<p>CPU, I don’t think they always have an affordability issue, but you have limited resources (like my own family) and it is hard not to root for you to get both a world class education and be able to afford it. </p>
<p>Besides, you you had the good sense to hang out with all of us old fogies in the Class of 2012 thread. We have rooted for you for so long we now get to give you opinions that our own kids won’t listen to! :)</p>
<p>Thanks MizzBee! Also, I sometimes go back to my mom with advice from the Thread and she says “that’s what I’ve been saying!!” guess it’s better to hear it from a third party ;)</p>
<p>I’d rather graduate with no debt from a fabulous school than 20k+ in debt from an equally fabulous (in my opinion) school. I sort of wish I didn’t see the FA packages until after visiting both. So I would know which one “felt” right, then saw finances. There’s a silent “pressure” to lean towards Harvard. There’s also community pressure “because it’s Harvard”. I honestly feel that I could thrive at both, so it will come down to subjectives (I will write a list over spring break).</p>
<p>Heck, I could throw a rock out my living room window and hit someone who has bigger problems to deal with than a rejection from a reachy college. (And then that person would have the new problem of getting hit by a rock!)</p>
<p>Such wisdom,absweetmarie! I was more than a little disappointed by my dd’s choice of colleges to apply to but I said nothng and let it slide. Yesterday I discovered that a girl my daughter danced with for about 10 years lost both parents this past year. They died about 8 months apart. The girl is only 16 years old. As someone who was orphaned myself it made me realize that in my push to give my daughter all that I never had, I was pushing her in an area she didn’t want to go. I wanted her to look at the Ivy’s like her cousins did. She was never interested despite great SATs/ACTs. It really put things in perspective for me! I’m thankful that I’m around to see her go!</p>
<p>It’s interesting to read the comments about being “too close” to home, because I’ve been accepted by Stanford, and it’s my top choice at the moment. It’s only 1¼ hrs away from home, and for that reason, my older brother, C opted for UCLA over Stanford (for the sake of being just a few hours further away).</p>
<p>Yet my other older brother, E was an undergrad at Berkeley and that’s even closer to home (just 40 minutes away). E lived on campus (or just off campus) for the whole four years, he didn’t stay at home.</p>
<p>Both of them have good relationships with my parents, so it isn’t that C wanted to get away from my parents as such, I think he believed he would feel more independent being a bit further away.</p>
<p>Anyhow, my parents have said that if I opt for Stanford (or indeed Berkeley, that’s on the table too), they’ll treat me just like they do my brother who is at UCLA. They wouldn’t expect to see more of me, just because I’m closer, they appreciate I need to “find myself” or whatever it is they call it these days.</p>
<p>The only thing left is for us to pay the piper. My twins applied to 2 schools. My son is headed east to the music conservatory of his dreams. My daughter to School of Foreign Service at Georgetown. If they didn’t get accepted they were going to work and travel
abroad. They are happy. I was hoping that they would have another year to mature before they started down the long tunnel of school. My family is going to be eating lots of beans and rice the next for or 5 years.</p>
<p>My heart goes out to all of you making and hearing tough decisions.</p>
<p>absweetmarie,</p>
<p>My son would agree with you 100%! Fun, learning stuff that interests you, hanging out with friends, learning more new and interesting stuff, playing sports, learning more new and interesting stuff (hmm, am I repeating myself) while enjoying the long time stuff at a deeper level, doing silly stuff (and only occasionally a little dangerous) with friends, serving others, teaching others, making some mistakes (but maybe learning from them)-that was high school for my oldest son.</p>
<p><em>But</em>, my son had more freedom to do that as a homeschooler. We are truly in awe of students who are in full time brick and mortar schools who retain that joy and love of learning. He could not have done that, which is one of the main reasons we homeschooled.</p>
<p>It’s not for everyone and it has its ups and downs. For that kid, it seemed to work pretty well. For my other two, the verdict is still out.</p>
<p>My son has received several offers, but his choice is SYRACUSE! Congrats to him, I am so proud!</p>
<p>Congrats to every student who has worked so hard to get to this point in their lives. Also, a shout out to the parents who have been so supportive and nervous as well!!</p>
<p>Personally, I’m ecastic for my son but am glad that it’s over!</p>
<p>That’s a wrap!</p>
<p>DD (on spring break this week) asked me to send the class deposit into UST this morning. I think spending the day with friends yesterday, reinforced her desire to be “in the vicinity” of home - not a plane ride away.</p>
<p>Not sure I’ll be back here to run through DS’15’s options - what will this process be like by then?! what with online “blowing up” - bricks and mortar schools pushing out into the “virtual” education experience and constricting their length of programs (i.e. NU turning their 2 year MBA into a 1 year, etc…).</p>
<p>I think secondary education will be totally reinvented in < 5 years.</p>
<p>Good luck to those still on the fence/bubble etc… thanks to all! I learned a ton here, and it was great to know there were others going through similar experiences.</p>
