menloparkmom

1) Love the kid on the couch, not the kid you wish you had. (Ah, the wisdom of Blossom!)

2) A match is not a guarantee.

3) It's not a safety unless you like it, you can afford it, and your stats are above the 75th percentile.

4) Ivies and schools with under 20% admissions are reaches for E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E.

5) The best EC to help you get into college is whichever one you are passionate about.

6a) Music is rarely a hook anywhere. It is a data point.
6b) Conservatory level music ability is not a hook at the Ivies. It is a data point.

7) Fit is more important than rank (it is NOT just about the decal)

8) An early acceptance (rolling admissions, priority applicaiton or EA) is the best kind of safety.

9) A discussion of finances in the beginning will save many tears in the end.
my-3-sons is offline

10) Conduct the college search "from the bottom up." Give full attention, research and visiting, to the safeties and matches from the beginning to find less selective colleges your student WANTS to attend. Then add on the reaches, which naturally are easy to fall in love with.

11) Plan ahead and have all required admissions tests [ACT, SAT, subject tests] completed by the end of Jr year if at all possible. Sr year is stressful enough without having the added pressure of having to take tests that could have been taken earlier.

12) If a student is taking an AP course- APUSH, APLIT for example, have them take the corresponding SAT subject test in May or June.

13) Get to know your guidance counselor early in high school.

14) There is no such thing as merit $$ at the Ivy's. Don't mix up merit $ and Financial aid- they are not the same!

15) Look out for early application deadlines required for merit scholarship consideration.

16) Beware of thinking your child walks on water and will SURELY get into HYPS...etc
If you need a primer on what can happen to even the most qualified student, check out this thread-
We're picking up the pieces, but what went wrong?

hayden

Did you all delete my suggestion (original post #10) because you disagree with it? Or was it just accidental? If you thought it was wrong or inconsequential, I'd be interested in knowing why, since it's an issue I see fairly frequently. Thanks.

menloparkmom

I'm sure it was a cut an paste error, as I inadvertently did the same thing to post #13.

jazzymom

hayden: I think our posts must have been sent at the same time, but mine posted last and didn't include your contribution....then, the last post got copied. As MPM said, a cut-and-paste glitch.

Hunt

1) Love the kid on the couch, not the kid you wish you had. (Ah, the wisdom of Blossom!)

2) A match is not a guarantee.

3) It's not a safety unless you like it, you can afford it, and your stats are above the 75th percentile.

4) Ivies and schools with under 20% admissions are reaches for E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E.

5) The best EC to help you get into college is whichever one you are passionate about.

6a) Music is rarely a hook anywhere. It is a data point.
6b) Conservatory level music ability is not a hook at the Ivies. It is a data point.

7) Fit is more important than rank (it is NOT just about the decal)

8) An early acceptance (rolling admissions, priority applicaiton or EA) is the best kind of safety.

9) A discussion of finances in the beginning will save many tears in the end.
my-3-sons is offline

10) Conduct the college search "from the bottom up." Give full attention, research and visiting, to the safeties and matches from the beginning to find less selective colleges your student WANTS to attend. Then add on the reaches, which naturally are easy to fall in love with.

11) Plan ahead and have all required admissions tests [ACT, SAT, subject tests] completed by the end of Jr year if at all possible. Sr year is stressful enough without having the added pressure of having to take tests that could have been taken earlier.

12) If a student is taking an AP course- APUSH, APLIT for example, have them take the corresponding SAT subject test in May or June.

13) Get to know your guidance counselor early in high school.

14) There is no such thing as merit $$ at the Ivy's. Don't mix up merit $ and Financial aid- they are not the same!

15) Look out for early application deadlines required for merit scholarship consideration.

16) Beware of thinking your child walks on water and will SURELY get into HYPS...etc
If you need a primer on what can happen to even the most qualified student, check out this thread-
We're picking up the pieces, but what went wrong?

17) While an A is better than a B, a single B (or several Bs) on a high school transcript will not forever blast a student's chances of getting into a good college.

Greta

Inserting alh's chestnut from post #10

1) Love the kid on the couch, not the kid you wish you had. (Ah, the wisdom of Blossom!)

2) A match is not a guarantee.

3) It's not a safety unless you like it, you can afford it, and your stats are above the 75th percentile.

4) Ivies and schools with under 20% admissions are reaches for E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E.

5) The best EC to help you get into college is whichever one you are passionate about.

6a) Music is rarely a hook anywhere. It is a data point.
6b) Conservatory level music ability is not a hook at the Ivies. It is a data point.

