<p>You're welcome. It at least gives me some pleasure to help others avoid being as clueless as we were.</p>
<p>IBclass06 </p>
<p>Things have changed so much in this process during the last decade. </p>
<p>Twenty years ago, I think you could safely assume that if you had been a top student since the day you set foot in a school, that you would get into a top school. There may have been the occasional fluke, but overall, I don't think a top kid would have such a complete disaster. Now there are so many students applying and colleges are picking and choosing the kinds of classes they want.</p>
<p>The best you can do is to face up to the system and protect yourself from a bad outcome. I'm glad you're going to add another to your list. Better to give yourself some peace of mind- the application fee and the work on the app are worth it IMO.</p>
<p>andi...It sounds like everything is going to work out for your son...what a relief! I remember reading your story earlier and thinking that it could not possibly be happening. </p>
<p>New applicants,
I recommend selecting not only a few admission safeties, but also a few financial safeties. We had a similar experience, but our debacle was financial. We knew my son was perfect for his first choice school (selective) and that the school was perfect for him. He was accepted, but offered virtually no financial aid and we simply could not afford it. After appealing, begging and number crunching, he ended up at a financial safety. Luckily, he is really happy there so it probably turned out for the best. But I cringe when I think that when the expected financial aid didn't come through we would have had to be so far in debt. Please get a financial safety or two, because you never know how the dust will settle.</p>
<p>Now I'm scared!!:( What about small LAC?</p>
<p>I agree weith lkf725's post, and I also wish that we didn't have to use the term "financial safety." IMO for a school to be a true safety, the student has to know that they'll be accepted and definitely can afford to go to the college. </p>
<p>"Definitely can afford to go" means that the student knows their parents can pay full freight or the student is certain that they will get the aid they need to attend. An example is if the student is sure that they will meet the qualifications for score-based merit aid that will bring the price within what their family can afford.</p>
<p>Even when colleges promise to meet 100% of students' documented need, that doesn't mean that the student will be able to afford the college. It may be that what the college caluculates the student's need to be is far less than what the student's parents feel is their need. If the parents won't pay the difference, the student probably won't be able to afford to attend that college.</p>
<p>ikf725 I couldn't believe it was happening either. It was like a long nightmare. I think our application ignorance was fueled by well-meaning friends and relations who scoffed at our worries along the way, as if we were being falsely modest when we showed any concern about not getting accepted. "Are you kidding, of course he'll get in." </p>
<p>Your story about the fin aid is a good one to share with others also. </p>
<p>Wabash- don't be scared. This absolutely won't happen if you are savvy about the process. Find some very dependable schools to apply to and learn a lot of things about them that appeal to you. Show those schools that you want to go there, that's important.</p>
<p>andi, could you tell us what you and your son think might have caused him to be rejected by so many schools? could it be the essay? extra curricular activities?</p>
<p>possibly, the rest of us can be more aware of critical parts of the applications.</p>
<p>Our kids' GC said that he was very surprised that some kids he was SURE would get into the colleges (because they were at or above the profiles) did NOT get in & the colleges told him it was because they weren't convinced the students would attend if admitted because they hadn't shown "interest."</p>
<p>One general rule: top students should always apply to their flagship state u. Here in Pa, PSU has an excellent "honors college" which is affordable to most families. The app process is usually pretty easy and you don't have to go through the "showing interest" routine. Last year, our high schools class President, Drum Major etc with top SATS etc ended up at PSU.</p>
<p>evanescenteuphoria I have tried with the help of people on this board, his GC and others to figure out what went wrong (see the link above) but have never come to any conclusion. MORE IMPORTANT: What I am trying to say to this year's applicants is that sometimes you may not do ANYTHING wrong, you can just have bad luck and that's why you should cover all of your bases in the admissions process.</p>
