<p>Thanks for all the congratulations, but I have to admit that a big part of getting acceptances is simply applying to schools that are matches and safeties. Son is going to have the (good) problem of deciding which one is the best one for him in the Spring. You didn’t steal my thunder amandakayak, your sad news was really more important then ours.</p>
<p>Kathiep- that was also my d’s strategy!</p>
<p>I am so sorry to hear the sad news affecting some of our kids. Hugs to all of them.</p>
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<p>He can also take a look at so-called “Science in Society” or “Science and Technology in Society” etc etc programs. Davis and Wisconsin have one. Also Emory and Georgetown (will he take basketball instead of football? 
). Also a number of smaller schools (Pitzer, Pomona, Vassar). Wesleyan does as well, AND they have an excellent physics program but no football.</p>
<p>dadmm85 - Re: CMU - mine also has ‘old’ SAT subject test scores but we were told that it was okay. I’m fairly sure that this is true because other kids from our school, who would have taken the tests early as well have gone to CMU, and our counselor (who is super) would doubtless know by know if this was really a problem.</p>
<p>It looks like it’s my turn for college envelope pain. My daughter got a big envelope from one her schools, but she’s not home. It does look like it says “congraulations” in the window under her name…</p>
<p>Any one else counting the days with DS or DD until the EA decisions? There is an atmosphere of increased tension in my house. And, increased indecision about whether DS2 wants to work on ‘those other applications’ or just rest with those already filed. If DS2 gets into his EA school, I doubt much more will get done in our house, except perhaps one application to one ivy ‘just to see what would happen’… Even if he does not get in, I think he’s burned-out, and may just see what happens with the midrange applications that he did file - those without supplements, and one match school that he really loved (Mac in Minnesota) and which, by naviance, should accept him.</p>
<p>He did get a safety admission - a large state school that really is not his preference - but with nice $$$$ - almost free.</p>
<p>My son doesn’t really want to go to either of his EA schools or the one with rolling so for him doing his other applications is a top priority. The good thing is that they must all be completed and to his GC by December 1st regardless of when the app deadline is.</p>
<p>D would be thrilled if she got into her EA school, but we have decided to assume the worst and are shooting for the December 1 deadline on all of her other applications as well. I don’t think my heart could take waiting until December 15th anyways if I knew that, in addition to rejection, we might have to deal with sending out another load of applications, SAT scores, transcripts, etc. with less than two weeks to go! Not exactly what I would call a Merry Christmas :0</p>
<p>I am so so sorry to hear about the lose of those two teens.
A FB friend of mine–someone I went to hs with–had posted about the lose of a teen…about the lose of someone’s son, friend etc. The students FB page is now filled with so many messages…
Such a sad sad time for the families.</p>
<p>Such sad news about the loss of those young people, amandak and owm. It has such an impact on the whole community I know.</p>
<p>dadmm85-I’m in CA too, and I don’t think for a student with a high GPA and SAT scores ELC status would make any difference at Berkeley. Did someone at UC tell you it would? Have you run the statfinder on the UC website putting in your sons unweighted and weighted GPA and SAT scores to see what the admission rate was last year? Go to statfinder dot ucop dot edu and then choose custom tables. </p>
<p>If this is due to high school error, the head counselor should be sending a letter and making a phone call and adding a note to the transcript etc. etc. When a similar screw-up happened at our school a few years ago, the family threatened to sue! Quite honestly, their daughter had such high stats that it probably made no difference, but this family wanted the school to acknowledge that it made a serious error.</p>
<p>50is, I’m also in CA. It is a fact that kids who qualified for ELC last year had a 66% acceptance rate at UCB and a 60% acceptance rate at UCLA. And, that is without adding in high SAT scores, etc. Of course, you can assume that kids who graduate in the top 4% of their high school class are naturally going to have a higher chance of getting in to any college, but I definitely think that the data shows an ELC advantage. [It still means, however, that there is a 40% chance of NOT getting in though].</p>
<p>Waiting-wise, we’re in this for the long haul. Like some others here, we’re near positive she’ll be accepted to all 6 schools…that’s not really in play.</p>
