Originally Posted by
Analise
Since you have RPI and Cornell on your list, have you considered flying into ALB? Boston is REALLY out of your way. Look how wide MA is and then how wide NYS is en route to Cornell. Even BDL is better than BOS.
The die is cast, so to speak, and it's not strictly a business trip. Neither of us has been to this area, so part of the purpose is to take in the scenery, have a look around. Road trips can be cathartic, and spending a bit of time on the road also provides time to talk about our impressions, what we like and dislike, and so forth. It's all good.
Originally Posted by
Analise
Here are two pieces of unsolicited advice: if your son is filing out the common app, have him enter his SSN only right before he submits it. He doesn't want his SSN populated while he goes back and forth filling out the Common App.
Second, if he's had at least 4 years of foreign language classes and feels comfortable with it, have him feel confident enough to say that he is fluent in that language.
This is great advice, and if you have other unsolicited advice, feel free to share it. It is quite possible future searchers will stumble on this thread and benefit from reading it. Too, it happens that he has been taking Mandarin Chinese since middle school, so we will certainly do as you suggest.
Originally Posted by
Analise
Good luck! Glad you said that so I don't sound like a broken record from upthread.
I see all reaches and one middle-of-the-road/safety on that list. RPI could waitlist the OP's son simply because of his outstanding application.
I agree, but part of my job as a parent is to help him find his way, to provide reasonable encouragement, some sober judgment based on my own experience, to unlock his potential, and so forth. A good number of his peers from his IB program have gained admission to "reaches." As I mentioned upthread, we sat down with his very seasoned and experienced counselor in August, and talked about this trip, so it's not like we're going off purely on the basis of a wild hair or some unrealistic dream. His SAT math and SAT math level 2 were 800/800, and he's only a junior; before he got into high school, he made it to the National Spelling Bee twice. Does it matter? I've no idea, and see no benefit from worrying about it. Part of the purpose of this trip is to gather concrete examples of what he likes and what he does not like, and to help inform the eventual decision. A couple of years ago he was fixated on MIT, now on Princeton. What will it be next year? My own ideas regarding this have evolved in the past four years or so, so how much more will his ideas evolve and change?