InfoGuide4Parents.com

Admission to top colleges and universities has never been more difficult.

Harvard broke all records this year, accepting just 7.1 percent of applicants, while Yale accepted 8.3 percent, Columbia 10 percent, and Princeton 9.3 percent. Brown and Dartmouth accepted 13 percent and 13.2 percent, respectively. Williams, Bowdoin, Middlebury, and Amherst Colleges accepted 16.3 percent, 18.4 percent, 18.3 percent, and 14.2 respectively. Swarthmore College granted admission to a record-low 15 percent, while the University of Pennsylvania admitted 16.4 percent. Boston College admitted a record-low 26 percent of applicants, and Duke reported record selectivity admitting 19 percent. The overall Ivy acceptance rate this past year was 12% — again, an all time low.

The common refrain these days seems to be, “Whew….life is crazy. We are so busy.” It’s almost a badge of achievement for some parents to breathlessly describe their on the run lives–as if they’re giving their child a leg up by being on two travel sports teams, the school’s team and a little strength training on the side.

Describing their busy schedules seems to validate parent’s efforts and suggest that they are giving their children stellar advantages. Phoning their middle schooler’s soccer coach demanding more play time or taking charge of their child’s off-season training assures them they are on top of this project called “parenting.”