<p>Last year the senior parents started a “lasts” thread … it was great reading - sad and funny and very sweet. Maybe it’s time we had one of our own!</p>
<p>Feeling much more relaxed now that D has two applications in. I figure that even if she doesn’t submit any more applications (which I know really isn’t going to happen) she has two safeties that she likes in the hopper. Good see see everyone’s progress, feel relief that MOSB survived that scary driving experience (a reminder to take D out for practice when we get some really bad weather so she won’t be alone in a car the first time she has to deal with it), and commiserate with some of the “lasts”.
I’d be interested in anyone else’s experience with this. D has an interview next week with a school she is particularly interested in. The interview is local, and the note from the interviewer (the school admissions rep for our area) said that he would be meeting with parents, then the student, then all of us. Have any of you had this kind of experience? I don’t know why the interviewer would want to meet with me (other than giving me the chance to say how awesome D is). Any thoughts on what I should be prepared for?</p>
<p>I would think the reason to meet with parents is to pitch the school/answer questions. But it is an unusual format–usually they want to keep the parents far away from the interview process.</p>
<p>Cooker - that interview format is typically used at prep schools and private high schools. They first meet with the parents to understand their view of the school and then the meet with the kid to understand their POV and motivation for wanting to attend the school. They are trying to gauge if applying was the parent’s idea or the kid’s idea…and do their views match. I can see it working for 14 yo kids entering high school but it does seem odd at the college level.</p>
<p>MOSB’s adventure reminds me of the exhortation of the sergeant on “Hill Street Blues” to each morning’s shift: Let’s be careful out there! Scary stuff.</p>
<p>We had a wonderful weekend helping close friends celebrate their daughter’s bat mitzvah. Best of all was seeing some long-time friends who now live on the other side of the country. It is an astounding thing to look over at that group of teens and kids and see young adults in the mix instead of grade school children. They’re hoping that D1 gets into her ED school because they live nearby and would love to have her nearby for holidays, Friday night Shabbat dinners, and the like. </p>
<p>I have leftover cookies to offer y’all, especially these scrumptious little brownies with orange overtones (from Grand Marinier and orange peel). </p>
<p>Talking with other parents of seniors at the various parties and meals this weekend, I noticed a trend: the parents of boys were saying that their children want to stay in California, while those parents with girls said their kids wanted to go far away. Interesting. For the most part, I don’t ask where their children are applying, just what they’d like to study and what kind of environment they’d like for school. Makes for better conversation. :)</p>
<p>Fogfog best cookie recipe ever! Quite easy to make and most of the ingredients are optional.</p>
<p>On a serious note, I am going crazy waiting for the 12/15 decision. DS finished all his applications, and had another interview last week. I am obsessively checking statuses of his applications, most of the colleges already have all information they need. But he didnt get any confirmation from one of the colleges that he applied more than a month ago. The status on the common app site says it has been downloaded, but we never got any acknowledgement from the college itself. I think, I will have him call that college after 12/15. </p>
<p>Good luck to everyone who will hear from the ED/EA schools this and next week. I wish all news will be good news.</p>
<p>MOSB that sounds like a fun ride! :)</p>
<p>Driving in snow is bad-and when it ices on the roads forget it. In moments like that it is amazing how what we learned in driver’s ed comes back to us.</p>
<p>Yes all these lasts are starting to come upon us. I find myself so emotional these days and crying over everything-I am not usually like that. Between all this and the regular daily living problems and the heartbreaking situation with my mother sometimes I feel like all I could do all day is cry. I am so fortunate I have my amazing German Shepherd Pepper to always be by my side. :)</p>
<p>I feel for all you ED and EA parents-you must be walking on eggshells at times. I have my fingers (and toes) crossed for you all.</p>
<p>My S did take the Subject tests Saturday-I had signed him up for three but he only took the Lit and Math II-he just didn’t have enough knowledge in Chemistry yet so he declined to take it again. I understand that it will simply show he took two tests even though he was signed up for three. Too bad he couldn’t take it at the end of the year-oh well. He told me he studied as much as time would allow but he just ran out of time. If I had known the proper way to take these he could have started taking them freshman year but that knowledge will help his little sister (which I am sure pleases him immensely!)</p>
<p>Testing then is done-he doesn’t want to see another SAT test even though he could take them in January-he’s done, and his first choice (non-dream) school recommends but doesn’t require them so we can now close the book on this chapter of the story. Thank you for those who remembered he was taking them this weekend and wishing him well.</p>
<p>If I missed specific comment to anyone it’s not because I am not interested-I find if you miss a couple of days here it’s hard to keep all the action straight-</p>
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<p>LOL. folks at work are wondering why I am laughing</p>
<p>Pepper: I’m sorry you’re having such a hard time. I’m glad you have your dog for comfort. Hang in there.</p>
<p>Pepper - One day at a time. Make sure you take a few minutes each day to just relax, have a cup of tea and do something for yourself. I know easy to say, but a few minutes is not going to make a big dent in anything except maybe your sanity. Fingers crossed your S did well on the SAT2’s</p>
