<p>i'm sorry for your son, even though this is an old thread, but here are the two things that went wrong:
1) he listed the other schools he was applying to on the oberlin (and possibly other) applications. that's the first thing we were told not to do in every college counseling class, meeting, etc.
2) he didn't choose a sure-fire safety school. my friend, who was accepted early decision and who applied to the regulars (she is currently at one of the following schools):harvard, princeton, yale, bowdoin, williams, middlebury, knew that she had to have a very very safe safety. that safety was university of new hampshire, which is a great state school, but it's much lower than her stats were, by a good 200 points on the sats. </p>
<p>most applications are read without considering the financial aid, or at least all of my applications said that they were reviewed need-blind.</p>
<p>maroon, just curious what are you supposed to write regarding other schools you are applying to? Also, wouldn't you think that UNH was thinking that they were being used as a safety if the applicant you were referring to had ivy stats?</p>
<p>Welcome, Maroon. I think Andi and her son figured out that he didn't have a safe enough safety. I don't agree that the death knell was listing the other schools. It was a combination of things that led to the unfortunate result last year, and this year will be a totally different story for Andi's son. Glad you were able to enlighten us so quickly, though!</p>
<p>Northeastmom, if the form asks what other colleges are being applied to, you can (a) leave that field blank, (b) write something like "undecided" or "not sure", (c) answer in a partial, strategic way -- for example, list only schools of simular stature and selectivity, or list only your in-state publics.</p>
<p>There is discussion in another thread to the extent that the colleges will get this info for financial aid applicants off the FAFSA in any case, so it may be that they have ways of finding out whether or not students answer. But the bottom line is - just because they ask a question, doesn't mean that you have to provide an answer. </p>
<p>However -- this IS an old thread, and speaking on behalf of Andi, I don't think that was her son's problem. I think that it was the lack of a true safety. Oberlin's not a "safety" for anyone. If you have to think strategically about what sort of information you are going to give a college, then it's not a safety.</p>
<p>andi, I can only imagine how you feel w this thread being recirculated, but this year you no longer have to live the nightmare!!!!! This year was a fresh start for andison.</p>
<p>Momofwildchild, I agree with you.</p>
<p>Calmom, thank you. I have read the past posts about it. I just wanted to know what maroon heard regarding this question on the apps from the seminars he/she attended.</p>
<p>For those who missed the good news posted on the merit scholarship thread, Andison recently was awarded a $60,000 Presidential Scholarship from WPI!</p>
<p>Andi, sorry you're horrified, but keep in mind how IMPORTANT this thread is. February is kind of a last-chance month for many kids to be adding in a safety with a later application deadline -- and the word is that some colleges with Feb 1 deadlines have extended those. So its not bad to have a reminder.</p>
<p>An Admissions Officer from Williams College spoke at the beginning of the fall, and told us that we should always leave the "what other schools are you applying to?" field blank. It's almost always optional, and there's no penalty for not responding. </p>
<p>I am guessing that UNH did not think she was using them as a back-up (well, they might have known but saw how she showed more interest than another safety applicant, maybe) because she put as much time in effort to the UNH application process as she did to her first choice school. She visited campus for an information session and tour, arrived having read about the school and had written down a few questions to ask. Afterwards, she wrote a thank you letter to her tour guide and to the information session host, and applied the following week.</p>
<p>I know and I'm glad it has helped many people make more balanced lists. It was just the initial reaction to seeing it back on page one. Sort of like seeing a ghost.</p>
<p>May be cause enough for me to go watch the Rolling Stones during half time. ;)</p>
<p>My "lesson learned" from Andi's (and son's) experience is a little different. Now when I see a super highly qualified student only applying to the most selective schools with no true safeties, instead of warning them of the perils of nowhere to go I just think ok, worst case the kid takes a gap year, hopefully does something constructive, and tries again next year! I'm sure it was a painful thing to go through, but with hindsight it wasn't really all that bad was it?</p>
<p>Andi, I know how you must have felt seeing the "zombie" thread, but it did give us the opportunity to learn from Northstarmom the good news. Congratulations.
Oh, and Mick and the boys were great. Why weren't they sponsored by the AARP?</p>
<p>Andi, Mardad is right. You have done a wonderful service by sharing your son's story so willingly, and we owe you both a debt of gratitude for being so willing to do so. I hope that you will revive this thread a few more times as your son makes his final decision from among the many wonderful choices he is going to have this year. Best to you both, and thanks again for all you have contributed here.</p>
<p>I had almost the same reaction you did, for your sake!! I do know it will help some folks, though, and you are very dear to be so understanding about it walking out of the crypt as it did. </p>
<p>And Mick can still get a move on, can't he??</p>
<p>Oh I truly AM happy that our experience has been of help to this year's applicants! It gives me solace to know that there's been <em>good</em> to come of our misguided ways.</p>
<p>In April when round two is complete I'm planning to do a post of round two and the impromptu gap year.</p>
<p>However this IS one thing I'll address now, since NJres brought it up:</p>
<p>
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worst case the kid takes a gap year, hopefully does something constructive, and tries again next year! I'm sure it was a painful thing to go through, but with hindsight it wasn't really all that bad was it?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Now, truthfully, I AM happy that s had this year off to delve deeper into his interests, expand into some new ones and simply grow as young man before going off to college in September. Am I GLAD NOW that he did this? Yes, definitely. HOWEVER, I don't recommend going about it by default. Have a "safety" anyway because I think it would be much better to turn it down and take a gap year than to feel that you 'have' to take a gap year. It was NOT fun to go thru graduation hanging onto a wait list and feeling like a reject. It was not fun in August when the other kids were talking about roommate assignments. Another aspect is that planning a gap year takes time and I think it would be better to have done a little long range planning. He got lucky and found some great opportunities but it was touch and go for awhile. </p>
<p>
[quote]
And Mick can still get a move on, can't he??
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Most definitely. Loved the lips...and by that I mean the stage that he was walking on!</p>