Hey this just came over my fb feed. A boy ( I know his girlfriend’s mom) is graduating from BAMA with a 4.0 in Business/finance degree and accepted into Law School at Harvard, Georgetown, UVA, GT, SMU, MIchigan, Georgia, U Kentucky, Vanderbilt and UT Austin with huge money from UT Austin. He will be attending UT Austin Law School.
He has a 178 LSAT and he prepped for his LSAT at BAMA.
Just throwing throwing this out there. Roll Tide
Thanks!
I’ll be sure to look through the slide deck also.
@homerdog Many thanks! No doubt I will be picking your brain. My husband and I are both products of the same LAC and I worry a bit that D21 is limiting herself to LACs because that’s all she knows. We are encouraging her to explore all options, but right now she feels pretty strongly that a LAC would be a great fit for her. She does have a couple of midsize schools on her long list, but without seeing them and getting a sense of place, they may not make the final cut.
I’ve been out of college for a million years, but back when I was applying I was pretty well versed in the LAC field on the east coast. I also had a handle on the midwestern schools, having grown up in the suburbs of Chicago where places like Kenyon/Grinnell/Carleton were hugely popular (in fact I almost ended up at Carleton before deciding on my actual alma mater back east). But everything is so crazy different now it’s like learning a new language.
Like many kids, she can come up with reach schools all day long, but it’s those all-important likely/safety schools that have her stymied. That’s her main focus these days (well, that and AP tests!). She’s a pretty “normal” kid—middle of the road politically, values open discourse (less interested in schools where the vibe trends towards stifling opposing opinions), likes to have fun but isn’t a hardcore partier, etc. She’s got strong academic stats and a competitive ACT score; her ECs aren’t as exciting since she’s been a very serious dancer for a long time and that takes up a huge amount of her time. Lots of depth, but less breadth. She wants to dance in college but likely not seriously, and she’s thinking about a biology major, maybe psychology, with an ultimate career in public health in some capacity. Oh, and she’s only interested in really picturesque campuses, ideally in a quaint small town. Sigh. 
I don’t think she’s even thought about the ways that COVID-19 might impact this admissions cycle, which is good since most of it is beyond her control anyway. Her father and I are doing enough worrying about that for her!
@Momof3B I find TAMU so intimidating, yet every Aggie I talk to just loves it there. So far S21 has refused to consider it, but I hope to still make the trip to visit the campus in the summer.
My son is the same - sister is at an Ivy so he won’t even consider any of the public schools in our state or the surrounding states. We’ve talked about finances and he’d rather go to a big western U, if it comes down to money.
D21’s classes all end this week, except for her AP courses, which end a day after each respective AP exam. She has a solid A in two of her college courses and a fingers-crossed-A in the third course (much depends on the final). She has an A in one AP course but we have no idea what she got for AP Calc BC. She feels she did not do well on the final at all, and she went into it with an A-.
Found out she got a personalized letter from the Dean of Admissions from a reach school in mid-Feb after she interviewed there. She had interviewed with a senior who interns at the admissions office, and apparently the interview went very well. The letter said the interviewer had talked about D21 to the Dean, and that the Dean felt the interviewer had been impressed. The Dean mentioned specifics about the interview, so it was not a form letter. D21 didn’t tell me about this letter at the time, and she did not send an email thank you to the Dean, and now I am worried that her lack of a short thanks email to the Dean doesn’t look good. She did send a thank-you card to the interviewer right after the interview. D21 said a thank-you email to the Dean would have been strange, like a thank you to a thank you, but I still think she should have emailed a couple of sentences along the lines of “thanks and I look forward to applying.” Oh well, too late now. From now on though I would like to see what she receives from various places. Maybe D21 is right and an email response to the letter wasn’t necessary. Or maybe the Dean will think the letter was lost in the mail and that’s why D21 didn’t respond. :neutral:
D21 has had five interviews now, three in person before COVID-19 shut everything down and two over Zoom. She has one more virtual one scheduled and two in the books later this summer when maybe she can go in person. We need to schedule four additional ones, but those colleges don’t have their interview appointments available yet. There are other schools where she hopes she’ll interview, but those are the types that will offer one if they’re interested; she can’t schedule those herself. We are spreading all these interviews out because D21 has a jam-packed fall schedule as it is.
D21 gives the interviewers a one-page activities resume, and each interviewer has told her they’ve found it helpful. They ask her questions about her activities, and she comes into the interview prepared to go into detail about what she does. As a homeschooler, she also always talks about her method of education. D21 is a people person and experienced at public speaking, so she likes to interview, and she usually asks a bunch of questions and gets the interviewer talking for a while. The interviews have so far lasted from 30 minutes to 60 minutes.
