<p>When I told my D’s guidance counselor that I was researching colleges, he actually said…Mrs X…that is my job! And to think if I had waited for the guidance department help, what the outcome would have been, is downright scary. He actually told me that D should just apply to …(and he named some very mediocre local schools) and this was for my D in top 6% of class at top suburban school. GC making 140k per year and just retired with 100k per year pension in NYS retirement system. Those GCs in our area do not work summers and IMO…just putting in their time and going through the motions…</p>
<p>Eye roll for professionals, smile and nod for amateurs.</p>
<p>I can do you one better. “A ‘C’ in this class is the same as an ‘A’. A ‘C’ is a good grade.”</p>
<p>Ummmm…no, it’s not…because my kid is competing for a spot against the other kids in this class and classes of the same ilk, not the kids in the regular class who have made an ‘A’.</p>
<p>For the high achieving, low income kid, the guidance counselor’s advice might be spot on, Cpt, and the kid might not ever apply to the more selective schools without that encouragement. Some of those schools might be able to offer an attractive enough package that the student would be able to attend. Not to say one should count on it, though!</p>
<p>I’d rather my kid got a C and learned something than an A that was handed out like candy because parents whine that the teacher just prevented their kid from getting into Harvard…not to mention the low test scores that come from the schools with the grade inflation issues.</p>
<p>SteveMA - Oh, I agree, absolutely. I just didn’t appreciate the teacher giving my kid a license to slack. ;)</p>
<p>“My teacher said a C was a GOOD grade!” LOL</p>
<p>I always wanted my kids to do their own personal best. In most cases that was an A, in some it was a B. Very RARELY was it ever a C.</p>
<p>
I’d rather my kid get an A if she earns an A, and I think teachers in the same school should try to have some consistency in grading, especially those who are teaching the same subject.</p>
<p>I never rolled my eyes at my Ds school counselors.
They might not have had the esoteric minutiae of one who spends hours researching colleges everyday, but they could point kids where to get info, so that they could spend their time dealing with issues more consequential than which top 100 school to apply to.</p>
<p>I admit, I have felt impotent at times, when trying to update other parents on the process from their own school days, but the info is out there- enough so that even I when trying to help my oldest apply to schools as a first gen applicant 13 years ago, I didn’t feel we needed to hire a private counselor.( this was well before we happened on CC)</p>
<p>Parents who arent in the buildings have little idea of what high school life is like in 2013.
However, I do recommend that they try and spend more time in the building/driving on field trips/or even stuffing envelopes, your kid will appreciate it & it is fun!</p>
<p>But heres an eyeroll for the road.
[Liz</a> Lemon’s masterpiece eye roll - YouTube](<a href=“Liz Lemon's masterpiece eye roll - YouTube”>Liz Lemon's masterpiece eye roll - YouTube)</p>
<p>The only eye roll that Classof2015 is going to see me do is at his or her post. Oh, my…look at the height of that horse!</p>
<p>
You were lucky. That’s much better than those who give actively bad advice.</p>
<p>My relatives are from Missouri, the " show me" state.
I am a natural skeptic and always rather do my own research.
