This article in The New York Times college admissions blog written today by the Dean of Admissions at Connecticut College made my day.
First, it's great advice. Every parent of a college-applying senior should read it. And parents are more likely to listen when the advice comes from one of the admissions deans herself.
But it also made me happy because it's similar to the advice I gave to our Collegewise senior parents in a newsletter I wrote for them earlier this week. It feels good when I get it right.
I have no reason to be smug here. The Dean of Admissions at Connecticut College is (obviously) intimately familiar with college admissions and how the pressures surrounding the process can affect kids and parents. And the advice she–and I–gave is not part of a proprietary set of strategies known only by reported experts; it's just an example of good common sense and perspective applied to college admissions. A lot of counselors and admissions officers who work with kids and parents, who see what happens when families lose their college admissions perspective, would likely give the same advice.
Still, it's nice to be in good company.
So when in doubt, listen to people in the know, and use good college admissions common sense.