<p>We just got back from a brunch for potential St. Olaf applicants. Very nice talk by the president. D was really impressed with the statistics on the exceptionally high number of students who study abroad and graduates who sign up for the Peace Corps. And the music program, Conversation program, etc. She’s visiting there and Grinnell this coming weekend. If she likes both places, which I suspect she will, she’ll be applying to six schools she’s really loved after visiting, including at least one financial/admission safety. Of course, now we’re dealing with having to actually DO THE APPLICATIONS. Sigh.</p>
<p>
Yay!! That must be a great feeling; congrats!</p>
<p>Hey there</p>
<p>Kiddo just finished the first app-- Common App plus Supplement…
Essays really came out nicely—</p>
<p>Kiddo is feeling pretty good since testing is done and with the app and supplement–there are lots of great essays and shorter responses that can be used…and is not concerned at all about writing others as needed.</p>
<p>Cooker–the great part is she loves the schools - so I would think the apps part will fly now that she is feeling good about the choices ;o)</p>
<p>mosb - that is wonderful advice. I think I’ll be chanting it to myself on a daily basis. It helped me with my Sunday check-in with D - all I talked about was the to-do list for right now: essays and ACT prep. I kept quiet on supplements, teacher recs, auditions. All in good time.</p>
<p>My congrats to fog’s son and all others who DO have the main essays and testing out of the way. My D’s complaining about having “no time,” but as we all know it’s a question of priorities and organization. I remind myself that she’ll do it when she has to, like most people. Next weekend is Homecoming, which interests her not at all; I’m going to suggest she replace it with app work - she can’t complain THAT is meaningless!</p>
<p>I also remind myself of the kids I know for whom college isn’t an option - either through their own mistakes, or lack of support, or other obstacles. I might get a little frustrated, but I can’t be angry with my D. By all standards she is well on her way to great success.</p>
<p>I second the comment that there is plenty of time and opportunity for these kids to have a great application year.</p>
<p>S has an interview with admissions rep from his first choice school tomorrow after school. I tried to impress upon him that this person may have a lot to say on whether he gets accepted. He’s not the best conversationalist and I am concerned how it will go. The college counselor at our HS assured me that the rep is used to taking to senior boys, and he just has to be himself. I guess that is what I am afraid of! I’m sure there are some threads around here about good questions to ask college reps, I’m going searching now.</p>
<p>^^ gosh–oh that reminds me about towels–
I recall when my dear mom bought me those really nice large “bath sheets” -the extra large fluffy great towels–for college. She bought me two–</p>
<p>They were great AND took forever to dry—both in a dryer and hanging damp after use in a dorm</p>
<p>I have half a mind to buy kiddo some of those beach pool towels you see in Target–the thinner ones that dryer quickly! HA!</p>
<p>Congrats FL Math Mom!! I am sure DS is feeling a great sense of accomplishemnt to get it off and on its way.</p>
<p>mamabear1234, if you get some good interview tips, please pass them along. DD and I are going to MN and PA next Friday–Monday. She will be interviewing at 3 of the 4 schools we’re visiting. (For the 4th school she will interview with a local alumni interviewer after we get home).</p>
<p>Congrats to all whose children are hitting submit buttons.</p>
<p>I took D1 to the “8 of the Best” college event. Claremont McKenna, Colorado College, Connecticut College, Grinnell, Haverford, Kenyon, Macalester, Sarah Lawrence. I’ve taken D1 to similar events before, and this was the first time I had to pay for parking. $10! :mad: Each school did a short slide show, which meant for a rather long evening. It was rather like reading personal ads. Just like we take it as a given that everyone likes romantic walks on the beach and candlelit dinners, can we just stipulate that all colleges of this type offer Study Abroad programs? The Mac rep was certainly the funniest, saying deadpan that they have a different type of admissions process–they put the applicants on a table, remove their brains, and weigh them. 
