<p>FlMathMom, sorry about the deferral. Your S seems to be taking it in stride, and I admire that. I sense he has many “Yeses” ahead of him.</p>
<p>Difficult weekend as my daughter was deferred from her EA school, Stanford on Friday. A few hours of tears, and she “pulled up her socks” and is focused on her next steps. I am so proud of her resilience - she is back to smiling and laughing today, and looking ahead to her RD opportunities. Can’t wait for her to be right where she should be :)</p>
<p>FlMathMom and Mayhew–sorry to hear about the deferrals. 
I’m sure you are proud of how your kids are dealing with this. </p>
<p>Just now S2 came to me and announced he had re-looked at several super-reach schools he had eliminated from his list before–and realizes anew that he had good reasons not to apply to them. With his specialized major and interests, he really wants something else. I am so glad he took a moment to seriously reconsider his options–and also glad he knows who he is and what he wants.</p>
<p>So we seem back on track for the moment. But what ups and downs we face in the days ahead! I’m grabbing a dark chocolate candy and a dramamine.</p>
<p>Fog, so sorry to hear about your loss. Pets really are a beloved part of the family that interject their personalities. </p>
<p>mayhew, good for your daughter for allowing herself some time to be sad and moving on…at least a bit. She may revisit the ‘what if’s’, but getting out that initial sadness can be really healthy.</p>
<p>FlMMom, sorry as well for the sad news. I’m glad everyone is feeling comfortable sharing here. Some of our kids may have the chance to come out without disappointment, but most will have a sting or two. I’m personally glad to know I have somewhere to share this and not feel only the ups are allowed.</p>
<p>madbean, I think it’s a wonderful process, a real maturity and sense of self awareness when they start to really narrow down what they want. Some students by nature and major need to cast a wide net. Some students because of their major are destined to narrow their list. Good for your son. My son is in this camp of only a few apps, knows what he wants and is confident, not necessarily that he’ll get in everywhere, but that he would be happy attending any one of them, and already has one rolling admit. I am secretly praying for an in-state admission to avoid a 15hr distance, but I have no doubt he’ll be successful wherever he goes. He knows what he wants. The kid takes 4mths to pick out sneakers but he wears them a year and never looks back…kwim :)</p>
<p>I actually have a nice break (if you can call it that) focusing on bluejr-jr’s schedule. A bit of a glitch in his math schedule that needs to be ironed out. He’s my third so I have no problem very respectfully advocating for him until his needs are met. We are very fortunate to have a great GC so I’m sure we’ll get it worked out.</p>
<p>My vice tonight was gushers…yes, those gummy things that squirt surgery blue stuff. I know, yuk. It was that or a frozen twinkie.</p>
<p>Sorry about the deferrals and/ or rejections. Sorry to hear about the bird-</p>
<p>I have been so busy this weekend with more family illness, D issues, and cell phone issues that S has been completely unsupervised! He submitted to me his last two supplemental essays to his last two schools-I told him no way. They were written like a kid who just wants to get them over with. I told him if he can’t express why he wants to go to these schools he can’t apply. He is so fried with all this-I told him take a few days off and then think about things and come and talk to me. I think he’s applied to a very good range of schools and if he doesn’t submit another app he’ll be fine. He has cut a couple of high reach schools off the list this weekend and these two may be next.</p>
<p>I can almost predict what is going to happen-after all this craziness that ensued after my termination in the end he will end up at his first choice (realistic) school with a nice MA package. </p>
<p>I went on College Board (I don’t know if I hate them more or less than the cell phone provider) and sent his four freebies not knowing how the Subject tests will go but not wanting to risk them getting there in April. You know, I have learned so much about this process that D is going to be at a huge advantage. I learned that Subject tests should not be taken more than 2 at a time, should be taken at specific times right after subjects are completed-as early as freshman year, and AP tests can be taken whether or not the student took the AP class. I have been after our HS for years to add these classes but they offer EEP classes which are great for many students but lots of schools he applied to don’t recognize them.</p>
<p>Good luck to everyone today on their ED decisions!</p>
<p>Fog: I’m sorry to hear about the bird. It’s always hard to lose a family pet.</p>
<p>Mayhew and FLmom: Sorry to hear about the deferrals. I’m glad they’re keeping them in persective. It sounds like both of your kids will have many great choices.</p>
<p>You know, these are some pretty amazing kids on here! I think when all is said and done when we finish the process we are going to have some very happy kids going to great schools-getting there is going to be a roller-coaster but they are all going to get there!</p>
