<p>One more note on receipes. I have begun a receipe book for D17 (who is why I am even on these boards in the first place). I have been taking every family receipe I can find (and we have 100’s) and making a great cookbook via my iphoto on my mac. I am using pix of my daughter either baking with grandparents, or parents, and any other pix involving food and using them on the “picture” pages. This way she will have her own family receipe book and family scrapbook in one.</p>
<p>oregonian - She is not unreasonable with her list at all, if her stats are high, and it’s good to have a lot of options. It looks like she did a good job of knowing what she wants and finding schools that match her criteria - I’m guessing she wants a high-quality school near a nice city. The ones you haven’t seen yet, like Swarthmore and Macalester, will likely make her happy, and they can be very good alternatives to places like Harvard.</p>
<p>I’m concerned about the “really disliking the state school” issue - have you read the “safety” threads? It would be really nice if she had a less selective school that she really likes, rather than the typical safety that she might refuse to go to. I know that’s hard in states where instate options aren’t as plentiful, but I wonder if there’s a school that may be less prestigious but a “hidden gem” type that she could live with. Also, with NM she might be able to get some big money at OOS publics and not have to stay at the known safety she doesn’t like.</p>
<p>I would recommend that she apply EA to as many schools as she can. If she gets some acceptances and some good FA offers (I’m not sure how critical an issue this is for you) then you can rest easy.</p>
<p>Just went back a page and looked again at your list. I was guessing before that maybe city access is important to her? She might find Middlebury and Williams very, very remote, and maybe even Amherst as well. I would say that Harvard, Yale, Haverford, Swarthmore would have more in common with Tufts, Boston College, Brandeis, and Northwestern.</p>
<p>If finances are not so much an issue, she can “get out of Dodge” and find very exciting schools in these geographical areas that a student like her is practically guaranteed admission … and probably great aid as well, being at the top of the applicant pool.</p>
<p>OregonianMom, I’ll second the concern about having a safety your D doesn’t like. If Chapman’s stats look like a safety/low match and the money looks like it will work out, that might serve. On the trip out to PA, how about a detour to the Lehigh valley to look at Lehigh and/or Muhlenberg? The latter is great for premeds and offers a lot of merit aid. Or, swing into Pittsburgh and look at Pitt, same deal and they are rolling admissions. Will she do Yale SCEA? She may get lucky and have that as a safety.</p>
<p>Macalester offers a guaranteed $5k/yr to NMFs (and the app is free if you get part one in soon). Perhaps take a look at the threads for schools that have good merit aid and those that give good NM aid, not only for the money but because there might be some good candidates for safeties she might like.</p>
<p>I don’t want to hi-jack the thread and turn it into Recipes-R-Us (although wouldn’t that be fun?)…but I sent the stuffed tomatoes recipe to a few people who expresssed an interest. If anyone else would like it, feel free to pm me.</p>
<p>LOVE the recipe-apron-gift idea. </p>
<p>Ok…back to school stuff now. Sorry for the digression.</p>
<p>Collegeshopping, you are making me very ashamed of my un-craftiness. You have probably created lovely scrapbooks for your D, while my kids have a bunch of stuff crammed in file folders. (But hey, at least I have the stuff. My sister had all of her kids’ baby pictures and school stuff in a storage warehouse and didn’t pay the bill…so all gone…)</p>
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It’s not that she doesn’t like SOU, it’s just that she is concerned that it won’t be challenging enough.</p>
<p>
We are thinking Chapman is a safety for her, with probable merit money, and she loves the school. Most of our in-state publics are not at all what she wants- they’re too big. She’s concerned with large class sizes. Unfortunately the September trip is already too crammed full to fit in any other schools in PA, but I will talk to her about Lehigh and Muhlenberg. She will apply to Yale SCEA, and she sent in Part 1 of Macalester’s application already.</p>
<p>
Missy, we are kindred spirits. I have friends who are marvels at scrapbooking…all I’ve done is RELIGIOUSLY save every show-program, ticket-stub, newspaper photo/write-up, the list goes on and on. I have this stuff going back to kindergarten! </p>
<p>I had thought when songbird goes to college, that would be a great time for me to organize all this stuff, head over to our local scrap-shack, learn a few tricks of the trade, and start making her wonderful keepsakes. Until I mentioned this plan to my friend, who said, “Are you kidding? You’ll be sobbing your way through every show she’s ever done, every grade-school paper, every photo of her with her friends…you just won’t be able to handle this for at least the first semester or year.” At first I gave her the "How-dare-you-look…then I just said, “You’re right.” So my new plan is to try to be up for it by sophomore year! Good to have goals!!!</p>
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<p>My husband is a stay at home dad and when the kids were in elem school, he took his turn at “room parent” a few times. The room parent didn’t have to make the teacher a scrapbook of the year’s events, but had to find a parent volunteer who would do it.</p>
<p>By the time the youngest was in 5th grade, the school had to ban the annual scrapbooks…some teachers would receive a bundle of pictures glued to construction paper, and others would receive major scrapbooking works of art.</p>
<p>Wow - CollegeShopping–that cookbook/scrap book sounds amazing!</p>
<p>I am about 7 yrs behind on scrapbooks—
partly because the pics (sorted/in order–are in shoeboxes–
until we converted to digital and now we have no prints for the last several years!
