parent/child dissent

blossom
Thu, 30 Aug 2012 20:52:02 +0000

I’m not a big proponent of trying to leverage an ED application to get into a school which other than the “caliber” is not a match for the kid. So I think the premise here is off, but that’s my take. And I do not believe that kids are being admitted ED to schools where they are not otherwise competitive candidates just because they applied ED. (I think the only exception may be Penn if you are a legacy. But not for the otherwise unhooked candidate.)

But really- apart from the application strategy- why limit yourself in October (or whenever the application itself needs to be completed) when there seem to be so many unresolved college issues on the table? Throw a wide net, wait to have the argument about BBA vs. Econ (if that’s what it comes to) once you know where the kid has been admitted.

If it were my kid (and of course it’s not) I would be more concerned that my HS senior is willing to throw in an ED application to a college where he hasn’t read the course catalog or figured out what a general course of study in “business” might look like. Whether it’s NU or any other ED school- a kid needs to be very, very sure that if accepted he will attend, no ifs ands or Monday morning quarterbacking allowed. (See? I know a football joke even though I don’t follow football. That’s what 30 years in large corporations can do for you. And I didn’t study business as an undergrad!!!)

Just kidding Amazon. Your son is probably not ready to do his best on an ED application because he doesn’t know enough about NU to convey his excitement in his essays. So your concerns may likely be moot.