<p>I also have told my dd that I will need her portal access. She has not had any trouble with that idea, although, like Socaldad, we pay she plays.</p>
<p>On another note, I have been collecting my 20 percent off coupons from Bed Bath and Beyond for over a year and wanted to use them when we pick up all the stuff in Florida right before drop off. Today in the mail I received a coupon for 20 percent off my whole purchase!! So now, I can keep all my other coupons for stuff that we will need during the year. I wonder if the coupon distributors know that I have a huge order waiting for me in Florida?</p>
<p>Unfortunately my S1 was more stubborn and has not shared his grade portal with us. However he’s made the Dean’s list both semesters so far. He knows that he’ll need to share the portal with us if his grades are no longer good enough to make the Dean’s list. I’m leaving it alone for now—that’s one battle I don’t need to pick until I need too.</p>
<p>S2, on the other hand, will have to keep us informed of his grades.</p>
<p>Spectrum: Glad the FA worked out. RVM: Nice article. Phillyartmom: Great savings! Momjr: Nice to “see” you! Hope your D’s are doing well.</p>
<p>omg I’ve also been collecting those 20% off single item coupons hope that I also get the 20% off purchase in the mail soon. Does the coupon look different than the usual one?</p>
<p>I also got the 20% off entire purchase coupon! But I already finished all the BBB shopping! Still even have some regular coupons left…have been saving them for years. I am saving the coupon for D2 and will use it in 2 years.</p>
<p>Regarding access to the online portal. I do have D’s password. We have an agreement, I can look at everything but grades. I really did micromanage the HS grade process, with Edline it was just too easy to be all over the kids about grades. I think for the sake of our relationship, I need to back off. She needs to take responsibility for her grades. I told her that part of that responsibility is seeking out help from the resources available on campus if needed and calling us for help if needed. But I am in charge of tuition, so I needed access to her account. Also, she is away this summer with limited access to a computer and I needed to register for some of her classes for her…with her permission! </p>
<p>Also there was some discussion a little further up on how to get kids to get the applications done. Once D1 decided on her schools to apply to, I did a spreadsheet with all of the application deadlines, including EA and scholarship deadlines, then I noted whether the school was common app, supplemental essays (and printed the supplemental essay questions), etc. D1 and I went through the deadlines and made a schedule of when things needed to get done by. My deadline for her was that she had to have her stuff done one month before the actual deadline. That way we had room for unforseen delays, changes, etc. Usually we met late afternoon on Sundays for a status update, review of deadlines. </p>
<p>This helped break the process down into managable chunks and it didn’t seem as overwhelming as it could have been. It worked well for us.</p>
<p>We are crossing stressful things off the “to do” list all the time and it feels GREAT. DS passed his road test this morning. Phew. Just in time for me to go on my business trip next week and not have to worry about getting him rides. As he relaxes, he is more open to chatting about things like early action, extra essays (like “Why Tulane”), etc. I can’t even imagine how great it will feel when the apps are all in. </p>
<p>mdmomfromli has a good plan re: the schedule. I do think you have to consider your D/S’ schedule though. For my DS, it will be much better if we get it all done before school starts. Just too much on his plate during the school year. It fits in better for us this way. Every family has to know its demands and rhythms. Some work better last minute. Some kids handle college apps more independently. I do like the spreadsheet idea. I will get back to this after August 1 when apps are posted. Then we have to get to it!</p>
<p>Hi Everybody! Been away - enjoying sun and beach relaxing… Well, with August around the corner, I feel like have to get serious about aps, etc. I can’t really complain - S’s been working on them. Essay basically done. I read it a bit ago, and he’s been tweaking it. I can tell he worked hard, and I’ll read it again. He’s been working on “supplementals” or “short answers” consistently. Our goal is also to have them done well in advance. Interestingly, he used to be a total procrastinator, and I’m shocked that I’m seeing a huge change regarding these aps - is this a sign he’s MATURING? Hoping to ease the stress of the Fall with Senior year with sports, school-work, some college visits, etc. </p>
<p>Any opinions on visits during the last 2 weeks of August? I know colleges will be just re-opening, but we’ve avoided visits during July, based on CC comments about colleges being “empty”, and I would like to go before S starts back at school. </p>