My favorite “helper” for scrapbooks had a business–and she did alot of the pages for me–I’d sort the pics, put them in order and give the details…She did beautiful pages.
Kiddo1s first year took 2 albums, kiddo 2’s first year fit the first album! (oops)
I have several large boxes of blank albums, tons of pages, cover sheets for the pages, stickers, quick cut outs etc…I keep thinking I need to get this stuff done–
I guess if I went and cropped pics etc–I could get a start.
Sorting digital pics and getting stuff printed for the last 6 yrs would take tons of time. </p>
<p>I think instead I need to add stuff to digital picture frames…</p>
<p>Does Yale allow you to apply anywhere else when doing the SCEA? I’ve heard no - you might want to find that out. It would be a shame not to be able to see if Macalester or somewhere else comes through at the same time, and have to wait until April. Do any schools besides the public one have rolling admissions she could do as soon as she hears from Yale (of course we all hope she just gets accepted and that’s that, but just in case …)?</p>
<p>Does the Oregon state school have an honors college? That is a real lifesaver under these kinds of circumstances.</p>
<p>^^
Yale SCEA prohibits any other EA/ED options.</p>
<p>O.M.</p>
<p>Maybe try google earth the check out the NE schools before apps.
Williams for example is very rural, and is very very small…whereas Yale is in New Haven and has some seedy areas…and is much larger. Harvards Cambridge campu puts your kiddo in Boston via the T easily. Haven’t been to Brown however I expect you have to love Providence to amke it worthwhile.</p>
<p>Is urban vs rural an issue? Size? Does she have a preference?</p>
<p>The receipe book is really shaping up nicely…but there are probably at least 20 boxes of “stuff”, photos, art work, etc that scream to be dealt with. I was never really into baby books, etc…because with an instant family of 4 boys plus four more…really…who had time. But I will say the boy’s mother was a baby book faithful and I know that the boys cherish those books. I hope I live a bit longer because all my kids will have is memories…</p>
<p>Back to college applications…who is having an “application weekend” this weekend…?</p>
<p>Any exclusive early system like that is sadly only for schools where you would go there over any other, no question. Even if Yale doesn’t make you commit to accepting their acceptance (maybe that’s the difference between SCEA and ED?), the fact that you can’t try for any other early answers is really limiting.</p>
<p>We allowed our D1 to apply ED to her school, but only because she really fit that mold: it was 100% the one she’d go to if accepted, and she never wondered about anywhere else. She also promised to apply to her instate safety the next day if she got deferred or rejected (luckily she was accepted). </p>
<p>D2 isn’t applying anywhere ED - she isn’t ready to make that choice at this time, and she wants as many early answers as possible to see what her options could be. I think of her 10-12 schools there are only 2 that she’ll send in January, as a matter of fact. All of the rest are rolling or EA, and one has a special Dec deadline for her program.</p>
<p>Yes, U of Oregon has an Honors College and from what I hear it is wonderful. For those kiddos that are thrilled with the concept of going to a State U then this might be a good alternative.</p>
<p>D2 isn’t real thrilled with the State Flagships either. She feels like she has worked really hard compared to some other seniors and would like more of a challenge. That being said I think Honors College at State U could be a good fit. If you ask D though she would think I had no clue.</p>
<p>We’re saving apps for Labor Day, when we have no other plans. This weekend is her play, and a last visit to Grandma before school starts.</p>
<p>Good luck to everyone! I wish we could start now, but that’s just the anxious mom talking.</p>
<p>None of the other schools on OM’s D’s list are EA except maybe Chapman and SOU. I think. The rest are all ED, so no harm in using SCEA. It’s not ED so it’s not a binding decision. The only schools it knocks out of contention are places like Stanford, Georgetown, U Chicago, MIT, and Caltech, which aren’t on D of OM’s list.</p>
<p>MomofSB, divert the discussion any time! I’m also working on a cookbook of things that we make for dinner that the D’s love and which are super-easy to make.</p>
<p>Checking in. I wanted to thank everyone for their supportive words. There are times you just feel bit in the bum. To have this group to come to from things big to small is such a blessing.</p>
<p>DS had his wisdom teeth out today. He ended with twilight sleep due to concern for a prior cardiac surgery. He’s done okay. We’ve been through the jello, pudding, milkshakes, yogurt shakes, and a whole lot of goofy faced “I love you mom”. Thank goodness for ESPN. It’s as good as a lullaby for him. Puts him in a happy place. Essays, applications, & summer reading can wait a few days. His surgeon even called on his way home tonight to check on him! That’s good!</p>
<p>SOU is rolling admissions, so it’s OK to apply to along with Yale SCEA. Chapman has EA, but notification isn’t until late January. She checked with Yale and they said so long as Chapman’s notification does not occur before Jan. 1, then it’s also allowed.</p>
<p>U of O does have an honors college, but everybody in my family is a diehard Beaver and would have a fit if she went to a “Duck” school. Me, I don’t really care. But D thinks it’s too big anyway.</p>
<p>blueiguana - three words: ice, ice baby! It really does help keep the swelling down.</p>