<p>What HImom is saying about interest is certainly applicable to the safety schools, without doubt.</p>
<p>And speedo, andison will definitely apply to his state school this year. Absolutely!!</p>
<p>In making your final list you almost have to be schizophrenic. Be optistic: Aim high, go for those reaches! Be pessimistic: Have a "what if" Plan B. Love thy safety!</p>
<p>Think of it like having accident insurance. Statistically you probably won't need it, but you shouldn't drive without it.</p>
<p>There has been tons of advice written about safeties but I would just like to add: If the thought of attending makes you queasy, then it's not a true safety. Find one you can love (or at least reasonably like a whole lot). They are out there. It may take more work to research, identify, visit and develop a relationship with a safety. You may have to eliminate a few before you find the right one for you. (Those selectives are so much easier to love, aren't they?) However, you must BELIEVE that you need a solid surebet and be willing to put the work into finding it.</p>
<p>my dear andi~</p>
<p>I wanted to thank you SOOOOOOOOOOO much for posting this in order to alert the new crop of applicants to this frightening possibility. You are so very right when you say this:</p>
<p>
[quote]
What I am trying to say to this year's applicants is that sometimes you may not do ANYTHING wrong, you can just have bad luck and that's why you should cover all of your bases in the admissions process.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I know that it seems impossible to believe that a top student and NMF with the musical talent of your son would have the application outcome that he did last spring. I think you are so kind to share this unexpected and devastating story with others in an effort to lessen the chance that it will happen to the current applicants on this board.</p>
<p>Please know that I will be with you every step of the way as your marvelous son tackles this difficult process again, but with the wisdom fostered by the trials of last year. I wish him the best of all possible outcomes! With much love and respect, ~berurah</p>
<p>sorry to hear about it andi. </p>
<p>what schools is your son applying to this year?</p>
<p>and in 8 months, could you tell us which schools he got accepted to, and which one he chose? :)</p>
<p>Good thing I have a free ride at a local community college that I can always attend :)</p>
<p>Honestly though, the OP has a point. You need to "love thy safety". Find a school you would WANT to attend, that isn't high in admissions standards, and apply there! </p>
<p>Don't use the "apply to all reaches and hopefully get into one of them" strategy, because it can come back to haunt you!</p>
<p>as funny as it sounds, my friend also thought that "I couldn't be so unlucky to get rejected from all 8". and that was exactly what happened. but at least friend is happy with the year off because friend is doing things that has been wanting to do.</p>
<p>DON'T BANK ON LUCK ALONE!</p>
<p>does taking classes at MIT and volunteering sound like a good gap year. Do colleges dislike seeing you take a gap year to take part-time classes or do they simply do not want to you to highlight academics as part of your gap year and rather want you to focus more on the volunteering/service/internship aspects..?</p>
<p>thanks.</p>
<p>Andi, you are such a dear to share your hard-won expertise with our forum readers. Who knows how many students you will have helped by sharing the specifics of your story??</p>
<p>You and Andison will be blessed wiith a much different outcome this time around, I am sure! What a joyful celebration you can have after all is done! Meanwhile, your S is doing some very worthwhile things with his "gift" of time.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for starting this very useful thread.</p>
<p>Best wishes to you and Andison for this round.</p>
<p>thank you so much for sharing your story. You mentioned showing interest in your safety. I'm sure your son had a safety (200 points above range sounds safe to me!). Did he visit before hand? Do you think visiting is essential? Can you tell me how much interest your son demomstrated in his safety and still got rejected? My son is in a serious time crunch and is trying to demonstrate interest in a safety without actually visiting. (he visited a friend there a few years back and lloved it,but is not on record has having visited).</p>
<p>Good Luck to your son and family this year!</p>
<p>Andi--</p>
<p>Thanks for posting this. It's a lesson that needs to be learned again every year by the new group of seniors. </p>
<p>And kudos to CC for making it a Featured Discussion!</p>
<p>This is why people should always have safeties and matches. A list full of reaches (as <em>ALL</em> Ivies are, regardless of your stats) can and does have situations that end up such as andison.</p>