After all, who is going to care more about my kids post high schoo life than me?</p>
<p>I am sincerely sorry if I offended anyone, and I can see how my attempt at humor fell flat and seemed arrogant or insensitive. I was really just trying to comment on my school’s GCs all of whom speak of this site with condescension. I find it ironic that they say “there’s no good information on that site” yet they state things that I have found out to be inaccurate and often, misleading.</p>
<p>My comments about other parents were unkind, and I apologize for them. </p>
<p>I will say however, the “CC eye roll” I referred to was one I have found here. Not often (most people are incredibly generous with their time and information and they share what they know in a caring, positive way) but on occasion, the annoyed sigh when a poster responds to another person’s question is almost audible. Again, it is fortunately rare, but it happens.</p>
<p>Classof2015 - I do not think an apology is necessary. I’ve had the same experience with GCs at D’s school. Low expectations for students and lack of knowledge when this is a big part of their job. I know many students and parents who are sadly disappointed with the outcome of the college process after depending on the guidance office. I am sure there are some guidance counselors out there who are fantastic, but I have not met them and neither have many of the parents in our large top ranked district. I know I am not alone in my feelings about them either. And now a BIG ROUND OF THANKS to the many knowledgable posters on CC who generously share their expertise with us.<br>
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<p>Hear hear! Well said, marybee333. If I know anything about the college application process as it exists today, it’s because of CC. </p>
<p>CC is my GC.</p>
<p>There’s a bumper sticker in there just waiting to get out…</p>
<p>I just try not to go to those presentations… figured out after a while that they were not saying ANYTHING I hadn’t already heard and mulled over here. My kid had the best admissions in her high school class this year by far, and I give CC a ton of credit for that. When I do here someone (at least another parent) say something that I know is off kilter, I might try to gently steer them, but I pretty much always refer them to CC. Tell 'em there is a ton of great info, especially on the parent forums & financial aid forums. And to stay away from the Ivy forums cuz they are just scary. :)</p>
<p>As far as I can see, the only ones around here who need to apologize are those of you who’ve taken it upon yourselves to post snarky, snippy, and know-it-all replies to Classof2015’s original post.</p>
<p>Frankly, it does get tedious attending HS parent meetings and hearing questions I’ve already known the answers to for ages. And, yes, I will roll my eyes (quietly, to myself). And why not? As much time as many of us have spent on CC, we deserve to be pleased with ourselves for all that we’ve learned. And, yes, I also realize that many parents, even if they knew to turn to CC for help, wouldn’t be able to put in the kind of time it takes to read all the right threads and do all the right searches. So, yes, I might roll my eyes, but I’d also offer to help if I could.</p>
<p>But the eye rolls are reserved for parents. If I was ever confronted with a GC giving out misleading or incorrect information, I doubt I’d be able to hold my tongue.</p>
<p>The OP is right . . . once you’ve spent some time on CC, the high school “everything you need to know about college admissions” nights aren’t quite as interesting as they might otherwise have been. And there is a lot of misinformation floating around, which makes it even more frustrating. Be honest now, which of you wouldn’t appreciate, just once, showing up at that meeting and finding yourself surrounded by veteran CC’ers?</p>
<p>Dodgersmom, I posted to help the OP refine her understanding of an issue. I hope she found it helpful.</p>
<p>It’s good to have correct information, right? The first link I provided has information presented in a way that can be a little hard to digest as the document is long. I then posted a few examples to make it clearer.</p>
<p>True story which I forgot to include in my post above. I relayed some very valuable information to a friend her son from CC and gave her the link to give to him to read. When she told him about it, he actually said…“MOM…Guidance told us to stay off College Confidential! That it is a terrible website full of misinformation.” I just laughed! At least there is a lot of information to pick through and thousands of sets of eyes to keep us focused and help us to clarify and hone. At the very least, CC can point us in the right direction and we can research from there.</p>
<p>Wait. Wait. </p>
<p>Let me get this straight. dodgersmom, so what you’re saying it is ok to go to an informational meeting and roll your eyes at other parent’s questions? That’s rude. It’s an informational meeting for a reason. If a parent asks a question tht you already know, good for you. That doesn’t “reserve” you the right to roll your eyes at his or her, perceived by you, stupid question. </p>
<p>Perhaps “College Admissions 101” seminars aren’t interesting because it isn’t new information. There’s no learning curve. Those seminars are for people who don’t know about the process. I’m just dumbfounded how there are parents thinking it’s ok to make sly remarks about parents not in the “know”. </p>
<p>Have you ever thought that the reason CC is looked down on because of the hoity toity atmosphere? </p>
<p>If I was a parent, I definitely would not want to go to a meeting full of parents who roll eyes at questions and sigh when they already know the answer. I’d feel intimidated, judged, and self-conscious</p>
<hr>
<p>I had a recent experience with a mom that I’m SURE was on CC. In the group of people there were a large amount of AP students. The entire time we were all chatting it was about her son and how he excelled. How the way he did things worked. How he’s a succesful engineer making big bucks. When we shared our 5 year plans she would quip in stating something about how it wouldn’t not work because she has “researched” it. It was a draining two something hours. And, 20 minutes into the conversation, I realized it would be no use in listening to anything she said because it would not amount to her son’s “experience”.</p>