<p>Sorry for your news, but at least your S can move on now. Best of luck to him and you!</p>
<p>It does feel better to finally have a clearer direction of where we’re headed. Hopefully he will have a great time and GSU freshmen year and go from there!
Hope you all are transitioning smoothly though the college process as well!</p>
<p>Please find a way for him to live in the dorm. It will make him feel much more a part of GSU if he does. Both my boys lived in the dorm for a year and then moved off campus to live w/ friends the next 3 years. Even so, both will say that living in the dorm freshman year was a great experience and would not have done it any other way.</p>
<p>@sitamom - I’m a senior in high school this year (like your son). I drive 45 minutes to my school, which starts at 7:00 am, every day, so I thought I’d share some thoughts from a kid who’s doing the same thing.</p>
<p>Our schedules, even in high school, are overloaded. I leave my house at 6:00 am every morning and do not make it home until sometime in between 7:00 and 10:00 pm due to various sports and after school activities. Because of the distance between my house and my school, I often find myself having to stay in my school’s town for hours between activities, losing valuable time. Yes, that time can be spent on homework, but not having a place of your own for the majority of your waking hours begins to wear on you. I find myself much more stressed than I was when I attended school in my own city. </p>
<p>In addition to this, a lot of time is wasted on transportation. Though my drive home on a clear day is only 45 minutes, when I happen to leave during rush hour or there is an accident on the major highway that is my only way to get home, that drive has ranged from two to three hours long. As a high school student involved in other activities, every hour counts, and I have no doubt that the same will be true for your son in college. </p>
<p>Long days also have this terrible side effect of making you into a walking zombie - long weeks even more so. I struggle to keep my eyes open while driving home two to three times a week - it’s extremely dangerous and I don’t advise you put your son at risk.</p>
<p>As for the social side of things, commuting does on fact impair one’s sense of “belonging” to their friend group on campus. Every time his friends want to hang out at a time that he isn’t just getting out of class, they’re a lot more than a ten-minute walk away. Every “hang out” session will come at the expense of a 30 minute commute each way.</p>
<p>I’m sorry to hear about your son’s misfortune with the waitlist. Though everyone’s situation is different, I feel I can relate to a degree (I’m on my dream school, Dartmouth’s, waitlist this year and they’re over enrolled by 90…not looking good). When you’re having to attend a college that came as a disappointment at first, I sincerely believe that personal relationships are the best way to ease that pain. The added stress and other negative effects of commuting will make the adaptation harder on him, IMHO. </p>
<p>Best of luck to your son.</p>
<p>@sitamom I just saw your post, and I wanted to say how sorry I am that your son was cut from the UGA wait list. But you know what? It’s probably for the best that it happened now. He can now focus on the positives of going to GSU and really get into the spirit of things. I hope it all works out for all of you!</p>
<p>Has he considered a summer job to help pay for the dorm? He may become very motivated to work extra hours. </p>
Sorry for reviving such an old thread but, son was accepted into UGA as a transfer student! He made a 3.92 GPA at GSU and applied to UGA immediately after the transfer application opened up! He was able to transfer as a sophomore, so he only had to spend 2 semesters at GSU. He never really connected with GSU, but is overwhelmingly happy to finally be a Georgia Bulldog this fall!
Just sharing so people know that the waitlist is not the end! If a school if truly your ideal school, go for it!
Congrats to him for doing what he needed to do to achieve his goal! Thanks for the update.
ETA: Did he end up living In The dorms or at home?
@Youdon’tsay He lived at home and commuted by the Marta public transit system. So UGA will be his first dorm experience, and we are all very excited. We were able to sell his $3,000 violin and son has been saving money from a job at a pet store, so dorm cost at UGA is no longer an issue 
Thanks for posting an update. I am so glad this worked out for your son.
Glad your s is able to transfer, but have seen and heard many good things about the continued improvements of GSU, not to mention their basketball team! And yes, GSU has many non traditional students and its very urban, but many have been happy there. Hope your s is a happy Bulldog.