<p>I agree that Andi is being generous and thoughtful to post this again for this year's crop of applicants and their parents because her experience is important for others to learn from. Her son's experience is gut wrenching particularly when talking of an excellent student who you'd expect to be going to college and now cannot (this year). </p>
<p>I suggest to current applicants and their parents to become VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE about selective college admissions (if you are applying to schools of that nature, as Andison was). I think there is a tendency, and we saw it with Andison, in certain circles or just in general, to assume that a top notch student will get into a top notch school. I have read numerous posts on CC over the years where students post their list of schools and the schools are all highly selective and I shake my head. I can't even understand a guidance counselor allowing such a list. Then again, even educators who are uninformed about the current state of affairs with elite school admissions exist. I know in my kids' schools, teachers and guidance counselor all would say about my oldest D (currently a soph at Brown which she LOVES), "she'll get in anywhere she wants" to which I would have to inform them, "I don't think so. She is a reasonable and approrpriate candidate to the top institutions in the land but when we are talking of acceptance rates in the single digits or teens, you can be exceptionally qualified and not get in because there are way more qualified and worthy candidates than slots. So there is an element of luck as to if that admissions committee thinks you fit a slot in that particular class. NOBODY, I don't care if you are God's gift to mankind, lol, can feel certain on getting into those schools." My D and I were VERY aware and well read on what elite admissions is like TODAY. My D, therefore, did not EXPECT to get into the reach schools. She did not have ONE favorite she pined away for. She liked ALL of her schools. She had a most preferred or favorite pile, next favorite pile, etc. but liked them all. I'd say she had three first choices (btw, I am talking preferences, not necessarily her three toughest schools). She applied EA to Yale and was deferred. Did she get upset and downtrodden? Not a bit. Sure, she'd have liked to have gotten in (was ONE of her first choices) but she realistically knew that this outcome was a STRONG possibiliity given the odds and so expected it as a possibility and went on. It was NOT her only favorite either. Her guidance counselor to this day cannot believe she did not get into Yale but WE can! We know she COULD have gotten in but we also know the odds are overwhelming that she would not, by the admit rate alone.</p>
<p>My daughter had a balanced list of reach/match/safety schools. She put EQUAL energy into researching each school, contact with the school, the visits, etc., as well as the actual applications. She treated them all the same. This was not so much a strategy but she wanted to learn as much as she could about each one (she might be going there!) and also had all to gain by putting forth full effort into pursuing each one. I want to add that for very top students like her, safeties need not mean some "consolation" school or tagging on the state U (no problem with the state U if you like that school but there are many other safety schools). It also doesn't mean that the safety school needs to be an EASY school (again, talking of top candidates as she was). She had 4 reaches, 2 matches, and 2 safety schools. I really suggest TWO safeties. Her safeties were pretty safe for her but not gut schools. They were Lehigh and Conn College. Also, her state U offered her a free ride and Honors College, though the school was not on her list but since they made that offer and waived her app fee, she sent it in so she actually had that, though had not intended to apply and her list was made without them. That school, for her, was more consolation or guarantee but she actually truly LIKED her safeties. They weren't her favorite schools on her list but she liked them enough to attend. One of her match schools was one of her three faves, above some of her reach schools. </p>
<p>Andison's list was not realistic, though I understand how this happened because of less knowledge about the elite school admissions process, which they have now learned oodles about! How a GC allowed it, I'll never know. The school that Andi is referring to as her son's safety (the rest were truly reaches for ANYONE), was what I would have called a MATCH school for her son, and particularly as a music kid at that specific school. He also didn't show interest. Having only ONE match like this, made the odds more difficult. More matches, along with 2 safeties, and odds are, he'd have gotten into at least 1 or 2 colleges, and not talking of the easiest schools in the country which were not necessary in his case.</p>