<p>What IS in play is $$$. For us to be able to compare all financial packages, I expect we’re talking March or April. Even Ripon, which accepted her quickly and offered a minimum merit scholarship of almost half tuition, has invited her to Scholarship Day where she will compete for additional $ up to full tuition.</p>
<p>So we won’t be able to compare apples to apples until spring. Fortunately we knew that going in so aren’t really expecting any significant news for 4 more months.</p>
<p>MOSB-that is our situation also. we need to compare financial aid packages, so even though I am certain she will have lots to choose from in admissions, the financial picture is a big part.</p>
<p>We’re anxiously awaiting a Dec. 15 SCEA decision (it will be the first school we hear from), but I have driven DS crazy with the ultimatum that all scholarship/apps must be done by next Monday. We’re traveling for the holidays and I refuse to let this torture continue. I want a stress-free Turkeyday. </p>
<p>DS keeps compaining that I’m making this process all about me, to which I reply “until you can pay for college all by yourself, honey, this process IS all about me!” LOL. Really, I’m kidding. </p>
<p>He’s done a great job keeping it all together and getting it all done. He is my first to go and I simply cannot believe how stressful this process is but, yes, in light of life’s fragility and in the wake of so many of his friends having no options because they didn’t have the right guidance to manage their HS careers, it’s a stress we’re grateful to have.</p>
<p>Oh My! We have our first acceptance! Drew University in Madison, NJ with a nice scholarship too! Not her #1 pick but she would be more than happy to attend if her ED doesn’t work out.</p>
<p>Right, holliesue, I thought we were in similar situations. There’s somebody else here who’s approaching this the same way: high stats kid applying at the tippy top of the applicant pools of his/her schools and hoping for big merit aid. Can’t remember who! Kathiep? My memory is like a sieve these days!</p>
<p>Anyway, whoever you are, remind me so you, holliesue, and I can compare notes as the process moves forward.</p>
<p>Whoever sent condolences to those of us with auditioning kids, Thank You!!! This truly adds a whole extra layer to the process, and as EmmyBet and I are both discovering, it is a very murky layer indeed.</p>
<p>Scheduling the vocal auditions is driving me crazy. I wish they would be more clear about what they want! We really do want to give them what they want!</p>
<p>Two to three art songs, you say? At least one in a foreign language? No sweat. Can they ALL be in foreign languages? And what’s your definition of an art song? What about Mozart’s XYZ? It wasn’t written or performed in an opera, yet most scholars classify it as an aria. Is an aria ok? No? You think they just want art songs? Ok, but are you the liaison to the Music Dept? No? Well is there somebody there I could speak with to get a definitive answer…we just want to be sure to come in with what the audition committee wants to hear.</p>
<p>And we were so happy to discover that we don’t have to send a recorded CD of 8-10 mins of vocal samples to school A…only to discover last weekend that its a requirement of School B. And it’s due before Jan 1. Well, unless she’s singing “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer,” I really don’t want to be fooling with this over Christmas. So we need to re-book our accompanist, set up rehearsals and the recording…why am I torturing you guys with this? It’s bad enough I have to think about it.</p>
<p>Sorry. Carry on. :)</p>
<p>Happy64, wonderful news! Congratulations to your D and you!</p>
<p>I had to double-check on Statfinder to make sure I had remembered correctly.</p>
<p>For the fall of 2009 at Berkeley, a students with SATs of 2100-2400, unweighted GPA of 3.8-3.99, and weighted capped GPA of 4.2 and above had a 79.1% admission rate. If they had a 4.0 unweighted GPA the rate was 91.4%.</p>
<p>At our high school, there are students with stats like this who do not have ELC status, not because of any error, but because they are not in the top 4% of the class using the ELC formula.</p>
<p>50isthenew40 : Love your alias. The UCs are being very careful in disclosing how ELC is used in the actual admission process. The ELC admit rate is close to 60% at Berkeley and for a kids with GPA > 4.0/ high scores the admit rate is about 50%. Thanks for the tip on the stats finder - did not know about it. Will run it and see if it makes any difference or not.</p>
<p>The school has realized their mistake and has made all the right noises about writing a letter, helping him with his admissions form to include a comment on the ELC error etc., but it’s hard to tell if that will help. There is an appeals process in the UC system - so we want to be prepared with that if it comes to that. The real issue for him is really the last minute scramble to add more match schools outside the UCs.</p>
<p>50isthenew40 : He has 4.0 unweighted and his capped weighted GPA is 4.33 (it’s weird but if you take fewer overall courses the weighted GPA goes up and vice versa). The 91.4% rate is very encouraging.</p>