<p>Originaloog, I am surprised by your post as I see the situation quite differently. If this mom wrote superlatives about her son, well, ya know she IS a mom, she is allowed to do that. I am sure many of them are true. What I see is a stressed out mom who is nervous because her son was devastated over the rejection at Yale. I see a situation where they have not had much guidance in terms of college selection where they live and were not as "informed" themselves perhaps which is all too common. Most parents would not have a clue how to go about selective college admissions or even college selection, and so forth. It takes a lot of educating of oneself. I learned a lot along the way. But I know some parents who do not have a clue about this process. I also see a parent of a child who excels and if you did not have that much knowledge about the state of selective admissions in this country, you would gear such a student to top schools and feel he/she had a darn good chance of getting in. Believe me, folks in my community were always saying my older D could name her school when I know through my knowledge of elite admissions ain't so. Even my D's GC who we really really like, tells me to this day, in all of his 25 years as a GC, will never get over my D's deferral and ultimate rejection at Yale as he was stunned by it, saying my D was the best student he had seen in 25 years. But I don't feel that way AT ALL because I am very very aware of what admissions at a place like Yale is today and very qualified kids are kept out due to the overwhelming numbers vying for the spots and the element of a lottery at this level. My D went into that application fully aware of that situation and thus did not expect to get in, not because she was not qualified or not confident but because the odds were overwhelmingly difficult for even the BEST students. </p>
<p>Berurah has a talented bright son who on the surface, one would surmise could get into a top school. What she may not have realized going into this process is that at the top schools, kids like her son DO get rejected in droves. He definitely has a chance to get in because of his fine profile but there is an unpredictable nature involved at places like Yale. Thus his rejection is one that perhaps took them hard because they would not have predicted it as possible. But if I had talked to her months ago, I would have said so from the get go that this was very possible. In fact, now that she has shared her son's college list, while I think he has a chance at all the schools on it, the list is TOP HEAVY and almost all reach schools, and I would advise against ANY student having such a list, not JUST her son. I do not think she has been advised well and not blaming her but she is not as well informed in terms of perspective of this situation with elite admissions. </p>
<p>Her son should continue to apply to some of those reach schools. He really needs to add match schools that are more in line with schools like Tufts, Boston College, Johns Hopkins, University of Rochester, Rice, Washington U in St. Louis, Emory, and many many more that are appealing in that category. Then he should have one safety that is not his state school (though his state school is fine too if he would be happy there). Schools like Lehigh or Brandeis or Dickinson might be safeties for him. </p>
<p>In any case, I see a mom who is very involved, stressed at the situation and was not as informed or well advised earlier in the process but is desperately looking for how to go about it now. I also see a family that took the Yale thing hard, unfortunately and I hope they get over it very soon as there is no shame in getting rejected at a school like Yale and it is not a commentary on whether he was "good enough". It is the nature of the high stakes game and if you are going to enter it, be very aware of what you are getting into. </p>
<p>Susan</p>