Colleges and Viruses

Andrew applied to three colleges. He used the on-line common application so all three schools saw exactly the same application. Well, his first-pick did have an extra page, but the essay and basic info was the same for all three.

One is the college where I teach. Princeton College Review ranks it as the most selective. Andrew was accepted very quickly. Being my kid is not supposed to make a difference, though I suppose it could have. Still he was accepted very quickly and without conditions. Even if he is mine, if they had any concerns about him, his application would have gone to the committee.

The one he most wanted to go to accepted him and gave him a scholarship. Yipee!

He decided that he should apply somewhere else, so he picked out another school and added it. They wait-listed him.

Humf!

For those who don't know being wait-listed means that you may get accepted after the first-round people make their decision. Sadly colleges don't give you any idea how long the wait-list is or where you are on it. I understand that ranking is fluid. They want to accept the best bunch of students they can, which also means the students who are most likely to stay and graduate. Still, it is hard on the students not to have any idea at all how far from admission they are.

But of course it makes life simple for Andrew. He just doesn't return the letter accepting the wait-list. He never wanted to go to that school anyway.

Still, I just can't believe that piddling school wait-listed my kid.

We actually wonder if his essay hurt him there. It did demonstrate that he was an excellent "fit" for his first-choice school. It's all about social justice.

Oh...and everyone here is getting sick again. Brian is down: stuffy; cranky; miserable. I feel wrung out, but I am hoping that is just because Brian woke me up early with coughing and generally being miserable.