<p>Cooker: You have my symphathy. Procrastinators usually do pull things out at the last minute, they just need the stress of an immediate deadline to get moving. Now that it’s coming down to the wire, I predict that she will get those applications done. Mamom makes a good point about the essays. I don’t think they really matter much except for very small or very selective schools. Good luck surviving the next few days. If she cuts it really close, make sure she hits submit before the deadline in the school’s time zone!</p>
<p>missiepie–YAYYY!!! Wonderful news. Congratulations. Did you text your D??</p>
<p>ohiomom24–we’re in the same boat. S2 knows that he will have to wait to fall in love. I just hope, in the end, he has a choice that he finds pretty attractive. ;)</p>
<p>Slithey–oh my! These interviews are fraught with alarming possibilities. But the good news is–your D had an easy interview at her top choice school, and that is the right one to ace! With that lesson about preparation before any interview absorbed, she will have a lifetime of positive (or at least–less traumatic?) experiences ahead. Anyway, I’m keeping fingers crossed that her ED dreams come true.</p>
<p>kayak, I too cannot understand public display of anguish–or any need for mass attention. But for a generation with easy access to Youtube and Facebook postings, they can reveal (perhaps far too) much. I smiled at your description of yourself as stoic. That came through quite clearly in your very underplayed post about your DS’s medical emergency and surgery. Oh my! So hugs to you for getting through the week–even though you may not like all this fuss.</p>
<p>collegeshopping–I sent you a PM. Hope you get good news–something easy to get treated would be best.</p>
<p>Emmybet, you asked about S2’s programs requiring big supplements, so here’s a lot of info. Everyone, please skip if you find my whining too loud. ;0 S2 has always been an art/theatre/film kind of guy and has several specialized majors in mind which require separate department applications with their own supplements of up to 7 extra items–this in addition to the university application with its own supplement. Stuff sometimes must be uploaded, but often must be sent to a different office. Deadlines are often different than the U’s, too. Really hard to organize all the paperwork but I try. 
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<p>Just for instance–he applied to one program that required he write 1 personal statement explaining his creative vision for the future of his field, 1 essay describing the most intense moment in his life, 1 essay describing a personal incident that first got him interested in working in this field and why, plus that creative works resume (his was 4 pages long listing every competition, major production, art exhibit, role in a play, playwright’s award, and on), one sample of his creative work (he wanted to submit his art and architecture portfolio, for which he then had to photograph selected art, models and sketchbook renderings, design a website, and upload the files), plus three letters of rec from creative work sources–not school. Just for one supplement! Another supplement (I know–I just can’t stop!) required 7 elements including a photo, an essay on why their special program, and that he submit his portfolio (a subset of his online website works) in hard copy–requiring remastering those digital files to different format, color printing on special paper, buying the right kind of binder, and producing a legend, etc, and setting up a portfolio review/interview date. He has 3 more creative supplements to complete–one asks him to write a 5-page paper (I’m not kidding) where he must analyze a play and describe a set he would design for it. But each one gets a bit easier, as some of the elements can be canibalized. Still–Yikes! </p>
<p>S2 is also a pro at procrastination, but then perhaps this mountain of requirements acted as an antidote to that. And the real knowledge that his final choices will depend on merit aid or affordability. Just too much work and too much at stake for him to off. He must have seen the fear in my eyes. Plus he’d lived through his brother’s similar process 3 years ago and remembered the lost Thanksgiving weekend–that time I actually took the family out to dinner! It was sad.</p>
<p>I went out to walk the dog, didn’t hit refresh and missed all kinds of news.</p>
<p>Missypie: Congratulations! How considerate of the school to put the good news on the outside.</p>
<p>ST: I’m sorry your daughter is so upset about the interviews. I know what you mean about a parent being as happy as her most unhappy child. I don’t think alumni interviews carry much weight, but I’m sure she doesn’t believe that right now.</p>
<p>CS: Thanks for the update on your daugther. I hope they come up with a diagnosis and treatment soon.</p>
<p>Madbean: Those supplements sound awful.</p>
<p>I’m starting to think we got off pretty easy in this process. My daughter had 5 applications done by the end of October, and needs to do 2 common application supplements if she doesn’t get into her ED school. She applied to medium to large schools, so the essays weren’t too bad, and none required interviews. She really has her heart set on the ED school, so things will get ugly if she doesn’t get good news in a few weeks. Fortunately she does have 2 acceptances already.</p>
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<p>She has senior release, so she was actually napping at home. H went and asked her if she wanted to get up and open the envelope. She initially said no, but then was downstairs within 5 minutes. She received the highest merit money she can get just based on her application. There is another competitive scholarship that she’ll also apply for. (For this school, we need every cent!!!)</p>
