Congrats to everyone on the admits. It really hit me today that this is all coming to an end very quickly.
We have a couple more admitted student days coming up Pitt (3/30) and JMU/VT (4/5-6). After that we are off for a much needed spring break trip 4/13-20, it will be nice to decompress for a week. We are hoping we have a decision before we go but not sure. Might get while we are there. I think our D19 remembers last year when we were away and at the next table someone made their college decision.
Prom is 5/3 and D19 is going with friends, no boyfriend. The HS then holds a post-prom at the school from 1-4 am with games, DJ, etc. Last day of school for seniors is 5/24. D19 is going to CA the following week with friends instead of beach week, which is much better for my stress level. Graduation is 6/6.
Thanks for letting me share here. My H is not interested in hearing my ramblings anymore.
Congrats on admits and condolences on denials. D19 denied at Bates College this morning. She's not sweating it at all as it was never on her radar - a total lottery with average GPA and test scores way, way above hers. She wanted to apply to a school in Maine (from NorCal !?!?? This native-New Englander-who-will-never-go-back is merely an assistant in this process) and Bates was the most appealing to her of the options. As an FYI, Parchment and Cappex have been spot on in terms of predicting admittance and rejection for D19. Prep Scholar has not been accurate at all. We have two more to go, one on Monday, the other on Thursday.
@NicoleGreen thanks for laying out your process. It sounds quite thorough and like it will have good results! We will be in the deciding process in the next couple of weeks and I will keep all of this in mind; I had made a list off the top of my head but yours is much more academic focused, which is obviously important!
Congratulations on all the recent acceptances! So glad to see all the wonderful schools the kids in this stats-range are getting.
We are still waiting on two schools, one of which is the school S19 signed a NLI to play his sport. S19and Dh don’t seem worried but I just want the official acceptance in hand! He did get a weird mailer last week from the school’s IT department saying “congratulations on your acceptance” then information on how to set up his email account, but it must have been mistakenly mailed in advance of the official package. But knowing colleges sometimes mail things in error, I won’t trust that he is in until we get the official package. His coach said they were mailing them a week ago yesterday and I’ve seen on CC that kids were getting them this past week, but so far nothing for S19. I did make a hotel reservation for the Accepted Students day in April so fingers crossed!
He applied to eight schools total, two were test optional and those are the two we have yet to hear from. He applied to two in state publics (admitted to both, but one to spring semester), one in-state private where he is wait listed. I mistakenly sent his scores there not realizing they were test optional. I definitely think he would have gotten in w/o his scores but in the end it doesn’t matter. He applied there w/o telling me; it wasn’t on our list otherwise I would have had it marked as test optional and known not to send the scores. Also applied to three OOS publics - UMaine, UNH and URI and got in all three. The remaining two are OOS private schools, applied RD.
I can’t wait for this to be over! I’m taking a much needed mini-vacation over spring break with D23 in April. We’re going to visit D17 in southern CA since her university gave students a few days off for Easter that coincide with my younger kids’ spring break. S19 has lacrosse so Dh is staying home with him.
We had a couple of expected rejections from reach schools - but also a painful rejection from one where S19's stats were well above their average. It seems quite a crapshoot in some ways. I know it all shakes out and they end up where they're meant to be - but that one stung!
@Britmom5 Sorry about the painful rejection. Yes, it truly is a crapshoot. The son of a couple I am close to was off the charts smart, talented, great kid. Ended up at Princeton. But when you look at where he was accepted and where he was rejected...there was no rhyme or reason. I feel so bad for these kids...and yes, I know it works out in the end as you said...but gosh it feels like it shouldn't be quite so painful!
I am not a parent but all of you are parents so you may be more qualified to answer this question.
So my parents have told me that they won't be able to take out any loans to help with my college education. I know that most loans you have to cosign but are there any that the parents don't have to cosign, or that they don't look at your parents' history and the number of loans and mortgages they have. Like my parents can't afford the school I want to go to but I am okay with taking out the loan to attend the school. If there are any parents that could give me your input?advice on my situation, I would greatly appreciate it
@collegeughhh , as far as I know there is a limit to how much you can borrow on your own, without a cosigner. As a freshman you can only borrow $5,500, then 6,500 the next year etc. There is also a total maximum of I think $31000.
I think your parents are being very responsible for your future by not letting you get big loans - that is a huge burden on young graduates.
One possibility you might want to consider, if your parents agree, is to get a deferral, take a gap year to work and save that money for tuition.
