<p>Wow! I’ve been out of town helping an ill family member and there is SO MUCH happening with this group - isn’t it amazing!?! Remembering a few months ago when it seemed like light years until info would be available and now our kids are so flooded with news they can’t remember what came in the mail! I agree with several other posters, my S is showing me that some of this he takes quite a bit easier than I do.
It has been a busy week at the Puma house - 6 acceptances, and 3 with merit notification - so it’s good so far. It has taken a few days for the “I’m going to college” aha moment to settle in 
But I have a pragmatic child. These are the safeties, and he is already gearing up emotionally for rejection or “financial rejection” from his higher up apps.
He has 4 apps to finish today and tomorrow, and then nothing but waiting and scholarship apps.(and clubs, and sports, and IB exams - HA)
Congrats to SO MANY with such wonderful news and heartfelt “their loss!” to those with not such good news.
Here’s hoping for a few days of non-college family time. Totally aside - but if there are any board game playing families we just discovered “Dominion” - not new, but really fun!
I’ll pass around my almond rich roll cookies - have a reindeer, a tree, a star or a heart - you can imagine the icing and sprinkles :)</p>
<p>Oh my gosh UT!!!
So glad your S and friends are OK!! What an amazing, quick thinking kid to get his ID, etc. stashed while all this is happening.
Wow!
I lost glasses in Costa Rica and was able to have a pair made very cheaply and quickly there with the help of a local.
Hope you can skype with him - if you are anything like me, it really helps me to SEE my S after something like that. He sounds like a guy with a GREAT head on his shoulders!!</p>
<p>UT - what terrible news. Could happen anywhere. My friend’s daughter was ‘relieved’ of her valuables (fortunately not a gunpoint) in Paris two years ago. Saddest loss - her camera with weeks of memories.</p>
<p>Congrats r0kAng3l on your GW acceptance</p>
<p>High five to Mamom on admit to Loyola Chicago.</p>
<p>Way to go Emmybet on New Paltz </p>
<p>dadmm85 - Good luck on honors app to U of Mich. Congrats on getting in.</p>
<p>Pepper and madbean great news on SATIIs</p>
<p>MOSB That CD sounds like a perfect gift. My son writes amazing cards to his friends and family for birthdays, anniversaries, Mothers Day, etc. Ive saved them all. Maybe ILL Make a scrapbook of them similar to your CD. </p>
<p>Researching Way to go on Clark acceptance. My nephew is an alumni.</p>
<p>UT - Glad noone was hurt and it was just stuff that was taken. Yours should take the prize on that other thread…geez louise!!!</p>
<p>Researching4, CONGRATS!!! Doesn’t that first acceptance feel terrific? :)</p>
<p>UT, how terrifying! So glad your son is all right. I know he lost a lot of valuable stuff, but as long as he’s ok, nothing else matters. Very sorry about the contacts, though. My D would be in real trouble without her contacts/glasses. Our doc has samples in the office (30 days worth?). Could you express-ship them to him? Not sounding too fun to be Mr. Magoo in the jungle!</p>
<p>On another note…would someone PLEASE take these red-and-green M&Ms away from me??? I just can’t stop…. Who bought these, anyway???</p>
<p>You might want to watch this before you allow your child to take out loans or you co-sign on a loan for his/her college education ([News</a> Headlines](<a href=“http://www.cnbc.com/id/39911910]News”>http://www.cnbc.com/id/39911910)). Show will be be rebroadcasting between now and Jan 2.</p>
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<p>Dark chocolate peanut M&Ms…what was I thinking when I bought those???</p>
<p>How about all those cookies that we’ve been baking?? We are in a cookie swap tomorrow - why did I sign up for this again? D and S together made some awesome macademia nut + white chocolate cookies - they don’t eat them - I do :(</p>
<p>researching - congratulations on the acceptance to Clark. It is interesting that they chose to send an email, instead of snail mail as had been indicated earlier.</p>
<p>UT - awful news, but glad that your S and his friends are ok…</p>
<p>Congrats to everyone on their acceptances - and UT8431 - thank goodness no one was hurt. It sounds very scarey…</p>
<p>Dark chocolate sounds good!</p>