D1 was a little spooked after asking an adcom specific questions to receive a letter two days later addressing one of her questions. I was impressed with the adcom’s ability to remember names.</p>
<p>D1 and we the parents had the big talk about ED today. We showed her the state of her college funds, the expected cost of her #1 school over the next four years, and went through all the ramifications of choosing ED and choosing an expensive school. We had her talk to a relative who works in a similar field to her current interests, to talk about grad and professional school. Bottom line is that she will be going for it. :eek: Our conditions include that she must apply to one rolling app school prior to ED, and to one other early admit school. Both of those are publics and won’t violate the ED agreement. The rest of her apps must be ready to go in the (more than likely) event that she is not accepted ED.</p>
<p>Here’s a search with the key words, “questions to ask college admissions people”</p>
<p>[questions</a> to ask college admissions people - Bing](<a href=“questions to ask college admissions people - Search”>questions to ask college admissions people - Search) </p>
<p>The one question my son regrets not asking was, “What percentage of the grades are generally project oriented versus just tests?” and for those that really want to do an internship, ask them how the students find the internship and if they are usually paid or unpaid. RIT has a huge work study fair twice a year and said that they were always paid, Pitt told us that it was pretty much up to the student and they could be paid or unpaid. The latter school does not require a work experience so that does make a big difference.</p>
<p>SlitheyTove, It sounds like your daughter is doing ED with her eyes wide open. That option is not allowed in our house. ED, that is. Eyes should always be open!</p>
<p>ST- glad to hear we are not the only ones applying ED - it makes me a little nervous but I think she has a good chance. None of her other schools have rolling admission and she is reluctant to send in an application to her next choices as they have later deadlines and feels if denied (result by Dec15) she would still have time to submit applications before the end of December. EEEK! Is it rude to ask what school? I won’t be offended!</p>
<p>At the football game Friday night I just kept wondering what I’m going to do when I don’t have a daughter on drill team. They wore their field uniforms for the first time this season - cowgirl hats and boots, lots of fringe. They are just so adorable and I can’t believe it’s going to be over soon.</p>
<p>Thanks for the voices of sanity. I keep telling myself I’m going to take things step by step (in line with MOSB’s excellent advice) - then get myself into a dither when I don’t see what I consider to be sufficient progress. It will get done! There’s only a short time before they’re off and out, and I know I should be focusing on enjoying our time together and letting D enjoy her senior year “last times”.</p>
<p>Cooker, I consider my kids’ school pretty decent and competitive, but we know all kinds of people who haven’t even done any visits, much less started apps.</p>
<p>ST - It’s really lovely to hear about a thoughtful decision made by a family and a kid who is willing to do what she has to do to get what she wants. We were in the same boat 4 years ago with D1, and it set a wonderful tone for her to be in charge of her own life. I’m pleased for your D that she has this opportunity (as I am grateful that my D did, as well). Best of luck to her!</p>
<p>happy - D1 promised to apply to her safety the day after she got “bad news” from the ED school. It still was reasonable on the safety’s schedule, but we certainly had a lot of stress waiting it out, and would have preferred that she put it in earlier. Part of feeling in charge for her was wanting the chance to be “one and done” with applications. I know she would have kept her promise, and I’m sure your D will, too, but I know how you’re feeling!</p>
<p>D2 is doing the rolling/EA route, but no ED. She wants more options, and more time. To each his/her own! The important thing is for them to feel like they are making their life happen, however that is. </p>
<p>missy - I know your feeling, too! A year of “last” lots of things. Last night I realized in a couple of weeks my D may have her last school play (they do one in the spring, but it’s possible she won’t be in it). EVERYONE will be bawling their eyes out at the big choir events this year - males as much as females (and that means Dads, too).</p>
