Comments on: MISS SCHOOL MANNERS & the 30 Rejections

By: JL

JL — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 05:11:18 +0000

My nomination for a great overlooked college: Knox College, in Galesburg, Illinois. My kid loves it there — small classes, lots of involvement with professors who are there to teach, very warm and friendly atmosphere, very high educational quality. It’s not as pricey as a lot of private schools, and the financial aid is generous. Amtrak from Emeryville goes straight there!

By: Patti Stein

Patti Stein — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 20:01:37 +0000

JFK University is an excellent college and works with students to make this a real option. We have also been checking out UC Santa Cruz, which has much to offer and seems less competitive than some of the other UC campuses. My son is still set on attending UC Berkeley (my alma mater), but I don’t think it is the best place for freshmen. It is sad to see my son and his friends already feeling so much pressure to take AP classes or to take extra classes at the community college while still only in 10th grade. I’m very happy to hear that alternative schools are being suggested, and look forward to reading about some good possibilities.

By: aPARENTly Speaking

aPARENTly Speaking — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 23:34:38 +0000

MISS SCHOOL MANNERS & Helicopter Parents

Dear Miss School Manners: The college application paper chase has only just begun and already, I’m losing my mind. I want to make absolutely sure that my kid gets it all done … but if he can’t get it together…

By: Susan

Susan — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 22:30:53 +0000

My son is a second year student at UC Santa Barbara and while it is not Cal or UCLA, he is very happy there. The party scene can be intense but for focused students they can just as easily avoid it. The academics are top notch and who can beat looking out onto the pacific ocean from your dorm room. I will say however, he applied to 10 schools and was rejected at 3 of them at a cost of over $500 just to apply. My daughter a high school senior is freaking out because she may not get into her top 2 schools Cal Poly and Claremont and the pressure is intense.

By: Jackie

Jackie — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 19:24:32 +0000

Great idea, Julie. I’ll shoot a copy of “How to Survive Getting Your Kid Into College” by Hundreds of Happy Parents Who Did (A Hundreds of Heads publication) over to her. I’ve got a couple more copies too, if anyone else wants to weigh in.

By: Julie Nickel

Julie Nickel — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 22:19:48 +0000

I do agree with MANY of the things you told “Losing It.” It was all very good advice. However, we here in CA DO face very difficult challenges getting our kids into college that I don’t think very many people in other states have to face at ALL. We have massive budget deficits, which in turn result in shortfalls every year trickling down into our educationsl systems at all levels, even at higher education. They can’t hire enough teachers, can’t expand campuses, and thus can no longer accept the number/volume of students applying each year, thus the enormous competition. It’s become ridiculous to the point of the extreme. I just don’t think people in other states have NEARLY the problems we hear in CA face getting our kids into colleges. And the expense? Ridiculous. We could literally send our child out of state for what we are going to be paying for instate (except he doesn’t want to go out of state) and frankly we would like to have him here as well.) It’s all crazy insane. Even those of us who know all that you told “Losing It” still find the process enormously frustrating. Please, might you pass on whatever booklet/information you referenced in your letter to her? I’d be extremely interested in learning more. Thanks so much.
-Grateful in CA

By: Julie Nickel

Julie Nickel — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 22:09:05 +0000

We live in CA and the writer who wrote to you about the difficulty of getting her child into a CA college was in no way exaggerating the complexities of today’s college climate. I do think your advice was very good, it IS however, very, very competitive here in CA. More so than any other state, due to our massive budget crisis in education. There are too many applicants and too few slots. We can literally almost send our son out of state for what it will cost to send our son IN state. (Except sadly, he wants to go instate) and realistically, we’d LIKE to HAVE him close by, instate. Please, might you send the book you referenced in your response to “Losing It” because I can totally “feel her pain.” Thanks!

By: CL, Walnut Creek

CL, Walnut Creek — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 19:39:49 +0000

Our learning-disabled son has attended CSU East Bay for 1 1/2 quarters and we are very pleased so far. Our son is the only kid from his Danville high school who chose CSUEB, so I think it may fall into your relatively-undiscovered schools category, at least for students on this side of the Tunnel. Or not, b/c enrollment there is up 20%, which may translate into difficulties getting classes down the line.

Anyway, the classes are small and the counselors and professors are very approachable. Our son gets much more help than he ever got in high school. His major advisor spent 45 min going over a schedule modified to suit his learning disabilities. By way of contrast, I think my older son (at Cal) knows the name of his advisor (maybe).

By: jb

jb — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 21:30:55 +0000

We love the University of the Pacific in Stockton – fantastic private college, small class sizes, caring faculty, gorgeous campus with an East Coast vibe (must be all those ivy-draped, brick buildings!). With one kid in a UC and another here, the differences could not be more startling.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 23:23:06 +0000

I think it’s tough, in today’s climate, but it would be great if kids (and their parents) could take a deep breath and realize there’s more to life than where you went to college. Education is only as good as what you do with it…