<p>About Bed and Bath coupons - don’t they have an expiration date? I’m reading about all of you collecting them, and I thought they expire? Also, want to comment that I was at Home Depot last week, and some lamps and stuff were very cheap. (The same ones I’ve seen at BBB). I know this isn’t the place you may think of for dorm stuff, but may be worth a visit!</p>
<p>champs–campuses will be in full swing (for better or worse!) in late August. A lot of the partying, etc., will seem wilder than it really is because students will not have settled down yet. There is a lot going on when older students get back to campus but class work hasn’t kicked in yet, combined with a lot of first year students over-celebrating their first taste of college “freedom.”</p>
<p>The BBB have an expiration date, but the stores always honor them anyway. So start collecting! As for August visits, my dd goes back the 14th, so things will be popping. If you have schools to visit and you want to get them done sooner rather than later, do it. If after acceptances are in, your child needs to go back and look at a school, you can always do that, if it works for you. My dd ended up picking a school she saw in August, and even though it was not completely up and running, she loved it. When she went back the next April, nothing had changed for her.</p>
<p>We have a family trip planned to DC at the end of Aug, and my S2 and I are going in a day early to visit Goucher and McDaniel. Both of them will be welcoming students back that day. Goucher has a tour and info session, but I was told that McDaniel Admission Reps won’t be there and there won’t be any official tour or info session. We can stop by the Admissions office and pick up a walking tour, which we will do.</p>
<p>It will be interesting to see my S’s opinions of the campus’s. I’m hoping it’s not beastly hot that time of year.</p>
<p>Some of the BB&B stores here started to test the market by warning that they were going to stop accepting expired coupons. You can guess how that went over. Epic fail. They continue to accept the coupons.</p>
<p>Umich- it will probably be beastly hot in DC in late August. We’ve had insane heat this summer. Also expect thunderstorms in the afternoon/ evening. That said though, McDaniel may be more pleasant given its location. My S has done soccer camps there and it’s cooler than it is in the city- somewhat, at least.</p>
<p>umich - The saying you hear in the DC area is “it’s not the heat, it’s the humidity”.<br>
It is so true. Add the extreme heat we have been having to our high humidity levels and air conditioning is your new best friend! If you are going to be walking a lot make sure you have water with you.</p>
<p>OK, have started thinking of schools for D2. D2 would be very happy to go to College Park. I am fairly confident that she will get in, so I am not so worried about finding other academic and financial safeties like I was with D1 (who said there was no way she would go to College Park). Instead we are looking at some more match/reach private schools to round out the list. And yes, we do have other safeties on the list.</p>
<p>Things D2 must have, she wants a school with a campus, lots of green space, but doesn’t care if it’s in a city, or in the middle of nowhere. Must have school spirit/pride. She wants to go to sports games and cheer on the home team. Must have some sort of active Greek life. She will probably want to join a sorority. </p>
<p>Do any of these schools meet these qualifications?</p>
<p>Emory
University of Richmond
Johns Hopkins
Case Western
Northwestern
Lehigh
University of Rochester</p>
<p>I started searching this thread for these schools and came up with pages and pages, so I figured this might be the easier way to go!</p>
<p>Emory…S1 went there, had a wonderful 4 years, made great friends with other students and with some professors. There is active Greek life…S1 did not join a fraternity, but his roomie did. He and roomie still lived together the following year (did not have to live in his house) and roomie was best man at my son’s wedding. In other words, you can go greek and still have great friends outside your house, and if you do not go greek you do not lose your friends. </p>
<p>However, Emory is not a rah-rah sports campus. Intramurals are big but not many go to games, although my son sometimes went to soccer games or tennis matches to cheer on his friends.</p>
<p>From your list, it would seem that Northwestern and Lehigh are the most rah-rah …</p>
<p>Mdmom: I agree wit boyx3. Northwestern is probably the closest to what your D is looking for. JHU has sports excitment during lacrosse season, but the other sports are D3. You might want to consider Penn also. It has great greek life and lots of spirit. </p>
<p>Choc: Thanks for asking about my D’s. They’re both home off and on this summer. D1 is waiting to move north to start a job in the fall. D2 is currently in Israel on a birthright trip. She’s loving it so far.</p>