<p>You all are just the crowd to appreciate this. During my lunch hour, I was putting our living room back together after painting and refinishing hardwood floors (during the holidays–crazy, I know.) In a drawer, I found a framed picture that our son made for me for Mother’s Day 2002-third grade. The teacher asked them to draw a picture of Mom and describe her. Here’s my description from over eight years ago, using the exact spelling:</p>
<p>Mom. Nice, caring, laghing, helper, cook, voulenteer driver, driving, walking, shoping, fun, cool, Mom. </p>
<p>And in the picture I have red hair (no clue why, never been a red-head) a tiny waist and no hips!</p>
<p>Okay, back to work after that tearful moment!</p>
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<p>I SO get that! </p>
<p>I think I posted before that my D doesn’t care what I open/look at, but, EmmyBet, I was like your D…it meant so much to me to be the first to know. </p>
<p>Maybe you can go through you daily mail stack with your eyes kinda squinty…it anything looks at all collegiate, drop it back in the box like a hot potato? :)</p>
<p>Hey…even better idea: go through the mail WITHOUT your “readers” on. If you’re anything like me, you won’t know WHAT the &<em>@%^</em># you’re looking at!</p>
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<p>Oh amandakayak, now you’re making ME cry … and I don’t even LIKE football!</p>
<p>That is so funny, mosb! I’ll offer that to her as a solution.</p>
<p>She knows I might see some things by accident, and for the most part she’s grateful it’s the price she pays for having me here also to catch the important things when she’s not home.</p>
<p>The most important thing we settled was if she wanted me to text her at school or anything like that. It will be fun her way, just letting things unfold slowly.</p>
<p>Also, unless the mail says “Congratulations” or “Welcome” all over the outside I’m going to try to assume it’s another decoy letter - one of these things we’ve all gotten that have something completely irrelevant in it.</p>
<p>I’ll say it’s only the first day but it’s hard not checking any of the logins per her request. I went through her list of finished apps and they’re all complete, no reason for me to login at all. I’ll let her know if she doesn’t want me checking and seeing admissions results by accident, she’s going to have to check at least weekly for scholarship info.</p>
<p>I might end up on this thread even more often, with this little crutch taken away from me …</p>
<p>OWM, that is so sweet. I keep my sons’ letters/cards of that nature in a small pink leather portfolio that my husband gave me as a mom’s day gift just for that purpose. It’s fun to flip thru it and see how their perceptions of me and their ability to communicate changed over time. </p>
<p>Fog, love that recipe. Even sent it on to some friends who I know will appreciate it.</p>
<p>Pepper, as you know thru PM, I have my moments too. I think being really exhausted by this process doesn’t help. This ride has been so tiring emotionally and it’s far too long. Thank God the end is in sight. We’re almost there.</p>
<p>Just last week I began feeling nervous about my son’s early decisions. Until then I hadn’t really thought about it too much but I guess b/c we’re now on countdown mode, it’s hit me. He’ll hear back from three schools next week, and he still has a few optional essays to write for a couple of apps. Not sure if that will get done by next Monday when he should receive his first notification. </p>
<p>Those of you w/ kids applying ED/EA, are your kids sending out their RD apps now or waiting to hear back before hitting submit? My son has sent a few out b/c he read that for those particular schools the alumni interviews are given out on a first submit basis. The others are all uploaded on the CA and ready to go if he doesn’t hear good news next week.</p>
<p>^^RM, I think your son’s strategy makes perfect sense. D1 isn’t sending out any more applications until she hears about ED. There are another 6 schools, and she’s already had interviews for three. Two of the others are total lottery tickets so she is not pushing for interviews; I have no idea if you have to apply for these first. The final school doesn’t offer interviews in our area. She’d have to make a campus visit, but that’s being saved for a possible Admitted Students Day.</p>
<p>awwww…OWM that is so cute! My D had to describe her relationship with her family for a recent app. She went into great detail regarding H and S and at the end said something like "oh, and theres my Mother too. " what the heck? But, like in a lot of families I am responsible for the cleaning, chauffeuring and mundane details while H does all the coaching and a lot of the fun stuff. I guess I have to do more of the fun stuff too.</p>
<p>I’m thinking he’s doing the right thing. All the schools were sent the SAT I/II scores (finally the 11/23 scores we paid for are no longer pending; CB finally sent them on 12/4). At his school, the teachers/counselors won’t send their rec electronically until he hears back from his ED/EA schools. We noticed on the CA site that they have initiated the “invite” via naviance for all the schools but no uploaded recs yet. If they send it immediately after hearing from him next week, it will still be more than two weeks before they’re due.</p>
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<p>Hey, mamom, you’re here with us! It doesn’t get any funner than this, does it??? :)</p>
<p>MOSB- Really happy to hear you survived an ice hill. I had a very minor accident (no damage) with such a hill (but much smaller) in high school. I now have tires that were the best rated tires for ice since I live on another hill.</p>
<p>Great recipe, fogfog. </p>
<p>My d is doing the last two applications this week. I had hoped for last weekend but she got sick so a slight delay. One has a difficult supplement so that is the hold-up. Even though d applied to all but two of her schools either EA or early rolling, she is still applying to 2 RD. Why? Well she didn’t have a favorite and the only reason she didn’t apply to those two earlier was that they only had ED and without a favorite, she wasn’t doing ED.</p>