7) Fit is more important than rank (it is NOT just about the decal)

8) An early acceptance (rolling admissions, priority applicaiton or EA) is the best kind of safety.

9) A discussion of finances in the beginning will save many tears in the end.
my-3-sons is offline

10) Conduct the college search "from the bottom up." Give full attention, research and visiting, to the safeties and matches from the beginning to find less selective colleges your student WANTS to attend. Then add on the reaches, which naturally are easy to fall in love with.

11) Plan ahead and have all required admissions tests [ACT, SAT, subject tests] completed by the end of Jr year if at all possible. Sr year is stressful enough without having the added pressure of having to take tests that could have been taken earlier.

12) If a student is taking an AP course- APUSH, APLIT for example, have them take the corresponding SAT subject test in May or June.

13) Get to know your guidance counselor early in high school.

14) There is no such thing as merit $$ at the Ivy's. Don't mix up merit $ and Financial aid- they are not the same!

15) Look out for early application deadlines required for merit scholarship consideration.

16) Beware of thinking your child walks on water and will SURELY get into HYPS...etc
If you need a primer on what can happen to even the most qualified student, check out this thread-
We're picking up the pieces, but what went wrong?

17) While an A is better than a B, a single B (or several Bs) on a high school transcript will not forever blast a student's chances of getting into a good college.

18) There may be more than one *right choice* and everyone is usually happy by Thanksgiving freshman year.

gosmom

1) Love the kid on the couch, not the kid you wish you had. (Ah, the wisdom of Blossom!)

2) A match is not a guarantee.

3) It's not a safety unless you like it, you can afford it, and your stats are above the 75th percentile.

4) Ivies and schools with under 20% admissions are reaches for E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E.

5) The best EC to help you get into college is whichever one you are passionate about.

6a) Music is rarely a hook anywhere. It is a data point.
6b) Conservatory level music ability is not a hook at the Ivies. It is a data point.

7) Fit is more important than rank (it is NOT just about the decal)

8) An early acceptance (rolling admissions, priority applicaiton or EA) is the best kind of safety.

9) A discussion of finances in the beginning will save many tears in the end.
my-3-sons is offline

10) Conduct the college search "from the bottom up." Give full attention, research and visiting, to the safeties and matches from the beginning to find less selective colleges your student WANTS to attend. Then add on the reaches, which naturally are easy to fall in love with.

11) Plan ahead and have all required admissions tests [ACT, SAT, subject tests] completed by the end of Jr year if at all possible. Sr year is stressful enough without having the added pressure of having to take tests that could have been taken earlier.

12) If a student is taking an AP course- APUSH, APLIT for example, have them take the corresponding SAT subject test in May or June.

13) Get to know your guidance counselor early in high school.

14) There is no such thing as merit $$ at the Ivy's. Don't mix up merit $ and Financial aid- they are not the same!

15) Look out for early application deadlines required for merit scholarship consideration.

16) Beware of thinking your child walks on water and will SURELY get into HYPS...etc
If you need a primer on what can happen to even the most qualified student, check out this thread-
We're picking up the pieces, but what went wrong?

17) While an A is better than a B, a single B (or several Bs) on a high school transcript will not forever blast a student's chances of getting into a good college.

18) There may be more than one *right choice* and everyone is usually happy by Thanksgiving freshman year.

19. So take one more day to lick your wounds and then bake a cake decorated with the new colleges colors or motto and get going on the rest of your D's life. (another bit of wisdom from Blossom)

missypie

1) Love the kid on the couch, not the kid you wish you had. (Ah, the wisdom of Blossom!)

2) A match is not a guarantee.

3) It's not a safety unless you like it, you can afford it, and your stats are above the 75th percentile.

4) Ivies and schools with under 20% admissions are reaches for E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E.

5) The best EC to help you get into college is whichever one you are passionate about.

6a) Music is rarely a hook anywhere. It is a data point.
6b) Conservatory level music ability is not a hook at the Ivies. It is a data point.

7) Fit is more important than rank (it is NOT just about the decal)

8) An early acceptance (rolling admissions, priority applicaiton or EA) is the best kind of safety.

9) A discussion of finances in the beginning will save many tears in the end.
my-3-sons is offline

10) Conduct the college search "from the bottom up." Give full attention, research and visiting, to the safeties and matches from the beginning to find less selective colleges your student WANTS to attend. Then add on the reaches, which naturally are easy to fall in love with.

11) Plan ahead and have all required admissions tests [ACT, SAT, subject tests] completed by the end of Jr year if at all possible. Sr year is stressful enough without having the added pressure of having to take tests that could have been taken earlier.

