<p>I’m proposing a thread dedicated not to a hardcore list of acceptances and scholarships, which is admirably addressed elsewhere, but instead to either parent or personal stories of CC grads, what they decided to spend this next school year, and how they ended up with that decision. I was interested in stories, not a catalog. What do y’all think?</p>
<p>WashDadJr turns 18 next Monday, and he graduated last night. Whew. Since he’s done with college searching and he’s not a minor any longer, I’m going to come clean and admit that he has a real first name. His is John, named after my father in law.</p>
<p>John has had a rough road all through school – all self-inflicted (hello, MoWC!). He is objectively brilliant, but combines that with a streak of stubbornness the width of the Atlantic, and a refusal to do anything just because it’s expected of him. As I’ve posted here before, he has an inclination to want to prove everything for himself and either resists or ignores the judgment of others. I figure he’ll either end up Richard Feynmann or Ted Kaczynski.</p>
<p>Having chosen to be a junior iconoclast, he has aced every exam he’s ever taken, and turned in an average of half his homework assignments. This resulted in an unweighted GPA of 3.04 and an SAT of 2200 (no studying or prep). He was a NM Semi-finalist, but his grades kept him from Finalist consideration. He was a accepted everywhere he applied except for two stretch schools and one that should have been a match.</p>
<p>Based on educational plans, career goals, and scholarship offers it came down to the University of Washington and New Mexico Institute of Technology. WPI was probably his first choice, but with no scholarship offer (only one of two schools that didn’t offer something), the $45k per year was a deal-breaker. John perceived UW as large, cold, uncaring, and possessing of strange policies. The good points were its reputation, girls, and location.</p>
<p>NMT was an after-thought, and added to the list only because we knew a bright young man that went there five years ago. We visited their “Research at NMT Day” and John LOVED it. “These are my people.” He liked the desert, the people, the faculty, the buildings. He was especially impressed by the constant litany of, “We have millions in federal research grants – two-thirds of our undergrads get paid to work on research projects.” Good points: nerd heaven in the desert. Bad points: in the middle of nowhere, few girls.</p>
<p>So. That’s the end of WashDadJr’s college search. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology – a school few of you have heard of. Last summer, I hadn’t either, but it’s what he fell in love with, and the out-of-state scholarship made it easy to pay for. We’re doing a road trip in August to drop him off. We’re driving through Yellowstone, Denver, Santa Fe and Albuquerque on the way. We’ll wave!</p>
<p>There’s a novel in everyone’s story. Good luck to John.</p>
<p>WashDad~</p>
<p>Major CONGRATS on John’s graduation, and best wishes for an exciting and extraordinary four years at New Mexico Institute of Minding and Technology!!! I hope it proves to be all that he could hope for and dream of.</p>
<hr>
<p>I am so very happy to be able to share a little bit about my beautiful oldest daughter. She has been everything that I could have ever hoped for in a daughter…and then some. And I am tremendously proud of her, not only for her high school graduation last month and her upcoming tenure at Wichta State University, but most especially for the intelligent, empathetic, ethereal, sensitive, loving, and composed young woman that she has become over these past 18 years.</p>
<p>Our easy-going, happy-with-what-she-has daughter provides a beautiful contrast to our oldest son’s intense drive and highly competitive nature. She provides a necessary and appreciated balance for our family and is essentially the “glue” that sticks us together. She is adored, respected and revered by all of her siblings because they KNOW she puts family first, always and forever. In fact, that commitment and devotion was partly what led her to the decision to stay local for college. Family and friends are essential parts of her existence, and she simply could not see herself in a venue that did not include those people. It was with some initial hesitance that I accepted her decision, but in the end, it was hers alone to make, and I stand in full support of her (and selfishly celebrate the fact that I will not be having to undergo another tearful goodbye in August, though my third has her sights set on New York City in two more years… 
).</p>
<p>D had a banner senior year!! She did beautifully academically (with the exception of one math class) and still managed to find time for other activities, particularly Musical Theatre and choir, her major passions. She got her first major role last fall in Seussical, playing the Sour Kangaroo, and was one of two female leads in the spring mainstage production of “The Paper Chase.” She was voted “Best Actress” for both of her roles (by the attending audiences) and also voted “Most Likely to Win an Academy Award” by her senior peers for the end of the year awards! 
