<p>More news! Dd got her first acceptance today to Ringling! It is her first choice, but she still has four schools to hear from, so we will not make any decisions quite yet. Two of those should have decisions by mid February. Dd screamed so hard (when she got the acceptance) that I actually thought that she had walked in on my husband dead on the floor! She is on cloud 9, and I am actually starting to tear up, as I will miss her so much and Sarasota is far, far away! Just like for you Bears!</p>
<p>Congrats!
SAIC want my D make decision in the of mid Feb also. She called and say she is interested but can not make decision that early and they told her fine she can make decision I think before 4/1.
This may help!</p>
<p>philly- congrats to your D on Ringling!! If I lived closer to there, I would keep an eye on all the CC kids!</p>
<p>Phillyartmom, Huge congrats to your dd! I know how you feel! How exciting for her to have an answer before the holidays. What a great early gift! Sarasota isn’t so far time-wise…it’s a very short flight if you can get direct, and sure beats the car or bus ride I used to take to get to college! I hope today was a reason for your family to celebrate. You must be so proud of her!</p>
<p>Congratulations phillyartmom! The next best thing to a not-dead husband is a really great college acceptance! Enjoy the happiness with your D, it will make the next few months a lot easier now that she has heard from Ringling. </p>
<p>Visited D2 today and walked around the Mica art market. Lots of great things for sale and I enjoyed especially seeing the different departments and their offerings (they have alumni things for sale too). Great buttery and silky things at the fiber tables, but I did all my purchasing at the illustration tables. What fun!</p>
<p>congrats a ton phillymom
remind me what is that she wants to do? animation or illustration?
Sarasota is not that bad, distance, transportation, climate, the way to get there wise.
I have learned that what matter is not really the physical distance but how many how often cheap direct carriers fly, how far and how tedious is that to get to and from the airports on both end.
I sort of knew this is going to be our big issue and made annual transportation budget and such. sticking to it require planing and bugging, ended up enforcing “my way or highway”
Best if you have no worry money wise, or have VIP status.
like,
one of meanie mom from the parent forum sort of bragged about her D got upgraded flight for private school class trip and she is so polite and well brought up offered to switch her seat with the teacher.
the teacher rather wanted to keep eye on the class in the back and declined.
What I was thinking was, Rosa parks! or lack there of.
You don’t have to accept upgrading even your parents who are paying for the ticket are of 1%?
like, “offering” to the teacher is eh, kind of condescending (is it right word?) isn’t it?
or am I misreading situation totally here, again?
eventually her friend also gotten upgraded so two sat at front while lest of the class stayed in the back.</p>
<p>I don’t ever envy or understand this 1% mom but I envy greenwitch.
She can pop up for any occasion or just bring he D soup or something still warm.</p>
<p>congrats Philly mom. It is definitely a relief to have one acceptance but even better if it is a top choice! What a nice holiday gift! S had his from VCU but not merit aid before xmas. I think he was more excited for that one just because it was the first even if CMU was even then his top choice. </p>
<p>I think the upgrade was a bit silly. Wouldn’t you prefer to sit with your friends anyway? And yes, a bit patronizing to offer to the teacher even if the kid didn’t see it that way.</p>
<p>I am trying to stay off of the HS class of 13 forum where they are all gloating over incredibly high scores. All they care about is whether DD or DS is a national merit scholar. D’s came in hte mail yesterday and she had improved a little from last year but unless there is a miracle those scores are going to limit her choices. She was disappointed and just said “I wish I were smart like my brother”…I know that she will get into fine programs that are good for her…seems so unfair that her brother gets high scores and goes to programs that don’t care about scores and she really needs the high scores…sigh.</p>
<p>Bears you’re right, it was condescending of the girl to expect the teacher to be grateful and also more than a little bit gauche of her and her friend to sit away from the class in the fancier section of the plane. A more gracious gesture from the 1% mom would have been to upgrade everyone! Even better, let her D slum it a bit back in coach and give the school a major donation specifically for the R & R of the teachers. No glory there, though.</p>
<p>I do like being able to pop up to see either D. Since I was one of those kids who went to school far from home and had to fly back for holidays, I expected my kids to do the same. Little by little the idea of staying close to home began to grow on all of us. Some times I feel a bit like schleppo being asked to bring up this or that but overall it’s just…nice.</p>
<p>fammom, I hear you about the scores! D2 did well, and should never be tested again. D1 will be in the health field and has many, many years of standardized testing in front of her. Murphy’s law again! It did limit her school choices but she is happy where she is now and she did get merit money too. More and more schools are going test optional but I’m not sure how they will allocate merit money. D3 will be tough - I am shuddering at the thought of the whole process with her. Does your D have any ideas about where she wants to go and what she wants to major in?</p>