She is applying to a large number of schools because, though she definitely has four or five strong favorites, the net needs to be cast wide. She is a strong candidate with great grades and respectable scores (the SAT needs to be a bit higher though for certain tippy-tops), but she is a homeschooled white girl from the northeast. All her grades come from in-person dual credit courses and respected online providers, and her ECs and volunteer work are excellent, unique, and with a lot of public recognition (lots of press and state and regional awards) - what she has done has had a major impact on different groups of people within one EC - and she has one national award and has recently been nominated for another national award. However, her ECs are not recruitable sports. So she is a unique candidate, but she is not a recruited athlete, she doesn’t have 1500+ SAT scores, she is as white bread as they come, and she is not first-gen etc. She is full pay though, so that may help.
She has chosen each of the schools on her list after visiting multiple times (except two schools which she visited only once) and she feels each would be a good fit for her, and I agree. Her list has safeties, matches, and reaches. She genuinely likes each of the colleges on her list and would be happy to attend any of them (though she is hoping to get into at least one of those four or five strong favorites). It will be interesting to see what happens. I am mentally prepared for all outcomes, including no acceptances except for a safety, and I am trying to make sure D21 is mentally prepared too.
It is exciting and odd to be at this point after years of reading CC threads. Hard to believe our kids are almost ready to fly the coop.
@goldenstatecat you know D21 is a dancer too, no? They sound very similar. D21 danced since she was three, on pointe at age nine, part of a preprofessional ballet company that took upwards of 30 hours of her week until she left last year. Many of her ballet friends who didn’t continue the dance route in college did well in admissions. I think that kind of dance shows a lot of commitment. It’s a long story about why she left but she now dances on the dance team at school and was planning on going back to dance class this summer in a bigger way but, you know, Covid.
Anyway, dance is a great EC!
@JanieWalker Your DD sounds very impressive, I am sure she will be successful in her college search next yr., she is very proactive already.
I didn’t know kids interview at schools before applying. How does that work? Do you just call and set up an interview?
@NJWrestlingmom as I recall the CSS just adds to the mix the equity of your home and I think retirement accounts.
@JanieWalker how is your D21 getting interviews when she hasn’t even applied to the schools yet?
@JanieWalker your D sounds so interesting. Any campus would be lucky to have her.
@JanieWalker i wonder too. Interviews with deans? And most interviewing won’t even start for our 21 kids until June at the very earliest, usually more like Sept. Most Ivies just do alumni interviews and those aren’t until fall.
Thanks - we’ll see about admissions. Hard to predict anything! I think each college gets a ton of applicants who are each very impressive in different ways, and there are only so many seats. But she does feel like she would fit in at the colleges on her list, so even one acceptance would be a win - though she will be admittedly disappointed if she does not get into at least one of her favorites. Two of those favorites are matches and not reaches, so fingers crossed.
You can see the interview policy by going to the “visit” section of each admissions webpage. Some colleges don’t do any interviews at all, some will but they will contact you after you apply if they are interested, and many interview if you/your teen makes an appointment. Appointments can be made on the “visit” section (within the “Apply” area), the same area where you would register for an info session/campus tour.
Some interviews are conducted by admissions staff (all of D21’s thus far), and some are conducted by alumni in your area if you can’t get to the school itself for an interview. Though note right now your teen might be able to be interviewed by admissions staff regardless since virtual interviews are being conducted instead of on-site interviews.
(Since D21 is homeschooled, she needs to interview at every single college if at all possible…many colleges want their homeschooled applicants to interview).
No, not an interview with a dean. That is not what I wrote. I also did not mention any Ivies.
Maybe most interviewing won’t start for YOUR kid until June at the very earliest because of the specific colleges she is interested in, but that is not the case for every junior out there.
Interviewing for current juniors can happen anytime between Feb 2020 all the way up until March 2021 - it completely depends on the individual college.
@burghdad - most of the colleges on D21’s list offer interview opportunities before and after applications are submitted. Only a handful don’t.
If your kid knows where they want to apply, look at the admissions site and see if they offer interviews and when your 21 can have one.
@TVBingeWatcher2 thanks. 
@JanieWalker Sorry I misread. And I think your D is right that a thank you note to the Dean wouldn’t have made sense. Just send thank yous to the interviewers.
It’s true that everyone can check to see if a college interviews and when they will let kids set one up. I know, when we traveled with S19 during the spring before senior year, none of his schools would interview him before summer at the earliest. He did an interview with a current Bowdoin student in July before senior year on campus. All others (I think he did maybe seven more?) were all in person with either AOs who traveled to the Chicago area to see prospective student or with local alumni. They were never stressful. He also brought a resume. Some interviewers wanted to see it and some did not.
All of his interviews went long. Even for the schools where he was denied. So a good feel interview doesn’t say much. They were usually scheduled for 30 min and none were shorter than an hour with the Carleton one going three hours at a local Starbucks. Lol. So, these are just conversations. I would make sure your kids do their homework about the school, know “why x school” for each interview and know their ECs backwards and forwards because they will need to talk about them. Kids aren’t used to talking about themselves in a way to “sell” themselves and need to get used to doing that in a way that shows the work they’ve done but not be braggy.