<p>I am thoroughly enjoying my sisters-in-law fight it out on Facebook about the logistics of the holiday while I eat the cookies that I got at a cookie swap last night. I am just going to show up with dessert :-)</p>
<p>@kmc736: If it’s CommonApp, then do a print preview. If the essays show up, then you’re set. Admissions reps repeatedly say they’re not in the business of counting words as long as the essays are a reasonable length. Do not contact admissions about exceeding the limit. </p>
<p>If the essays appear to be cut off (on CommonApp or other application), then you probably should be in touch with the rep. My son had this problem with a college and simply wrote a short e-mail with the essay as an attachment. The rep got back to him that she would definitely read the correct version.</p>
<p>oh and UT, I am really glad that the boys are okay.</p>
<p>Puma - congrats to your S! He even has choices when so many have yet to apply.</p>
<p>UT- OMG. This will certainly be a trip to remember. Hope the rest of it goes smoothly for your S.</p>
<p>Research - congrats on Clark! Although letter are nice to open, I will take good news anyway I can get it.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the comments. As he goes out to do his ecological fieldwork over the next couple of month, I actually will worry less about him. I did get a copy of his glasses Rx today, and will email it down to him. Hopefully that will help him get a replacement pair (assuming he gets email access at some point.)</p>
<p>But you have my permission to give your kids an extra long hug tonight as proxy hugs that I cannot give to my son. When they ask “what was that for?”, just say “thanks for not getting robbed in Ecuador today” and walk away.</p>
<p>kmc736 - I would call admissions and see what they say. Either they don’t care or they do. I assume you can’t go back and electronically change it now? Good luck.</p>
<p>UT - Hug on the to-do list, check. Whenever it is that I see him next. </p>
<p>Still waiting to hear from the GC on whether to sign up again for SATIIs in Jan. Cornell says “we may or may not receive Jan. scores in time for admissions consideration” - I’m thinking if he takes them again, and doesn’t prepare (my assumption) and does similarily bad, then instead of it looking like a fluke, it confirms the pattern…which is, he is not great at Chem.</p>
<p>Wow, UT, that is terrifying. I will indeed administer the hug.</p>
<p>UT…wow…How about a hug for you and Hubby for managing this from so far away!</p>
<p>^^second that hug to UT. Wow. While super scary to contemplate, I have a feeling his bravery and good fate will be the story that lasts long into your son’s oral history. </p>
<p>Good news for many! Congratulations to these most recent admissions. Woo hoo!</p>
<p>I also must thank everyone for their thoughtful advice as I went through a momentary good-scores-induced case the college list yips. I guess I’ve been trying to avoid second-guessing down the line–sort of pre-buyers remorse. I am the sort of person who likes to keep lots of options open. However, S2 has very clearly looked over his list and is really satisfied with all the schools he had carefully selected earlier. Which is a great relief! So YAY, and he turned in his last app today. :)</p>
<p>Hey guys,
Haven’t read or posted in days – so crazy busy w/ Christmas stuff. just looked at last few pages tonight and noticed that a lot of you are discussing the CA word limit issue. read the ny times choice blog about college admissions tonight and saw an article about this very thing. they interviewed someone from CA. hope that it will be fixed by the time my next kid goes thru the process. </p>
<p>[College</a> Admissions Advice - The Choice Blog - NYTimes.com](<a href=“http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/]College”>http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/)</p>
<p>i’ll be back right after christmas and will try to read from my last post to bring myself up to date. in meantime, happy holidays everybody.</p>
<p>All of the essays were viewable on the common app; the app was submitted about week ago and for whatever reason he was looking at it again yesterday. We did print preview it before we sent it, and actually had to cut some a bit to get within the chartacter count. I think for peace of mind we will contact the admissions rep. Otherwise he will just obsess about it for the next three months. Thanks for all of your input. You are a great resource!</p>