<p>Hurt me :p</p>
<p>Alums have to be loyal fans (who else would be???)</p>
<p>Hey, I can relate. Iâm a double alum of the University of Washington. Itâs scary, but a predicted loss to Cal next weekend will end the âperfectâ season of no wins. In fact, as I was stating to my sister who still lives in WA, sports teams up there in all sports at all levels seem pretty sad, and then they export other losing ones (the pro basketball team is now in OK and, last I looked, was 1-something.</p>
<p>FindAPlace:
Rumor around ND is that theyâre trying to foist Charlie Weiss off on you too⊠;)</p>
<p>Well, weâve just found out thereâs a way to have a Happy Thanksgiving around our place that has nothing to do with football. Our DS earned it himself. The on line linear algebra class has been a struggle sometimes, not so much the content but the work required. He just emailed the 13 handwritten page response for the LONG take home exam on Saturday (yeah, what other kind can there be for an on line class?) He will find out this afternoon that he got a 103% on it, with complimentary remarks from the on line instructor. This should give him the boost he needs to soldier forward with it.</p>
<p>FindAPlace - Congrats on your sonâs excellent grade in such a difficult course. Iâm sure that will give him the incentive he needs to keep up his hard work. And how great that heâs excited about searching for schools now. My D has yet to be bitten by that particular bug. She enjoyed our little college tour over the summer (which we forced her to take, btw), but she hasnât shown much interest in visiting any other schools yet. She has asked to visit two more, but they are both reaches, and 3/4 of the schools we visited over the summer were also reaches, and the other wasnât exactly a sure thing either - Iâd like her to choose a few safeties and matches as well.</p>
<p>Just curious, since this is a Class of 2010 thread: Are your kids talking/watching carefully to whatâs happening with their friends who are seniors? I guess weâre a bit early yet for ED/EA decisions, but there have been some rolling admission decisions. </p>
<p>Who do you think impacts their thought process on college the most: friends, other students, teachers, siblings, parents, counselors? None of the above? Iâm curious since, for most of these students, this will be the most important decision theyâve have to make in their short lives and wonder if they give any thought to the process of how they do it ⊠since parents like me probably OVER process. 
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<p>Iâd like D to chose some safeties too, but she says she doesnât care. If she doesnât make it into her reaches, she claims sheâll be just as happy at community college. What?!!?</p>
<p>I think she is just trying to upset me.</p>
<p>Queenâs Mom: D is testing to see how far you will rise. </p>
<p>I already told my DS that selecting colleges to apply to will not be like the process we used for selecting window blinds in his remodeled bedroom. It went something like this. Me: âLetâs spend about 10 minutes looking at these display books, so you can choose what youâd like.â Him: (After seeing, wide eyed, that there are a mountain of display books) âNo, I donât have to. Iâll be happy with the wood blinds like youâll use in the family room.â Me: âAre you sure? There are all kinds of styles, some which may go better with the paint color you chose for the walls.â Him: <groan, flips=ââ through=ââ three=ââ books=ââ in=ââ one=ââ minute=ââ> âYep, go for the wooden ones.â</groan,></p>
<p>At least DS has color in his wardrobe, thanks to being a SoCal boy. When I met DH at the UW-Seattle, his entire wardrobe was various shades of brown, no kidding.</p>
<p>lol you are right of course, FindAPlace.</p>
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<p>S1 (a senior) has submitted all his applications and is waiting to hear from his colleges. Other than hoping that his brother gets accepted to a college that doesnât allow freshmen to have cars on campus so the extra car will be left at home, S2 (a junior) is only vaguely aware of whatâs been going on the past few months.</p>
<p>FindAPlace - interesting question. My D has many friends who graduated last year, and you would think that would have had a really big impact on her as she saw how many of them did not get into their first choice schools. A few of them were left with only their safeties to choose from - so you would think she would realize just how important safeties are. So far, she hasnât shown any sign that she understands that. Iâm hoping that as the time gets closer, sheâll pay more attention to me, and that once she has a conference with her GC, she will finally get it. I have a feeling that the whole thing doesnât seem quite real to her .</p>
<p>vballmom - good luck to S1, and to you, of course.</p>
<p>I think our kids will take notice in April when this yearâs seniors get their admit/reject letters.</p>
<p>Thanks LIMOMOF2 :)</p>
<p>vicariousparent - and even earlier, when the those ED/EA first start arriving in December! Last year, kids at Dâs school didnât do very well in that round, so it was sort of a wake-up call. </p>
<p>vballmom - youâre welcome 
.</p>
<p>Teenagers really feel they are invincible. Bad things happen to other people not to them. There will be safeties on my daughterâs list even if i have to send out the applications myself. I really hope she gets into her first choice (of course Iâll have to mortgage the house to may for it ;)) and I really think she has a more than decent shot at the state flagship, but I figure you have to hope for the best and prepare for the worst. There must be a low second tier school that she would enjoy that would love to have her!</p>
<p>Iâm wondering, crossing fingers about something. My DS has never really had a hang up with brand names, as long as the product he wants has the features and quality that heâd like. Dare I think this could carry over to college selections??</p>
<p>Queenâs Mom - Iâve said the exact same thingâŠlol. I wouldnât really send out the apps myself, but I would force the issue if it comes to that. I would just rather come up with some good possibilities for herself.</p>
<p>FindAPlace - I was hoping that would be the case as my D has also never been brand conscious - sheâs just the opposite, in fact. Unfortunately, this does not seem to be the case when it comes to college choices.</p>
<p>S2 isnât very brand-conscious, but his friends are starting to look down their noses at the State U system. Their comments are, of course, based on ZERO knowledge. As it turns out, there are CSUs that are probably a perfect fit for S2 so I try to counter this negativity whenever I can.</p>
<p>Can you believe this?</p>
<p>S went skiing on Sunday by himself. On his last run he went off a jump he had done many times. but this time as he landed he fell back, still holding his poles and⊠can you guess? He broke both thumbs! Ouch!</p>
<p>Poor kiddo â he was more brave than I would have been. He didnât call me until he was in the car ready to drive back down the canyon. He said it took him about 15 minutes to get his boots off!</p>
<p>He made it home okay, and we went to the after hours medical clinic for X-rays. He is now in 2 splints which immobilize the thumbs, which means eating and writing are nearly impossible. We were able to get an appointment for tomorrow afternoon with a very highly regarded orthopedist. We really hope that neither of them needs a cast.</p>
<p>Moral of the story â if youâe going to crash and burn, at least take out only one side of your body! :D</p>
<p>Oh no! Thatâs horrible. I suppose thumbs are better than necks though-so he was lucky. I wish him an easy and speedy recovery.</p>