<p>latetoschool - loved your post! I am currently dealing with an "attitude" from hs son who only has eyes for one place (we probably won't be able to afford it, even if he's admitted), scorning all others. I did get him to apply to a "safety" - was accepted (rolling admissions). He still refuses to even consider that he'll end up going there, though. Sigh... Your story did give me hope, though, that I probably shouldn't whip on myself, blaming myself for not preparing him properly, etc. Things will turn out the way they're supposed to turn out.</p>
<p>An intreaguing group of replies.</p>
<p>latetoschool- A very interesting story with a happy ending. But without you or your counselors initiative, it could have turned out very differently, and in the cases of many people I know, almost has. (I had two friends who applied only to fairly selective state schools--one I convinced to apply to another school as a backup and the other thankfully got into the first-choice state school.) But both could easily not be going to college next fall. A third friend has gotten into all the colleges he has applied to (they were all private), but gotten no merit scholarship offers and will most likely not get much financial aid, placing him in a bind.</p>
<p>Second, as jamimom pointed out, the mast majority of parents and kids on this board are not worrying about whether they'll get into their first-choice state school or not. Almost everyone posting here is a subset of the millions applying to college every year.</p>
<p>And they don't need anyone preaching involvment to them, least of all preaching by a condecending and judgemental 17-year-old.</p>
<p>/Wookiee</p>
<p>You wrote, because you needed to. </p>
<p>Stretch the wings and be prepared to jump. Welcome to the grownup world.</p>
<p>Goodluck.</p>