| Does anyone ever read these posts and think to themselves, "This is freaking insane?" Multiple varsity sports, scads of AP classes, music lessons/coaches, etc., running a family ragged in search of....what, exactly? Is this a healthy, balanced way to live? We were semi-sucked into that madness with daughter number one, and have vowed not to do the same with our later-born children.
There are ways to be sane about the process, but I don't know if those people visit College Confidential very much! I have friends and family who simply bought a few guide books, talked to their child's college counselor, visited the appropriate schools, and oversaw the application process so nothing fell between the cracks. To date, their children were accepted at about 95% of the schools to which they applied, and are enjoying spring break and senior year! These are not the "I have to be president/captain of everything, win national contests or competitions, take 15 AP classes, etc." They are good kids with solid grades who participated in a few things they loved. It all seems to be working out beautifully for them, and their family life was much less hectic during the high school years. These kids seem to know who they are and are more substantive, not simply a composite of scores, grades and achievements. I think even competitive colleges may be starting to prefer those sorts of kids, too!
After 18 years working at home, I am hoping to find a paying job next year to cover college expenses. There were days when the college application process felt like a full-time job, and I wondered how parents who both worked got it all done. It is very complicated, and different than anything most kids have ever done, and requires a level of maturity many students haven't achieved quite yet. My daughter had no idea where to start, but once I gave her a general overview of the process, she took it from there, for the most part. |