<p>I don't agree with NYUMom's assertion that these schools made a "mistake" about Andison. NO, they did not make any mistakes. We can't see why they took Kid X or Y over her son. There are MANY factors that go into building a class amongst a pool of way more qualified students than slots available. The fact that some students from her school got in with lower SATs, etc., isn't shocking. WE don't know what else those students brought to the table or how they fit into a specifc need in the class. We are also only talking about one school on his list. I hardly think Yale made a mistake about MY daughter. She was one of LOTS of highly qualified candidates. We accept that fact and the situation with elite admissions. We knew it going into this game. You can't run into the school as a parent saying, you made some mistake about my kid! Sorry, can't agree with that strategy. </p>
<p>As far as the waitlists, Andison did a lot to get off those. As others have said, some schools take no or few off of it. The only thing I would have done differently about Andison's waitlist (am familiar with the details from last year) was to have pursued EACH of his waitlists with rigor, not just his favorite at the time, given the odds. He put a lot of energy into that one particular very difficult school and the odds of taking from the waitlist are slim in the first place. I'd have increased the odds by putting lots into EVERY waitlist school. Further, I would have had both the kid AND the guidance counselor (who needed to advocate heavily here) explain that he not only wanted off their waitlist but had NO other options at that point and would send the deposit in 24 hrs if accepted. I would have explained the situation fully at that point and had the GC go to bat on that point. Would it have made a difference? Who knows, maybe not. But overall, they really did try so I don't agree with what NYUMom wrote about this aspect. </p>
<p>Taxguy, Tufts does not offer Merit Aid. Tufts is NOT a safety for anyone, nor Andison. My D who had excellent stats and achievements, including being val, considered Tufts a match. Tufts has an acceptance rate of about 23%. It is nobody's safety. I can say this as someone who has interviewed for Tufts for 10 years. I have interviewed vals who have been rejected. Most of the candidates I interview are top students. I could outline for you LOTS of things my D did in terms of attention to this school. She never treated this as an easy admit. She did so much with them. She even considered it a "high match" cause of the odds. That was as a double legacy to boot. My D's attention/contact with this school (as with others) wasn'tt to game anything. It was genuine and served her own purposes of exploration of the school.</p>
<p>Andi, I would NOT have your son write an essay that revealed his previous rejections. Somewhere on the app, discuss the positive parts about taking a gap year. They do not need to know the reason. Emphasize new growth. </p>
<p>Andison should have a positive outcome this time because they are wiser about the process for selective admissions colleges. Her post serves as a warning to those who build college lists with all reach schools and barely any matches and NO safeties. NO student can afford to do this. I don't care how stellar you are. Further, putting equal energy into each school and expressing interest that is genuine matters. Have safeties you actually like. Don't tag on State U just "because". Don't pine away for one particular school (particularly if that school is a far reach for all candidates) because you are setting yourself up for disappointment. Have a favorite "pile", a next favorite, and so on. That way, you can end up a happy camper if you get some acceptances. </p>
<p>My D had seven acceptances, one waitlist, one deferral that ended in a rejection. I feel her list played a part in her success. I am not talking of lowering her list or expectations to get a good outcome. Her list included four Ivies in fact. Her SATs weren't as high as Andison's. There is WAY more to a candidate than the SAT and so it is easy for people to armchair and say, what? some other kid with lower SAT's got into X college and not this woman's son? Her son AND those kids, fit the ballpark of stats for the school. There is a pool of students in their app pile who are qualified. Then they pick kids going beyond their stats. There is much more to it. We don't know everything about her son nor have seen his app, nor the other kids. Even if we did, luck plays a part in the lottery at elite colleges. They build a class. Your kid may or may not happen to fit a slot or need in it, simply put. KNOW that going into it. You must have schools on the list where being well qualified gets you in, that are NOT the crapshoot of the top schools. </p>
<p>Please learn from Andi and her son. She is doing you a service that many of us tell new prospectives about the possibilities all the time because she can actually relate a real experience here! </p>
<p>Susan</p>