<p>I know there are lots of nuggets of wisdom spread about on CC over the years, I and many other folks would like to get as much good advice and information out of CC as possible with limited time. If you’ve been on CC a while, please list your favorite CC discussion thread for advice and wisdom gained, so others can benefit without reinventing the wheel.</p>
<p>Xiggi’s - SAT studying method</p>
<p>^A great and often mentioned thread. C’mon there must be more!</p>
<p>Momfromtexas …how to find merit aid!</p>
<p>The long ED thread that I finally finish reading it and Andi’s son thread.</p>
<p>I’ll Give it a shot</p>
<p>Who ever has the most APs win</p>
<p>Especially post # 49 written by benjones from MIT</p>
<p>Buying a lottery ticket: A lesson from CC</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/48099-buying-lottery-ticket-lesson-cc.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/48099-buying-lottery-ticket-lesson-cc.html</a></p>
<p>**If you knew then what you know now… **</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/64383-if-you-knew-then-what-you-know-now.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/64383-if-you-knew-then-what-you-know-now.html</a></p>
<p>the story of Andi’s son 1 year later</p>
<p>No Acceptances: One Kid’s Story - A year later… </p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/192395-no-acceptances-one-kids-story-year-later.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/192395-no-acceptances-one-kids-story-year-later.html</a></p>
<p>Curmudgeon- King of the Merit Aid search</p>
<p>Your kid takes the top scholarship instead of the top school. What’s next?</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/313156-your-kid-takes-top-scholarship-instead-top-school-whats-next.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/313156-your-kid-takes-top-scholarship-instead-top-school-whats-next.html</a></p>
<p>**Swallows to Capistrano ( Financial Aid Myths and Realities )
**</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/492777-swallows-capistrano-financial-aid-myths-realities.html?highlight=favorite+threads[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/492777-swallows-capistrano-financial-aid-myths-realities.html?highlight=favorite+threads</a></p>
<p>dstartk - who always knows how to get things started</p>
<p>**Did anyone’s child choose a free ride over a “more prestigious” school? **</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/21907-did-anyones-child-choose-free-ride-over-more-prestigious-school.html?highlight=favorite+threads[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/21907-did-anyones-child-choose-free-ride-over-more-prestigious-school.html?highlight=favorite+threads</a></p>
<p>**HOOKOLOGY 101: special, college-applicant qualities as admissions advantages **</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/144779-hookology-101-special-college-applicant-qualities-admissions-advantages.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/144779-hookology-101-special-college-applicant-qualities-admissions-advantages.html</a></p>
<p>**My Dinner With An Admissions Officer **</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/118616-my-dinner-admissions-officer.html?highlight=dinner[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/118616-my-dinner-admissions-officer.html?highlight=dinner</a></p>
<p>Some of the real grat pearls of wisdom are in the Writing awards:</p>
<p>Announcing the CollegeConfidential Writing Awards for 2004-2005</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/56155-announcing-collegeconfidential-writing-awards-2004-2005-a.html?highlight=writing+awards[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/56155-announcing-collegeconfidential-writing-awards-2004-2005-a.html?highlight=writing+awards</a></p>
<p>**2007 College Confidential Writing Awards **</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/398072-2007-college-confidential-writing-awards.html?highlight=writing+awards[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/398072-2007-college-confidential-writing-awards.html?highlight=writing+awards</a></p>
<p>And because some days we just want to have a whole lotta fun</p>
<p>**A Meta-thread to save us all time **</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/501191-meta-thread-save-us-all-time.html?highlight=meta+thread[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/501191-meta-thread-save-us-all-time.html?highlight=meta+thread</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/97255-whoever-has-most-aps-wins.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/97255-whoever-has-most-aps-wins.html</a> </p>
<p>**101 Things I Wish I’d Known Before the College Search
**</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/466871-101-things-i-wish-id-known-before-college-search.html?highlight=favorite+threads[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/466871-101-things-i-wish-id-known-before-college-search.html?highlight=favorite+threads</a></p>
<p>**Things One Believes After a Week on CC