12) If a student is taking an AP course- APUSH, APLIT for example, have them take the corresponding SAT subject test in May or June.

13) Get to know your guidance counselor early in high school.

14) There is no such thing as merit $$ at the Ivy's. Don't mix up merit $ and Financial aid- they are not the same!

15) Look out for early application deadlines required for merit scholarship consideration.

16) Beware of thinking your child walks on water and will SURELY get into HYPS...etc
If you need a primer on what can happen to even the most qualified student, check out this thread-
We're picking up the pieces, but what went wrong?

17) While an A is better than a B, a single B (or several Bs) on a high school transcript will not forever blast a student's chances of getting into a good college.

18) There may be more than one *right choice* and everyone is usually happy by Thanksgiving freshman year.

19. So take one more day to lick your wounds and then bake a cake decorated with the new colleges colors or motto and get going on the rest of your D's life. (another bit of wisdom from Blossom)

20. It is what it is.

missypie

Regarding "It is what it is" - maybe not Freshman year, but definitely Senior year. How many posts have we seen along the lines of "Should I write the school to explain my C in AP Bio junior year?" Well, the "explanation" is typically, "AP Bio was hard and I wasn't very good at it." The school will figure it out. It is what it is.

07DAD

1) Love the kid on the couch, not the kid you wish you had. (Ah, the wisdom of Blossom!)

2) A match is not a guarantee.

3) It's not a safety unless you like it, you can afford it, and your stats are above the 75th percentile.

4) Ivies and schools with under 20% admissions are reaches for E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E.

5) The best EC to help you get into college is whichever one you are passionate about.

6a) Music is rarely a hook anywhere. It is a data point.
6b) Conservatory level music ability is not a hook at the Ivies. It is a data point.

7) Fit is more important than rank (it is NOT just about the decal)

8) An early acceptance (rolling admissions, priority applicaiton or EA) is the best kind of safety.

9) A discussion of finances in the beginning will save many tears in the end.
my-3-sons is offline

10) Conduct the college search "from the bottom up." Give full attention, research and visiting, to the safeties and matches from the beginning to find less selective colleges your student WANTS to attend. Then add on the reaches, which naturally are easy to fall in love with.

11) Plan ahead and have all required admissions tests [ACT, SAT, subject tests] completed by the end of Jr year if at all possible. Sr year is stressful enough without having the added pressure of having to take tests that could have been taken earlier.

12) If a student is taking an AP course- APUSH, APLIT for example, have them take the corresponding SAT subject test in May or June.

13) Get to know your guidance counselor early in high school.

14) There is no such thing as merit $$ at the Ivy's. Don't mix up merit $ and Financial aid- they are not the same!

15) Look out for early application deadlines required for merit scholarship consideration.

16) Beware of thinking your child walks on water and will SURELY get into HYPS...etc
If you need a primer on what can happen to even the most qualified student, check out this thread-
We're picking up the pieces, but what went wrong?

17) While an A is better than a B, a single B (or several Bs) on a high school transcript will not forever blast a student's chances of getting into a good college.

18) There may be more than one *right choice* and everyone is usually happy by Thanksgiving freshman year.

19. So take one more day to lick your wounds and then bake a cake decorated with the new colleges colors or motto and get going on the rest of your D's life. (another bit of wisdom from Blossom)

20. It is what it is.

21. Less than 25% of HS seniors have matriculated from a 4 year institution within 7 years of HS graduation. And life goes on. CHILL.

sk8rmom

1) Love the kid on the couch, not the kid you wish you had. (Ah, the wisdom of Blossom!)

2) A match is not a guarantee.

3) It's not a safety unless you like it, you can afford it, and your stats are above the 75th percentile.

4) Ivies and schools with under 20% admissions are reaches for E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E.

5) The best EC to help you get into college is whichever one you are passionate about.

6a) Music is rarely a hook anywhere. It is a data point.
6b) Conservatory level music ability is not a hook at the Ivies. It is a data point.

7) Fit is more important than rank (it is NOT just about the decal)

8) An early acceptance (rolling admissions, priority applicaiton or EA) is the best kind of safety.

9) A discussion of finances in the beginning will save many tears in the end.
my-3-sons is offline

10) Conduct the college search "from the bottom up." Give full attention, research and visiting, to the safeties and matches from the beginning to find less selective colleges your student WANTS to attend. Then add on the reaches, which naturally are easy to fall in love with.