<p>Right now…living in type-A suburbia with over educated parents --everyone fixates on school name. Also, we are in Virginia so the competition is fierce for UVA, VATech, WandM, etc. Sort of like the rich man getting into heaven…it is very tough for kids from NoVA. My son had top scores but he was told that his one C in 10th grade English basically took UVA out of the equation. Amazing. I have seen solid B students with average test scores be rejected by Old Dominion and VCU–truly average academic environment but there are just too many kids trying to stay in state and not enough spots. Also, these schools keep 15-20% of spots for out of state or international who pay 3X the fees. She probably has a bit of an edge being classed as “hispanic” which hopefully, being late to English, someone will take this into account on her testing. I made her take the SAT II in spanish so she has one really high score (790) compared to her SAT english (500). Straight As in honors English but she reads and writes slowly and needs to edit several times. </p>
<p>My D is getting swept up into the name thing and because I graduated from Duke I think she thinks this will give her an edge there. She also really liked the Dartmouth presentation… Hopeless really with her projected scores (even assuming a significant increase)…these schools are very tough to get into, and, frankly I am not sure that the education there is any better than anywhere else. Since she is unsure what she wants to do I see grad school in the long term future so I hope she goes in state or gets merit aid somewhere. She thinks she wants big school, rah-rah sports and greek life but I think she would be better in a smaller, southern LAC with all the college trappings but a little more laid back and smaller classes. </p>
<p>She is very creative and an excellent photographer. She insists that photography is a hobby; one starving artist in the family is enough, but she often wins local competitions and I hope she continues to keep this creative side going. My H and I never developed any hobbies or creative outlets and I feel it is a huge loss for both of us being so focused on academics and work. </p>
<p>I am open to suggestions. Bears tipped me onto Rhodes in Memphis. To me it looks perfect and she has lower scores but higher grades than the average student. Going for a visit is the biggest difficulty…nothing is near memphis! She would be fine in a little school like that…Swanee, Furman, Elon, etc. and perhaps Mary Washington in VA (she will say it is too close to home and only “losers” go there). The problem is the size and the lack of name brand recognition. We will do the requisite college tour during Easter week so I hope to hit a few of these little schools. I was planning to go south but any suggestions for NY/PA/MA for these types of schools? I am such a southerner I feel uncertain about anything north of Maryland.</p>
<p>famom we got crossed.
yeah Memphis is a challenge.
even the guy who write CTCL book said, if Rhodes were in New England, it will be so much more popular.
any test opptional schools? I haven’t looked into them much because his grades were the issue more than his test scores. (in comparison, that is)</p>
<p>fammom - we visited Birmingham-Southern with D1 and she really like it. She applied there and was given merit money but didn’t attend because it didn’t have nursing as a major (it has some Vandy connection with upper level nursing though). Anyway, they are also a CTCL school and Birmingham is much easier to get to via Southwest Air than Memphis. I think 80% of the men are in fraternities and a slightly lower percentage of women in sororities (don’t quote me on that) so it qualifies as a Greek rah-rah school but in a smaller, more accessible way. I think it’s really equivalent to Rhodes (D2 liked Rhodes too, but we never got to visit), and it was the only school we visited where the students really liked the campus police. “They took care of my fish over winter break”, was something one girl said. I also remember they automatically grant merit money on a formula that takes into account your test scores and grades:</p>
<p>[BSC</a> Financial Aid Office- Achievement Scholarship Program](<a href=“http://www.gotobsc.com/fa/achievement.htm]BSC”>http://www.gotobsc.com/fa/achievement.htm)</p>
<p>If you visit, you shouldn’t resist taking a drive over to Tuscaloosa. Yes, oh yes, that’s where this is going! A HUGE school, but it could meet her needs and is known for being generous to out of state kids that it wants. Excellent dorms too, which I’m sure your D would like. We visited there and spoke to a very old friend of mine who is teaching while pursuing her PhD. The friend’s main complaint was how alumni take over town during home football games. I also have a cousin there, from Louisiana, who is a huge LSU fan and well, you can imagine how that makes things awkward! </p>
<p>There’s also Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. I don’t know that much about it but my Orlando in-laws like it very much. My BIL works with someone who went there undergrad and he is impressed by how thoughtful that person is. While your D’s friends are freezing in Hanover, NH, she can be happily spending the winter in Florida! </p>
<p>I’ve also heard good things about Sewanee, but I think you’d have to visit to make sure it’s a good fit for your D. And there’s also Eckerd. The campus buildings leave something to be desired, but you couldn’t find a more beautiful setting, with water surrounding so much of it and they have their own little beach! Stay away from the New College of Florida, it was just grungy there (people and facilities) and I’m sure your D wouldn’t appreciate that.</p>
<p>Bears, what a riot “like visiting the zoo”… hahahaha! That’s one way to keep yourself sane. Like TigerMom’s kid getting in everywhere, it seems there is no justice. Then read that thread about snobbiness at Princeton and hope that the overprivileged get to room together and share a tiny closet and only have each other for sympathy. Remember the movie “Crash”? When Sandra Bullock couldn’t find a friend to comfort her so she hugs the nanny/maid? We can hope…</p>
<p>fammom- I live in a very similar place but we’re in a tiny alternative school so we’re somewhat insulated from most of the BS. Still, there have been incidents, if not with teenagers then with their parents! I’m sure you’ve heard all the lines about RISD. Not to say anything bad about RISD but it’s just a sign of limited knowledge when it’s the only art school anyone has ever heard of.</p>
<p>have you seen New College?
