<p>McNair thread??? :eek: < pssst. MOWC, Goodness, don’t remind me, or anyone else. They may still be hunting for you.></p>
<p>I know it is a CC sport to parse and dissect every word and syllable of each and every post. Searching for ulterior motives in nmd’s post seems to be a bit ungenerous. Sometimes a word of advice and hope is just what it purports.
Thank you nmd for your continuing elucidating posts.</p>
<p>Pizza girl asked: “where is this mentality that Ivy adcoms think that they are wise sages?”</p>
<p>I responded: sour grapes.</p>
<p>I wasn’t actually refering to OP in my post, just the general sour taste people who are rejected feel towards these school’s adcoms.</p>
<p>All who intend to apply to the Ivies had better go to the Ivy boards and look at the accepted/rejected stats pages on April 1st of the previous years. It’s a blood bath, and it doesn’t always make sense.</p>
<p>FWIW–Unless my D2 ends up a recruited athlete to the Ivies? I have no dog in this fight and no child who applied to these schools. I also think very highly of UChicago as a Northwestern alum and find the listing of prestigous awards to be kind of defensive, even though I did “get” from the get-go that the OP believed he was being generous and saying kids should never let go of thier dreams.</p>
<p>Agree: Kids AND grownups should never let go of their dreams. Let’s just hope our kids dreams are theirs and not ours.</p>
<p>Congratulations to NMD and NMD’s DD!.</p>
<p>I think CC readers need to understand that environment at each high school is not same. Since the NMD’s DD HS had 12 acceptances from Harvard, hence it has to be a very competitive top of the line HS. </p>
<p>It some time come down heavily on the children from such school who doesn’t get accepted in to any Ivies or better. If 30% or more of the class is going to matriculate to Ivies or better and you are not one of them then it does become painful. It is not that there are no better schools than that but because all their HS life these kids have been tagged as to be going to Ivies.</p>
<p>It can hurt badly. But I think remembering that and then making most of it; what the life is all about and NMD’s DD did an excellent job on it. </p>
<p>Congratualtions to them once again.</p>
<p>O.K. Just for funsies, I’ll re-write the OP to suit some of y’all , but change it up to protect the innocent (and the incredibly worthy ;)).</p>
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That should make everybody happy. ;)</p>
<p>This is such a wonderful story and really shows how the great student will be great at whatever school they attend. I agree with Northstarmom, that this is a post for the kids to read when decision time comes around. It speaks volumns and will certainly have meaning to many kids.</p>
<p>^curmudgeon–if you find yourself with some time on your hands you could compile all of the most controversial thread starters from CC and rewrite them to be more “acceptable to the masses” and then perhaps turn that exercise into a humorous best-selling book of unassailable wisdom that would turn you into a nationwide celebrity; and then perhaps you could get caught publicly in some horrendous transgression and become the topic of vicious discussion in the cafe? It’s worth a shot… ;)</p>
<p>Dang. A career plan. At long last. Maybe we could add in a Swedish swimsuit model with a golf club and me in an Escalade voicemailing a slutty cocktail waitress ? If so, I’m so there.</p>
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<p>Right, because we wouldn’t ever want to raise kids to actually think for themselves, but to make their self-worth dependent upon what everyone else in the class thinks. @@ </p>
<p>What I think is so weird is how these 8 schools got mythologized. The smart kids that I know are applying to top schools. Those top schools might include a few Ivies, but might also include a few top LAC’s, Duke, Stanford, U of Chicago, what-have-you. It’s just so odd that the actual term Ivies gets used so much as if those 8 schools were more special than any of the other top schools at that level. My nephew, for example, is applying to Harvard, Princeton, Penn, MIT, Northwestern, Williams and Claremont McKenna. Because those are 7 top schools that have the particular programs and EC’s he is interested in. The fact that 3 of them happen to be Ivies is immaterial - they are simply 7 good schools, any of which would be a fine choice. </p>
<p>When I think of the people who are tossing around “getting into the Ivies,” I can’t help but think of the tacky kind of people who wear Gucci because everyone wears Gucci, or wear Louis Vuitton because everyone wears Louis Vuitton. Status chasing for the sake of status chasing. Why not just … apply to great schools, of which some may happen to be members of the Ivy League?</p>
