I think we’re getting into the swing of being back in school and have had time to do a little college application/talk and action this weekend. We revisited a college, which was their first college visit and it went from, “I hate it, I’m not applying here” to “Oh, this would be a good choice if accepted”. They’ve finalized the list and 8 schools will be applied early action. There will be one or two more regular action depending on those results as they don’t want to put the work in if their higher choices work out EA. As the regular decision schools only have ED. As for ED, we really keep going back and forth as committing to something without financial details is pretty scary given the economic times. There is one school we’ve decided on it would be ok to ED II if deferred, but we can’t do that with the favorite reaches, if that makes sense.
C27 is finally talking a bit more about college and applications! It was super gratifying to know that they actually did look at my super thorough spreadsheet that I created. They just never gave me feedback on anything until today.
So, they are in pretty good shape. I wish they did more merit hunting but they have several schools that are easy financial fits. It’s got more safeties than needed but they are schools they like on paper and don’t want to eliminate until they get a chance to visit, and can compare financial offers.
So, it looks like we’re in good shape now. Also, I set up a weekly check-in with them so I don’t bother them constantly.
I agree about it being gratifying when they take into consideration all the information we’ve gathered and documented in one place to analyze. I feel a weight off my shoulders having a more concrete list of final schools to apply to.
My ‘27 kiddo had a productive weekend: did some personal statement work (it’s slow, but it’s coming along), created her brag sheet for recommenders, and replied to an admissions officer email (fairly generic outreach, but we talked about demonstrating interest).
On that same front, she also subscribed to a school’s outreach promoting a five day step-by-step text thread for Common App completion. She’s already got most of the App done, but wanted to see the guidance they provided plus take another small step of demonstrating interest.
Both the AO outreach and the text chain are from the same school, and that institution was a super active and coordinated with their orientation-related posts on Instagram, whereas her other top school hasn’t sent anything in a little bit and was less active/coordinated during orientation.
I find it interesting to examine the schools’ differing marketing strategies and outreach, even though I don’t think kiddo is swayed much in either direction by them.
My kid is really weirded out by all the email and regular mail. Even from colleges they like. They did a virtual tours of the schools they like that they couldn’t visit in person, and that’s about it for demonstrated interest.
One school dropped down to the bottom after being close to the top due to how much mail they sent.
Wow! How much was too much for them?
My kid’s targets almost never send hard copy mail. They seem to email once a week or so.
Honestly, not a ton, but too much for her. She’s hasn’t received more than 2 mailings from her favorite schools. Most mail probably goes to UChicago with some creative pieces to boot. Doesn’t sway her to apply….she’s smarter than their marketing, but at least the poster was pretty. 
Parent of class 26. Tip: If you dont want mail, do not visit Case Western. They will send you mail twice a week.
If you love getting mail with stock photos of happy students and random models in lab coats and protective goggles, then Case Western is your school.
My kid has not gotten any physical mail yet. She just made her common app account today though, so perhaps she’s now doomed. Though they asked for ‘home address’ which isn’t our mailing address, so maybe not? Or else we’ll have totally annoyed the post office staff if colleges start sending mail without the PO box number on it (mail doesn’t go to houses here).
But reason she made the account was to double check the word count on her common app essay she’s almost done with! Just struggling with the ending. There are plenty of other essay questions in her future, but she hates this so much it’s nice at least one will be done. This one was done with the help of an online college essay summer class that’s just ending. I fear it will be even harder when it’s only me to help from now on.
My D27 is making progress on her app as well! She doesn’t want me or her dad to read her common app essay, but I did hear from D24 that she let her read it and she thinks it is very good. Phew 
D27 keeps things close to the vest. Tricky to parent. She especially doesn’t want my husband’s input. He always has very strong opinions and it can turn into a “my way or the highway” conversation. So she just shuts him down. I think he is learning…right as the 4th and final heads out the door lol.
I arranged a short sit down with all 3 of us and she gave a run down of the 16 colleges she is applying to, how she has demonstrated interest to those who care, and we planned 4 last tours before applying. 1 she hasn’t seen, one husband hasn’t seen, and 2 across the country in CA that she will tour with her brother. A nice excuse to visit him! It felt like a huge win to get a pretty thorough update. I will fondly recall it as we get no further info until acceptances. 
She did a good job sharing and not getting defensive; her dad did a good job listening and not lecturing.
Someone a few messages ago mentioned having just a weekly check in and that is SUCH a a good idea. I wish we had done it with the other kids. It would have reduced household friction.
this is true - so much mail and email.
That said, at least email, isn’t all stock. I actually knew one of the kids in the emails - lol.
I also find the different strategies fascinating! Some send a million emails, some only 1x a month. Some are so detailed and spend so much time on content, some almost none. There is some correlation to selectivity, but certainly not 1:1.
Mine has a final college list (13) though is so stuck on finishing main essay.
Luckily they don’t have a lot of supplements for 11/1 or 12/1 (pretty minimal “why us” stuff) - though I REALLY don’t want them spending all of Xmas break doing their reaches..ugh… which ARE a lot. Schoolwork and ECs are already bogging them down. Sigh.
I hope everyone is having a good start to the school year. S27 is working on the Common App and studying for this Saturday’s SATs. Essay needs to be started (he “has been thinking about it”) but he will be starting this weekend after the SATs. Thankfully, I dont think any of the schools he is applying to have supplementals anymore.