@collegeughhh Reach out to the school ASAP and explain the situation and see if they can help. Be vulnerable...tell your situation and say they are where you want to go but your parents are unable to take loans. Best of luck...and feel free to come back here...there are lots of adults willing to help and guide.
Prom is 5/3 and D19 is going with friends, no boyfriend. The HS then holds a post-prom at the school from 1-4 am with games, DJ, etc.
This sounds like so much fun! I wish D19 school did something similar. I think she’d actually enjoy post-prom games more than the actual prom. Pretty sure all she likes about prom is getting dressed up.
Yes, academics definitely played a huge role in our decision. D19 has a very specific career path in mind right now, so making sure the school she chose would provide her the opportunity to work toward that was really important. We both are completely aware she may change her mind, but we wanted to be sure that if she didn’t, those doors would be open to her.
Something we discussed a lot during the entire process was that the point of college is to get a good job. The ECs, the college experience, the fun, that is all great, but it was always secondary for us on the priority list. In my experience, what I’ve found that really ends up making a difference is the quality of the Career Services office. It’s the old catch 22. You can’t get a job without experience, and you can’t get experience without a job. Two schools can be completely equal as far as quality of education, but the one offering internships, industry connections, and overall great career readiness services will make all the difference in the world in the end in landing the job. Those kids have a distinct advantage over the other school because they already have work experience and are prepared for the job search process. One school we looked at, actually offered a Work Orientation class for seniors. Similar to a Freshman Orientation class, but focused on landing a job and then being successful in it. I thought it was kind of a cool idea. The school she ended up choosing requires a similar class during sophomore year for all students wishing to do internships.
Please be aware there is a difference between can’t co-sign and refuse to co-sign. Many parents feel that they cannot financially assist, but that doesn’t mean that they would actually be refused a loan.
If your parents genuinely cannot co-sign. For instance, if they are rejected for loans because of bad credit, the government will increase the amount of loan you can receive by $4,500. This means you would be eligible to get $9,500 your first year. But that is the absolute max, you will be able to get on your own. To do this, your parents will need to apply for a Parent Plus Loan and then be rejected for you to qualify for the extra money. It’s not something I would recommend lightly. $10,000 a year is a lot of debt.
@collegeughhh
As others have said, do reach out to financial aid. Ask about Federal Work Study. Ask if there are any other scholarships you can apply for. Ask if there’s anything they can do or recommend. Ask about taking a Gap year and how that would effect your aid. Have you gotten a better option, more aid, from a different school? Sometimes schools are willing to match aid.
In the end, though, I’d be prepared for them to tell you there isn’t anything they can do. Financially, this is very late in the game. Most schools have already finalized financial aid and discretionary money has already been handed out. It never hurts to ask, so definitely set up a meeting, just don’t be too devastated if they can’t help.
@Britmom5
So sorry. I’m sure it was really upsetting for your daughter. I’d just try to remind her to try not to take it too personally, especially if she applied RD. Schools need so many kids to fill this quota or that quota. Great kids get passed over all the time because they just aren’t what the school is looking for at this moment. Also, when you’ve got 100 identical performing applicants and only 10 spots, lots of amazing kids get cut. Sometimes, I think schools resort to picking names from hats for all the sense it makes.
@collegeughhh - there is a financial aid/scholarship section of these forums and there are some amazing experts there who have given wonderful, useful, and accurate advice. I suggest posting your exact situation there - with more detail than you've given us. They will be able to help you figure out a plan. Good luck!
Replies to: Parents of the HS Class of 2019 - 3.0 to 3.4 GPA
Welcome @rfm512 and thanks for the inspirational admit story. It is so helpful to future applicants and the parents who are helping them.
Congrats on everyone’s acceptances so far!
We have a couple more admitted student days coming up Pitt (3/30) and JMU/VT (4/5-6). After that we are off for a much needed spring break trip 4/13-20, it will be nice to decompress for a week. We are hoping we have a decision before we go but not sure. Might get while we are there. I think our D19 remembers last year when we were away and at the next table someone made their college decision.
Prom is 5/3 and D19 is going with friends, no boyfriend. The HS then holds a post-prom at the school from 1-4 am with games, DJ, etc. Last day of school for seniors is 5/24. D19 is going to CA the following week with friends instead of beach week, which is much better for my stress level. Graduation is 6/6.
Thanks for letting me share here. My H is not interested in hearing my ramblings anymore.
