@1518mom Our school doesn’t use Naviance yet either. I emailed school to ask them about Common App because it assumes tbey are using it The school didn’t really have an answer for me yet, said to just get rest of common app filled out and they will hopefully have answers soon.
Anonymous message boards are tricky. We don’t have facial cues and tone of voice to complement our words on the screen, so it’s easy to imply things unwittingly. I’ve been guilty of it here. Sure, there is plenty of intentional snark on CC, but I try to assume good intent when it’s fuzzy.
^^This. In addition, it’s possible to not realize how a turn of phrase might sound or land while you’re typing it. I’ve definitely been guilty of that a time or two. Or, you know, twenty. 
I"m confused about how the Common App assumes a school uses Naviance when it doesn’t? Someone at the school must have done something to give them that impression?
Chatted with the guidance counselor at the 9th grade parent meeting tonight. She was super friendly and actually quite nice, not what I was expecting lol. She said she got all the application invites and will work on them towards the end of the week, when they will upload the latest transcripts to Parchment (including class rank). I don’t know that my daughter’s will change any but they won’t release it until they triple check it. I felt a bit better about the process after talking to her.
@ArchSchool You are not late! We are early. 8-} Some kids in my daughter’s class got acceptances in July.
JULY.
I will admit that made me start my engines a bit. I’ll make anything a competition. =))
@ArchSchool - welcome to the thread! It isn’t so!!! I really didn’t mean it to sound like anyone was behind - I was just congratulating a diligent parent for getting the common app done early & for making a great selection on schools where her D might have a better shot at getting some merit.
Like @labegg posted, sometimes (depending on the school) you’d want to apply earlier if they have deadlines for certain types of merit scholarship opportunities, but for regular admissions & chances for merit if you’re going that route, you’re not behind at all.
This might make you feel better: As of yet, we have submitted ZERO applications & have visited ZERO schools (other than our local state university that D has been to a million times over the years for this summer camp or that).
We do have the common app pretty much completed, and right now my D is finalizing the names of her teacher recommenders. And we were waiting for the results of a SAT II test D took in Aug, but she doesn’t think she did all that well on it so we might just start applying when she gets that other teacher info.
This is a great site with tons of good folks who are always happy to help out, so feel free to ask questions or pitch-in any advice you have as well. You can also go back and look at earlier posts on this thread. Or look at the Parents of the Class of 2017 thread & you can follow & learn from their adventures as they went through the process last year.
Other than that, just take a DEEP BREATH & keep repeating: “It’s going to be OK.” 
New to this board, but I do see some friends made on other threads! CC got me through the year S12 applied, and now I’ve returned for S18. Worked well with the first kid, I’m superstitious!
Welcome @Meant2B - I also had a S go through the process before & although that whole experience seems like a blur, I must have learned something because this time around with D18 seems so much easier to me. Still filled with some drama, stress, and excitement, but I just feel more prepared to handle it now.
Thanks @LMHS73 ! I agree, it will be a bit of a different journey with different kids, but it’s nice to be able to apply some lessons learned the first time, and have this forum to bounce things off of as they come up.
And ditto on the “take a deep breath…it’s going to be OK” comment
Thanks so much everyone! I can rest easy—for tonight anyway! All the feedback has been very encouraging and helpful; so good to know that DS is not behind (I won’t tell him that though)! Good idea @LMHS73 to look at 2017 posts. I have searched around this site for a while (actually since last year), but this is the first thread that I have felt connected with…to the point of feeling comfortable enough to post. I feel as though I will be in great company!
@bearcatfan I am glad I didn’t hear about a July acceptance…may have sent me over the edge! 
flops ded on the floor ZOMG, I am so relieved.
Thanks to the person who got his / her hands on The Book, S has been confirmed as NMSF. I will give him the essay prompt tomorrow, and then we can wait while the school takes its own sweet time about telling us.
First ever NMSF at his school, and the only name listed. I’m super-excited for him, and I hope no one takes it out of his hide once the news comes out at school.
For our outside letter we had them send it to our school counselor and they are sending it out hardcopy. The other option is to have CEO print out however many and put them in sealed envelopes then you can address them to the schools and send them off.
IIRC, that “run of the mill student” (non-NMSF) post mentioned a fancy schmancy MIT mailer that came to their NMSF student. Well, ironically, today my D got a fancy schmancy MIT mailer and amazingly enough she’s not a NMSF. ;))
Just about fell out of my chair tonight when S18 announced that maybe he will apply to local flagship!! Great, but I knew only one thing about his choices and it was that he wanted to get away from home!
@sushiritto I posted that. It came bc I started the MIT app not bc of NMSF anything. My mom just thought it was cool lol.
No wonder U Chicago is so blasted expensive. They seem to send something in the mail every single week.
@snowfairy137, my S got the same cool MIT packet and he never started the app. We did visit there though, and he signed up for communication from MIT. I agree with you that it wasn’t related to NMSF though, and I read your post in the other thread which wasn’t the condescending one that’s being referred to here. Yours was fine and you don’t seem to be bragging at all, or inflating NMSF to something more than it really is. Congrats on making NMSF!
@amominaz I feel the same about Duke. S has been getting stuff from them since he accidentally checked “yes” to marketing on his freshman PSAT, and it’s usually some big glossy expensive-looking booklet. He’s never expressed interest in Duke at all but still the mail arrives. U Chicago has been pretty persistent too, but Duke has sent even more.
Hi @snowfairy137. @traveler98 is right. It wasn’t your comment on that thread about fancy college mail that rubbed me the wrong way. It was the way the person who started that thread phrased some things. And yes, congrats on making NMSF!
We got hit with mailings yesterday. Nothing fancy, however.