Deferred to Regular Decision... now what?

Faline2
Wed, 10 Feb 2010 13:12:42 +0000

Definitely consider the Cs linked to likely rejection letter in the spring. Wrong time for Cs. However, I would most certainly have that letter from his supervisor with the specifics about his problems solving skills and moxie in there. That could cancel out the Cs and put him in that weird category of the “lopsided” student colleges prefer to the perfect A student. Admissions officers do recognize the brightest kids sometimes are outside of the box and doers and you son sounds like a “doer.”
I also believe that some admissions officers prefer students with serious paid work histories to students with pristine grades who have barely ever held a paying job.

Lastly, better the Cs now than freshman year in college when many boys screw up. (speaking from experience here) as my son seemed to think he was still going to “recover” from a bad quiz or test and didn’t realize that you don’t get 25% of your grades in college on things like “class participation” and “completing homework.” He dropped a class he was heading for a C/D in freshman year (goodbye 5 grand!) and started his sophomore years scared straight. His key to making good grades in a tough school (Duke)…breakfast daily by 8am…and working during all the daylight hours as if school was a job. I think he would have tried to continue to slide by and stay up all hours if he hadn’t seen some serious dents in his grades…so again, better now than later in my view.