<p>@FAP: 
I do, donât I? It was a strongly educated guess.</p>
<p>S loves his safety and his âmatchâ schools. I donât know why Iâm stressing about this so much but clearly itâs about me and not him. Tomorrow Iâll talk to him a bit about it and see if he is interested. Thanks for the sensible words.</p>
<p>S2 looked at a couple of Ivies and decided they werenât his thing. Dartmouth was the only one he really considered, but he has since taken it off the table. Itâs OK not to have them on the list, even though one might have the grades/scores/etc. to at least throw an app at a few with a straight face. On the other hand, if a student wants to apply and knows the odds, what the heck?</p>
<p>My S2 feels the same. No Ivy really interests him even though he has the numbers and some attributes that might make him a contender. He is putting together an interesting and eclectic list that contains an interesting mix of OOS publics as well as privates.</p>
<p>CD, A few family friends recommend he look at Brown (without asking us if we could afford it, thanks!) and he did. It just didnât click for him. Then a cousin of mine, who is a lot like S, recommended to me that he should look at Princeton, especially in light of their financial aid policy. I was pleasantly surprised at our EFC there, which is when I decided to mention it to S. Then I second guessed myself. Then I tripped over my brain and got stuck. </p>
<p>So, he can take a look at Princeton. If his reaction to it is the same as Brown (great school, not for me), then there it is. If he wants to apply, then weâll add it to the list and treat it like the other schools. </p>
<p>I absolutely agree itâs okay to not have them on the list.</p>
<p>idid, My kid, too. His safety is an OOS public that he loves. We love it too because it has an honor program, which is like a small school within the huge school and we can (kind of) afford it. The rest of his list is eclectic to read but to him it all makes sense. Which is pretty much how I would describe him as a person, so there you go.</p>
<p>A friend of ours asked him what his colleges had in common and he answered, very truthfully, âI like them.â</p>
<p>PMK - Care to share the eclectic list? Iâm tempted to try to pick out a defining (or somewhat common) characteristic.</p>
<p>PMK & FAP,
My D was at one time madly in love with Brown but her ardor has cooled as Brownâs acceptance rate has shrunk. She may still apply but itâs not at the top of her list anymore, even though in many ways itâs a great fit. I think she might have a real shot at being accepted, but sheâs thinking about applying ED to her favorite LAC, and ED II to her second favorite LAC if she doesnât get into her ED I school. Risk-averse, you might say, but I canât blame her; no one likes rejection, and the odds of rejection at any Ivy are very high for any candidate these days. I think some highly qualified candidates are figuring that out. Itâs becoming a bit like what Yogi Berra allegedly said about Sardiâs, his favorite restaurant in NYC: âNo one goes there anymore. Itâs too crowded.â</p>
<p>^ Hey, sounds like my thought process, only substitute Yale for Brown and Iâm not considering EDII.</p>
<p>bclintonk:</p>
<p>Great Yogi Berra quote.</p>
<p>I think this next one is also from him (?) that seems apt for the members of '09 that are on waiting lists: âIt ainât over 'til itâs over.â</p>
<p>S2 also looked at Brown, but felt it was too unstructured for his tastes. He did a tour of Columbia in 8th grade (part of a middle school trip to NYC) and liked it then, but it doesnât mesh w/his current thinking. </p>
<p>S1 visited Cornell and Princeton, and applied to Cornell. Reluctantly applied to H at our request when they announced their big FA initiative in mid-December of senior year. </p>
<p>There are PLENTY of schools that can meet a studentâs goals, even for the kids with big scores and awards. S1 had some particular academic needs and he still had no problems creating an eclectic and challenging list that even had merit $$ opportunities.</p>
<p>D also doesnât like Brownâs lack of structure. She would sooner go to a school with a strong core curriculum like Chicago or Columbia.</p>
<p>I think it is fascinating how peopleâs risk aversion keeps them from falling in love with, acknowledging their love for, or even applying to, competitive schools. My D realizes, but does not want to admit, that H would be a really good fit for her, so would Y, though for different reasons. She also has some safer schools on her list but only one of them would be as good a fit as H or Y. She is comfortable with the idea of not getting in to the uber-reaches, but that fact doesnât diminish her assessment of those schools or her wish to apply there. They are great schools and it would be cool to go there for college. The way I think about it, Harvardâs acceptance rate is 7% for those who apply, and 0% for those who donât. If you think a school would be a good fit for you, and your credentials are reasonably competitive, you should apply. If it isnât a good fit, you shouldnât.</p>
<p>âIf you think a school would be a good fit for you, and your credentials are reasonably competitive, you should apply. If it isnât a good fit, you shouldnât.â</p>
<p>Vparent: Amen to this, which is why our S is applying to his uber reach. He so fits the personality profile thatâs been written about the collegeâs students, and we arenât the only ones whoâve made the observation. His AP Calc teacher and a married couple in our neighborhood, who both matriculated from there, have made note of this.</p>
<p>Our S wonât be putting all his eggs into one basket, though. Iâm slowing finding out, from the bits and pieces he shares now and again, that he knows much more about âthe scoreâ from college admissions at various places than Iâve given him credit for.</p>
<p>Have you read the stink bug thread? My daughter took Stanford off her list because there was a caterpillar infestation when she visited in 2008. Now she may have to eliminate all the schools in Pennsylvania. :)</p>
<p>My favorite Yogi Berra quote is: âWhen you reach a fork in the road, take itâ. </p>
<p>Seems appropriate for this season of posts like: âShall I attend college X or college Yâ.</p>
<p>Keilexandra, Sure, why not? The list as it stands today in alphabetical order:</p>
<p>American
Boston University
Brandeis
George Washington
Northeastern
SUNY Purchase
UMASS Amherst/Commonwealth College</p>
<p>Colleges that have been on the list in the past:
Brown
Sarah Lawrence
Rice
UT Austin</p>
<p>They mostly match in âtoneâ save for Brown/SLC/Purchase. And those can be accounted for by a side arts interest. Am I any close?</p>
<p>IloveLA:</p>
<p>A caterpillar infestation at Stanford? I hadnât heard of that.</p>
<p>Seems mild compared to a problem that has spread nationwide, which is the return of the bed bug. These buggers are extremely hard to erradicate, it appears, and thrive in larger group settings. Ugh! At least the caterpillars are kind of cute.</p>
<p>Caterpillars are usually temporary (as you know they eventually turn into something else!) It was probably just the week she happened to visit!</p>
<p>You got it, Keilexander! He has a real passion for theater but not leaning towards majoring in it at this point. </p>
<p>There are a few other things that tie them together that one would not nessicary know including offering Religious Studies or at least Philosophy with a Religious Studies minor; high rank for politically active students, an active gay/lesbian society and generous merit money. </p>
<p>Iâm glad to hear that you think they match in âtone.â Being down here in Texas, weâre relying a lot on friends who are alum, reviews and the like.</p>