<p>^^^agreed.</p>
<p>My best wishes to everyone, especially those with rejections and deferrals. It’s a big bump to the ego, but I’m impressed how many kids are getting right back on the horse.</p>
<p>madbean - I really liked your story about your S revisiting some of his “old” choices. I think those moments are so important, to be able to look back and know you made a good decision, and to know why. Not being afraid of the past, and not having regrets or bitterness, is a great way to live.</p>
<p>I’m sorry I sounded negative about my D’s ultimate admissions results! I’m not being negative, but realistic. First, she’s in the group that has decided on a long list (13) for lots of options, including several reaches. Second, she has a specialized major that for several of her schools only takes a small percentage (one of them below 10%) of applicants, with no quantitative set of standards. Third, she’s a 3.X student; she does have a competitive ACT score (and some other nice qualities), and we just hope the higher match/reach schools will look carefully, and I hope kindly, at her.</p>
<p>So considering that she has a really good chance of being rejected at all of her auditioned schools (5) and the auditioned program at Minn (leaving her happily with the BA alternative, fortunately) and also at 3 reaches, I’d say yes, she may get at least 50% rejections. But with 13 schools, including some really nice match/safeties, she really should have 4-7 nice acceptances as well, and several with good merit money. Plus she truly is happy with all of these schools. Choosing among them will be difficult - she wants one of the auditioned programs, absolutely, and really wants one of the top ones, but she also wants to be in college next year (doesn’t want to take a gap year and re-audition, nor go to a training program), so she has another whole “self” that would happily go to “regular” college at one of the other schools. She says she’ll know what’s best once she can look at the group that accepts her; she’ll go with her gut, along with all of the research and hard thinking she’s done over the past couple of years.</p>
<p>So I do think you’ll hear me saying “oops, another rejection” several times this year, mostly in April. She really can’t humanly get into all of these schools -I love her, but she’s just not that wonderful! Maybe some of the longshots will work out; we’re optimistic and have our dreams. But we’ll be OK, and you’ll also hear of lots of acceptances that will make us very happy (probably 4 more rolling and EA ones just this month!). Luckily the way things worked out pretty much all of her match/safeties will tell her (mostly yes) now, and she’ll be prepared to shift her decisions from that group to the reaches/auditioned programs in the spring when she gets their answers. She’s fundamentally pessimistic, and prepared for rejections, but determined enough that she’s willing to try. So I think it’ll be a fairly emotionally healthy process, just arduous and intense.</p>
<p>On the flipside, she not only had a terrific weekend of performances (one more tonight!) but did a bunch of essay work, too. I’m very proud of her.</p>
<p>Congratulations to everyone with acceptances and <em>hugs</em> to the everyone that did not receive good news last week. </p>
<p>Emmybet - I hear you on the “select” programs. My D is also applying to a selective program. In fact, all of her schools that she applied to should be matches and safeties however the specific program is so selective that we expect to get a number of rejections. She has a great GPA and a full resume (3 sport athlete, student gov, more than 20 honors courses, a few APs, 250+service hours, awards, etc) but her test scores are a bit lower - she is in the higher end of the mid 50%…so, we are optimistic but we are also realistic when it comes down to stats-based decisions. </p>
<p>We are seeing kids with lower stats (alot lower) getting into the same schools that she applied to but we are still waiting…Like you, I expect some tears but we are keeping our fingers crossed!</p>
<p>FLMathmom & Mayhew: Sorry to hear about the deferrals. But it seams that your children have the right attitude about it. </p>
<p>Good Luck to everyone who is still waiting for the early decisions.</p>
<p>FlMM and Mayhew, sounds like your kids and you are handling the deferrals well. That speaks volumes!</p>
<p>We’re waiting here for a decision tonight that’s also a reach-for-anyone-school. I slept fitfully last night but I’m convinced that what Pepper and Emmybet wrote above is true: these kids will all find their way.</p>
<p>@emmybet: you’ve got a great attitude and I’m sure your D will be very successful. I’m excited to hear her results.</p>
<p>HI All</p>
<p>One thing thats been interesting about those ED decisions is that its not a strictly stats driven exercise. Which tells me a little about ECs, passion, essays, etc and that it’s not a strict mathematical formula.</p>
<p>The stats are all over the board and since we aren’t in the room to know which kids have gpa deflation, gpa inflation, etc etc…and dont know what kind of rigor etc…there is no way to really assess gpa from the outside.
