- Acceptances can be based on things that are out of your control ( living in an over represented area of the country etc)
- Merit is very hard to get at elite schools that offer it, and the student really...really...needs to have something that the school wants. Don’t try and figure out why one student got merit...while a student who appears similar was downright rejected...you will never know.
- Your success in life is not dictated by these schools. There are Ivy League students who don’t have summer internships and job offers until their parents intervene and call their connections, and there are driven students at “lesser” schools who are quite successful without any assistance.
- Do not try and wrap yourself into a pretzel to fit into a particular school. Be yourself.
- Do not overestimate your chances for acceptance, and make sure to have a backup plan in the event you are waitlisted, rejected...or don’t have the money.
- Get rid of the concept of a “dream school.” There are many schools that will get you where you want to go.
- Do not get roped in to the competition and college talk that is so prevalent senior year
- Kids who graduate at the very top of their class do go to honors colleges at state schools..and do very well. They also take the money to Northeastern, BU, and Miami. My friend’s son ...in addition to full tuition...received 2 fully funded research positions ...places like Australia, South America etc.
- Run the NPCs and don’t apply to schools that you know you can’t afford. There is no money tree.
- What type of kid is your student? Where would he thrive? My family member is an Ivy caliber student and is in honors at the U of S Carolina...having an unbelievable experience and has exciting opportunities “handed” to her. If she was at Columbia she would be an average kid.. which is perfectly fine. Where would your student thrive?
- Get over the idea that kids at elite schools have perfect lives. One of my kids went to grad school at an Ivy...and one of her friends was an undergrad student at the age of 27. He dropped out due to alcohol and family issues, and returned to complete his degree a few years later. One girl at a nearby elite school was pregnant, had the baby and took some time off...and returned to school.
It’s not unusual for HS students and families to live in a bubble. We did. I am not sure if any of this is off topic…or appropriate at a HS presentation…but we learned a lot over the past couple of years.