This is exactly how I feel!
In the grand scheme of things, I am quite confident he will be okay. He has a nicely balanced list that includes schools that should be fairly safe for him. In fact, we are hopeful that he may get good news from one of his likelier EA schools before the end of this week. But that does not mean that he does not prefer some of the schools on his list to others and wants to maximize his chance of getting in.
He really likes his ED2 school and would prefer it to all but one of the other schools on his list. And his counselor felt strongly that his chances of getting accepted by this school would go down substantially if he waited until the RD round. So, do you go for the higher chance at a great outcome? Or forego that higher chance in exchange for a ticket in the lottery for an even better outcome? These are tough decisions to make for a high school senior (and his parents), and are one of the reasons why I dislike ED.
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Break started today for D24 and we noted the deadlines for her last four applications. Two of them have lots of supplements so she needs to get going, but I can tell sheās tired. Iām trying to continue my hands-off strategy, but Iām a little worried sheāll fall out of all routine during break and theyāll get away from her. Her brothers are both home, so I think I may employ them to give her a little prod. (I am also secretly hoping she drops at least one of them that has something like 9 or 10 supplements.)
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I agree. I obviously think it can be helpful for parents from different schools to share experiences and ideas and insights and so on. But when it comes to making these sorts of strategic decisions, obviously none of that should trump the advice of a well-informed school counselor.
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Iād say yes to that too. I might have a different answer (maybe) if it was just that, but since you are doing an update anyway, Iād toss that in too.
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The good news is whatās on paper doesnāt equal real life.
Thereās likely lots of schools heāll just love so either will probably be great.
We read many stories of students who went to school B instead of the desired A and canāt see themselves anywhere else.
Tons of great schools that likely fit.
Best of luck to him.
But does anyoneās childās college criteria include which college has the best KPOP club?
Because thatās how my DD2024 is choosing her top choice.
Not worrying about housing, or best study-abroad, or faculty/student ratioā¦
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Well, my Dās criteria was a T20, Southern school that didnāt feel Southern.
And amazingly, she found it.
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D24 has been feeling this way with a crazy scholarship offer from one of her schools. She wonders, why me? I wish we knew, because itās not obviously any particular thing. To be appreciated for what she brings to the table, itās a good feeling (when she isnāt overthinking it).
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Iām grateful for this community and the ability to hear from others about many familiar themes Iāve experienced with D24.
D24 was denied ED from Williams the Friday before last. She didnāt seem too bothered. I think I was actually more bummed than she was because Williamsās financial aid is <chefās kiss>. (For the record, I hid any semblance of disappointment from D24.) As much as D24 has been a great high school student, sheās been surprisingly apathetic toward the college application process. As a parent, Iāve found this frustrating and admirable (she never did anything in high school for the purpose of a college application) in equal parts.
We talked about ED2, but sheās not inclined to do it. She likes a lot of schools and is fairly adaptableāI think she could thrive at a variety of different schools. Williams made a lot of sense for ED1. But, in our circumstances, ED2 would seem like a borderline panic move. If she had a standout school, things might be different.
The good news is that I ran fresh NPCs at a handful of schools that were on her long list but previously seemed a little too expensive, and some of them now appear affordable. So Iām urging D24 to add WashU and Wesleyan to her reach list. I have no idea whatās changed since the last time I ran NPCs (I think WashU no longer considers home equity?), but itās at least worth applying. So, to the extent the ED rejection affected D24ās process, she might be adding a couple colleges, which I think is reasonable.
So this experience continues to be a rollercoaster. Iām concerned that D24 will have horrible luck and not get into any of her reaches or targets. Sheās already been accepted at the local flagship, but if she goes there, I want it to be her choice and not because it was her only choice. On the other hand, each of the colleges that sheāll apply to in RD has something uniquely great about it. So that part is quite exciting. There are so many great schools out there.
D24 still has a lot of essays to write though.
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I watched a couple of episodes with D23 and was likeā¦why all the dramatic chipmunk looks? I couldnāt deal with the handholding āsex scenesā as well, lol. They are better than the Chinese soaps Iāve also endured with D23ā¦but not by much.
I had to watch so many Instagram, Tiktok and YouTube videos showing school KPOP club dance routines because not only did they need to have KPOP club, the dancers needed to be GOOD.
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Probably too much of a time crunch but Vanderbilt offers ED2. Campus is very nice and Nashville is great.
Just a thought if youāre considering WUSTL. The campus is great but in my 25+ years of traveling to almost every major city/state, STL is probably my least favorite city that Iāve ever been to.
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Boy, do I feel this! C24 should hear this week about a school that should be a solid target, and Iām still incredibly nervous that they wonāt get in there. Or anywhere. They still have 3-4 apps to finish for RD, and Iām tempted to urge them to add one more (not for the sake of applying, but because itās an interesting school that I think they would like).
C chose not to ED anywhere because they had three schools they liked equally well and didnāt want to choose among them just yet. I think it was a good strategy for them, even though it means their chances of being accepted into at least one of those schools is lower than it might have been. Weāre kind of going with the concept that there are a number of schools that could be a good fit, anyway.
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D24 is into dance since she was in elementary and then KPOP became her obsession in high school. I am sure she will find her peeps at which ever college she ends up going
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this for my D24 as well. She has only found her people in her small school late in junior year and now in senior year. while she was at it, she got us parents hooked to KPOP and KDRAMAs. Sky Castle or The Glory anyone? 
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2 of the best Netflix shows ever.
D24 and I watched them together.
Sky Castle is a must watch.
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That was definitely my main concern overall. I personally think S24 going to his similar college would be a fine outcome in substance, I just didnāt love the idea of him feeling like he had no other choice.
It is funny, you hear people who have been through this before talk about the importance of such things, and while I always thought it made sense, it becomes very, very real if you spend much time in that situation (admitted only to the one, waiting to hear from others).
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I think our daughters are the same person.
Sky Castle is a must watch for everyone on CC especially as it touches upon themes that we obsessively discuss on these forums(parents and students)
I like St Louis! So I guess that is a CC face off . . . .
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