Please pay attention and watch your posts. There are applicants on this thread who need us to be adults and to focus. My post above is in DIRECT RESPONSE TO THAT ONE APPLICANT'S POST. Read the blasted post by that applicant again. The kid has a nomination and has an ongoing, independent, well-established relationship with the admissions counselor. There is no way on this planet that this kid's application has been harmed by an excited mom making one phone call. ONE PHONE CALL after a long-established relationship has been built by an obviously well-qualified, extremely self-motivated and independent applicant. Because you couldn't restrain yourself from responding to me to make your point, you create additional anxiety for that applicant. Kudos to you. You win.
This is simple stuff, upon which nearly all of us agree. Can't you see that this entire thread is based on posters who are already in almost 100% agreement? We disagree here or there, largely in the tails of the distribution, so to speak. Parents - do your best to NOT call and do your best to encourage your youngin' to run this show. Does mom make one call or zero calls? Zero is better. Duh. I believe that one won't hurt the kid, you believe that one call WILL hurt the kid (although "not liking it" and penalizing the applicant for the parent's conduct are two different things entirely). That's a fine distinction that does not merit your meddling in the minds of teenaged applicants. There is so little disagreement on the fundamental point. (And guess what - I have made ONE call, for that plane ticket situation that I described earlier. That makes me pretty clean, arguing a position in theory, not for me personally.)
This is simple stuff, upon which nearly all of us agree. Can't you see that this entire thread is based on posters who are already in almost 100% agreement? We disagree here or there, largely in the tails of the distribution, so to speak. Parents - do your best to NOT call and do your best to encourage your youngin' to run this show. Does mom make one call or zero calls? Zero is better. Duh. I believe that one won't hurt the kid, you believe that one call WILL hurt the kid (although "not liking it" and penalizing the applicant for the parent's conduct are two different things entirely). That's a fine distinction that does not merit your meddling in the minds of teenaged applicants. There is so little disagreement on the fundamental point. (And guess what - I have made ONE call, for that plane ticket situation that I described earlier. That makes me pretty clean, arguing a position in theory, not for me personally.)