He was also able to start a direct admission application to the school where he received a junior book award, he just needs to upload his transcript once he talks with the guidance counselor about how that is done.
His goal this week is to request the letters of recommendation.
Other than that, he is starting off with a bang as he enters second week of school. Lots of HW for his AP classes.
The CWRU email pace is wild, I hadn’t peeked at D27’s college Gmail for a bit and it looks like their pace is about 2 emails per weekday and 1 email each weekend day. I’m not sure my kid reads any of them (it’s not really on the list, but was a college counselor recommendation) and it seems like every email is trying a different angle to see what sticks.
The list is around 9-12 schools. I’m hoping the college counselor talks her out of two of the reachiest reaches, because I don’t think she’s a great fit and she will definitely wear out on supplementals at some point so I’d rather her energy goes towards schools where she has a legit shot. She let us read her common app essay… she had a quiet summer to work on college apps and the essay is still really half baked. ECs kick off in earnest this week and I’m quietly so frustrated that she’s not further along on the essay. It’s going to get so much harder and she had SO MUCH TIME over the summer. She’s super independent and always has her stuff handled, so we’ve been fairly hands off but man, I think I’m going to have to be a bit more annoying for the next couple of months so she doesn’t slow walk all of this. I think she’s overwhelmingly anxious about the whole process and is struggling more than she lets on.
On the positive side, she has decided to accept her less-than-ideal SAT score and move on with life, and has her teacher recs locked down.
Same here with D27 and finally letting me see what is her college application list. She also completed her brag sheet for teacher recommendations, she has also started her essay since her AP English teacher is asking all students in the class to submit for the teacher to review and comment on. She now has about 20 schools which I had her add a few schools since about half of them do not require essays, recommendation letters and the fees are waived since they are part of the One Click College Admit program which pretty much guarantees admission based on her GPA and test scores (and of course, none of those schools are her top choice).
My S27 is also making progress on his college list and apps. Still working on the main essay. He has an idea for the supplemental of the school he is going to ED to, but has not started.
Currently slammed with SAT prep, his part time job, sports and AP coursework.
His plan is to apply ED to his favorite (a reach for sure, but not an impossible reach). We recently visited for the fall open house (our second visit), and it reconfirmed that he can really see himself there. My husband and I agree that it appears to be a great fit. ED will give him a bit of a boost, but not as substantial as some schools.
It’s a smaller school and a holistic application. The college rep for our state is coming to his high school in a few weeks. Do you think it is appropriate for him to reach out via email and ask if she might have 5-10 minutes of time after her visit to meet with him? She is a recent grad of the college and I think might offer an interesting perspective.
He is meeting with another rep (different college) for coffee. This rep will be visiting his high school, but in addition, she sent out an email where prospective students could book a 20 min chat at a local coffee shop. He much prefers chatting 1:1 and is unlikely to ask multiple questions in a group setting because he worries about been seen as monopolizing her time.
Any one have any thoughts on that?
Aside from the ED school, he plans to apply to an additional 6 or 7 schools EA. We will see what happens with those decisions and if he needs more options, he has additional 5 schools in mind for round 2 (RD).
I would love him to be done after these 7/8 early schools, but learned with my older 2 kids that it can be a long, exhausting process! We have talked about what he might do if he is deferred from his ED1 school. As of right now, he thinks he will play the long game and wait it out, but time will tell. Our tour guide at the fall open house got off the waitlist on June 1! He had fully committed to another school and pivoted last minute. My kiddo said he would do the same if that’s how things unfolded. DS is a pretty patient kid. Me, not so much.
I’m wowing at the two emails a day, that is overkill for sure.
I call two emails a day spam. If any company is emailing me 2x a day, I unsubscribe (and often tend to avoid the store in the future…as it’s usually marketing emails that do this).
Sounds like everyone’s years are getting underway! My 27 is back in class again too, and, it’s been a bumpy reentry from a mostly good summer. He sustained a likely season-ending injury right before preseason started… and the unexpected loss of a long-time friend a week or so before that. It’s been a lot, but he’s got a good support network and a good friend group (plus us of course), so it’s one day at a time for now. I am hoping he can get into the swing of his classes in the next week or so before we need to discuss making any changes to his schedule.
We had a brief talk about his list before school started, and I’d say it’s still in flux? Just what his counselor wants to hear, I’m sure. He has a general list of I think about 8-10 schools, but no clear favorites anymore, so the earlier discussion surrounding ED application has been tabled for the time being. I think he’ll still plan to apply EA to any places on his list that have it. He hasn’t met with his counselor yet, so hopefully some clarity will emerge when that happens. I am honestly worried about the supplementals, given how stressed he is about his school work right now, but there is time, and I really believe that once he gets back into a routine, things will start to fall into place. I honestly wish he was studying for the SAT this Saturday, but at this point, I doubt it. I would not be surprised if he decides to skip it. I hate being OK with that, but I’m going to let it go because for him right now, it might just be too much. We might have to revisit taking it at a later date, or we just might have to accept what he’s got and move on.
That’s a lot to deal with for anyone, let alone a teenager. I think you’re taking the right approach with a soft touch right now.