Foolish by the mother, but was it a "la-la land" proposition (never going to happen) or just that the kid did well but came up a bit short?
Both the mother and the kid were very very sure of their position,so it was a shock to realize, they were way off the mark.(would have thought that the mocks would give them some idea of how things would go,but then again,she wasn't well during the mocks
I'm talking here about someone who would be "cocksure" intimidating almost ,and obviously were not as bright as they thought they were..Karma.?
This is where parents come into the equation,I think managing their exceptions is possibly a good thing.. by saying to the kid, hopefully things will go your way and you will get the course you want...but if not ,you have options.
By setting them up for a definitive course, and telling everyone they have it in the bag,is in my opinion not a bright idea..