D21 won’t have as many interviews since most of her schools don’t offer them. She will have to prep for the Wake one, though, since I’ve heard it’s a little more hard core than most. At this point, it’s likely to be a virtual interview unless campus is open in the fall.
Can you guys let me know any status updates on the June 13 ACT in your state? Our Gov announced schools closed rest of the year about a week ago which means the buildings will be closed, I assume.
Have not heard anything from ACT on status of the test. Should I call them? My S needs to rev up test prep soon if it’s a go – but I hate for him to do that if it’s not going to happen.
(There’s also complicating factor he’s supposed to report for his overnight summer camp counselor gig that same day - 4 hours away! - but he’s also waiting to hear on that. They have not cancelled camp yet – sent out an email they are waiting for CDC guidance expected in mid-May b4 making decision.)
All this uncertainty is a drag!
The length of the interview will likely depend on whether or not it is done with an admissions person at the college or alumni off-campus. All of D21’s thus far were done by people at admissions. The on-campus ones were 30 minutes exactly because the colleges had schedules with other interviews right after D21’s and/or info sessions right after the interview. The two virtual interviews went long, I am guessing because there was no one else waiting to interview (and the whole thing felt more relaxed according to my daughter, maybe because people were at home and not in the office).
These are not always just conversations. If the interview is with someone at admissions, they are often evaluative (especially with homeschoolers). At least, that is the case with the colleges to which my D21 is applying. The whole thing should feel like a fun conversation though, regardless. And YES - the kid needs to have intelligent questions at the ready and know exactly why they want to apply to that college (specifics that only apply to that college).
D21 has her first interview next week. We were supposed to have done a NE college tour last weekend, and a couple of those visits included interviews because we didn’t know if we’d be returning to the area before she applied. (Well, now we know!) An AO at one of the schools reached out to offer virtual visit options, including rescheduling her interview. It’s a likely admit for her, and one she’s genuinely excited about, so we decided it would be the perfect place to get some interview experience, since there’s low pressure, and she can easily talk about what she likes about the place. She has forwarded them her transcript and a brief resume so they’ll have something to talk about.
She’s looking almost exclusively at LAC’s (though only 1 or 2 of the “tippy top”), and most of the places that normally encourage interviews are still doing so. If there’s still a chance we can get to campus this summer or fall, she will hold off on interviewing virtually, but there are quite a few that we can’t (okay, won’t!) drive to visit. We’re debating if she should just go for it now, or if she should wait to see if AOs are traveling in the fall. Or, by fall she could likely do the alumni thing. Since we’re in a big city, that’s usually an option, but I’m not sure if the alumni interviews carry as much weight, as I’ve done them for my alma mater. Since she mostly knows where she’s planning to apply, though, I like the idea of her getting some of the interviews done now or over the summer, since fall is still so completely up in the air.
@AlmostThere2018 I think it’s pretty stinky that ACT hasn’t said its plans for the June ACT yet. Kids need to know. I would assume it’s going to be big news if it’s cancelled and he will also get an email that day. I don’t know if certain locations will be cancelled or all locations. That’s a good question but I’m guessing it would be all locations. Even if certain states are more open by June, having hundreds of kids at a school still won’t be permitted.
As for interviews - yes, kids should be prepared and some are evaluative. You can usually find that info on the college’s website. Note that alumni interviews carry very little weight but they can be a great way for kids to ask a lot of questions and learn more about the school. S19 particularly enjoyed his conversations with students or young alums who interviewed him. Also, signing up for an interview also shows interest which is important for some schools. Alumni interviews are generally more relaxed and, honestly, don’t count much at all but do count for demonstrated interest.
And to all - Please don’t get excited when a huge reach alumni interview goes well. We know soooooo many kids who thought they blew their Ivy alumni interviewer away with long conversations and some interviewers even saying things like “oh you’d be perfect!” and then the student does not get in. Just manage expectations when your son or daughter comes home from an interview like that.
Congrats on the first upcoming interview! I wish your daughter well - I am sure she will knock it out of the park.
Regarding on-campus vs/ virtual (or alumni off-campus) – your sentiments sound similar to ours. Our strategy pre-COVID was to have D21 interview on campus at every college on the list wherever possible. The extra visit would confirm her desire to apply…or maybe not confirm it and therefore save her time and me money when it comes to the application process this summer/early fall. Now that COVID is here though, I am happy to have D21 do virtual interviews now (where possible) at colleges more than three hours driving time from home to save me the expense and us the time of driving everywhere late this summer or early fall.
Thanks, @JanieWalker. Sounds like your daughter has already made some great impressions, and I’m sure she’ll continue!
Yes, we had the same pre-COVID strategy! We were fortunate to visit a number of the schools over the past year and were looking forward to going back, where possible, to confirm first impressions and interview. I like your idea of moving forward with interviews at places we can’t easily drive to. It can only help her learn more about the school, and show that she’s serious about it. Has your D changed her opinion – for better or worse – about any of the places she’s interviewed after the conversation?