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Neither my husband nor my son understand my emotions or tears. They laugh when I cry at commercials.</p>
<p>HI All
So much news. congrats to those with good news, acceptances, $ etc and my sympathies to those with procrastinators.</p>
<p>Our hs gc-s require the apps be in several weeks before the Christmas break so I suspect there were many here locally working on those essays etc–since its about 1 week til those deadlines.</p>
<p>We, OTOH, ate far too much food, turkey, pies etc etc
which while it was a great long weekend–makes the diet etc impossible.</p>
<p>Is anyone feeling emotional about that these kids really have about one semester left? I was telling our eldest how much we will miss having us all together–and how the younger student is sad to think about older sibling off at school. Spoke with a friend who expressed it similarly…so I guess we are not alone.</p>
<p>Who’s buying the first round? :D</p>
<p>ST - pls tell your D not to worry about the interviews. My BF has been conducting interviews for Harvard for 15 years - he was first in his class (and everythin that goes with it). In all of that time, only 1 kid got in that he interviewed. He just says he is humbled by all the kids he interviews because they are 10X more accomplished at a young age than his generation could have ever imagined.</p>
<p>Missypie - great news!!!</p>
<p>Collegeshopping - I hope your D is feeling better. Per my PM, something is probably brewing. My D just had an emergency appendectomy over the weekend. She has had stmach pains since early Nov and nothing has showed up for the past month. In fact nothing showed up in her blood work, xray, or ultrasound on Sat…only on the cat scan. Good luck, my thoughts are with you.</p>
<p>Missypie…Wow! Congrats to your D!!! I have to agree, all of S’s acceptances so far have been pretty easy to read, without opening the envelope.</p>
<p>I can’t imagine what you folks with artistic kids go through. I am glad S is a math/science kind of guy.</p>
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This is putting it mildly! Sunday I was a mess. One minute I’m drinking coffee the next minute I’m in tears…not teary mind you, crying like a baby. My 15yo finally asked me if I wanted to take a nap. I agreed, and slept for 7 hours…wth?! I did hear my 17yo asking ‘what’s wrong with mom?’ when he came down. My 15yo didn’t skip a beat and said ‘hormones I think’. Gotta love being the only girl in the house!</p>
<p>As it’s 5:37pm EST, I’ve got a nice Pinot chilled if anyone’s interested. ;)</p>
<p>My S is in at Bard College!</p>
<p>So excited for him. He is also now officially done with his applications (there were a few more schools he was considering apploying to, but he wouldn’t pick those over Bard). Which, considering I’ve always though my son was a procrastinator, is truly fantastic.</p>
<p>Congrats to all those with acceptances so far! And to all those with kids hitting those submit buttons too!</p>
<p>Congrats, GreatKidsMom! Isn’t it nice to see hard work pay off?</p>
<p>GKM: Congratulations! How nice to have such an exciting acceptance so early.</p>
<p>Missypie: Congrats on the acceptance and merit money!</p>
<p>I love signing on and seeing good news. Let’s hope it keeps on coming.</p>
<p>Congrats to you too missypie!! And, yes, it is. </p>
<p>This site (and this thread and the entire Parents Forum) has been SO helpful to us as well. In fact, I’m not sure we would have found or considered Bard except for some research we did here S’s junior year!</p>
<p>I’m loving all the good news very much. </p>
<p>My kid is going to college!!! (Celebrates with you all here and my dogs as my S ran off to tell his friends immediately, LOL)</p>
<p>I am so jealous–I think that feeling of closure is 5 or 6 months away for this household.</p>
<p>But you have my heartfelt congratulations on the accomplishment. I’m sure Bard will be a wonderful experience for your son.</p>
<p>GreatKidsMom - have you visited Bard? It’s such an interesting campus, with some extremely beautiful buildings. Congratulations on your son’s acceptance.</p>
<p>GKM-Big congrats!!!</p>
<p>It’s so exciting to hear about acceptances! What will it feel like when we hear and when my D decides where to go? Will it be this great let down, like what do we concentrate on next? The search has taken up so much of our energy and time that it feels like there will be a void in our days! </p>
<p>Actually, we’ve started pulling up all of the local scholarship applications and looking at the essays and applications that she needs to put together for these. Some are specific for biology and environmental science so she’s concentrating on those. Every little bit helps! Some are $500 book scholarships, but hey, that’s $500 in her pocket, and after all of those years contributing to local scholarship funds, it would be great to have her be one of the recipients! </p>
<p>We tried to head up to the local DMV to change her Junior license to a full license now that she’s 17, but made it only half way before we realized we wouldn’t make the 4 PM closing time. It’s about an hour away, and I thought we had enough time, but we’ll have to try again another day!</p>
<p>missypie - I’m so happy for you all. I remember “meeting” you way back and can’t believe you’ve found the end to this story.</p>
<p>GKM - Hurray for you and your son! We love Bard. My D would be thrilled to go there.</p>
<p>Congrats Missypie & GKM on your kids acceptances!</p>
<p>Boychild hit the submit button today on his last six apps. :)</p>
<p>madbean - thanks for the info. I think you dropped a lot of jaws here! </p>
<p>My D is very artsy but isn’t applying officially anywhere for design. I guess that’s where the portfolio supplements would come in. Maybe she lucked out. But she does have to prepare for auditions, so she’ll have a “package” of her own to present this winter.</p>
<p>Best of luck to your son!</p>