PRJ

Another mom who came in search of NMSF cut-off information and stayed for all the good advice, humor, and amazing compassion and kindness (e.g., Support for LatetoSchool). And I often see late-breaking news first in the CC Parents Cafe.

I check in frequently during the day, ostensibly in search of information, but more often just to see how my CC buddies are doing (and to avoid RL responsibilities )

bookworm

I found this site after googling something. Unfortunately, S had already applied to colleges. He chose schools in one night. It was easy to chose reach schools in tech fields, but hard to chose matches and safeties. S didn't visit schools until after accepted, but reading the sites gave me a flavor for the kids' personalities. I didn't like the "chance" me sections, as they were discouraging.

Like Owline, the CC community was a stable groups of people when personal life fell apart. I especially like the Cafe, whether discussing books, recipes, movies, or personal decisions.

I don't find the Graduate school site as interesting, but I'm done encouraging S to get applications in, look for safeties, etc.

I keep getting hooked on where some HS students are apllying, how they experienced their tours, and where they eventually chose to go.

frazzled1

5-6 years ago, I was on another parents' college admissions board (which had deteriorated into a nasty, name-calling mess) when I read a reference to CC. I scooted on over and have been happily ensconced here since. I enjoy the personalities, the sense of shared goals, and the highly reliable quality of information available. I'm in awe of how accomplished some of the kids are. I find so much common-sense advice about The Process, parenting older children, the challenges of making it through middle age, financial stuff, health stuff, driving directions, everything imaginable.

I check in during my second cup of morning coffee and after dinner. If I find a thread of compelling interest, I check in during work as well. I wish I had more helpful info to share about The Process - some of my fellow posters could probably earn a living sharing their advice (and, of course, some do).

And there are few posters on my list, who are usually entertaining, if nothing else.

oldfort

I found this site when D1 was a senior going through the process. Our prviate school GC was scooped by me three times - 1) you could find out if your kid got into Columbia by calling the express mail service the night before (in our case we didn't get one), 2) a CCer posted Tufts online notification site was open before it was ready (I found out D1 was accepted 12 hours earlier), 3) I found out on CC that schools D1 was waitlisted at were open before our GC did. She was dubious when I told her (not a beliver of CC information), but she called anyway. The school(s) denied it, but in 2 hours they called her back to say D1 was in. The GC became a believer after that.

I have the kind of job where I have to be on endless conference calls. It's usually over an hour and involves a dozen people usually(I don't need to say much, except when my name is mentioned). I put my phone on mute while I post on CC (it's more productive). I'll get on at night before I go to bed.

mamom

Found this site when S was applying to private middle school. Now a jr in HS and I feel so informed. I do get a smug feeling when parents of srs or recent grads tell me to come to them for college app info. I just nod my head and think about all the stuff I could tell them.

DougBetsy

Someone on one of my vacation planning discussion boards mentioned this site was for "high achievers who get lots of scholarships." Well, I thought I had a high-achiever, so I checked it out.

What a wake-up call! Not only is my kid merely "above average," but all that money we've been saving won't be enough, and we won't qualify for FA. Crud.

That epiphany was 18 months ago, April of Son's 10th grade. Boy, this site has been a godsend.

I check CC off-and-on during my work day and evenings at home.

abasket

I found CC in January of 07 when I was preparing to fill out the FAFSA for the first time - I probably googled something like "FAFSA Tips" or "Questions about FAFSA". Still here enjoying info for my now Junior D and still looking for info for my now HS Senior S. There's a third a few years behind so I imagine I'll turn grey here...!

I do peek in at work for quick diversions and check in at my lunch since I usually lunch at my desk. Check on and off at home between mom duties. I have come to enjoy the not-college info (parent cafe) as much as the college info.

Karen Colleges

A couple of friends suggested the site a couple years ago. At the time, I had a HS sophomore who only did the schoolwork that he was interested in-- bombed most of the busy work.

Got a lot of good, really helpful college tidbits over the years.
Love the humor, the care and support, and entertainment value from some of the threads.

Surprisingly enough, the most important, helpful information has been concerning medical and dental issues! I've posted several 'what do we do now' threads in the middle of the night and got great feedback.

Thanks again.

Youdon'tsay

I thought of another reason I post here. At least on the 2010 thread, we use this venue to vent and work out our anxiety with like-minded people so that we don't burden our seniors/families/IRL friends. I don't share some of the info I do on here with IRL friends.

mamabear1234

I came here by google search also - it was about AP test prep, I think. I check in on CC from home whenever I have some free time (usually morning, late afternoon, or late at night). I have learned so much, not only about colleges, but other high schools around the country. (Who knew people went to boarding school? Not me!). I keep coming here because I have 2 more in high school and much more to learn. I don't make friends online, and while I will post a response or opinion on a thread, I do not get drawn into the long arguments that go on.

I think I also come for the entertainment. I don't have a child at American, but the AU parents' thread is fun to read. We are not seeking Ivy league admission; my kids go to our suburban public school, are not stressed about their test scores, and would never post here themselves. They are much calmer about the process than I am, so it is good I can read here to learn and leave them unburdened with my anxiety!

usamurray

After googling SSAT (admission test for boarding school), I came here when to further research boarding schools for D last year, who is now pretty happy as freshman at LARGE public suburban HS. I stayed away for months. Now S is HS senior and CC is very helpful. Have been checking the parents threads and the school threads where S is applying. Our high school has only one year of admission results in Naviance, so I feel CC has a lot more data points, so to speak.

I work part-time from home, so I leave CC open on home computer, then walk over to work computer and do work. I enjoy some of the arguments, but chime in only rarely. Like others, I have enough anxiety at home about S and D, both in high school. CC will be a "Favorite" for a few more years.

musicamusica

Found CC after D was stranded without a school after hurricane Katrina. (For fun, try finding a new school in ONE WEEK). Anyhooo, I lurked after that for a while and then started posting. I generally browse while I am "on hold" at the office or watching television at night.

Melsmom

Collegeboard had no Musical Theatre schools listed so I found CC googling for it. What a gold mine. That was some time ago & since then I've had my youngest also start college. The reason I keep coming back is that it's one of the only sites they haven't blocked at work! I need an escape once in a while...on my lunch break, of course!

mathmom

I came here because a friend of mine from an AOL board sent me here years ago. (Former format). My kids were too young then to get sucked in then, but I found the place again when oldest was a junior. I'm a sole practitioner architect working from a home office and it gets lonely, so I end up checking in way too often, especially when work is slow.

somemom

Back in 2000 I tried the old PR board (which I believe is the one mentioned earlier by others as deteriorating into madness- "hope this helps" "TTT" any one?)

I found CC but it was tiny with a short list of categories and not very busy on posting, by the time the next kid came along, PR was off the list and CC was full of wonderful and amusing posters.

I know have one doing a PhD, one applying for medical school and one university senior. I have appreciated all the amusements, the fun comments, the supportive atmosphere of the parent board, the things I learned that completely changed our family's focus in choosing university FIT for D2/D3.

I also like hearing the thoughts & opinions & attitudes of people with varied life experiences, whether they agree or disagree with me, and perhaps especially when they disagree, I like understanding how they came to their opinions.

Many parents or students have posted personal issues and problems and have had long threads results, allowing all of us to think about how we handle issues- from tattoos, to BF-GF break-ups, to kids dropping out, etc and to hear how others handle the issues in their families. I believe it brings clarity to all of us as we evaluate what we do and why and provide a valuable resource, too. Sometimes when a kid is struggling one may appreciate the anonymity of a forum rather than talking to friends & family who may never forget the negatives you expressed about your child!