<p>@mathmom, GeekMom63, collegecarla, QuantMech, MomofWildChild, 12rmh18, MmeZeeZee, CoolRunning, mamita, Magnetron, katliamom, Olymom, stevensmama, SmithieandProud, and cptofthehouse-
(okay, in hindsight maybe it was dorky to list everyone individually- I REALLY hope I didn’t miss anyone!! -but you all took the time to reply to me and I wanted to at least personally acknowledge each of you for that- I am truly grateful for the thoughts, wisdom, and resources passed on by each and every one of you)</p>
<p>Wow, I’m completely shocked by the number of replies I have received! Thank you all, so much. I really appreciate your kind words and encouragement. I have said for a long time now that I don’t want anyone to be proud of me, or congratulate me- I don’t deserve any kind of commendation for merely returning to normalcy. I went down a terrible path, and that was my own choice. But I cannot thank you enough for being accepting of me, in spite of my past, and passing on such generous well-wishings and support…actually, now that I think about it, that makes sense- I can tell this is a parent’s forum! 
Parents seem to have a bottomless well of love to give…</p>
<p>I wish I had the time to really respond to each of you, but I think I can cover most of this in one post- please know, though, that I read each of your posts with care and will heed every bit of advice that you have offered! AND THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!</p>
<p>Okay, here goes:</p>
<p>Yes, I have applied to a couple of schools outside of the “Ivy” realm- and really, I use the term “Ivy League” loosely. I know the term actually refers to a specific sports-community, but I DIDN’T know that until recently, lol, and most college hopefuls I’ve talked to over the years just use the term to describe any highly financially endowed, extremely selective private university (so it just kind of became a habit for me, too). However, Ivy or not, my chances at any of those schools are pretty slim, as are anyone’s. I only applied to schools that seemed to have everything I wanted in a college, but many of those were deliberately picked from the list that provides 100% of demonstrated financial need to accepted students- what I mean is that I researched all the schools on that list, fell in love with a handful of them, and applied to those. It’s a long shot, but because the schools offer cultural, educational, networking, research, AND full-ride scholarship opportunities, if I made it into ANY of those schools, well, I’d be set. And every single one of them has on-site daycare- I could obtain my incredible education with the knowledge that my son was being safely cared for just a few buildings away!! Cornell in particular happens to have AMAZING programs for students with kids- I’ve been on their electronic mailing list for about a year now, and they never cease to amaze me! SOOO many fabulous opportunities, and obviously my family would be made comfortable there, not treated like bizarre outcasts. I also applied to Columbia GS, the school specifically for non-traditionals- average student age is 29. :)</p>
<p>But still, with any of them, it is a long shot. </p>
<p>My CC does have an articulation agreement with a local state school, and I have applied there just to be safe, but honestly there isn’t much about that school that I find appealing. I hope that doesn’t make me sound snobby or something…that’s something I certainly can’t afford to be, lol!!! However, I have applied to other safe schools- One of the “safeties” I applied to is not too far away (would still require a move, but it is at least a connecting state…) and sends me something in the mail almost every day- no joke. I am consistently impressed by how many different mailings they have to send out, because every day, it’s a brand new postcard/letter/booklet/pamphlet/etc. etc. etc. How do they come up with something new to tell me about their school EVERY DAY?? Lol, I will admit, it’s nice- I get to smile everytime I check my mail- but I am a little sad about all the tree-massacring that they appear to condone… 
</p>
<p>Anyway, I do have at least one great option in that school, although I fear the scholarships may not be enough to make it a truly viable possibility. We’ll see… That’s also my question about ANY of the schools that don’t meet 100% of need (I looked into Yale’s Eli Whitney program- it sounds so amazing- but as I understand it, they don’t offer nearly the same financial opportunities as they do to regular Yale students). But you guys have left me an incredible amount of resources and links to check into, so I will be jumping on that immediately. If I recall correctly, several of them were actually in reference to financial opportunities, specifically, that my situation would qualify us for- those are things I will HAVE to check out asap!! (Thank you thank you thank you thank you!!!)</p>
<p>I won’t talk your ears off any more for now…so again, thank you so much. You have been so helpful, on so many levels.</p>
I’m sorry! I have so many goals in life- to nurture my children into becoming the best versions of their uniquely different selves as they can possibly be, to always be open-minded, supportive, loving, and foster an environment of honesty and sharing so that they will never be afraid to talk to me about anything (I think my biggest problem growing up was that I felt so much like my mom wouldn’t understand me, that she was so great and nice and perfect, yadda yadda, that I could never talk to her, be honest with her, when my life began to beckon skeletons- they HAD to be kept in the closet- so I want to make sure my kids not only realize that they CAN talk to me, but that they NEED to talk to me), I want to make a difference in the way American children are educated, make us all stronger and hungrier for knowledge, not just to make us more globally competitive (although that would be nice), but to create more problem-solvers and really make the world a better place- I know, cliche, but it’s a cliche for a reason… 