My S, too, was ultimately relieved that he was not accepted into his first IVY choice, though he was accepted into an another. He is thriving at his lack. I always wonder if his application somehow indicated that he was not quite outgoing enough for the IVY he had applied to ED.</p>
<p>On the other hand, D, though deferred, did get into her ED choice and it has been perfect for her.</p>
<p>I think it's a fair question to ask and personally I would ask: Why was my kid rejected?</p>
<p>If it was a top 20 school that has 100 highly qualified applicants for every spot you expect an element of randomness. But if the school has a 50% acceptance rate and your D is highly qualified for that school, I would simply ask the question to make sure that no mistakes were made in the application review process.
(I just saw the thread about the wrong AP scores reported. Mistakes are made, even by these omniscient people called admissions officers)</p>
<p>The guidance counselor needs to call, if for no other reason, to understand the overall admission decision-making process at the school. This will help in his or her work with the students next year.</p>
<p>Every year we hear about the valedictorian who gets rejected from "dream school", while some low GPA/SAT student gets accepted. Be careful before judging the "less qualifed" applicants being accepted over the "perfect" candidates. There are unseen qualites that can outshine the top academic students. </p>
<p>Regarding the financial aid issue: Having to fudge about financial aid on an application would be wrong to me, even if it meant getting accepted by the dream school. If financial aid is definitely needed, of course put it down! That is what my children's counselors told us.</p>
<p>If your child will need financial aid to attend an institution, and you apply ED and don't include that information, you are doing your child a disservice.</p>
<p>A good fit is also about financial realities, IMO. </p>
<p>I'm so glad we'll only be doing this one more time (and please, folks, please, don't remind me about grad school.)</p>
<p>I didn't read all the replies, so sorry if I restate something that has already been said. </p>
<p>I would definitely call the school and inquire as to why your child was rejected. I have a friend who did this for her son when he was rejected from his first choice and they reviewed the application and decided to change their decision. It's worth a try.</p>
<p>My son had a similiar experience in that he was rejected by a small LAC in Ohio--his safety school-- while receiving acceptances, scholarships & a fellowship from much more selective national universities. My son had both an on campus interview and a second interview at his boarding school 10 hours away as the admissions rep. was visiting her son at Dartmouth Medical School. Turns out that my son did not like the LAC and repeatedly, but privately, indicated that to the LAC admissions folks; he had applied only because of my enthusiasm for the school. Things happen for a reason.</p>
<p>Just want to say sorry.....there IS some element of luck in this awful process. I hope your D doesn't take it personally...SHE is still the same wonderful person, whether or not a college chooses her.</p>
<p>Chocolate: Hope you and your DD are doing better. My D had one denial in her apps- it was a dream type school (top 5) but not her dream. She did not have it on her list as she was not thinking reachy reachy schools and we were not sure what the finaid would look like (pre- all these programs to freeze amounts required from lower income, higher home equity families). The athletic director contacted us and encouraged her to apply. She was top 5 in her class (no actual rank given); 4.0 UW, as many APs as could be expected, SATs in the range, plus student govt, plus amazing recs (I read them and I've read good but not amazing ones so I know the difference) and she had US junior national team experience in the sport and planned to play in college.</p>
<p>She applied early and would have gone if admitted and affordable. She was the best candidate from our HS in 25+ years (per GC who had been there that long) and this at a school who sends kids to Ivys & Ivy types every year.</p>
<p>She was denied, I have to assume due to financial need? No other reason to imagine it. I decided at the time to be grateful not to be faced with turning them down vs risking our family financial long term planning. It is sad, though, that with these newer programs we would have gotten a nice doable package and sad, too, that the coach at that school is the best match for her playing style of any coach we met :(</p>
<p>But it happens and you'll move on and enjoy the new choices.</p>
<p>Somemom, that story makes ours pale in comparison. I am so sorry you and your daughter had to go through that. To think she was encouraged to apply and still rejected. She sounds like a wonderful girl--you must be so proud!</p>
<p>The shock is wearing off for us, but dd seems so confused right now. I guess that is to be expected. Thankfully, she has a few months for this to wear off. She has excellent options and one of them will win her over. She's extremely busy, which helps.</p>
<p>DH and I have told her that we take full responsibility for this--we should have spaced the kids further apart :) She laughed....</p>
<p>Kayliegh3 - re your post #39 -- our family needs financial aid for any college, and I honestly don't think that hurt significantly in the college app process. My son applied to 9 colleges, was accepted at 8, waitlisted at 1. My daughter applied to 12 colleges, was accepted at 9, waitlisted at 2, rejected at 1. The one college that rejected my d. was an Ivy, Brown -- I honestly don't think money had anything to do with it. </p>
