MIT - D is applying RD because they defer so many to keep their EA admissions rate the same as their RD admission rate.
Publications - I’ve seen adults get their names on research papers without contributing significantly, so I’m not particularly surprised that students who do contribute get included. Sounds like some of your kids are Stamps material!
Wow @dfbdfb she’s on the ball!
The Rotary app is taking all of D’s time, but she says all will be done tomorrow 
Then we’ll sit down to compare all the essay topics for colleges.
Speaking of colleges, I think Arizona and Ohio State won’t receive applications from D as they do not accept gap year deferrals. Their loss 
@eandesmom From what you’ve said about your son, I think you’re wise to toss anything you receive from Coe. Frankly, I’m surprised they mail so far afield, but I guess I shouldn’t be as I don’t know anyone who goes there. They must get students from somewhere.
There’s also a Northwestern College in Iowa that is similar to Coe and many others of the same ilk in the state. S was confused when he heard that Northwestern was highly ranked nationally…
@payn4ward Writing essays for all five CA prompts is a BRILLIANT idea! Every high school should be mandated to issue some form of this assignment. Seriously, Fall of senior year should be almost entirely dedicated to the college application process, including applications and financial aid.
At my son’s school this task is relegated to the guidance department. They meet once a week and it’s ungraded. So when there’s no grades involved it goes to the bottom of my sons priority list. I could really use their help because he won’t listen to me but he will listen to a teacher, especially if there’s a grade at stake.
Oh well.
OK my nephew just left for his first year in college and I was bawling. I am in big trouble next year… It’s too soon!
@Collegecue Just think of it as practice.
Interesting mix of mailings yesterday; a post card from FIU that their app is open, a letter from the Citadel that will never be opened and a very fancy booklet from Duke. I doubt my D fits the middle 50% of any of those schools.
I found the booklet a little too ‘weird’ for my liking. Way more style than substance, seems strange to come from a school like Duke
Fall of senior year at DD’s school is entirely devoted to IB requirements. Finishing up TOK essay from last spring, doing EE, and the 4 IB classes she’s in this year. I guess they think college can wait?
I’d rather school time be dedicated to school work than college apps. College application process is a personal process. Not everyone is applying to colleges that require essays or any college at all.
Duke book: We received that also. Not going to read it. I also received a letter from Columbia addressed to me, the parent. It is a letter letting me know that don’t let financial concerns impact our desicion to apply to Columbia ?! 
App prep in school: I agree with @itsgettingreal17 that school time should focus on school topics. This applying to college thingie is taking too much time from everyone already.
@itsgettingreal17 Most schools agree with you. I respectfully disagree.
Todays snail mail haul: an impressive 12 solicitations from schools, maybe a new one day record here at our house.
None of them are of any particular interest to my son. I am still amazed at how much effort/cost many of these schools go thru to get a students attention. Most of them go straight to the trash.
We did get a nice handwritten letter the other day from a student tour guide. Included a business card and emailin case son17 had more questions. That was a nice touch.
RE: high school app prep:
I think it would be nice if the schools had some after school meetings with guidance/teachers to assist kids who want help with the college app process. I am sure there are many kids with less “knowledgeable” parents than the members of this thread. I have met a few delusional parents, some clueless parents and a few truly apathetic parents.
Most schools have the English teacher requiring at least one common app essay (in Texas they require Texas app essay) to be written as a class assignment. Since this is a graded assignment, it counts as class work.
Most public schools have a large number of kids whose parents may not be as involved as those on CC in the college application process. Many will have zero support structure at home and they need every bit of support the school counseling system can provide in terms of filling out FAFSA, submitting paperwork etc.
My kid’s school has all seniors come to school on an in-service day to work on their college apps. The rest of the school has the day off and the teachers who aren’t mentoring the application process are doing some alternative professional development. I think that one class period during spring of junior year was devoted to effective college essay writing.
