Drowning in anxiety. HELP!

Periwinkle
Tue, 30 Nov 2010 09:37:41 +0000

SevenDad, I think students who honestly ask for help appeal to the parents on this site.

I’m going to take a different tack. First, I do agree with the other parents, it does no earthly good to worry about your chances on the basis of other candidates’ published profiles.

On the other hand, the three schools you named in your first post are very selective. They are reaches for ANYONE. It’s not a question of your application being cast in the shade by others. No one can be certain of acceptance, and applying to three very selective schools doesn’t triple your chances of admission.

Please note, I’m not “chancing” you here. If you are concerned about your chances, though, I suggest you take action.

As you live on the west coast of Canada, how about checking out some boarding schools on that coast, such as Cate and Thacher? You sail, so how about giving serious consideration to schools which offer sailing, such as St. George’s and Tabor?

As an aside, it’s somewhat unusual for a middle schooler to have a good grasp of sailing. When you apply to colleges, if you were to attend a high school which offered sailing as a sport, you could put your name on a comparatively short list of high school students with long-term, competitive sailing experience. Plus, if you enjoy a sport, continuing it in high school could make you happy.