<p>I posted above that I thought money could be a factor in the unexpected rejection, but I don't think its an across-the-board factor. My daughter did not have amazing stats and was actually accepted at several reach colleges. The bigger problem for those of us who really need the money is simply that we sometimes need to cast a wide net to get workable financial aid offers -- only one of the private colleges my daughter was admitted to offered an award that I considered reasonable for my needs, although my d. told me later that she would have been willing to take on the loans needed to make the difference at another reach college which offered a weaker award. </p>
<p>If you need the money, apply for aid, but add some EA or rolling admission schools to the mix, and apply a little more widely. As someone who truly needs the aid, I honestly never would have cared if my kids had been rejected from colleges that did not want to fund them -- it was much harder to have to say no and watch my kids turn down colleges that admitted them, and that they truly wanted to attend, where the financial aid was clearly inadequate. (It happened to each of my kids in turn, so each ended up at their #2 choice). Anyway, the point is that for me it was never about "chances" -- it was about my bank account. </p>
<p>I'd say you are adding a joker into the deck when you toss in the element of financial aid -- but that doesn't mean that the card will be drawn or affect your hand. So I wouldn't consider it a major factor beyond recognizing it as a possible factor when a result seems inexplicable -- and a good reason to be a little more cautious in hedging your bets.</p>
<p>Sorry for your daughter's denial. Sometimes there is no rhyme or reason to these things. The person reviewing her application that day could have been in a bad mood. Last year, believe it or not, one of my daughter's classmates had Harvard as his only acceptance besides his state school. Go figure!</p>
<p>Chocolate (love that name!): They do somehow land on their feet and end up where they should. Our older S finished two separate sets of scholarship interviews at our 'down the freeway in LA' crimson/gold school and then two days later came the rejection letter on April 1. One hand should have known what the other was doing, because as he was sitting in assorted interviews, that envelope was already heading out the door. It defied explanation from everyone we spoke to. In the letter it offered him the option to apply again after a year somewhere else. He ended up OOS private school with a great merit scholarship - and is a happy camper. Yes, it stung, seriously, but it allowed the proverbial 'other door' to open. Best of luck to your daughter and your family in the weeks to come - we know she will be just fine!</p>
<p>my daughter applied and had interviews at three roughly similar (academic wise) boarding schools -- she had excellent grades and activities (for an 8th grader) -- we needed a lot of FA. She was wait listed at two schools and accepted at the third. </p>
<p>One of the waitlist schools was her first choice, so I called; they told me that as soon as someone with a lot of FA turned down their acceptance, that my daughter would be offered a place. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, the third school courted my daughter and she went to their invite back weekend and slept over and ate pizza and came home with a t shirt from that school (originally, her last choice).</p>
<p>By the time the waitlist school called to offer admission and FA, my daughter had already decided on the other school ("that wanted me") and had no interest in the other school. </p>
<p>So, these decisions are affected by FA; but my daughter has had a great experience and from the start, this school welcomed her and wanted her --</p>
<p>I am sure that her gc would like to call the college's admin office on her behalf, if only to get an answer for himself/herself as to the rational for the rejection. This would assist in advising future students and may even get your a second look by the adcom office. However given the fact that she has been accepted to one of her other choices with a significant merit scholarship, perhaps she would rather attend the college that has demonstrated a strong desire to include her in their academic community.</p>
<p>This may be a dumb question, but how do schools know if you need financial aid or not? I don't think it was mentioned on any applications we sent in.</p>
<p>OP... Does this school have rolling admissions? If so, when did your d send her application? My son's only deferral came from a large public school with rolling admissions.</p>
<p>Chocolate- the good thing for us is that D was not planning to apply to that school- it was not a dream school for her- si easier to get over. The funny thing is that the coach in her sport still has a lot of contact with her- she is at a nearby state flagship and the top 5 school has the best facilities. the coach asked her if she would ever have any interest in transferring- her answer, "they had their chance!" I loved it when she told me this. Not big emotions, no big angst, just kind of a, "whatever" -healthy attitude. Having this attitude is mainly due to the wisdom of learning on CC.</p>
<p>I do think attitude is everything in this, the dream school admissions is a roll of the dice on so many levels, it is self-help to stay a bit removed from it all and figure that it will all work out in the long run. </p>
<p>Oldest D has a friend who did not get into an HYP Ivy and still blames the other kid from her year for taking her spot in that Ivy. That friend went to another Ivy & is in med school, no slacker, but still does not "like" the kid who took her spot! Not healthy. ;)</p>
<p>toledo, there are a couple of ways. First, the Common App has a checkbox that asks if you are applying for financial aid. Second, in non-need-blind schools, the admissions office and the FA office talk to each other. They will likely compare lists of those who sent in a preliminary FA application to the application itself - EA applicants have an earlier FA application date than RD applicants.</p>