@infotime your S is a highly accomplished young man and you should rightly be proud of him. More importantly he has a great attitude towards this entire process, which admittedly is frustrating and feels like a lottery. He will get into a great school and 4 years from now, you will be even prouder of him getting ready for his graduation.
I would normally not comment as I use these forums more for more information than to engage in a discussion. But reading your post, I decided to write my thoughts.
First, some info about my S who was admitted.
ACT: 35 (in 1 sitting in fall of Junior year)
SAT subject test: Math II (800), Physics (800), Chemistry (800), Spanish (760), and 1 more that I donât remember which was 750+. Never took a test more than once.
Has taken a number of AP tests. I believe all 5 though there may be one which is a 4. I donât have the details. He is planning to take a few more this year.
GPA: I donât have the number (as you can see, I am not a helicopter parent). I think he may have 1 or 2 Bâs, otherwise all Aâs
EC: He does a lot. Involved in a few clubs, all in officer positions. He is part of the student government, works closely with the school administration and has been a strong advocate, even getting support for changes that students demanded.
His biggest passion is debate. Captain of his debate team and a top ranked debater in the country (top 10).
Essays: I believe they were good (he told us about the topics he covered) but he never showed them to us for critique, preferring to work on his own application.
But here is the point that I wanted to make. In his essays, he wrote about his passions, what drives him, his accomplishments and what he wants to do in the future. But unfortunately, the kid has had medical issues his entire life (something he was born with). So he talked about it, as how it was harder for him than others, but it didnât deter him and he overcame the obstacles. Is that a âfeel goodâ essay, as you claim? I donât think so! Itâs the truth and it shows something about him.
Now we are OOS, on the East coast. He has never even been to CA. He just decided to apply to 4 UCs and has heard back from 3 of them (admitted to all) and is waiting for the last one to report. It is highly doubtful that he would go to school in CA as we would prefer that he stays closer to us in the East coast (partly driven by his medical issues as we would like to keep an eye on him). You should feel blessed that you donât have to deal with such a variable in your decision making process. He knows this and said that he would at least like to visit the schools in CA which we are seriously considering.
There is no need to feel bad for him. He has a number of great options on the East coast and will know by the end of the week about the rest.
I went to an Ivy. My elder D goes there and my S decided that he didnât want to even apply there as he wants a different school than his sister, which is understandable and fine with us. Over the years, I have known the Dean of admissions at my alma mater. This is what he told me and there is a lesson in what he said. After decisions are sent out, I get calls from parents whose kids didnât get in (I suppose his phone will be ringing next week!). Most (if not all of them), start comparing the stats and accomplishments of their child, against kids who got admitted. This is not how the admission process works. Otherwise they would simply write a computer program where the application would go in and a decision would come out. There would be no need for an admissions office. So trust the process, let them do their job, and most importantly respect their decision. Despite your unfavorable comparison of our system to China, the US universities have produced the best talent for decades and I firmly believe, will continue to produce that talent for decades to come.
Finally, congratulations to all that were admitted. To others, do not lose hope, you will all go to great schools. And remember, just getting into the school is just the beginning. While there, you have to work hard and take advantage of all the opportunities that the school offers, otherwise there was no point of getting in!