krona - That was a very good way of expressing what many of us (or at least me) have been trying to say about this whole process. Thanks for saying it so well!
Here is another perspective....I have an extremely talented niece in florida....recruited at top ivy's and other Big 10 schools..... she chose to accept the tender from CAL Berkeley OVER both Yale and Harvard and her folks are excited about all their upcoming visits to San Francisco and Berkeley.
I visited Berkeley summer of '03 as my son was attending a Stanford program ... and loved how easy it was to train from San Francisco to the school.... you can get all the schedules, including which trains allow bikes .. right off the web... awesome easy area to manuever in... I had been told it was run down, but, I thought the campus was magnificent... very impressive buildings etc...
I completely agree that for folks on the East Coast, Berkeley is highly desireable...and very unattainable. And similiar to another thread, use the delta in the regents money to do something special one summer or one term...... I think Garland said that above also......
My position has always been, love EVERY school on your list...envision yourself at each and every school....if you can't then take it off... cause you will be going to one from your application list..... so take the advice from SAC and start getting really familiar with the Regents web site so that you can feel the pride of her accomplishments... it is enviable by all.
Alum, I thought of you yesterday when I heard the fedexes were on their way. I, too, am sorry for your daughter's disappointment, but am also sure this tale will have a happy ending. All the best.
Alum: Please tell us how your D fared w/Stanford and Princeton (especially Princeton!)...I'm sure I speak for most (all?) of us when I say we feel a really personal interest in the outcome!
Berkeley is one of the world's greatest universities. A regent's scholarship is impressive. Stay positive, denials to H and C, even among highly qualified students, are legion. Warmest congratulations on her success.
The story had a happy ending. Alumother's daughter went to and graduated from Princeton.
Her post there;
"Welcome everyone! I'm a mom of a 2009 graduate and a 2012 rising junior. Oh and also a '78 alum. I love the school and am happy to see you all here and will help answer questions where I can. "
The happy ending occurred when the daughter got into Berkeley with a scholarship. This was one of the most tiresome threads I've ever read on CC, and it did no favors to the current CC users or the reputation of CC as an elitist bastion to dredge up a thread where a parent is agonizing over a couple of Ivy waitlists after a Berkeley acceptance and a bunch of other posters are commiserating over this tragic event. Good grief. Fortunately I think CC has morphed over the intervening years, so that this sort of "woe is me" thread would not be so likely to appear today.
Thank you Mommaj for that necessary dose of reality. I can see that the mom was upset, and as a junior member I am perhaps offending people with a more nuanced sense of the history of that situation, but I am with you: I just can't get worked up about a tragedy of this magnitude. Now if you could just come slap around some of the folks in S's HS, I'd be really appreciative.
This thread was really a blast from the past. I'd sure like to get an update from some of those "old timers" who ceased posting on CC. We shared a lot of information and ups and downs. Come back, Shane. . .
Personally, I think MommaJ's a little hard on us. Most of the posts are simply sympathetic to Alum because of her daughter's disappointment and are actually complimentary toward Cal Berkeley.
You know, we were actually just sharing the news of the day.. not so much woe is me. It was a smaller group, no one was broadcasting what they were having for dinner on Facebook and CC was not as well or widely known. People cared (they still do, but they did then). Every single person in that old timer thread was someone who, for example, contacted me and Momrath on 26 December 2004... when the tsunami hit. I too wonder about Cheers, Marite, Berurah, Achat, Andi and others..
I have a rising junior so I will make it a point to only post sensible and PC posts this time around in the evolved version on CC... or not.
I remember reading alumother's post back in 2005. I agree that CC was a bit kinder and gentler back then. I also remember a number of posters who were really talented writers - this thread is a good example.
The existence of CC has made it possible for very well qualified students and their families to gain a realistic understanding of the admissions process at top colleges and to assess the odds more realistically.
As of 2007, I still found the process pretty mysterious. The CC anecdotal data base has grown since then, so that I now find the outcomes somewhat more predictable (though not perfectly so).
Pre-CC, realistic information about the admissions process was not readily available to people in areas where a small-ish number of students went to top colleges. In our area, the "database" of admissions outcomes was small, and statistical fluctuations were large relative to the total number of applicants. Predictability was non-existent. It is thanks to posts like alumother's that the CC knowledge base has increased. So the 2005 post--honest surprise, honest concern--was of great benefit to us.
Of course, Berkeley is an excellent school, and Berkeley + a Regents Scholarship would have been a great outcome in itself. On the other hand, for a dancer who qualified for the ABT New York Summer Intensive Program, I am reasonably sure that Princeton was the better match, so I am pleased that it worked out.