<p>It’s a journey, not a destination! Love they “safety” (still hate that label), apply early, find academic AND FINANCIAL fits, use the information in the ratings, not the ratings themselves, every kid, family, school and circumstance is different.</p>
<p>Be happy.</p>
<p>Sbjdorlo</p>
<p>I agree about the homeschooling option. It worked for my d. She loved homeschooling but is looking forward to university life. It worked for me, too. We had a b-a-l-l.</p>
<p>I know very little about home-schooling but I applaud parents who can pull it off. (Even if I had the temperament for it, my status as a widow made the concept a nonstarter!) I can’t begin to imagine how I’d have created a curriculum for an elementary school child, much less a high-school-age kid. I assume you have a community of home-schoolers to help. But, still. Y’all must be super-smart like your kids!</p>
<p>absweetmarie,</p>
<p>I admire <em>you</em> for being a widow and raising children! I cannot imagine it. You are a hero to me!</p>
<p>Yes, it was a community based education, for sure. I didn’t teach my oldest from the age of 9 or 10 or so. I am good at finding resources and we worked together to piece his education together. Smart like him? No. LOL On another thread, I related the story of his his SAT score at age 11 was higher than mine at 17. :-)</p>
<p>I didn’t raise children, sbjdorlo, just one terrific child. And I had a community to help me with that, too!</p>
<p>Wonderful, absweetmarie! It sounds like it was a sweet journey with your D, even with the struggles.</p>
<p>Bungalowdweller,</p>
<p>Congratulations to you and your D on a great high school homeschool career and the excitement of looking forward to college! :-)</p>
<p>the biggest problem my kids have had to deal with has not been college acceptances /denials. But the fact is out there, that it is tough. we teach them the value of working hard, but its hard to get across its not the product but the process. My kids have done every EC because they wanted to, in fact turned down EC’s that would have helped get them into IVY’s because they didnt want to do it. My kids Ec’s are also quite impressive in the leadership category. and D1 the sports as well.
I cant help feel bad, while its great if your kid is the one who gets into where they want to go, there are many other equally qualified kids who did not. They have to deal with the dissapointment, other people’s expectations as well as their own. My d got accepted to all the schools she applied to this year, she did lose out on a mega scholarship and after a day or two was fine. I still hate the process always will. and glad i am done, except grad school haha
Also congrats on the twins, very impressive!</p>
<p>Awwwwwwwww, absweetmarie!</p>
<p>Most homeschoolers are just regular folks! It’s so much easier to homeschool these days----the curriculum choices are endless and there is the online option,too. Some people form co-ops and do things together but we chose to do things with others that was the fun social stuff and keep the books and learning for the home. It was a w-o-n-d-e-r-f-u-l life and I wouldn’t have traded it for anything! </p>
<p>We both raised wonderful “walkin’ one & onlies!”</p>
<p>I, also, have great respect for you raising a child alone. I was an orphan who lost both parents 10 months apart when I was 14 so I can relate. What you did is a great accomplishment! </p>
<p>Thanks for your kind remarks—you made my day!</p>
<p>pinkcoconut, </p>
<p>Don’t overlook a wonderful school just because it’s close to home. If you’re planning to live on campus, it doesn’t really matter how far away (or near) your parents’ home is. I went to school at the university in my own city, and I hardly ever went home.</p>
<p>It has been a long road. I started reading this board when my kid was about eight. It was as entertaining then as it is now. He was accepted to N.C. State, University of Pittsburgh, Campbell University, East Carolina University, and University of Rochester. He was denied at Swarthmore, and UVA. He was waitlisted at Chapel Hill. He is accepting University of Rochester.</p>
<p>It is an exciting time, and a scary time. He is my only baby, so empty nest here I come…Congrats to you and your children!</p>
<p>Hi everybody, just want to seize this opportunity to say congratulations to all parents whose S/Ds have been accepted to the schools of their choices, and for those who feel they have been disappointed, it is not the end of the road, it is just a road bump that you can use as a stepping stone to a higher ground.What I’ve come to realize in life is that, sometimes the things we think are the best for us may just be good and not necessarily the best. </p>
<p>As a christian, I believe some doors may be closed on us so as to allow us to enter through the ones God ordained for us to fulfil our different purposes in life. Hold your heads up high, for you have done the best you could.
A luta continua, victoria e certa!(the struggle continues but victory is certain)</p>
<p>*This is my first entry in College confidential</p>
<p>Welcome Integrity2011! I think much of what you expressed about those “road bumps” is true across all faiths. “Not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck” ~ Dalai Lama</p>
<p>familyof3boys,</p>
<p>Oh I most certainly won’t be overlooking Stanford or Berkeley, in fact they’re my top two choices right now, and I’d be very surprised if one of them isn’t my final choice. I’m actually leaning towards Berkeley more right now, because of a particular major they offer.</p>