We are still waiting on two schools, one of which is the school S19 signed a NLI to play his sport. S19and Dh don’t seem worried but I just want the official acceptance in hand! He did get a weird mailer last week from the school’s IT department saying “congratulations on your acceptance” then information on how to set up his email account, but it must have been mistakenly mailed in advance of the official package. But knowing colleges sometimes mail things in error, I won’t trust that he is in until we get the official package. His coach said they were mailing them a week ago yesterday and I’ve seen on CC that kids were getting them this past week, but so far nothing for S19. I did make a hotel reservation for the Accepted Students day in April so fingers crossed!
He applied to eight schools total, two were test optional and those are the two we have yet to hear from. He applied to two in state publics (admitted to both, but one to spring semester), one in-state private where he is wait listed. I mistakenly sent his scores there not realizing they were test optional. I definitely think he would have gotten in w/o his scores but in the end it doesn’t matter. He applied there w/o telling me; it wasn’t on our list otherwise I would have had it marked as test optional and known not to send the scores. Also applied to three OOS publics - UMaine, UNH and URI and got in all three. The remaining two are OOS private schools, applied RD.
I can’t wait for this to be over! I’m taking a much needed mini-vacation over spring break with D23 in April. We’re going to visit D17 in southern CA since her university gave students a few days off for Easter that coincide with my younger kids’ spring break. S19 has lacrosse so Dh is staying home with him.
So my parents have told me that they won't be able to take out any loans to help with my college education. I know that most loans you have to cosign but are there any that the parents don't have to cosign, or that they don't look at your parents' history and the number of loans and mortgages they have. Like my parents can't afford the school I want to go to but I am okay with taking out the loan to attend the school. If there are any parents that could give me your input?advice on my situation, I would greatly appreciate it
I think your parents are being very responsible for your future by not letting you get big loans - that is a huge burden on young graduates.
One possibility you might want to consider, if your parents agree, is to get a deferral, take a gap year to work and save that money for tuition.
This sounds like so much fun! I wish D19 school did something similar. I think she’d actually enjoy post-prom games more than the actual prom. Pretty sure all she likes about prom is getting dressed up.
@TS0104
Yes, academics definitely played a huge role in our decision. D19 has a very specific career path in mind right now, so making sure the school she chose would provide her the opportunity to work toward that was really important. We both are completely aware she may change her mind, but we wanted to be sure that if she didn’t, those doors would be open to her.
Something we discussed a lot during the entire process was that the point of college is to get a good job. The ECs, the college experience, the fun, that is all great, but it was always secondary for us on the priority list. In my experience, what I’ve found that really ends up making a difference is the quality of the Career Services office. It’s the old catch 22. You can’t get a job without experience, and you can’t get experience without a job. Two schools can be completely equal as far as quality of education, but the one offering internships, industry connections, and overall great career readiness services will make all the difference in the world in the end in landing the job. Those kids have a distinct advantage over the other school because they already have work experience and are prepared for the job search process. One school we looked at, actually offered a Work Orientation class for seniors. Similar to a Freshman Orientation class, but focused on landing a job and then being successful in it. I thought it was kind of a cool idea. The school she ended up choosing requires a similar class during sophomore year for all students wishing to do internships.
@collegeughhh
Please be aware there is a difference between can’t co-sign and refuse to co-sign. Many parents feel that they cannot financially assist, but that doesn’t mean that they would actually be refused a loan.
If your parents genuinely cannot co-sign. For instance, if they are rejected for loans because of bad credit, the government will increase the amount of loan you can receive by $4,500. This means you would be eligible to get $9,500 your first year. But that is the absolute max, you will be able to get on your own. To do this, your parents will need to apply for a Parent Plus Loan and then be rejected for you to qualify for the extra money. It’s not something I would recommend lightly. $10,000 a year is a lot of debt.
As others have said, do reach out to financial aid. Ask about Federal Work Study. Ask if there are any other scholarships you can apply for. Ask if there’s anything they can do or recommend. Ask about taking a Gap year and how that would effect your aid. Have you gotten a better option, more aid, from a different school? Sometimes schools are willing to match aid.
In the end, though, I’d be prepared for them to tell you there isn’t anything they can do. Financially, this is very late in the game. Most schools have already finalized financial aid and discretionary money has already been handed out. It never hurts to ask, so definitely set up a meeting, just don’t be too devastated if they can’t help.
@Britmom5
So sorry. I’m sure it was really upsetting for your daughter. I’d just try to remind her to try not to take it too personally, especially if she applied RD. Schools need so many kids to fill this quota or that quota. Great kids get passed over all the time because they just aren’t what the school is looking for at this moment. Also, when you’ve got 100 identical performing applicants and only 10 spots, lots of amazing kids get cut. Sometimes, I think schools resort to picking names from hats for all the sense it makes.