<p>I have learnt the following formula to get into college-</p>
<p>Reach+Match+Safety=Success</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Absolutely. My favorites are kids who get into their top schools, to their surprise, with ‘ordinary’ extracurriculars, and ‘lower stat’ kids who aren’t shooting for the stars but find a place that is going to be perfect for their goals and needs.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Lol, Pizzagirl, no lie, that one was #4 before I edited, but it kept sounding preachy. I think it took a liberal to write it right.</p>
<p>Anyway, I forgot these:</p>
<p>. . . that if a man who speaks English as a second language asks how to get his daughter into Harvard, it is noble to attack him as viciously as possible.</p>
<p>. . . that admissions officers can tell when an essay is written by a parent, and that we know for sure this is true because they claim it is.</p>
<p>and finally,</p>
<p>. . . that I will choose reading the “Race in College Admissions” thread over sleep, no matter how many times I swear off it.</p>
<p>I learned that if your son loves Vanderbilt, you should also apply to Tulane.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/vanderbilt-university/632798-vanderbilt-applicants-whats-your-safe-school.html?[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/vanderbilt-university/632798-vanderbilt-applicants-whats-your-safe-school.html?</a></p>
<p>I have learned that if you’re from the northeast, it’s invariable that you think that kids from the midwest are a bunch of hicks who are so unworldly, it would rock their worlds to venture far from the midwest. Therefore, the best way to avoid such a bunch of hicks is to stay within 100 miles of home</p>
<p>I’ve learned that if you get a 2300 on your SAT, yes, you should take it again.</p>
<p>I’ve also learned that being a URM will get you into USC with much lower grades and scores than a white applicant.</p>
<p>In fact, being a URM is one of the MOST important factors at many top schools.</p>
<p>I learned that getting real about our ability to finance our kids’ undergraduate educations is indeed the most important thing. When we face down that truth, everything else is easy.</p>
<p>I learned:</p>
<p>Only about 4 posters on CC have kids who drank alcohol before they were 21 (or who even LIKE alcohol)</p>
<p>The same 4 posters are the only ones whose kid has ever broken the speed limit and even gotten a ticket</p>
<p>If your kid had a great experience at a highly selective school and you talk about that positive experience and promote the school, you are a “prestige hooar”</p>
<p>The University of Pennsylvania is the safest campus in the country and any concerns that a parent might have about the surrounding areas of the city are absurd</p>
<p>I’ve also learned that the only possible careers are investment banker, hedge fund manager, management consultant, doctor, lawyer, engineer. Everyone else in this country who isn’t one of the above flips burgers or mops floors for a living.</p>
<p>I’ve also learned that high school seniors are by far the best judges of “prestige” of schools among professional employers. After all, their dad’s best friend is a lawyer on Wall Street and he said so.</p>
<p>I’ve also learned that it’s no big deal for a kid from the midwest, the south or the west to fly to Boston, NYC or Philly to attend an Ivy … but planes don’t actually fly the other way.</p>
<p>I learned:</p>
<ol>
<li>NEVER apply ED if you need financial aid.</li>
<li>If you break rule #1 and apply ED anyway, it is almost a crime to back out of ED contract due to financial reason.</li>
<li>Then I learned that rule #1 and #2 are actually myths.</li>
</ol>
<p>– to avoid labeling schools as safety/match/reach and focus on <em>targets</em> where my kids are challenged, but also can successfully manage the rest of independence that comes with college
– the tough HS curriculum really did pay off</p>
<p>I learned that it’s possible to have a GPA < 3.6 and get into UChicago EA, and that the biggest “hook” is apparently having a parent who posts on that thread! (Congrats to all!)</p>
<p>I learned that my oldest is very unconventional and doesn’t fit the average cc student profile. In spite of my nagging for him to be conventional, he’s been accepted by 2 colleges so far, doing it his way. I know what “love the kid on the couch” means and can honestly say that’s helped me more than anything else I learned here.</p>
<p>I regret getting caught up in all of the cc hullaballoo and maybe creating more stress for S. </p>
<p>OTOH, I have found the most supportive adults on this forum who could only understand my concerns because they’ve also experienced them. People whose responses are constructive and very honest unlike my “real” friends who would say, “Wow, my son doesn’t do that.” or “Where’s that? I’ve never heard of it…”</p>
<p>I’ve learned that “chance me” requests are an invitation for high school kids to a.) brag about themselves; and/or b.) knock down other high school kids.</p>
<p>I also have learned a lot about ■■■■■■ while here on CC.</p>
<p>In addition to all of the above, I’ve learned: </p>
<p>how to properly quote a previous post in my response.</p>
<p>that CC is about W-A-Y more than college; that I can get an answer and/or advice about almost any subject.</p>
<p>to stay the h*** out of the “Elections & Politics” forum.</p>
<p>that when it’s all said and done, we parents just want what’s best for our kids – and that “best” means different things for different kids.</p>
<p>What I learned from CC:</p>
<p>*<em>I am not the only one interested in where your kids go to college.
*</em>There are many, many aspects to this college process than I never knew and never even thought to ask
**applying to twelve schools isn’t excessive</p>
<p>*<em>CC is a great distraction, and I miss it when I’m away (withdrawal pains!)
*</em>That because I visited CC so much, my H figured out what to get me for Christmas: my own computer!</p>
<p>*<em>That getting a 2300 SAT isn’t “enough”; it takes more.
*</em>That the international community is incredibly smart and focused on getting into American colleges</p>
<p>*<em>What I knew already, but was in denial about: that 25+K kids apply to the ivies.
*</em> " That my unhooked kid would probably not get in to his school ED.
** " that having a “hook” makes all the difference about getting in or not.
** " that lying in the application about a hook, obviously untrue, can still get you in.</p>
<p>*<em>that a ■■■■■ doesn’t just live under a bridge. They live here too.
*</em>that people can be dishonest or stretch the truth and no one will find out
*<em>sometimes short posts can take as much time as a long one
*</em>some posts are easily misconstrued</p>
<p>*<em>there are some really terrific, helpful people who actually seemed to care about my kids: when my son was missing and when he was in chronic pain
*</em>there are some very funny writers on this forum</p>
<p>**that I should have started the college application process much earlier, my son should have applied to a few places rolling decisions, and that he’s not the only one waiting 'til the last minute to get his apps out.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone! Still don’t know: how to quote someone.</p>
<p>“how to properly quote a previous post in my response…”</p>
<p>How DO you do that? Haven’t found it yet (obviously…)</p>
<p>John.</p>
<p>Start with [ quote ]. Fill in the text. End with [ /quote ]. (But eliminate the spaces between the text and the brackets.)</p>
<p>
Now I wouldn’t go that far. It’s a question of percentages and relative bell curves and quite a few Unis will beat quite a few LAC’s in this regard. Reed would certainly beat out U/Arizona (let’s not get started on the Honors College) for general academic rigor but Tufts and Wash U would beat out Ivy-Covered Party School LAC. An individual student can make something for himself or herself anywhere…it’s a question as to which environment optimizes potential and assumes that for a given student such a question actually has some bearing.</p>
<p>Otoh, why don’t the frats at Arizona State put up Nativity scenes? Hard to find enough wise men. (Keg on!)</p>
<p>TD, being fastidious about all this tomfoolery</p>