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jocelynDAD
Member
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Posted: Tue Feb 12th, 2008 06:18 am |
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Going into the application process this fall, we anticipated some difficulties for our D3. The large number of applicants for the class of 2012, her academic record while very good (3.75+ all A's and B's - two AP's and a multiple of honors classes) paled against her classmates in our highly rated HS. Her SAT and ACT scores are good, but fall considerably below the midpoint of many of the schools on her list.
She reluctantly agreed to adding safety schools, where she had visited and found OK, but not as much as her preferred schools.
She had visited all of the schools (save one) on her final list. It was too long, but who knew what was going to happen for this class of 2012? 
Well she has heard from all 16 (yes 16 crazy I know) schools - she was accepted at all 16!  Nine of the schools have offered merit awards ranging from $8,000 to 14,000.
Last month, she informed 6 schools that she was refusing their offer of acceptance and the attached merit awards.
She has overnighted at 4 of the ten schools remaining. This thursday she is flying out to the Chicago area (Brrrr) to visit and overnight at three of the remaining schools. In early March she will fly to visit Lawrence and finally during her spring break after Easter, we will drive to Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio to visit the last two plus revisiting Centre in Kentucky.
I cannot explain how our expectations of increased competition which lead to this too long list has resulted in so many acceptances. Now D3 is visiting to reject some and reduce the list to the top one, two or three.
Come April, I can see her going to two or three accepted students events to clarify her final choice. Naturally, we are looking at the finances as well, but do not expect that to be a change agent. D3 will be able to select from some excellent schools. Since they are all LAC's with student populations ranging from 1000+ to 3000, it will really come down to that well known 'fit' and 'feel'. 
I did not anticipate this result and while happy for D3, it does make me wonder if the fears that I had were completely out of order!!!!!!!!!!
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scoop
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| Joined: | Wed Oct 4th, 2006 |
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| Posts: | 550 |
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Posted: Tue Feb 12th, 2008 12:41 pm |
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| Congratulations, that is a very happy result! Someone in your household has some excellent scheduling skills! How will she travel between schools on her Chicago area trip?
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limner
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| Joined: | Sun Jul 16th, 2006 |
| Location: | Tennessee USA |
| Posts: | 807 |
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Posted: Tue Feb 12th, 2008 01:29 pm |
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Congrats to you and to D3, jDad! That's a wonderful outcome!
Don't second guess yourself on your initial anxiety. I think there are way too many unknown variables in the admissions process to be able to be sure going into it. Simply rest on your laurels of a well-chosen list of colleges and stellar results!
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mackinaw
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| Joined: | Mon Mar 6th, 2006 |
| Location: | Michigan |
| Posts: | 776 |
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Posted: Tue Feb 12th, 2008 02:22 pm |
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JDad, that's excellent news. I hope most of those submissions were basic Common Aps. In any case, that's a lot of information to take into one's planning. But better safe than sorry, and with the merit money the added effort was also very worthwhile.
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riviera
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| Joined: | Tue Jan 30th, 2007 |
| Location: | California USA |
| Posts: | 103 |
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Posted: Tue Feb 12th, 2008 02:39 pm |
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| Congratulations to your D3! 16 applications, that's a lot of work! But now, she is well rewarded. I hope it will not be too hard to choose comes April.
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jocelynDAD
Member
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Posted: Tue Feb 12th, 2008 03:32 pm |
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Scoop:
D3 will fly into O'Hare on Thursday get a taxi to Lake Forest and overnight, on friday she will take the train to Chicago where D1 lives and on Sunday D1 will drive D3 to Rock Island where she will overnight at Augustana, Monday evening both will drive to Bloomington (Illinois Wesleyan) where on Tuesday D1 will overnight and on Wednesday D1 will drive D3 to O'Hare for an evening flight to Newark.
Helps to have older siblings available and willing to help. 
Mackinaw:
15 were Commom App schools, so submission was just too easy. We started early in August so the essay was completed before her fall term in HS. The sole exception served as a dry run (so to speak for the CA). All of her Teacher's were contacted in September and her GC had her transcrpts and recommendation to the schools in October. TR's were done by Nov. 15.
Early Action in most, Rolling in a couple and only two were RD only schools.
D3 has a couple of schools in front at this time, however it is not clear cut by any standard. Her sisters (and parents) have stressed that she has to spend time with the current students and faculty to understand better about each school, She will be visiting over a holiday and school breaks to minimize loss time. Between this visits she is going to Florida (Disney World) on her Senior Class trip. 
Last edited on Tue Feb 12th, 2008 03:44 pm by jocelynDAD
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Northeastmom
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| Joined: | Sun Mar 5th, 2006 |
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Posted: Tue Feb 12th, 2008 04:35 pm |
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| Jocelyndad, It is an exciting time!
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ellenrch
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Posted: Tue Feb 12th, 2008 05:00 pm |
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Congratulations to your daughter. Don't second guess your rationale for choosing schools. We all do the best we can in this confusing admissions environment!
I'll put in a plug for Illinois Wesleyan--pretty campus, good study-abroad and May term options if she's interested in that, accessible faculty, nice students. My niece is a recent graduate and loved it (she turned down Northwestern to go there). Bloomington isn't a garden spot, in my opinion, but the campus is very New England-like, with nice buildings and lots of trees and green space. The library is absolutely gorgeous. Chicago and St. Louis are each about 2.5 hours away (if I remember correctly).
Good luck with the traveling and with the decision. Disney World sounds like a fine idea right about now.
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scoop
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| Joined: | Wed Oct 4th, 2006 |
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Posted: Tue Feb 12th, 2008 07:08 pm |
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| D1 sounds like a wonder. I want one of those!!
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defyingravity1
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| Joined: | Mon Jan 7th, 2008 |
| Location: | NYC |
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Posted: Wed Feb 13th, 2008 12:38 am |
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| Wow 16/16 Congrats!! Last edited on Wed Feb 13th, 2008 01:04 am by defyingravity1
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MaizeBlue
Member
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Posted: Wed Feb 13th, 2008 12:43 am |
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| Congratulations to jocelynDAD's D. 16 for 16 from a well executed game plan!
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CarolynLawrence
Administrator
| Joined: | Sun Mar 5th, 2006 |
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Posted: Wed Feb 13th, 2008 12:59 am |
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I think the key, JD, was that your daughter's choices were well-targeted. I think we tend to forget that the NATIONAL acceptance rate for college is still 70%, and there is NO shortage of seats in college classrooms for students willing to cast a net outside the 5% or so of the 2600 colleges that admit fewer students than they reject. It's easy to forget that when the media is constantly touting that "no one is getting in" and "record numbers are applying."
Congratulations to your daughter!
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