<p>re: devastated. maybe a ■■■■■, but my oldest D “dated” a guy who basically sucked the independence right out of her. He was a manipulative jerk and I ended up having D go live somewhere else during the summer one year just to create the physical separation. This was before the prevelance of cell phones, and so … it worked! </p>
<p>In any event, there is a difference between pushing kids to reach their potential and living their lives for them. There are plenty of both sides on this forum. But i do find it ridiculous that kids make chance threads with perfect test scores and GPA’s, a huge list of EC’s and then wonder if they’re good enough. There is something seriously wrong with that. And then there are the parents that once their kid gets into an Ivy or otherwise top school think it’s all about their sterling credentials or their mind-blowing essay and that those who were deferred or denied are just merely inferior as if that EA letter defines THEM or their children. It does go a bit over the top and sometimes it is necessary to let a cold strong wind blow it all out of your thinking. Still, there is a lot of good advice and questions answered that really couldn’t be found anywhere else. And the fact that there are admissions people on their own school’s websites legitimizes the information factor of the site.</p>
<p>I just say, proceed with caution and good common sense.</p>