Since the prior ‘smile and nod’ thread appears to be closed, I figured that it might be a good idea to start a new one.
What are some of the silly/foolish/ignorant comments that people have said to you or your kiddo about the college application process, where you or your student have applied, where they’ve decided to attend?
I’ll go first.
The other day, I was chatting w/my elderly MIL (she’s 75 & is a little out of touch) about my kids. Told her about the college tours we’re taking D24 (11th grader) on in the next 3 months. I made a comment about D24 coming up with her list of schools to apply to. MIL said, “But I thought D24 had really good grades. What do you mean she won’t get in everywhere?” Smile and nod. Didn’t have it in me to tell her:
my kid’s grades are good, but not stellar. She doesn’t have a 4.0.
even if you have a 4.0 and perfect test scores, that’s no guarantee that you’ll get in everywhere.
it’s no longer 1965 and the college application world works a little differently now.
Another “elderly” person here (age 74). Even back in the mid-60s, when your MIL and I were graduating from high school, students didn’t get into every school they applied to. I was a NMF and had very good grades and was denied by my first choice school (not an Ivy; most Ivies weren’t coed at the time). That said, it’s probably been many years since your MIL had much reason to keep up to date on college admissions. I’ve been on College Confidential for the past 10 years, as I have young adult children (adopted) as well as older kids (bio), so I’m a lot more knowledgeable about current college admissions than many my age. I am often surprised that so many parents of college aged kids seem clueless.
In our case, it isn’t so much that FIL is older, it’s that he’s never been to the US. Where he lives, they’ve only ever really heard of a handful of US universities, most notably Harvard. So his first question when D23 was applying was whether she would be attending Harvard. Uh no…But he just doesn’t know anything else about US universities.
My nephew doesn’t have the best gpa, but got a 35 act and 1540 sat, my sister was annoyed hearing so many people tell her that obviously he can get in anywhere (so far one acceptance, the rest deferrals or denials). Her ex thought the same, right now he’s frantically sending applications in for his son.
H’s mom and sister are way too involved in sister’s kid’s life. We protected our kids from the family nosiness, much to the in laws’ chagrin. They had no clue about test scores or grades, and we didn’t discuss where the kids applied to college. We don’t discuss their love lives or jobs. MIL & SIL have tried many, many times to get information, but we smile and nod.
Absolutely zero discussion about where kids applied to college…smiled, nodded and said “they are looking forward to letting you know their choice in May”
We got several ignorant comments about our son’s choice of a service academy for college.
From neighbors: After that fancy boarding school, what happened? Did you run out of money?
From the fancy boarding school: He’s turning down (fancycolleges) for the military?
Others:
Will he get to attend college later on the GI Bill?
Did he not get in anywhere else?
Will he have to go to Afghanistan?
I learned to say, “OMG, right? He’ll probably just get himself killed and then all that boarding school money will have gone to waste. Maybe we can get a refund.”
One of our kids went to Santa Clara University. I can’t tell you how many people asked “why are you spending so much money to send her to a public university in California?”
Same question about son who went to Boston University…”why are you paying to send him to a public university OOS?”
And for the record…both kids DID apply to public universities out of our state and we would have paid for them if that had been the kid’s choice.
At a house party when discussions turned to colleges.
Where is your son going?
McGill.
Where’s that? 'Montreal.
Where’s that?
Up north.
Smile and nod. Would be funny if the questioner wasn’t a teacher at the local public high school.
@thumper1 I wonder how many people think that the University of Pennsylvania is a state school?
Complicating things is if you are at Park Street station on the T in downtown Boston and ask which train to take to get to Boston University you will be told to take the Boston College train.
Smile and nod. Didn’t have it in me to tell her:
