Parents at a dinner party would probably never ask you about:
1) How much money you make.
2) What your house is worth.
3) What you paid in taxes this year.
4) Sensitive medical issues.
5) Personal family problems.
So, why would it be acceptable to compare your kids’ test scores, college lists, and admissions outcomes?
The next time a fellow parent tries to turn their student’s college application process into a status competition, feel free to just say, “We’re really excited for our daughter and will support whatever decision she makes.
Some things are OK not to share.
Candy says
Maybe it’s the spirit in which the info is shared. I think it can be very helpful sharing if one is new to the whole thing. And there is even a wall board at school where everyone’s school of submission is posted. And if they are accepted a star is added and then they can sign their name if they wish. It is a point of school pride. On occasion someone actually gets into an Ivy…but everyone knows that they earned it and it takes money to go. So, no issues there. Somehow to know where one “fits” into the big picture and perhaps ‘why’ one did not get into a specific school (through comparison) can be very helpful to a student. It’s better than the alternative. And it has spurred one student to go to community college and then transfer to the state school.