<p>thanks kathiep. He is applying ED to this school, also applying to a rolling admissions safety and one other school. His stats qualify him for one of their merit scholarships listed on the website, so I feel comfortable with the ED app.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>In a similar vein I keep wondering who I will go sledding and play basketball with. I think I will continue to occasionally attend some of the sporting event even when my kid no longer attends the school.</p>
<p>Weighed myself this morning. OMG I have a long way to go so I look nice on graduation day. </p>
<p>Got S’s proofs from his second yearbook sitting. Much, much better. S said it was a different photographer. We may actually buy some. Won’t be spending tons of money, we just aren’t the type to hand them out to all the relatives and S has no interest in giving any to friends.</p>
<p>ST: we’re in the same boat. had the same conversation w/ S who knows that he’ll have to go to grad school to do what he wants to do. he still decided to apply ED but will also be applying EA and rolling, the latter to a safety safe school where he’ll probably get merit aid. it’s a roll of the dice. we’ll see what happens comes mid-december.</p>
<p>he finished his common app and his first 2 supplements this weekend. hurray. will begin another lengthy EA supplement next weekend. i’ll tell you, this feels like a Herculean task on top of schoolwork and his ECs.</p>
<p>if i get a chance, i’m heading to target this week.</p>
<p>oh, here are a couple of questions my son was asked in his last college interview:</p>
<p>if you don’t get into any schools for next year and have to take a gap year, what would you do?</p>
<p>tell us something about yourself that we won’t discover from reading your application.</p>
<p>LOL, all the ED parents are now coming out of the woodwork. 
happy64, she’ll be applying to Tufts. It is not an insane reach, but it is most definitely a reach. The scary thing for us the bill-paying parents is that it’s a good fit for her, and it is entirely possible that the adcoms will recognize that. 
D1 says that the only reason she won’t get in is because of her GPA, in which case it’s her own fault, or because they’ve already chosen enough west coast Jewish females with her academic and EC interests, in which case it’s just luck. </p>
<p>kathiep, EmmyBet, thanks for the kind words about the process. Eyes wide indeed :eek: </p>
<p>D1 gave me the nicest compliment this morning. She mentioned a good friend of hers who is still very unsure about where to apply. D1 said she was going to suggest to the friend that they talk to…me! This is hilarious, since D1 has groused that I’m over the top on the entire college application business. Yet she’s clearly recognized that I do actually know something about this. :D</p>
<p>^^ST that IS a really nice compliment!</p>
<p>While kiddo wasn’t altogether happy to be drafting essays the first 3 weeks of school (and a close friend had said that they had “done nothing”…(we knew this wasn’t true as the friend’s parents told us what was going on in their house!)) Kiddo is feeling better about this too–
those baby steps and breaking it down to small bites makes it so much more doable…
Part of the problem is the kids all think that they have tons of time and that everyone is “behind”…yet often the case is these kids ARE getting apps done and working harder than they admit to their friends…</p>
<p>I guess it’s part of the psychological warfare of teen drama and apps???</p>
<p>Check this out
[Bedbugs</a> Attack Niketown](<a href=“http://news.yahoo.com/video/us-15749625/bedbugs-attack-niketown-21990658#video=21990658]Bedbugs”>http://news.yahoo.com/video/us-15749625/bedbugs-attack-niketown-21990658#video=21990658)
YIKES!!!</p>
<p>As for Sr pics–just purchase ours-- most of the proofs weren’t great–very mediocre photogrpahy–like the center of kiddo’s body was in focus and the face was blurry! Still found one for the yearbook thats fine, and one of the casual shots was pretty nice. Prices are ridiculous–we went with very modest packages.</p>
<p>Just wondering—how many of your kids are actually wearing their class rings???</p>
<p>
Those are good questions…</p>
<p>One thing kiddo did for a big interview was to do enough research of the school online and to have a good question to ask the interviewer–something that was not readily available on the web site …and wasn’t a weird “stump the alum” type of thing</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>My S hasn’t worn the ring out of the house yet. It sits in it’s box in his room. I asked him why he wasn’t wearing it and he told me it was queer, no one wore them. Then I asked him why he wanted one. He told me as a momento of HS. Of course, he choose a bunch of add ons so the ring was not cheap. If only I had known.</p>