<p>@momofzach: I think it’s a very big deal! Good for your son, who was able to make such an important judgement call.</p>
<p>@dignified: that’s fantastic…really happy for you guys.</p>
<p>I took a peek at the Yale and MIT threads and I don’t know what admissions is trying to accomplish by deferring so many kids. They really can’t make decisions on thousands of their applicants? I have mixed feelings. I know that these kids are so amazing that an ultimate rejection in the midst of many acceptances will be less painful, but what kind of message is a school sending when the majority of decisions are deferrals? I think it just ramps up the speculation and competition and then pits kids against each other (i.e. this one got in only because of URM, another because of gender, another because of recruited athlete…)
I really don’t get it.
I don’t know. Maybe it is just a matter of giving the kids some time to regroup.
I have another kid in the pipeline who will not be a contender for the tippy-top schools, so I’m not personally invested in how ultra-competitive admissions will evolve, but I think that if some of the madness isn’t resolved we are going to have a generation of kids who don’t know how great it can be to kick back and smell the roses.</p>
<p>Congrats to those with good news this am…and hugs to those with yellow/waiting lights…the time will fly y and with apps in, holiday break and a new semester around the corner, everyone will have much to look forward to this spring.</p>
<p>Mixed news at our hs, we heard about an acceptance to MIT and a deferral. Haven’t heard about the other student. So far no denied for MIT so at least they are “in the game”. I am not clear on where the school ranks with certain students. I do believe the one admit is a great match for MIT.</p>
<p>My kiddos are looking forward to the break. My younger kiddo tried to get out of ht ehouse with a santa hat on…Its traditional for my kids-who wear their santa hats around yet in this case I am sure the dean of students would frown on it–so I suggested the hat remain home.</p>
<p>Good morning. Hugs to all that have been deferred/denied…and congrats to those that have received good news! </p>
<p>Momofzach - wow! I love it when I hear of a teen that is making great decisions - sometimes I think they get a bad rap…we have not had our first snow yet so my D has not had the opportunity to try out her newly acquired skills that she learned in skid school.</p>
<p>D was happy with her good news - her talk about moving to the other coast seems to be abating now that she has an acceptance in hand from a school that is closer to home. But who knows, today is just a Friday in December and we still have until March/April to hear back from all of her schools - a long way to go!</p>
<p>dignified1: congratulations to your daughter. Soak in that moment. </p>
<p>momofzach: I would rank your son’s decision right up there with all the A’s on his report card. Being book smart is one thing; being “street” smart and using common sense is often way more valuable. It’s those moments when I feel most successful as a parent!</p>
<p>Scoutsman, phbmom and OWM, I was sorry to read about the deferrals but I’m certain spring will bring all of us good news.</p>
<p>dignified1, congratulations! what a great holiday gift.</p>
<p>momofzach, I can only hope that my kids have as much common sense as your son. boys of that age aren’t particularly known for it, hence their astronomical car insurance premiums. your son should get some deduction on his just for this display of caution.</p>
<p>What a lot of great news! Honestly, I’m impressed by the deferrals, but I know they don’t feel quite as good as one would hope.</p>
<p>No real news here. D is focusing on schoolwork and music right now. She says she’s still very excited about the apps she has left to complete. I know she’ll do her best on them - and she’s managing to take each day’s work and prioritize the best she can. She continues to be very good company, for which I’m extremely grateful.</p>
<p>She slid off the road last year, luckily right into a soft snowbank. It was scary, and she learned that as much as you think you’re going to slowly in messy weather, you’re not going slowly enough when someone ahead of you suddenly stops. A nice man pulled her out with his truck. The problem was, it was a big audition night at school, so she was really rattled when she finally got there. I was amazed she still got up there and sang!</p>
<p>Good morning all. Hugs to the MIT deferees - I know it’s not the news you wanted to get. Here’s to better things to come.
