<p>@ PelicanDad,
The Matrix as an apt analogy for the post-apocalyptic college admissions rat-race. In the real world the kids are just normal kids. In the Matrix (the college admissions surreal world) our kids have to convince the adcom Agents that they can leap tall buildings and are jujitsu black-belt bad-asses.</p>
<p>There was a parent survey I had to do on naviance. One of the questions asked how important prestige was to me. I don’t envy these counselors! I hope my response makes them feel a bit better.</p>
<p>Speaking of stresses/pressure…are anyone’s kids applying to selective summer programs? </p>
<p>I think 7D is going to apply to a few, mostly in-state. The deadlines are coming up soon (one is this Friday!).</p>
<p>@neato: doing something similar. Do I write as bluntly as I often do here? Don’t want to sabotage DC’s process, but I suspect my values and orientations are rather different from what the guidance counselors are used to and I don’t want to totally overstate the “minority report.”</p>
<p>They must be able to customize those Naviance surverys because ours didn’t ask at all about prestige–just size, location, public/private/religious and spaces for additional comments. Then again, D2 doesn’t attend a GLADCHEMMS school. so maybe they already know our priorities are different!</p>
<p>It does sound like each school’s Naviance questions are totally different. Ours asked about what we saw as kid’s strengths/weaknesses, was getting FA important, our opinon of kid’s career choice & college inclinations thus far, how could the as CCs could help us, and what would be our role as parents (aka how much helicoptering?) in the college selection process.</p>
<p>Choates college counseling process starts formally this month. Weve been given a family response form to fill out, no Naviance access until College Info weekend in February. These are the questions:</p>
<p>*In what areas has your child shown the most development and growth during the past three or four years?</p>
<p>What are a few of the characteristics you admire most about your child?</p>
<p>If you had to describe your child in a few adjectives, what would they be?</p>
<p>Are there any unusual or personal circumstances that have affected your childs educational or personal experiences?</p>
<p>Are there any specific considerations you feel strongly about as your child compiles a college list (e.g. geographic location, size, setting, athletic or artistic opportunities, religious affiliation, financial aid)?</p>
<p>Please list the names of any colleges you think are a good fit for your child. Why are these particularly suited?</p>
<p>How might your child handle denial from particular colleges?</p>
<p>(Optional) Please write a brief anecdote about your child that you feel captures one or more of his or her special qualities.*</p>
<p>ChoatieKid is applying to a selective summer program which we are hoping he does get accepted to in the hopes that the experience convinces him NOT to apply to the associated college. Ive said it before, we may be the only CC parents who pray DC does not get accepted to his first choice (which is now different from his other first choice that we were praying he wouldnt get accepted to either). Kids. We are going to have a very interesting conversation with his counselor in February.</p>
<p>@ChoatieMom & RuralMama, sounds like each school has a similar approach, but unique questionnaires. Thanks for posting Choate’s. Loomis’ is very similar, but some questions are slightly different. And I think it’s correct that ALL schools are likely trying to suss out how "high maintenance " each family is likely to be in the college counseling process!</p>
<p>Looking at the admit results of the Class of 2014 at S1’s school is depressing me. So many really impressive kids rejected by their early admission school. Then another kid: multiple disciplinary offenses including a rescinded expulsion, intellect of a grapefruit, no notable ECs, but high profile parents. Early admit to Harvard.</p>
<p>Yes. Class of 2014 at son’s school, many EA applicants for Stanford. Two admitted: a truly outstanding student, and another so-so student (says DS) with very high profile parent. RuralDad says it is good for DS to see how things work sooner rather than later. Not so sure myself. It is depressing. Actually hoping that 2nd admit actually had amazing qualities DS does not know about, and it was not based on parent.</p>
<p>Always disgusting…but an early and valuable lesson on the power of money to be unfair. Every top boarding school has a kid or two like this. The thing is…those kids grow up knowing deep down that they didn’t earn their good fortune, that it was a cheat. They might never admit it out loud, but it’s always there. Personally, I wouldn’t be able to stand that. It never “feels right” unless you come by it honestly.</p>
<p>We had one of these kids at the school where i was a dorm parent. Frequently in trouble, and also was not invited to return to the first 2 schools he attended. Parents were high-profile, siblings even more so… they were cast in one of the early reality TV shows. He thrived on all attention, whether negative or positive. I actually felt quite sorry for the kid. When he arrived at school, it was without family… on his own in a limo, and the chauffeur helped him unpack. He seemed very accustomed to that, which made me sad.</p>
<p>Our “Parents Insight” questionnaire is done and sent it. That was a very interesting exercise and sparked some great dialog between my wife and I (and the daughter in question).</p>
<p>Also quite interesting was diving into Naviance a bit…they have that one tool that shows the rates of admission for kids from your child’s school with similar stats. It reinforced for me my belief that “kids who are bound for uber selective schools are bound for those schools no matter where they go to HS”. </p>
<p>I will only tease with this: if some of the kids/parents who pooh-pooh SAS and other “second or third tier” schools could see the admit rates I’m seeing for VERY selective “prestigious” (hate that term) colleges, they’d probably be singing a very different tune. You all know that I’m an SAS super fan, and even I was wowed with exactly how strong their recent placement has been.</p>
<p>My junior is collecting recs for MIT’s RSI today- this extremely competitive summer program requires all application materials to be at their office on Monday. Sigh… we’ll be off to the post office first thing tomorrow. I hope we won’t miss anything in the last minute rush.</p>
<p>Four AP classes at once = a very heavy workload. Have I mentioned how much I hate APs?</p>
<p>@Rellielou: Hope that your junior was able to make the deadline. 7D1 has applied to one selective summer program and will probably apply to another so that eggs are not in one basket…</p>
<p>Here’s something I wouldn’t mind discussing: What sorts of colleges (if any) are you suggesting to your Class of 2015er? Does anyone dare share publicly at this point?</p>
<p>I ask because my wife and I were reviewing Fiske and USNews guides this weekend and probably knocked a few of our initial list (SAS asks parents if there are any schools we would suggest child apply to) “contenders” off (is U of Chicago really where “fun goes to die”?) and perhaps added one on based on a list of strong schools in daughter’s current area of interest.</p>
<p>I don’t mind sharing where we have looked. University of Chicago and Northwestern were done last summer. D loved both. We were scheduled to fly out and see Rice last month, but needed to change plans at last minute. Have Carnegie Mellon, Cornell and William and Mary on list to visit as well. Have no idea at this point how many of the above will stay on the list.</p>
<p>@HarvestMoon1: Thanks for sharing. Because I am a little less “anonymous” than most, I’ll PM you our current list instead of sharing here…offer to do the same for anyone else interested in sharing.</p>
<p>7D, we will go to Cali in March to look at Stanford & Berkeley, Pomona & Claremont McKenna. Also will probably try to get to UT-Austin in the next few months. PM for more…DC is pretty clear about wanting a change of scene from New England so many of the usual suspects are not on our list. (But Penn may be?)</p>
<p>@PelicanDad: PM on its way…</p>
<p>Oh, also thought it might be helpful to others if people indicated what (if any) area their child was interested in…so that parents with kids who had similar interests, could perhaps learn about schools that weren’t on radar.</p>
<p>FWIW, 7D1 very interested in bio and chem.</p>
<p>We are revising a planned family driving trip to 7D2 national tournament over Spring Break to allow 7D1 and one parent (probably my wife) to visit a few schools.</p>