**</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/264185-things-one-believes-after-week-cc.html?highlight=favorite+threads[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/264185-things-one-believes-after-week-cc.html?highlight=favorite+threads</a></p>
<p>Because there is really nothing new under the sun…</p>
<p>**Revolving Thread Topics- linking the old with the new… **</p>
<p>A list of FYI threads</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/400041-revolving-thread-topics-linking-old-new.html?highlight=favorite+threads[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/400041-revolving-thread-topics-linking-old-new.html?highlight=favorite+threads</a></p>
<p>the threads that probably brought us most together as a community was the ones for latetoschool</p>
<p>**Support for LateToSchool **</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/397947-support-latetoschool.html?highlight=latetoschool[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/397947-support-latetoschool.html?highlight=latetoschool</a></p>
<p>My favorite is the Clam fart thread
hilariious!</p>
<p>rocket6 I was just going to say that…I still laugh out loud thinking of it, literally, I just did :D</p>
<p>my other faves the 3.0 to 3.3 parents thread and the 09 and 13 threads because those parents really are all so very supportive and really helpful.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/370873-brag-about-your-lesser-known-school.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/370873-brag-about-your-lesser-known-school.html</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/510992-safety-match-reach-high-reach.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/510992-safety-match-reach-high-reach.html</a></p>
<p>and the metathread to save us all time!</p>
<p>Not threads exactly, but the wide-ranging contributions to the Financial Aid forum by Swimcatsmom, Kelsmom, Nikkil, Vballmom, Hmom5, Thumper1, Sk8rmom… and so many more. Invaluable advice, links to pertinent information, and experience with the process.</p>
<p>Although my S is only a jr., I feel so much more informed than my friends and family who have kids who are sr’s or even kids already in college. I just smile to myself when some of these folks try to pass on some tibit of info about the college application process and I think to myself…if you only knew. </p>
<p>thanks to the merit aid threads, the 3.0 to 3.3 thread and others I now have a nice list of schools that will probably offer my S merit aid. We have a better understanding of how to predict college costs and will not be applying willy nilly to schools in hope of getting aid. S’s reach/match/safety list will be much more focused than it would be without the knowledge I have learned here. My S is much more prepared for the SAT because we use the xiggi method and I learned to S should take the SAT 2 right after he finished the class while the material was still fresh in his mind. </p>
<p>My one favorite? I guess I would have to say the 3.0 to 3.3 thread, we have learned about a lot of schools that we otherwise would have overlooked.</p>
<p>Swallows to Capistrano. Sybbie’s list pretty much sums it up. Sybbie, if you coould come up with that list every six months or so I could skip cc and just get the highlights!<br>
But then what would I do when I am bored at work??</p>
<p>The B+ students and 3.0-3.3 students threads in the parents Forum are both very informative and very supportive–and an underappreciated resource for kids with higher GPAs seeking places where generous merit awards will be awaiting them.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/140378-senior-parents-help-parents-juniors.html?highlight=atlantic[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/140378-senior-parents-help-parents-juniors.html?highlight=atlantic</a></p>
<p>I really liked this one by Ben Golub:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/california-institute-technology/232657-advice.html?highlight=Advice[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/california-institute-technology/232657-advice.html?highlight=Advice</a></p>
<p>I printed the whole thing out for my son to read before he went off
to college, even though he wasn’t going to Caltech.</p>
<p>I just hope you guys are having as much fun as we did back in the Dark Ages.</p>
<p>I’d agree that the 3.0-3.3 thread has been both helpful and encouraging, and I was glad I was able to help others there, also.</p>
<p>Since it’s from 2006 I can’t find it on the CC Search, but Ben Jones’ (MIT Admissions) “50 Things” for students entering college was both poignant and profound:</p>
<p>[MIT</a> Admissions | Blog Entry: “50 Things”](<a href=“http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/life/workplay_balance_at_mit/50_things.shtml]MIT”>http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/life/workplay_balance_at_mit/50_things.shtml)</p>
<p>A classic thread for musicians, thanks Bassdad</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/258796-so-you-want-music-major-one-familys-experience.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/258796-so-you-want-music-major-one-familys-experience.html</a></p>
<p>I’d forgotten how nice and helpful all those Caltech students were. I really enjoyed reading them when my older son was looking at schools.</p>