She sang with the Madrigals and attended many special functions with the choir.</p>
<p>She is still very undecided in terms of her major and her future goals. WSU has excellent programs in a couple of areas (engineering…NO WAY <em>LOL</em>) and business (a good possibility, with special consideration being given to a degree in entrepreneurship). She may also consider teaching as a possibility. She has recently finished teaching a drama class to children at the local rec center and has a summer restaurant serving position, along with her two best friends. </p>
<p>I am truly excited about my D’s next four years, and I very much look forward to finding out what it is that she wants to do with her education and her subsequent career. Whatever she does decide to do, I trust that she will do it with the same joy, commitment, heart, and enthusiasm that she brings to all aspects of her life! :D</p>
<p>~berurah</p>
<p>WashDad,
I actually heard of NMT, because my H spent a year teaching there. I hope John has a great time in Socorro.
berurah,
my H got his masters degree at Wichita State, Wichita was our first American home. Best of luck to your daughter, whatever major she chooses.</p>
<p>Our S graduated from HS last year, so for our family it was the first year of college and the first year of empty nest. Everybody has learned a lot. S had a blast of a year at the University of Washington, found some great friends, explored the city, worked hard in his classes (with excellent results) , decided to double-major, managed to keep the long-distance relationship going, was a vegetarian for a little while, called his parents often enough and now is home and missing going to class. :)</p>
<p>WashDad, your S sounds like boys that I know. I suspect that being around his people and interesting classes, he will shine in college. I really wanted my S to look at NMT. He applied and received a very generous scholarship package, but he wouldn’t even look, said that he didn’t want to go to school in the desert. Of course, he goes to a tech school in the middle of nowhere, few girls but lots of snow! I thought that the desert sounded great. </p>
<p>We received information from NMT for my D Monday. I asked my H if there was anyway I could get my D to consider it, I don’t think that she would but it sounds like a great school.</p>
<p>The good news is that he won’t have to change his wardrobe!</p>
<p>WashDad
Just want to put a plug in for the great southwest!! D (a NY’er) attended Arizona State and is now in grad school in the midwest.She loved being in the desert and plans to look for her first college level teaching job back there.She was recruited by U of New Mexico when she was looking for an undergrad college,loved the idea but they didnt have the level of music faculty she needed .
Great things about the southwest…a whole different attitude towards life…maybe its the wide open skies? Different culture than anywhere else…Congrats to him and I hope he enjoys his years there.</p>
<p>Younger son graduated several weeks ago. Whew! His big thing in high school was baseball. His coaches tried and tried to get him to go Div I but he just wouldn’t bite on it. He’s pretty serious about his studies and wants to go premed/bio. </p>
<p>He didn’t have quite the outgoingness his older brother (one year older) had in high school. He was a little more low key in his ‘leadership’ roles although he did accomplish quite a bit in music and baseball. In his final month of high school, he received more recognition than he ever had in his first three years, which has given him a little more confidence (at least it seems to me). He made the All District Team, MVP for his team, Pitcher of the Year, one of 9 students in the county to get the Chamber of Commerce young adult award, and John P. Sousa Award for music. He ended up with a 4.5 something GPA and 2170 SAT, and was accepted to UNC, UVa, William and Mary, Wake Forest, UGa (honors) and UF (honors).</p>
<p>He will attend UF. I would have loved to see him at UNC but I know he will love Gainesville and will be happy there. He will be in the Honors Program which his brother did and it has worked out well for him. His plans right now are to major in Bio Engineering/premed. He has indicated to his brother that he might try walking on to the baseball team so who knows. This summer he is assistant coaching in a baseball program for younger kids.</p>
<p>Oh, WashDad…I know the feeling! :rolleyes: Parents of 2007 grads – Enjoy!</p>
<p>Congrats!! Class of 2007</p>
<p>^^AWWWWWWWWWWWW slugg…SOOOOOOOOOOO PRETTY!!! :D</p>
<p>doubleplay, my older s is going to be a junior at UF, is in the honors program, and LOVES it in Gainesville! I hope your s has as wonderful a time as mine has.</p>
<p>My second s graduated a few weeks ago (in a torrential downpour! All the kids were dripping wet, it was really kind of sad, but will be memorable I guess - but NO pictures in cap and gown with us and our family, as soon as it was over, everyone ran for their cars- BOO!)</p>
<p>He is working in our company’s warehouse this summer until he heads to UT Austin in August (has learned to drive a forklift, a useful skill if the college thing doesn’t work out ;)). He had thought long and hard about playing football in a D3 program, went on some visits and decided that he didn’t want that small school atmosphere, so instead, he is going to play lacrosse for UT. His senior year couldn’t have been more idyllic, his football team won district for the first time in 18 years and went a few weeks into the state playoffs before getting knocked out in a heartbreaker, and then his lacrosse team made it to the state semi finals! It was pretty sweet! We will be sad to see him go, but I thank heavens that he decided to stay in state - we see my oldest maybe 3 weeks a year - we’ve lost him to Florida! But, I guess there are worse places to visit!</p>
<p>ag,
I also have an older son at UF, in the Honors Program, who will be a sophomore next year. One of the reasons younger did a flip flop (he had for YEARS dreamed of going to UNC) was that he saw how much his older bro LOVED G’ville.</p>
<p>UF has come such a long way since I graduated high school (in Florida). It used to be a big safety school. It’s getting harder and harder to get in, and I think the Honors requirements are going up again next year (so I’ve heard thru the grapevine). Older son really like taking his GenEd Chemistry’s, Math’s, etc. through the honors program. He said the classes were smaller, taught by professors, and were more supportive.</p>
