knitmom

Hi all,
I have been lurking here occasionally for some time, and have been finding myself checking in more and more often as decision dates near, so today I came out of the shadows and registered.

My D has been accepted to Michigan, and awaits decisions from Brown, Claremont McKenna, Columbia, Georgetown, George Washington, Rice and William & Mary.

We have tried to obsess only the proper amount ;-) but as RD dates approach, I'm thinking that apprehension loves company!

Consolation

Pah. People waiting with an acceptance in hand don't know the true meaning of APPREHENSION!!

Seriously, though, welcome. I think it is better to vent online than drive our kids crazy, even though reading about other's acceptances and likely letters and so on heightens our own tension to excruciating levels.

DTDad

Knitmom,

Your post is not asking for advice but I will share how we are dealing. We are taking the "love the one your with" (song lyrics) approach. My S has been accepted in one school/program he would be happy attending. We have him fully engaged in the process of that school. Yesterday he attended a day long session for students at that school, met professors, students and spent time at the office of minority affairs to sign up for summer co-op and pre-frosh summer offerings. I'm pretty pragmatic, the bird in the hand theory is in full effect in our house. So I guess my point, have you all taken advantage of all that UM has to offer for accepted students? Even if you D does not end up going there it's a GREAT time killer

jude_36

Hi knitmom, I'm the same as you. I've been reading these posts for quite a long time, but only registered this month when I finally couldn't stand it anymore!

My daughter seems to be weathering the wait quite well, while *I* am a total wreck. She got another acceptance yesterday, so now we're two down, six to go. I just keep telling myself that this will all be over in two weeks...

jjcddg

With five acceptances in hand and waiting on UVA, it may seem as if the "waiting" doesn't apply. But for many, the wait for financial aid packages is just as brutal.

My son appears oblivious and is going about his life as normal. I wake up in the morning thinking about financial aid and go to bed at night dreaming of great packages. I calculate how much "more" I'd be willing to pay for DS's preferred school and I fantasize about laying out 3-4 great packages and telling my son to "pick" his favorite.

I go to this board way to often, to the point where there is usually nothing for me to read and comment on. Considering that he's had most of his EA acceptances for a while, this has been going on way to long. I wonder what ever happened to my real life.

knitmom

Thanks for the welcome, guys! And Consolation, this:

"I think it is better to vent online than drive our kids crazy, even though reading about other's acceptances and likely letters and so on heightens our own tension to excruciating levels."

is EXACTLY what is going on with me! Ditto jude_36:

"My daughter seems to be weathering the wait quite well, while *I* am a total wreck."

DTDad, I appreciate the advice. It's a little tricky in that Michigan is her absolute last choice (too close to home, too many family ties), they don't really have her intended major (IntRel), and she applied mostly to appease dad & granddad. Still, she was relieved to have an acceptance, in part because she's one of very few at her school who is applying to anything but in-state U's, and her college-bound classmates have known for months where they'll be next year.

DTDad

Knitmom,

That does make a big diffrence if it's her last choice, the engage tatic might not be as effective

map

My son and I have developed a ritual to help pass the time of identifying milestone "holidays" to celebrate between now and "super Monday" (March 31, when he hears from the majority of his schools). These include such major occasions as "the last haircut you'll have", "the last check I'll write to your high school", and "the last meeting of (fill in blank with various extracurricular activities)" before results come in. Less tongue-in-cheek and making me quite sentimental is his upcoming "last birthday celebration at home", an excellent reminder to me to be careful not to wish away any precious time.

wackymother

I'm so happy that DD has two acceptances, one to the state school and one to the private school we like best.

She also has two rejections from two of her reaches, which, in the spirit of making lemonade from lemons, I'm pretty happy about ("They would have been too stressful!"). I'm really grateful for the Alphabetic List of Schools here at CC--looking at the kids who have been turned down at these reaches is very, very sobering. I think this was a tough, tough year.

knitmom

Very true, map, that it's all too easy to wish away these days. The phrase D & I have been using is "Dwell in possibility . . ." It is good to still be able to dream before the hard realities and thin envelopes set in!

michone

Knitmom - I want to tell you that my son is a freshman at University of Michigan -OOS - and absolutely loves it. He was never the most ougoing and I worried about him being so far away from home at a big state u. He has pledged a fraternity, made tons of friends - already planning summer trips with them, and is much more mature than I have ever seen. I would highly recommend this school!

michone

Sorry, Knitmom. I didn't read all the posts to realize that UM is her last choice!

DTDad

Map,

Funny you should mention the "last" things. My wife has developed a pattern of crying at strange times. I never connected the dots but your post has given me some insight into what's going on. She is ticking off events before our dear son leaves home...

Gosh I just started crying.... wow...

neumes

Not talking about it at all seems to be the preferred method in our house. I texted son during his lunch period yesterday about a large envelope and did not hear back, and he was not jumping for joy when he got home after rehearsal. I think he's been doing a lot of thinking about about what path he wants to take. (He had an interview for a gap position last weekend, so things are nowhere near settled and won't be for a while....) So I am not going to ask at all. Not at all, honest! There's no need to bring it up--he has not forgotten, just because he doesn't talk about it. So knitmom, this is a good idea--I hope it helps me continue to bite my tongue.

JHS

Interesting set of schools to which your daughter applied! Big, little, in-between. North, south, east, west. Big city, small city, suburban, exurban. I'd say you had covered the waterfront, except that Ann Arbor isn't really near the water.