11) Plan ahead and have all required admissions tests [ACT, SAT, subject tests] completed by the end of Jr year if at all possible. Sr year is stressful enough without having the added pressure of having to take tests that could have been taken earlier.

12) If a student is taking an AP course- APUSH, APLIT for example, have them take the corresponding SAT subject test in May or June.

13) Get to know your guidance counselor early in high school.

14) There is no such thing as merit $$ at the Ivy's. Don't mix up merit $ and Financial aid- they are not the same!

15) Look out for early application deadlines required for merit scholarship consideration.

16) Beware of thinking your child walks on water and will SURELY get into HYPS...etc
If you need a primer on what can happen to even the most qualified student, check out this thread-
We're picking up the pieces, but what went wrong?

17) While an A is better than a B, a single B (or several Bs) on a high school transcript will not forever blast a student's chances of getting into a good college.

18) There may be more than one *right choice* and everyone is usually happy by Thanksgiving freshman year.

19. So take one more day to lick your wounds and then bake a cake decorated with the new colleges colors or motto and get going on the rest of your D's life. (another bit of wisdom from Blossom)

20. It is what it is.

21. Less than 25% of HS seniors have matriculated from a 4 year institution within 7 years of HS graduation. And life goes on. CHILL.

22. Estimate your EFC early! Understand that only those with small EFC's get federal grants and they are not really lucky.

menloparkmom

1) Love the kid on the couch, not the kid you wish you had. (Ah, the wisdom of Blossom!)

2) A match is not a guarantee.

3) It's not a safety unless you like it, you can afford it, and your stats are above the 75th percentile.

4) Ivies and schools with under 20% admissions are reaches for E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E.

5) The best EC to help you get into college is whichever one you are passionate about.

6a) Music is rarely a hook anywhere. It is a data point.
6b) Conservatory level music ability is not a hook at the Ivies. It is a data point.

7) Fit is more important than rank (it is NOT just about the decal)

8) An early acceptance (rolling admissions, priority applicaiton or EA) is the best kind of safety.

9) A discussion of finances in the beginning will save many tears in the end.
my-3-sons is offline

10) Conduct the college search "from the bottom up." Give full attention, research and visiting, to the safeties and matches from the beginning to find less selective colleges your student WANTS to attend. Then add on the reaches, which naturally are easy to fall in love with.

11) Plan ahead and have all required admissions tests [ACT, SAT, subject tests] completed by the end of Jr year if at all possible. Sr year is stressful enough without having the added pressure of having to take tests that could have been taken earlier.

12) If a student is taking an AP course- APUSH, APLIT for example, have them take the corresponding SAT subject test in May or June.

13) Get to know your guidance counselor early in high school.

14) There is no such thing as merit $$ at the Ivy's. Don't mix up merit $ and Financial aid- they are not the same!

15) Look out for early application deadlines required for merit scholarship consideration.

16) Beware of thinking your child walks on water and will SURELY get into HYPS...etc
If you need a primer on what can happen to even the most qualified student, check out this thread-
We're picking up the pieces, but what went wrong?

17) While an A is better than a B, a single B (or several Bs) on a high school transcript will not forever blast a student's chances of getting into a good college.

18) There may be more than one *right choice* and everyone is usually happy by Thanksgiving freshman year.

19. So take one more day to lick your wounds and then bake a cake decorated with the new colleges colors or motto and get going on the rest of your D's life. (another bit of wisdom from Blossom)

20. It is what it is.

21. Less than 25% of HS seniors have matriculated from a 4 year institution within 7 years of HS graduation. And life goes on. CHILL.

22. Estimate your EFC early! Understand that only those with small EFC's get federal grants and they are not really lucky.

23.[ credit to oldfort from another thread] Do not fall in love with any school until the acceptance is in, there is no just one school for anyone, just like there is no just one soul mate for anyone.

momonthehill

1) Love the kid on the couch, not the kid you wish you had. (Ah, the wisdom of Blossom!)

2) A match is not a guarantee.

3) It's not a safety unless you like it, you can afford it, and your stats are above the 75th percentile.

4) Ivies and schools with under 20% admissions are reaches for E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E.

5) The best EC to help you get into college is whichever one you are passionate about.

6a) Music is rarely a hook anywhere. It is a data point.
6b) Conservatory level music ability is not a hook at the Ivies. It is a data point.

7) Fit is more important than rank (it is NOT just about the decal)

8) An early acceptance (rolling admissions, priority applicaiton or EA) is the best kind of safety.