Our winter break can’t come soon enough. My D is really wiped out; between college apps (not yet completed), projects and EC’s she’s just not getting enough sleep. We were at an interview last night (last one) where the interviewer talked to her first, then had me come over to ask any questions I might have. I could see the two of them talking before I was waved over and it seemed like a lively discussion. In the middle of my talk with the rep, I glanced over to D and saw that she was falling asleep; her eyes were half closed! I started to pull her into the discussion and that snapped her out of it, but still … She had said earlier that she squeezed in a nap in the costume room backstage after school - I guess that was not enough rest. Our school doesn’t have finals until after the break (a couple of weeks after, so it’s not right away) and I am going to insist that sleep is part of their scheduled activities.</p>
<p>Hugs to all the kids with deferrals and high five’s for those with acceptances! It sure is hard to keep up with this thread! I know one girl that applied EA to MIT but I won’t know until son gets home from school whether she got in. I’ve never even heard from someone from our school applying there so it would be a real coup if she gets in. Cheers also for new drivers and snow. Son is taking his drivers test today and I’m hoping for a light-snow winter so he doesn’t have too much driving on our hilly roads that often have ditches for shoulders.</p>
<p>My youngest son (the hs senior) was a real sweetie last night. I play Bunco with a bunch of neighborhood friends and at our Christmas Bunco, we do a gift swap (stealing and swapping, etc.) and at the end have our picture taken. This is always done at one neighbors house and her husband was always the picture taker. Sadly, the husband passed away earlier in the year. I knew that even though we all wanted to keep up the Christmas tradition, it would be hard if we had another one of our husbands come over to take the picture so I asked my son if he would do it instead. He came over and brought his laptop and made us all laugh while he was taking the picture and then impressed everyone with how he downloaded the pictures from 5 cameras onto his computer (it has an sd slot) and then photoshopped our heads so that we all appeared to be smiling and having our eyes open. When we got home he put it on FB for me. A sad moment that turned into what we hope will be a new tradition. I told son that our new priority would be picking a college that had break in time for Christmas Bunco!</p>
<p>To all the parents of the accepted–congratulations, enjoy the glow and the relief that this brings by eliminating a layer of stress overlaid on the holidays.</p>
<p>To all the parents of the rejected–bummer; life is rough sometimes; hug your kids and help them regroup and redirect.</p>
<p>To all the parents of the deferred–I’ll let you know in several months.</p>
<p>momofzach - All I can say is, what a blessing! He knew what to do and is safe at home. I can’t imagine what went through your mind and the relief you felt to have him home! These steps towards maturity…where they show they really do know what to do in a crisis and will make good decisions, go a long way towards easing our worried minds when we send these precious gifts out into the world to start the next chapter.</p>
<p>OWM, scoutsmom, & phbmom, I’m sure it wasn’t the news your students wanted. Knowing the slim statistics just don’t help much. It sounds like your kids are all keeping this in perspective and not letting this get the better of them. Our kids are so much stronger than we think!</p>
<p>dignified1, Congratulations to your daughter. What an accomplishment! Happy dance. It’s an amazing honor.</p>
<p>I know we had a few MIT hopefuls at our school, but I haven’t heard results yet. Although great students with amazing resumes, I believe they were prepared to be turned down or deferred…it’s MIT! An EA admit is really a leap.</p>
<p>Yet more hugs for the MIT deferrals. There’s vacation coming up to take away the sting–plenty of time for a good night’s sleep, hanging with friends, skiing, seeing movies, and eating cookies. </p>
<p>A big congrats to those with new acceptances. You get to eat cookies, too. And an especially big congrats to any new drivers who made the right choices while driving in snow. I’ve only done that a handful of times, and it’s been with chains and in a convoy, so those kids are way ahead of me.</p>
<p>D1 reported two MIT EA acceptances at her school, and one deferral. One of the acceptances was a surprise since it was through Questbridge. The deferral was also a surprise, since that kid has a Caltech EA acceptance in hand. Go figure.</p>
