Giving advice

gardenstategal
Fri, 11 Aug 2017 02:35:30 +0000

@homerdog , a friend of mine did this on FB as well. Her DD did have the stats but struck out anyway and is attending the honors college at a public flagship. Very smart, accomplished young woman who will make the most of any education. Her mom, always “proud”, was shocked at the outcome. Mostly, I felt really bad for the kid because so much of her process was public, and who needs the world to know all the schools that rejected you? I generally would add a comment to the effect of “so many great schools in Boston! Who wouldn’t love to be 20 there?” “Glad you’re having fun together.” “So many great schools! How to choose?!” It was the alternative to chewing right through my cheeks!

You know, you see people here on CC every year - people actively seeking input - who can’t believe that X school is a reach for their kid, that a school won’t overlook a poor subsection score, that most people on a WL will not get off it - etc. They are the ones, who if they stick around, have very powerful stories to tell in subsequent years, but they too had to get there themselves. In our house, DH was way behind on the learning curve, and I am convinced that the very tactful, but straightforward, college counselor assigned to DS saved our marriage!

Our school told parents not to talk to each other about college, and overwhelmingly, it was good advice. That’s not to say that parents on the sidelines wouldn’t chat, particularly if the kids were planning to play in college, but it did keep things from reaching a fever pitch.