Hello all you cute people! First of all, getting told I was tiresome for something I said a long time ago is so awesome! Wow! Doesn't get any better! I had better start a blog so more people can yell at me and tell me I'm dreadful! Oh, wait, I did that!
In all seriousness, CC back then was much smaller, and very cozy. The rules of conduct and the culture here were more fluid. This forum really comforted me, in so many ways, because in addition to working through my daughter's college process, I was about to go through a divorce. I told no one at the time. We were more private in those days.
My daughter loved Princeton. And yes, she danced there. My son graduates Princeton Class of 2012. He has loved it too. They are very different from each other. And both of them could have had great college experiences elsewhere. But as it was, everything collegiate worked out happily for my little family.
Here's my summary thread about Princeton. It is as honest and balanced as I could make it.
And if I have not convinced you that CC used to be different, go check in the Sinner's Alley thread in the Parent's Cafe. CC is still valuable. It was maybe a little goofier, more personal, way back when?
To momrath and QuantMech, and robrym, and xiggi, and TutuTaxi, and Jym, and jrpar, hello and I hope you all are doing well! To wjb, well, you sweet person. You just made my day. I still hang out in the Cafe, especially on the Dressing Young thread. After all, it's hard to find a brighter and more articulate crew anywhere else on the Internet.
I wish the best of luck to all the kids and parents waiting to hear about this year's admissions.
Replies to: No Happy News at My Desk...
I visited Berkeley summer of '03 as my son was attending a Stanford program ... and loved how easy it was to train from San Francisco to the school.... you can get all the schedules, including which trains allow bikes .. right off the web... awesome easy area to manuever in... I had been told it was run down, but, I thought the campus was magnificent... very impressive buildings etc...
I completely agree that for folks on the East Coast, Berkeley is highly desireable...and very unattainable. And similiar to another thread, use the delta in the regents money to do something special one summer or one term...... I think Garland said that above also......
My position has always been, love EVERY school on your list...envision yourself at each and every school....if you can't then take it off... cause you will be going to one from your application list..... so take the advice from SAC and start getting really familiar with the Regents web site so that you can feel the pride of her accomplishments... it is enviable by all.
Best wishes for the weekend.
Her post there;
"Welcome everyone! I'm a mom of a 2009 graduate and a 2012 rising junior. Oh and also a '78 alum. I love the school and am happy to see you all here and will help answer questions where I can. "
Personally, I think MommaJ's a little hard on us. Most of the posts are simply sympathetic to Alum because of her daughter's disappointment and are actually complimentary toward Cal Berkeley.
You cannot judge a thread without the correct context.
I have a rising junior so I will make it a point to only post sensible and PC posts this time around in the evolved version on CC... or not.
Hmmm . . . CC was our pre-Facebook Facebook. That's an interesting observation.
As of 2007, I still found the process pretty mysterious. The CC anecdotal data base has grown since then, so that I now find the outcomes somewhat more predictable (though not perfectly so).
Pre-CC, realistic information about the admissions process was not readily available to people in areas where a small-ish number of students went to top colleges. In our area, the "database" of admissions outcomes was small, and statistical fluctuations were large relative to the total number of applicants. Predictability was non-existent. It is thanks to posts like alumother's that the CC knowledge base has increased. So the 2005 post--honest surprise, honest concern--was of great benefit to us.
Of course, Berkeley is an excellent school, and Berkeley + a Regents Scholarship would have been a great outcome in itself. On the other hand, for a dancer who qualified for the ABT New York Summer Intensive Program, I am reasonably sure that Princeton was the better match, so I am pleased that it worked out.
In all seriousness, CC back then was much smaller, and very cozy. The rules of conduct and the culture here were more fluid. This forum really comforted me, in so many ways, because in addition to working through my daughter's college process, I was about to go through a divorce. I told no one at the time. We were more private in those days.
My daughter loved Princeton. And yes, she danced there. My son graduates Princeton Class of 2012. He has loved it too. They are very different from each other. And both of them could have had great college experiences elsewhere. But as it was, everything collegiate worked out happily for my little family.
Here's my summary thread about Princeton. It is as honest and balanced as I could make it.
[url=http://****/Augj0k]HYPS - The Parents' Perspective - College Confidential[/url]
And if I have not convinced you that CC used to be different, go check in the Sinner's Alley thread in the Parent's Cafe. CC is still valuable. It was maybe a little goofier, more personal, way back when?
To momrath and QuantMech, and robrym, and xiggi, and TutuTaxi, and Jym, and jrpar, hello and I hope you all are doing well! To wjb, well, you sweet person. You just made my day. I still hang out in the Cafe, especially on the Dressing Young thread. After all, it's hard to find a brighter and more articulate crew anywhere else on the Internet.
I wish the best of luck to all the kids and parents waiting to hear about this year's admissions.