I was intrigued (marine mammals manatees manatees manatees) and was in CTCL’s big push.</p>
<p>OhOhOhOhOh
I just saw Highschool musical, but not any HS musical, THE FAME SCHOOL musical!!
crown jewel of a performing art school, LaG HS of art.
This year, it is “Guys and Dolls” I haven’t ever seen it before and had no idea what I was getting into, except mommy friend’s son is going to dance.
Dancing he did, semi-pro kids could only get parts, grueling rehearsals after already long three period arts a-day schedule, fortune spent for scene and costume and tech theater, the show got to be perfect and it nearly was.
I was sitting with this family friend whose kid also attends LaG but kept out of all that jazz and glitz.
Just by spying listening I can see how much kids and families had to put in just to stay afloat.
not everyone can become Oscar winner (few did) but most graduates would attend four year college, for LaG also do academics well.
How easy or hard to go into selective MT/dance/drama or voice major from school like LaG, where standard is already out the chart of kids’ play?
Would it be better off going to mediocra HS but given lead part singing off key here there, still get standing ovation nonetheless?
I know there were those who “fell off the LaG crack” but missed out timings to transfer out safely.
If your kid has it (the dancing boy?) it’s theater parents’ dream come true. free lessons, all the oppotunities, name recognition and alumni network.
If not, it is much harder to take, than, art studio kids:the biggest studio and unproportional number are going against BFA route after HS. </p>
<p>How would you like to be told that you are not gonna cut it when only 16,17 year old, after finally made it into super selective duper program by beating thousands kids on audition?
Is it blessing in disguise?
Would there be such thing as late blooming MT students?
I should go spy MT forum…</p>
<p>No one want to come to Iowa but Iowa did have a good college:
grinnell college.
It is rich and give out a lot merit money in order to get students from different states.
The campus is really nice.</p>
<p>H and I went to watch the Muppets today. Am I silly? I did cried when they failed to make enough money and then the frog opened the door facing many people welcome them.</p>
<p>Grinnell is excellent, and very well-endowed especially due to the Intel founder who went there. Maybe too snowy and too hippy for fammom’s D, but who knows? She may also like Colorado College, which is also on the block schedule like Grinnell. Probably lots of outdoorsy types at Colorado which is in a very beautiful place. </p>
<p>I haven’t seen the Muppets movie but don’t feel bad for crying! I cry at ridiculous things too, it’s part of the joy of being a human female! I haven’t seen a movie in ages but might go tomorrow to see Hugo. Has anyone seen it?</p>
<p>My friend’s D went to Colorado college in stead of Grinnell.
I like the Muppets but have not see Hugo, post here if you like it or not!</p>
<p>everyone wanna go to Iowa
Caucuses, Writers’ Workshop, The field of dreams… was on sale, or is it bought by now?
I heard that it is supposedly going to become kiddie baseball dynasty if funded, will going to beat Williamsport PA.
If you built it, they will come</p>
<p>so many movie choices… anyone for “Breaking Dawn part 1”? just kidding!! (then again, maybe not. DO YOU WANT TO KNOW what happens???)
when I was at Gmoms, mangagirl was doing summary for grownups = twilight free population, and I was listening, but could not hold my paws under my bear bottom in the end!!</p>
<p>I will wait for my kid and Tintin with Snowy wagwagwagwag
I heard that Olsen little sis’s major debut is great.
NYU mafia. (says, lil sis did graduate. and its director and I forget someone else also came to the radio went there)</p>
<p>what happened to the “film watching” thread? oh well…</p>
<p>Colorado college was nice. it was a Sunday in midsummer and only limited spying (inside of the student center and so-so art facility, peeking from windows of the dorms, swimming pool and library, then town laundromat, 7-11, post office, local mom pop toy and bookstore. small tourist-y downtown. walkable but bit boring.
But, the vista!
mountains are THERE, standing right next to the campus. (I mean it is not, but it looks and seems like it.)
does she hike? ski? skate? it seems its prerequisite.
You could bump into Apolo Ohno!!</p>