Also not being in the admissions room to read LOR etc and know what these teens are doing , what they are pursuing etc means there is so much left to imagine.</p>
<p>For example, there is a local hs here that the kids have little homework and As are easy, at the 90 percentile, whereas a local private an A- is a 93 and they are hw heavy. Comparing GPAs and stats from the top 10% of these two school and the rigor isn’t done with just what a student reports on the ED decision thread…thats why that school profile is important. It tells those AdComs alot. </p>
<p>Our student’s GC said a very telling stat is the AP passing rate–and not how many take the test–rahter how many bring home 3,4,or 5 etc. That chart is telling.</p>
<p>We have learned alot here on CC over the last year and our younger student will benefit as well. </p>
<p>Good for us all to pay it forward. :D</p>
<p>Whew. Took me a while to catch up the 10 pages of news on this thread since I was last on. That’s what I get for staying off the computer all weekend! (But made a big dent in my holiday shopping & baking 
)</p>
<p>Fogfog: Sorry about the loss of your pet And thanks for the great advice to book hotels now for move-in/parents weekend. </p>
<p>Congrats to Holliesue,college4three, emmybet, slitheytove, OWM,atomicgirl, pepper03, momjr on acceptances. I hope I didn’t miss anyone </p>
<p>Oregonianmom, mayhew & Flmathmom: Sorry about the rejection/deferrals. </p>
<p>My D was deferred at Tulane last week, and it definitely caught her/us off guard b/c her stats made it a solid match for her. Luckily she had received her 2 acceptances a couple of days before getting the Tulane news- it helped soften the blow.</p>
<p>Mayhew and FLmathmom: Sorry to hear about the deferrals. I hope they eventually get in! My fingers will remain crossed!</p>
<p>D has picked herself up from her Swarthmore rejection and has dusted herself right off! Yesterday she submitted 4 applications, and is nearly done with another essay. She loved Swat but knows there is another school out there that is right for her. She has decided to eliminate one school she was planning to apply to, and has added 3 more schools to her list. I ordered the ACT scores, and it sounds like they go out a lot quicker than CollegeBoard sends their SAT scores. Two of them are sent electronically, and one I had to order priority. ACT only charges an additional $5 for priority.</p>
<p>She put the torn up rejection letter and Swarthmore t-shirt (also ripped up) in a ziplok bag.</p>
<p>And I am planning a Hawaiian vacation for after her graduation. Lots to look forward to!</p>
<p>Man, that vacation sounds really good right now:D</p>
<p>Omom - you and your daughter are mighty classy! Good for her, and for you!</p>
<p>I totally agree about the school profile. It tells them what does an A actually means. If a school doesn’t rank, it helps put the GPA in context and it’s not hard to figure out where that student lies in comparison to their classmates. Also, I have to believe that universities that get applications each year from the same high schools have to become familiar with these high schools to some extent. They see the name and know without a ton of pouring over the profile what the lay of the land is.</p>
<p>To your point on the AP test pass rates. I agree this is telling. I was actually surprised when a friend told me their student did not list their AP scores on the common app. When another mother said their student didn’t, I had to pause and think about what the drawback would be. This may not be the case with these students at all, but perhaps students who are not pleased with their scores don’t list them. My son was filling out the common app and had listed AP test scores and I saw one omitted…AP Comp. I asked him and he said he didn’t want to list the 3. I said it was better to list the 3, which isn’t knocking it out of the park, but it’s certainly a respectable score. Not listing it, in my opinion leaves the committee to wonder if the scores are worse, they have no idea, especially if you have omitted only one. As usual I’m reading too much into it.</p>
<p>Emmybet - I loved reading your post. It reminds me that every student has a reason for the number of schools applied to and there is almost always a method to the madness. One size does not fit all! Wouldn’t it be nice if we could all go by the GC recommended 7-8 (isn’t that what they’re saying now?). I think our group would be an excellent case study why this is bunk. What if your student needs a nuclear reactor? A wind tunnel? Hates the south? Great grades, not a good test taker? Great scores, no weighting for GPA? Musical theater program? Merit aid/financial aid? All these things go in to the decisions of why they apply where they do. There are other programs my son could have applied to, but he knew he wouldn’t be happy there or it wasn’t a financial option. I really do wonder how closely GCs follow these threads. Not the specific issues posted, but follow a group of students from their jr year through graduation into their first year of college. I think it would be a really good tool for newer (and some not so new) GCs to understand the reality of what these students go through. What’s important to them. What we find joy in, and what we find frustration in. What an awesome college class would it be to spend a semester reviewing a class thread history for those years. Maybe it’s me, but I can imaging thinking of it like a novel where you want to find out where all these students end up and how their first year went.</p>
<p>mommylaw - sorry about the deferral at Tulane. I’ve heard some really wonky reviews on admissions from them this year so your D isn’t alone. Those earlier acceptances do help to put things into perspective. So glad they arrived first.</p>
<p>Mayhew, FLmathmom, and Mommylaw: I’m so sorry to hear about the deferrals, but it sounds as if your kids are keeping it in perspective.</p>
<p>OMom: It’s so hard when our kids are hurt and disappointed! I’m glad your daughter is bouncing back. I really believe that when one door closes, another door opens. Hoping she sees an open door soon!</p>
<p>Fogfog: I’m so sorry for the loss of your pet.</p>