<p>Florida is a great place to to visit. Everyone comes down here for vacation, so we always get to see extended family and friends.</p>
<p>Last night my daughter graduated from high school, and it was very bittersweet. She is a responsible and wise beyond her years, and it wasn’t supposed to be quite like this. My husband, her father was diagnosed with lymphoma her junior year. She had just gotten her driver’s license when he was diagnosed. And was able to run her sister and herself to most of their activities. Neither had a parent’s attention, to ensure homework was done, or test grades were good, and yet they both kept up in their studies. I took her on the California spring break college visits, that we were planning on doing as a family, while her dad stayed at home going through chemo. By June he was okayed to travel, and they took off for the east coast swing. At their first stop, Boston, he ran into heart problems and ended up in Mass General ER. At 16 she found her way back to the hotel on her own, in a strange city, far, far away. The rest of the trip she would check out New York, and Washington DC, and Philidelphia, while he went in for blood tests. She said she loved the trip. And picked colleges to apply to. </p>
<p>Come fall she filled out her college applications without any input from us. The first time we saw them was when she applied to the UCs, and the application is printed out as part of the receipt. What surprised us was not that she didn’t mention her father’s illness, but that she chose to apply in engineering. My daughter is a brilliant dancer. Somehow, we thought she would pick a major that might reflect that passion. But no, she picked a major that she felt she would like and could do for a long, long time. I wonder if she also picked a major she knew she could get a good job in. Perhaps seeing her parents’ mortality made her realize she couldn’t be supported forever. As a dance major she could have auditioned into her first choice school, UCLA, and had a better than good chance, as many of her dance mates that trained with her had auditioned into their dance major in the past 4 years. But she took the more traditional route.</p>
<p>Come spring the first response she got was a likely letter from UCLA engineering. The same week her dad found out his cancer had returned. I took her to accepted student weekends at her two top choices, one in NY, one in LA, as his parents flew in to watch him. As he battle through chemo, harder this time, she pushed through her last classes, her AP tests, her final dance recitals, her senior project. With no help at all from us. We were busy. She didn’t even ask. She filled out all the forms, she drove herself to all the tests. Her father was there for some, including her senior project film festival, where she and her two friends won first place with a documentary on the homeless. We were shocked at the footage she filmed in San Francisco on her own. They immediately decided to donate their first place $100 check to the shelter that helped them find people to interview. We are so proud. Her last weeks of school were a blur. She aced her last Calc AP test, and called her dad in the hospital to tell him. She went on her senior picnic, while he had his stem cell transplant. He was home for her prom, but he couldn’t see her or take pictures, as no on else could be in the house. I made a silk flower bouquet for presentation at her senior recitals, as we can’t have live flowers in the house. Her dad made it home from the hospital the day before her graduation. He stood at the back of the football field, far, far away. She could recognize it was him, he was the only one there in a bright pink hepa filter mask. </p>
<p>In my mind it should have been the time for open house graduation parties, and family dinner celebrations. She settled for frozen lasagna and going to her friends’ parties. She drove her sister to end of the year activities when she should have been relaxing and basking in her achievements. She deserves so much more. Next graduation we keep telling her.</p>
<p>UCDAlum82,
I am in tears after reading your post. God bless you husband, your family, your daughter. What an inspirational story. We get so wrapped up in the little things, and your post reminded us about what’s really important. Thank you so much. Your post made my day!</p>
<p>What an amazing, inspirational story. Your D has given you much to be proud of, and yet, I suspect she returns those feelings about you. I’ll bet having her dad at the back of the football field in a pink mask was a much bigger deal to her than all her classmates’ parties put together. God bless you all!</p>
<p>UCDAlum I was deeply moved by your post. What a wonderful woman you’ve raised.</p>
<p>Wow, I’m saying a prayer for your family, ya’ll have had quite a year. Your daughter sounds like a wonderful girl and you both must be so proud of her. Best wishes to all of you!</p>
<p>UCDAlum82~</p>
<p>My most heartfelt CONGRATS!!! to your precious daughter upon her high school graduation!!! Her accomplishment is all the more noteworthy for all that she has been through in coping with her beloved father’s illness and in turn, for having to mature at a faster rate than many of her peers who have not had this stuggle to face. You have SO very much to be proud of, and I join you in pride for such a wonderful girl who has stepped up to the plate so beautifully for her family. </p>
<p>And {{{{{{{{MAJOR SOFT HUGS}}}}}}}} to each and every one of you. Your husband will be in my thoughts and prayers, as will your entire family. He sounds like a remarkable man and a truly devoted father, and you are all very lucky to share his life. Sending him many, many positive healing vibes!</p>
<p>Please keep us posted about both your D’s college happenings and also about your husband’s progress. May the next graduation in your family be full of joy and happiness.</p>
<p>love, ~berurah</p>
<p>I can only add my voice to the chorus of praise for your daughter and hopes for your husband’s health. Love is really all there is, and it sounds like your family has an abundance of it. You can feel assured that your remarkable daughter will be able to face life’s challenges.</p>
<p>I would like to add my prayers for your husband and your family and express my admiraton for your daughter.</p>