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<p>MOSB, that would be a big fat affirmative. 
I am very much looking forward to seeing what she’ll end up eventually doing.</p>
<p>We used to take the young 'uns with when we went to vote. The precincts would have pretend voting machines for the little kids to practice with. She’ll be able to say some day that she actually got to use a punch card (no hanging chads!). The precinct workers pretty much saw my D’s grow up.</p>
<p>Hey don’t pick on our hanging chads, ST (just kidding!) FL did it again. We (not moi) voted in a new governor who has no background in politics but has a tarnished reputation involving Medicare fraud.</p>
<p>I wanted to comment on the earlier comments about Vanderbilt in case anyone’s child is considering it. My daughter has 2 close friends who attend. They are both very bright students in the engineering school. Yes, Vanderbilt has it’s fair share of rich southern kids and has a big emphasis on Greek life. However, the school has worked hard to increase diversity in the past few years. They have also tried to level the socio-economic field among students by building more housing and requiring most students to live on campus. All students pay the same amount for housing, whether they are in a double, single or apartment. This school may not be for everyone, but it does have a lot to offer.</p>
<p>This thread is a welcome distraction from work! it is fun to follow and catch up.</p>
<p>D was an election judge yesterday- for 16 hours. Isn’t there a law against those kind of work hours 
In any event, I think it gave her a very nice view of the process at work-and she now knows that many many people who vote (and who work as election judges) are not the sharpest knives in the drawer, if you know what I mean. It was exasperating for her, but a good thing for a bright kid to find out, if you ask me.</p>
<p>I am sleeping all day tomorrow (ha-ha, doubt it) S has the next 2 days off for parent conferences. That should be interesting as it took him several weeks to get in gear. He will be studying for SAT2, better late than never. His EA apps are done, now time for that. The to do by Dec 1 List is very long. This is all exhausting me, not sure how he is handling it. I had a big job interview today and my mom is doing very poorly, so I’m just mentally tired. Maybe I can sleep 'til 8 or 9.</p>
<p>Idinct: Prayers for your mom.</p>
<p>Hi everyone - I’m still here. I thought I wrote yesterday … but we were a little distracted up here in WI. My D was glued to election results as well. But she is very close with her essay and I’m happy with how hard she’s working. I knew once she got started she would be fine. She’ll be done with this bunch in a few days.</p>
<p>Congrats to everyone! Such interesting news all around.</p>
<p>I don’t have much to offer about the schools under discussion, except that I’ve been to Houston and really like Rice, programs and campus. D1 considered it strongly when she wanted a warm-weather school, before she switched her focus to Boston. I would have been thrilled to have her there.</p>
<p>Too much going on this week … you might not hear from me much. But I wish everyone well!</p>
<p>OWM - I got my masters degree from UMASS Lowell. I remember thinking the reactor there was the coolest thing.</p>
<p>FLMathMom- just realized Fl=florida and not F1! Duh.</p>
<p>S returned from his overnight honors program at Bryant. He liked it, said the micro economics class he sat in was way behind where he is in his AP Econimics class at school. That was nice to know. He implied that if he appliles to Bryant he will get accepted and in the honors program. I couldn’t get many details out of him so I am not so sure it is the shoe in he impliles. The school is a safety so I am pretty confident he will get in, just not so sure about the honors part of it.</p>
<p>My nephew is a Soph at Vandy. He loves it - was his first choice. They made a concerted effort to attract kids from the northeast and he was one of 15 from his school who was accepted that year. He got a significant amount of financial aid ($37K and even more this year) and they didn’t even really need it.</p>
<p>Idinct, sorry to hear about your mom. </p>
<p>shawbridge, thanks a million for the Dartmouth discussion. </p>
<p>Well, something terribly annoying happened here today. I sent my son’s ED agreement last Monday, Oct 25 by priority mail, return receipt in a priority envelope; all together I paid $10. It’s over a week later and since we hadn’t yet received the green card back, I tracked it online. It appears as if the envelope never left the postal office. I even joked that day w/ the postal clerk about how important this mail was and it was not to get lost. He looked at the address and asked if it was a undergrad or grad school app.</p>
<p>After seeing that online, I then called the tel. number listed for such issues and all they could tell me was exactly what I already read myself. They don’t even refund the money. Most importantly, I now have to call the school tomorrow a.m. to deal with this. Fortunately, I made copies, color even since the signatures were in blue ink, and I have the p.o. receipt w/ the school’s zip code on it (no address however). i hope there’s no penalty for this! jeez, it’s always something! this process is wearing me out and my son hasn’t even started his RD supplements.</p>
<p>“OWM, I think your son would hate Reed. Even my hippy, dippy niece was put off. Said the kids were very weird.”</p>
<p>This is why visiting schools (overnight if possible) while classes are in session can be so important. In the case of Reed, most seem to come away feeling strongly one way or the other.</p>