<p>^^Escalade has been overdone and is a bit too gangsta. I think it should be a Bentley–classier, no? And the model should be a former nanny to a fallen celeb who has appeared on a rehab show but revived his career on Dancing with the Stars–now that’s classy!</p>
<p>hey curm, I just drove my your spread and saw Mrs. Curm out back sharpening the ax handle. Your Escalade is in the pond, wheels up…</p>
<p>cur - perhaps add a club-wielding ice skater and an indie actor/director dating his own stepdaughter and you got yourself a book that may even outdo Sarah Palin’s.</p>
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<p>Sigh. But the KINDS OF PEOPLE who think that the sun rises and sets on Ivies and that they are the only educational choices worth writing home are, quite frankly, idiots. So why is it “painful” not to measure up in their eyes? Why don’t some of you people ever set your own criteria as opposed to just taking the criteria of those around you as gospel?</p>
<p>All good ideas. I just don’t know whether to cap it all off with a talk-show with all female interns or a run for President. Hmmmm. Decisions, decisions. When I fall, I want it to be a thud.</p>
<p>curmudgeon–one final thought before I go–when you find that model/actress make sure her name is “Ivy” and you have it tatooed next to your heart for the sympathy you will eventually need, oh, and don’t forget that your vehicle’s vanity plate should read HYP …that will really stir things up! Good luck with your new career.</p>
<p>Thank you NMD for your uplifting post. No sour grapes detected- how many people missed the Mass part of his name? All of the Ivies are in his area and he wrote in his own context. For him the Ivies are the local top schools- they dominate the world he lives in. From my several years now experience with CC I have learned a lot about how things are in the East Coast region and can picture the scenario, substituting Midwest details and our flair for public flagships. It is so nice when someone is able to come out ahead of where they may have if an original plan was denied. I’ll bet leaving the familiar part of the country was also an excellent expereince. I thought he did an excellent job of relating a true experience that also has meaning for many others- and it took courage to risk criticism. BTW- look at where the Ivy students come from- “OOS” still means most are regional.</p>
<p>I had wondered what became of so many old posters- happy to see they still read the threads, even if we don’t see many of their posts anymore. I’m in the throes of waiting for son to get his math grad school apps done in time- distance nagging is equally ineffective as when he was at home in HS. I would love to report that he got into a top xty school and was on his way to becoming the absent minded professor he has the markings of. “Old” parents- does relief ever set in? When do you feel your kid is going to “make it”? Part of me is relieved that he found his passion and does well in it. Still need patience for him to have time enough travel the path I guess. I look forward to updates on so many whose children have gotten to their final year of colege and beyond.</p>
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<p>Well, here on cc I believe that answer is somewhere in the zygote stage. After that, I believe it is recommended that it’s hands off as far as education and careers. In fact, it’s best if you simply don’t know what they are doing/planning. That way you can’t sub-consciously impact their decisions.</p>
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<p>Better yet, tattoo it on your left HYP.</p>
<p>Or is that pronounced Hype?</p>
<p>And my wife asks me why I am still regularly hanging around here…mudge you brightened an otherwise so/so day.</p>
<p>;)</p>
<p>Some of the analyses here are a hoot. They remind me of HS english, where I used to think “were the authors really thinking that?” </p>
<p>Heck, maybe some of you found my unconscious thoughts in there. Something to discuss with my psychoanalyst, if only I had one?</p>
<p>Take it as you want. I’m just wondering how my D will spend her new found $2,000? In my family, that’s quite a bit of dough. </p>
<p>Some of this reminds me of a cocktail party I went to in grad school. Guest of honor was Jim Watson, the Nobel Prize winner (yes, randomly, undeservedly awarded, in some folks minds…). In the kitchen I listened to someone badger Dr. Watson about the meaning of Nobel Prizes, such as trying to get him to agree that the Swedish Academy of Sciences unduly influences the direction of science through it’s selections, and other political topics. Finally the interrigator asked Dr. Watson what his reaction was to winning the prize. He looked at the floor, thought for a minute and said “I really liked it. Back then, $50,000 was a lot of money.” And that was it. </p>
<p>Some folks just can’t take things at face value.</p>