<p>My son got good news today, albeit not from a college. He was invited back to a science lab for this summer by the head of the lab at a major research university in NYC. Last year he had to apply for it and was so lucky to get in, as they accept 10% of applicants. He was told that he does not need to do essays or teachers’ rec this time, he’s in; thank heavens for that. He had a great time working there last summer – felt it was a transformative experience. This person wrote him an extra letter of recommendation for college apps and when my S replied to the email, he mentioned his ED deferral. I got a laugh: this very noted, renown professor responded: They’re jerks. LOL</p>
<p>So, I was rethinking last night and thought I would share this with you all.</p>
<p>Some of you may have read in another thread about our older son’s detour in life. He spent one year at his dream school (Christian college with lots of snow and a film studies/video production major.) The summer before his sophomore year (and one month before he was to leave for a semester in Spain), he told us his girlfriend was pregnant. So on the day he had been scheduled to fly to Spain, they were married in a beautiful ceremony on the shore of Lake Michigan near my mother’s summer home. Our first grandson was born 2-28-10. They live about 10 minutes away from us now. She is a full-time mom and full-time college student. He is a full-time ministry assistant at their church. They are amazing parents (at ages 21 and 20) and have taken full responsibility for their lives, asking us for advice, but not money.</p>
<p>It’s been a tough adjustment for our younger son (and has probably made him scared to death to even kiss a girl). Many people at our HS know his older brother (Class of 2008). And he has missed the camaraderierie with his brother.</p>
<p>Last night, we were all together–the six of us–for the special dinner I planned. We ate in the dining room (a sure sign of a big deal in our house!) with all the Christmas finery. We laughed about so many things and our younger son made a diagram of a cell with his nephew’s Cheerios. When it was time for the MIT applicant to check his status, we were all there together.</p>
<p>No matter where our son ends up next year (Mizzou, Purdue or MIT), we will always have that special night to remember. Not a night we could have envisioned three years ago, but a wonderful night for our new family dynamic.</p>
<p>Our high school seniors brought us together. Sharing our family stories bind us together. Thanks OWM for your beautiful story. I’m sure it touched everyone’s inner being. We are excited for RM’s son’s summer position and love the reaction of his mentor. He is so right. We could not be more proud of momofzach’s son if he was our own. Good judgment trumps good grades any day. The joy kathiep’s son brought to what could have been a sad moment is unmeasurable. No dry eyes here. I bet most admissions directors never heard of requirements like nuclear reactors or being home for the Christmas bunco games from any other group of applicants. We are unique, but that is what makes us special.</p>
<p>Thanks for sharing that OWM. It is a testament to you as a parent to have helped him and his wife navigate this new life, and giving him the foundation to succeed. It is an example that speaks loud and clear to your youngest son that no matter what life throws at him, no matter his decisions, you will be there. The image of him with his nephew and the cheerios is priceless.</p>
<p>OWM: that was a stunning, heartfelt piece of writing. I could feel and envision your family. Life is most definitely a circuitous route, and it’s tough when things don’t happen as we plan or assume they will. But I loved reading your post because you obviously appreciate the unexpected turns. That’s very hard to do, at least for me – a planner type since early childhood. I salute you. After reading this and particularly after hearing about the cheerios cell diagram, I’m certain not only that we’re soul mates but also that our sons could easily hang together. So where do you want to go on that vacation?</p>
<p>Oh, by the way, my son is still shocked but amused by the prof response today. Yet, he’d still like to get in come April!</p>
<p>For a bit of Friday humor, at the risk of offending anyone with my language (hey we’re all friends here) RM’s boss’s response reminds me of something my dad told Bluejr. at the beginning of this journey. A man of few words, his advise was “illegitimi non carborundum”.</p>
<p>OWM: I was so touched by your post. I would like to think that I could help one of my sons to turn a potentially negative situation into one of growth and maturity, but I’m not sure. I am amazed at the inspiration that I have found in this online community.</p>
It’s an amazing honor.</p>