<p>Idinct - Sorry to read about your Mom. Hope things turn around and you get some rest.</p>
<p>RMom - Yikes. Figures you do all the right things and it still goes wrong. Hope the schools takes the late app considering you have proof you tried to send it.</p>
<p>RMom - UNBELIEVABLE. It did NOT leave the post office. I wish you luck and patience in dealing with this situation. Our kids are so lucky to have us a business managers in this process. Keep us posted.</p>
<p>Idinct - Our prayers are with you.</p>
<p>well at least his app got there online. he checked the status tonight and all the other pieces are there: the CA, his supplement, his test scores, his LOR, his transcript, etc. funny, they don’t have a box for the ED agreement. each of the other pieces are written in a box and then there is an adjoining box w/ the date received. </p>
<p>so it’s just the ED agreement that’s lost. i’ll deal w/ this snafu tomorrow. right now i have an enormous headache and i’m going to bed.</p>
<p>Idinct, sending prayers your way for a big improvement for your mom.<br>
RenMom, what a pain! And the thing is, you’ll no doubt get this all straightened out, but it’s just another thing to add to the long list of things-that-got-screwed-up-and-now-require-extra-time-and-work-even-though-we-did-everything-right. I’m so sorry you’re having to deal with this!</p>
<p>RenMom: Good luck tracking down the ED agreement. It was probably sent, but never updated in the post office tracking system. I had a similar problem three years ago with my daughter’s transcript. The post office tracking system showed that it was sent to the wrong zip code, and then just disapeared. The college didn’t have an online tracking system, and when I called they couldn’t confirm whether they had received the transcript, but assured me that they would call the school if it didn’t turn up. I lost sleep worrying, but she was accepted, so I guess they finally got it. This time I just sent everything regular mail, and it all seems to have arrived.</p>
<p>RenMom - Glad to hear the electronic mail worked for the important stuff. I haven’t heard of any Nov 1 log jams. Maybe Jan 1 is the biggie. Thank goodness all of my S’s apps will be in by then (or else).</p>
<p>Man, these stories will teach all of us to keep our heads up … and our sense of humor intact. Good grief.</p>
<p>D’s essay is ALMOST done. Nice idea, well-expressed. Just a little tweak of the end, and we’re on the “submit” bus! She’s a week behind “my” schedule, but that’s OK - all self-imposed deadlines (but important because of theatre auditions, yada yada). Two “Why this school?” essays (which I agree go faster because they do know “why”) and she’s pretty much done.</p>
<p>Going to Milwaukee tomorrow for a music competition. Not visiting the school after all; she says it’s too much in one day, and that’s fine. It’s an easy drive for another day. She’ll apply anyway.</p>
<p>Sorry to hear about parent news - my best wishes. Nothing too bad right now with my parents, but the shoe is always ready to drop. I do have a new great-nephew, though. That’s 4 of them! Who would have thought?</p>
<p>Idinct so sorry to hear about your mother-PM me if you like as I am in similar circumstances and it’s good to vent sometimes.</p>
<p>I love the MOSB story about her daughter! Doesn’t that make you just as happy if not even happier than the fact she got accepted? It’s beautiful when a parent gets affirmation from their kids that we are doing a good job, huh?</p>
<p>So after losing my job last week S is trying to rehire me since now he all of a sudden wants everything done yesterday and Dad isn’t getting around to proofing his CA. I am finding this all very amusing after getting over my hurt feelings of last week. Now S has also dropped the Engineering major and gone back to thinking Liberal Arts schools might be a good idea! I told him do his research-he says he is too busy-so I told him I would get around to it soon (haha I already have it! 
)</p>
<p>He said some girl broke down in Spanish class yesterday and there is a general state of anxiety in his class. The teacher stopped the class and put in a 20 minute meditation CD to calm the flock down-and moved the assignment to a Monday due date. He said if only he knew how much work he would have this Fall he would have gotten all the “college stuff” done this summer-to which I did my famous eye roll! He is now trying to edit the school paper, get all his classwork and homework done, and cram for three SAT subject tests Saturday. He is worked up because the first Math 2 practice test he took didn’t go so well-and now this is Thursday? At least he can take them again in December.</p>
<p>To top off the day he came home from a mandatory three hour practice for the Senior show I have been complaining about and said the participation has been so spotty that the show is not at this time fit to perform and if the rehearsal on Tuesday night next week isn’t good enough they are going to cancel it! I fully intend to have a chat with the school administration about the timing if this affair-no way I am going to repeat this with little D.</p>
<p>Last thing I want to comment on is the geographical limitations placed on schools. When I see what he could go to school for down south or in the midwest v. what he is going to have to play in the Northeast it really does get under my skin. I think we are going to take a trip Christmas vacation to check out a couple of schools down there he could go to for practically nothing-it just seems crazy to not even consider a few of these places.</p>