9) A discussion of finances in the beginning will save many tears in the end.
my-3-sons is offline

10) Conduct the college search "from the bottom up." Give full attention, research and visiting, to the safeties and matches from the beginning to find less selective colleges your student WANTS to attend. Then add on the reaches, which naturally are easy to fall in love with.

11) Plan ahead and have all required admissions tests [ACT, SAT, subject tests] completed by the end of Jr year if at all possible. Sr year is stressful enough without having the added pressure of having to take tests that could have been taken earlier.

12) If a student is taking an AP course- APUSH, APLIT for example, have them take the corresponding SAT subject test in May or June.

13) Get to know your guidance counselor early in high school.

14) There is no such thing as merit $$ at the Ivy's. Don't mix up merit $ and Financial aid- they are not the same!

15) Look out for early application deadlines required for merit scholarship consideration.

16) Beware of thinking your child walks on water and will SURELY get into HYPS...etc
If you need a primer on what can happen to even the most qualified student, check out this thread-
We're picking up the pieces, but what went wrong?

17) While an A is better than a B, a single B (or several Bs) on a high school transcript will not forever blast a student's chances of getting into a good college.

18) There may be more than one *right choice* and everyone is usually happy by Thanksgiving freshman year.

19. So take one more day to lick your wounds and then bake a cake decorated with the new colleges colors or motto and get going on the rest of your D's life. (another bit of wisdom from Blossom)

20. It is what it is.

21. Less than 25% of HS seniors have matriculated from a 4 year institution within 7 years of HS graduation. And life goes on. CHILL.

22. Estimate your EFC early! Understand that only those with small EFC's get federal grants and they are not really lucky.

23.[ credit to oldfort from another thread] Do not fall in love with any school until the acceptance is in, there is no just one school for anyone, just like there is no just one soul mate for anyone.

24. As a parent, your job is to give your child both roots and wings.

MidwestMom2Kids_

I'm not sure if this fits in but I love this bit of advice recently posted by mathmom regarding advice from a Vanderbilt admissions rep about college essays:

mafool

1) Love the kid on the couch, not the kid you wish you had. (Ah, the wisdom of Blossom!)

2) A match is not a guarantee.

3) It's not a safety unless you like it, you can afford it, and your stats are above the 75th percentile.

4) Ivies and schools with under 20% admissions are reaches for E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E.

5) The best EC to help you get into college is whichever one you are passionate about.

6a) Music is rarely a hook anywhere. It is a data point.
6b) Conservatory level music ability is not a hook at the Ivies. It is a data point.

7) Fit is more important than rank (it is NOT just about the decal)

8) An early acceptance (rolling admissions, priority applicaiton or EA) is the best kind of safety.

9) A discussion of finances in the beginning will save many tears in the end.
my-3-sons is offline

10) Conduct the college search "from the bottom up." Give full attention, research and visiting, to the safeties and matches from the beginning to find less selective colleges your student WANTS to attend. Then add on the reaches, which naturally are easy to fall in love with.

11) Plan ahead and have all required admissions tests [ACT, SAT, subject tests] completed by the end of Jr year if at all possible. Sr year is stressful enough without having the added pressure of having to take tests that could have been taken earlier.

12) If a student is taking an AP course- APUSH, APLIT for example, have them take the corresponding SAT subject test in May or June.

13) Get to know your guidance counselor early in high school.

14) There is no such thing as merit $$ at the Ivy's. Don't mix up merit $ and Financial aid- they are not the same!

15) Look out for early application deadlines required for merit scholarship consideration.

16) Beware of thinking your child walks on water and will SURELY get into HYPS...etc
If you need a primer on what can happen to even the most qualified student, check out this thread-
We're picking up the pieces, but what went wrong?

17) While an A is better than a B, a single B (or several Bs) on a high school transcript will not forever blast a student's chances of getting into a good college.

18) There may be more than one *right choice* and everyone is usually happy by Thanksgiving freshman year.

19. So take one more day to lick your wounds and then bake a cake decorated with the new colleges colors or motto and get going on the rest of your D's life. (another bit of wisdom from Blossom)

20. It is what it is.

21. Less than 25% of HS seniors have matriculated from a 4 year institution within 7 years of HS graduation. And life goes on. CHILL.

22. Estimate your EFC early! Understand that only those with small EFC's get federal grants and they are not really lucky.

23.[ credit to oldfort from another thread] Do not fall in love with any school until the acceptance is in, there is no just one school for anyone, just like there is no just one soul mate for anyone.

24. As a parent, your job is to give your child both roots and wings.

25. Ask about the 4-year graduation rate and the average length of time for graduation at prospective colleges. That extra year can change ALL the financial calculations and comparisons.