Fordham is my kid’s biggest stalker school. Never expressed interest. She does not like NYC. She is not religious. These overtures tend to come in waves. For awhile she got daily emails from Northern Arizona University. Why? Who knows?
@dfbdfb I have read that when Kenyon dropped the supplemental essay a couple of years back, the number of applications soared, as did their selectivity rating. Congrats on getting those applications in!
The after school, before school and in-service days would be good options, imo.
Not really, In an ideal wold the college application system would be streamlined and not so complicated. The student should be learning more literature & writing in English class, not learning how to write an essay needed for such a specific application. Student’s wouldn’t have to write so many different essays.
But since we are in this crazy and overblown college application system, yes it’s helpful if English class includes at least one college essay. And I believe when my DD was a senior they did do the UC Prompt at end of junior year, or beginning senior year. What I curious about is how the new “short” answer format for the UC Essay will change this how our school handles this essay.
Keep in mind not all students are writing college essays. While 98% of S17’s High school attends college after H.S. More than 50% of those go to Community College, another 20% only apply to schools in our state system that need no essay.
@stlarenas I know what you mean about culture. We are trying to focus on schools that would seem to be less in that vein than others although for S it is more of the overall political climate or open mindedness. He loves discourse and debate and would prefer to have a variety of options but he is very intolerant of intolerance. LOL! LAC’s in general I think will suit this aspect a bit better.
As for senior picutres, many do them now for the yearbook. I can see the value in waiting too.
@IABooks I find it very very odd some of the random mailings S gets. UOP is sort of a geo code fit but the volume of random schools from the midwest at times is kind of crazy. As I said, I’ve never heard of it but it sounds like there is ample reason for that. LOL!
@itsgettingreal17 I’d have to agree with you on the school time spent on college essays. While many of our HS kids go on to college, not all do, or even can financially. 51% to a 4 year, 38% to a 2 yr. And, our in state schools do not take the common app, and their essay prompts/questions vary. CC doesn’t require an essay. It’s just not a one size fits all solution though it might make my S’s life easier, though on the flip side for your ED and EA kids…may not help a bit! I suspect that of that 51% not more than 2/3 of that number (so needing essays) and only 23% actually attend out of state. If you don’t check those boxes, don’t have the ability to, it would be pretty devastating to see your classmates focused on writing essays in class and talking about where they are sending them, more than they already do in the hallways. And worse, say only AP Lit kids “get” the privilege of doing college essays in class. The mainstream English 12 kids, or kids who chose creative writing are just out?
@RightCoaster I love the handwritten note follow ups. We’ve only received one so far, from an adcomm, but they are lovely. 12 in a day! All those poor trees…
@mamaedefamilia we get a lot of mail from all the jesuit schools in the area (Seattle U, Gonzaga and U of Portland). I assume it’s just geo code, we get emails from 2 out of the 3. Zero interest on S’s part although they are all great schools.
I would LOVE for at least one college essay to be an assignment in English. Sigh. Won’t happen.
Our school is trying something different this year. They are giving all of the seniors off the week of Labor Day to work on college applications. They will have some workshops/help sessions scheduled during the week if you want to come in, though I am not sure how many are actually going to avail themselves of the opportunity. They are doing this in part because this is the same week that all of the juniors are going on their college excursion and all of the sophomores are going to Washington DC for Close Up. D19 isn’t able to go as she can’t miss that much gymnastics practice before her season starts, but she is not too broken up over the fact that she doesn’t have to go to school that whole week. Though we didn’t intentionally plan it, this actually gives both girls the opportunity for more rest and recovery from their wisdom teeth surgery the Friday before Labor Day.
@curiositycat333 Very good points. I guess my frustration is very personal. It stems from the fact that my son won’t take any direction from me with regard to the college app process, but he jumps through hoops to please his teachers. This is a good problem. I just know that if his English teacher assigned a 550 word CA prompt essay, he would get right to it and nail it.
It’s all good. We’ll figure it out.