Bridgewater State is a definite “suitcase school”.
Plymouth State is in NH, not NJ
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Thanks! I think NJ was a typo that’s now fixed. And specific feedback on schools is always appreciated, too.
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I would think Wheaton deferral might come through. It was an easy app, no supplemental essay so a lot of people likely applied thinking it was a great safety for higher stats kid. Great school!
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I absolutely love how thorough your family is being when evaluating fit! I’ve really enjoyed reading about your daughter’s journey. Thank you so much for sharing!
The only thing helpful. I have to add here… I wouldn’t worry as much about whether there is a lot to do off campus near a small residential (meaning everyone lives there) liberal arts college. My daughter is at a small LAC with very little to do off-campus without a car. She has never once complained about being bored on an evening or weekend. On the contrary, there are too many interesting things going on at the same time. The schools know they have to create programming and social opportunities for the kids. For example, on any given weekend, each dorm will have its own programming/fun events, there will be music related events (like concerts), a comedy show, school theater, as well as events planned by alcohol/drug-free groups, LGBTQ groups, special interest, groups. And then, on top of that, of course friend groups get together to hang out, or have parties. And that’s at a school with about 2500 students. If you haven’t already done this, try to find the Instagram accounts for the colleges your daughter is interested in. And you’ll start to see what the programming is like and the activities. At her school, each dorm has an Instagram account, as well as the head of residential life, the college president, career services, etc. It’s overwhelming if you try to do this with too many colleges, but if your daughter is down to two or three, it may help show some differences between the schools socially.
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Has anyone attempted FAFSA yet? We just completed it and it seamed really easy, especially compared to the CSS form. The SAI did not come out as expected. Fingers crossed for some financial aid, and some subsidized loans.
I’ve completed half of mine plus the student forms for both kids. Waiting for the IRS link to happen for my financials but it seems after it does, there are only a few more questions.
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Completed this morning after a week of failed attempts!
This morning for us, too. I don’t think we will see a dime, but it’s worth a shot!
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I know we definitely don’t qualify for PELL, but partial subsidized loan would be beneficial or better yet some grants. We’ll figure it out either way.
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While we are all at home sick with the flu, in between binge-watching stuff on Youtube and Disney+, I’m researching restaurants to try near the 3 LACs we’re visiting later this month, in Feb, and in March.
The March trip is to Southwestern and it’s easy to find good restaurants there because you just walk anywhere in downtown Georgetown, TX, and there’s good eating.
Austin College is a little trickier, but somebody here had recommended to follow some of the colleges’ dorm, First Year Experience, & campus events-focused Instagram accounts for ideas. I’ve been doing that all week and discovered some. I’ve even mentioned a couple to D24 and did not get a negative reaction, so that’s a plus. 
places like:
- Green Market - healthfood store, locally owned & operated. Has a coffee & lunch counter, too.
- White Rabbit Coffee - found a video of the inside of this place. ~20 min walk from campus, shorter if you bike it
- CJ’s Coffee Cafe - similar foo foo (our family word for ‘fancy’) coffee shop to White Rabbit Coffee
- Hau’oli Poke - D24 has recently discovered that she likes poke bowls & sushi
- Ni Ni’s Cafe
- there’s also a couple of Mexican paleta shops (we have them here in AZ) that we might check out…Frutazo Juice Bar, and Fresita’s Fruit Bar
I’m also going to ask at each school if a student is allowed to have an electric scooter (most public univ’s don’t allow them, but never hurts to ask)…the small ones that look like the non-electric human-push-powered ones you use as a kid. I suspect the answer might be no, but will find out. Because if she could bring one of those and if it’s allowed to charge it in your dorm room, then we might buy her one to use at college.
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D24 said that there’s this 1 girl in her grade who’s been especially obnoxious since everybody got their PSAT scores back. Well, word on the street is that this girl is now panicking in their seniors Discord group chat and the kid is worried that she won’t get into any of the lottery schools that she applied to…and she assumed that she’d get in to a few of them because of her test scores.
I told D24 that the next couple of months are going to be a big reality check for a lot of students like Braggy Pants and that I hope that Braggy Pants has at least 1 safety that she’d be satisfied to attend.
Our household is currently in the waiting game. waiting on financial aid packages. And then D24 will make a decision. How it goes w/her music scholarship auditions will play into that, too. I think it’ll be middle to end of March before we have everything to make an informed decision, but right now she’s leaning to the 2 LACs in TX or U of A.
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The good news for Braggy Pants is that there are lots of great schools that she could still apply to and be accepted. In fact there are great schools that will still be taking apps in April and May (and later). But Braggy Pants may need to look a little deeper than “ranking” and “rejection rate” to find them!
I hope all the kids on that discord have a safety they love! Hopefully your daughter isn’t the only one modeling balanced list-building!
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I hope so, too. Their counselor has been talking to all of them all year about putting together a balanced list to apply to.
For the waitlisted and deferred please make sure your daughter signs up for an interview, if offered. For my sons two deferred/waitlisted he was eventually admitted by interviewing (which were online with no hardball questions) and showing continued interest.
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Mine met 1:1 with the AO at school (well, her GC/advisor was there for most of it, too) so I think that’s the interview portion. She did send her LOCI this morning and got a reply right away from the AO that made it clear he had read it (referenced her EC additions in a very personal way, so it was definitely not a form letter.) Her semester ends this week, so her mid year grades should be wrapped up next week and then those will get sent. FIngers crossed…
She’s going to visit a reachier and quirkier (but pretty local) college tomorrow and doing an interview after the tour. I’m still working on tempering expectations and encouraging her to broaden her search, since she seems to be really not into the residential CC option which is the sure thing…
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Does anyone here have a child who applied EA to Hobart and William Smith? Decisions are supposed to be back “mid-January” - but we have not heard anything here…
We haven’t heard anything from Hobart either. S24 is very happy with his acceptance and scholarship from Wheaton (MA), another small liberal arts school, but he’d like to know about Hobart. We might visit if he gets in. Have you been there?
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Yes. Beautiful school, although the town seems a bit depressed. It’s a 5 plus hour drive for us, with no real mass transit options (other than holiday shuttles to boston), which doesn’t necessarily appeal to my kid either.
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Well just as i wondered about the release, Hobart and William Smith sent EA decisions today. My student is in, with significant merit. And…is not interested….
Deferred kid had a nice visit at COA, tour and an interview, and is probably still a reach for her but will apply. They also have a kids summer camp that hires college students and offers housing, so that’s in the back pocket as a possible summer job next year (her current summer job is at a children’s museum summer camp program.)
Grades have closed and for the first time, she has made honor roll this quarter! Once they are final on the transcript, the GC will send them and she will email her AO to let him know that the report is in and that she made the honor roll - just throwing it all at the wall at this point. After that, we wait.
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