I like your avatar @payn4ward.
Sorry to hear @thshadow @Motiv8tedmom23 and others about your disappointing news. Congrats to all those with good news - I love to read about it. I totally agree with you on rejections @thshadow! Everyone I’ve ever talk to whose kids have gotten in everywhere they applied feel that they aimed too low.
@Testingearly, my D15 got into every school she applied to, and she only applied to small LACs. Granted she didn’t apply to Ivy’s, or schools that gave absolutely no merit aid. Still, we were surprised at a couple schools she threw in because she basically e showed no “demonstrated interest”. We were chasing big MAC because there was no way we would/could pay a $50k+ annual college bill and she desperately wanted a LAC environment. For her it worked. She likely could have gotten into an “elite” school, but she decided to save that for grad school (which we be able to help her with!) 
@thshadow - I agree that if you get a mix of acceptances and rejections that you had a good range. Yes, it isn’t always easy for the kids to hear, but I think we all know that the selection process ends up with schools saying no to a number of qualified students.
@Motiv8tedmom23 - sorry for this, even if it isn’t what he wanted.
Mine didn’t end up applying to Olin either - too small, and he really wants to major in math (he was initially going back and forth between math and engineering). It is very small, but a great program with good mentors if that is what you want. A family friend from Raytheon used to work with seniors on their projects. We live nearby too, and my kids went to a robotics camp there for many summers.
@thshadow – Olin’s loss! Like your way of looking at it though. Sorry too @Motiv8tedmom23 !!!
@mtrosemom – glad it worked out so well for DS15! I am hoping my experience this year with DS17 – first time through it - this year with so many other parents- will help me as we have DS18 in the cue so to speak - but totally different kid, different school, stats & interests so who knows!
@CA1543, my S17 is very different from his sister. What we found is that what we learned with D15 isn’t applicable to S17. Figures!
D is a finalist for the 40 Acres at UT!
@itsgettingreal17 AWESOME!!!
That’s fantastic @itsgettingreal17. Way to go!
Bummer about the Olin news guys! That’s a hard program to get into.
@itsgettingreal17 another congrats!
I do think it’s good for kids to apply to a peachy kind of school if they would consider going there if accepted. Otherwise it’s a waste of time and effort. But if you don’t try you never know right?
Thanks for the continued thoughts re: AP Studio Art - I’m not sure if she can get out of submitting an AP portfolio entirely (and we already had to cough up the $$, ugh!) but she is definitely not going to sweat it too much.
@thshadow I agree that a mix of acceptances and rejections is a totally normal/expected result if a kid is applying to match/reach schools. My D applied to a lottery (for her) school ED and was denied there. She didn’t apply anywhere else that was such a stretch, but it would be no surprise for her to get denials among the remaining schools we’re waiting to hear from.
@itsgettingreal17 continued amazingness!! 
@thshadow Sorry about Olin but yes, the school set was appropriate. And YES, boo on the ones that don’t accept our kids, they certainly are stupid and not worth another thought 
@itsgettingreal17 great news on the 40 acres, CONGRATS!!!
@itsgettingreal17 Your kid is just crushing this college process! Congrats again!
@thshadow and @Motiv8tedmom23 - sorry for the less encouraging news. I look forward to congratulating both of you on the next good thing that comes your way.
@theshadow If my son doesn’t get at least 1 rejection… then yes I’d think he didn’t try hard enough school. I’m not going to be too disappointed if the reach schools don’t accept him.
I know what you mean about MIT. I had grandparents and such suggest my DS apply to Stanford. (He’s legacy…) And I’m like nope… not with the effort. They respond with things like but he’s such a smart kid, he should apply to some reach schools. And I’m like… yes he is applying to some reach schools. Just not schools he’s totally out of range for.
I’m not too worried about D17 getting no rejections in the sense everyone else is saying—I mean, I don’t really care if she doesn’t “aim high enough” or anything, because [dfbdfb zips up his asbestos suit] I tend to think the top 200ish schools are all pretty much equivalent in terms of educational quality—but I’ll be worried if she gets no rejections because things come so easily to her that she really does need to be reminded occasionally that sometimes life isn’t all chocolate and roses, and that’s okay.
tough night tonight. D17 did not get opportunity for leadership fellow at Elon. Meanwhile she is running for National board for her youth group in a few weeks, and if she wins, she has stated that she might turn down her “dream school”, as this opportunity would be huge for her life/career, so an easier freshman year, or she is even talking about a gap year. or start somewhere and transfer. Mixed feelings about it all. I guess we wait until March to hear from all the schools, and what, if any merit is out there, and see if she wins or loses, and then make a decision.
Add our D17 to the list of kids who didn’t get in at Olin. We are all ok with it, though, it was a long shot, and H (who visited with her) did not feel like it was a good fit for her at all, and is very relieved.
Down to picking between four good acceptances now…
Well said @dfbdfb. When my son was starting 3rd grade, we went to the back to school parents night which had separate meetings that evening by grade level. For the 3rd grade parents the take-away was if your child had not failed or experienced rejection, the goal for the year for parents was to let it happen. Throughout the years there has been something that has stuck with my husband or I. That is probably the one year where the guidance provided stuck with both of us. Life isn’t all chocolates and roses and, as you said, that is okay! Let’s just hope the kids remember that.
Congratulations to all of the wonderful news of the last few days. Congrats to those whose kids did not get good news for their moving forward.
@sdl0625 I’m a believer of everything happening for a reason. The silver lining is your daughter is weighing all of her options and that is a great thing. Life is all about having options. Good luck to her!
Honors college application for Drexel submitted, adapted essays D wrote for other schools, but glad that’s off the plate!
D17 got fall grades and found out she will be graduating with honors, she’s so happy… it was close! Honors means a red robe instead of black, she will be so happy in that red robe!