<p>Thanks all for the feedback. I’ve kept the discussions with my daughter very vague for now; once we have the last two decisions, we’ll sit down and really talk about options. Doesn’t keep ME from endlessly obsessing but she has enough going on with midterms and cheering at basketball games twice this week. I do believe that everything happens for a reason so I’m sure we’ll deal with whatever comes.</p>
<p>Like some of the rest of you, I’m dealing with DD’s lack of enthusiasm for tackling some of the tasks at hand, mostly studying for midterms. I pointed out to her that flagship U could waitlist her and then these midterm grades could be the difference between main campus and regional. That got her motivated - hope she stays that way. It’s really up to her, though. I learned with DD1 that the “letting go” process starts early and includes letting them learn (sometimes painfully) that there are consequences to every action.</p>
<p>On a somewhat happier note, I’m happy to say that I filed an estimated FAFSA today so I can stop worrying about that until I get everything I need to finalize taxes and make any necessary revisions to the FAFSA. I just used 2009 return since almost everything is the same for 2010 and it only took me about 10 minutes. Yay!</p>
<p>Hi All
FWIW there is a great flight tracking site, that allows you to see everything from origination of the aircraft (which can delay a flight) to weather etc. It also shows the flight path - etc.
And allows you to put the app on alert to send you texts etc
free to join flightaware.com</p>
<p>May be worth checking out as our kids will be frequenting airports more often.</p>
<p>So for example–I can see the flight was delayed more than 40 minutes, has more than 1000 miles (first leg of kiddo’s journey) etc. I can even see where it is on ascent etc. Very cool program.</p>
<p>fogfog–thanks for the timely tip! We just drove S1 to the airport (his flight is to Rome) and we noticed on the Alitalia website it had not yet taken off (45 minutes after scheduled departure). This was a big adventure because he goes to school about 40 minutes from home. He lives at school, almost never comes home but it has felt like he’s been close by so no big problem if he needed to see a doc (he’d go to his local doc) etc. Now–he’s really really far away. H and I were not expecting to feel so far-klempt!! So we hope his 12 hour flight to Rome goes smoothly, and that he doesn’t have much trouble making a very quick connection to a flight to Florence. </p>
<p>Meantime, I wanted to congratulate all those with great news. The successes are sweet–but I also think those just-missed-it events are a blessing, too. They are the times our kids get to confront disappointment, learn how to readjust, and reset for the next challenge in life. While it isn’t fun, it is so valuable for growing up and learning.</p>
<p>Welcome to proudmom–I have no sage advice about your D2’s desire to live at home. Some kids who want to attend a large public with great sports events actually are attracted to the parties around games and other team spirit and social activities (like sororities). Does this sound like your D2? If so, I’m not sure she’ll get the full fun and social opportunities living at home. Or perhaps you will need to adjust to an adult living at home who may be here and there at all hours? I find it much easier to have a veil of ignorance when my own college junior S1 is off at his own apartment (across town). This is not the least expensive choice, but we’d be paying for housing if he had attended a school out of town (see above–Italy!) and it gives him the privacy he (and we) deserve. Just a thought.</p>
<p>Madbean - no, my DD is not a partier. She just loves almost all sports - her dad’s alma mater is a big deal in sports and she’s grown up rooting for them. She’s also an avid spectator in HS - she cheers during football and basketball plus has friends playing every other sport so she is often in the stands. And it’s not exactly that she wants to live at home - she’s just considering it if she doesn’t make it onto main campus for her first choice. We should have some clarify around that soon and then we can start to sort things out.</p>
<p>Is your son going to be spending a semester in Italy? DD2 is spending 2 weeks in Italy and France over spring break and can not wait.</p>
<p>@mosb and phb that is such great news. you guys must be VERY proud. @amanda, I’m sorry to hear of the setback. for these kids who perform, there are twice as many hoops to jump through. @proudmom I would say if my kid wanted to live at home and was also a big sports fan, then the combination would allow her to get into the spirit of the campus community just fine. There is probably the opportunity to move on to campus later in the year. Either way, you still have plenty of time for her to maker decision. I wouldn’t press the issue for a while.</p>
<p>Welcome Proudmom. You will find that CC can get adictive. I understand your concern that your daughter will miss out on some social experiences if she lives at home next year. If she doesn’t get into the main campus, I guess you’ll need to visit the satelite and find out what student life is like there. I would also take her to visit some of the other schools that accepted her to see if they appeal to her. She could start at one of those and possibly transfer to the state flagship later. A lot of kids in my state do that. </p>
<p>Madbean: I hope your son has a safe, easy flight. My older daughter studied in Florence last summer. It was a great experience for her. I understand how unnerved you feel. This is one part of letting go that gets really tough.</p>
<p>FoggyKiddo arrive home safely. The first leg of the trip was delayed leaving for 40 minutes and then arriving , had to circle the airport for a bit before landing. Kiddo orginally had just over an hour between connections. Made a mad dash- having to change concourses–and as luck had it–was at the far end of one -took the shuttle and the departing flight was at the end of another. Kiddo was the last passenger on the plane.
We are thankful with all of the flt delays etc that kiddo made it home safely.</p>
<p>Everyone was a little slow to get up this am…:rolleyes:</p>
<p>Madbean, I recall my trip to France as a college student…was fabulous and opened alot of new avenues. Am sure your student will LOVE Florence. Italy is just wonderful and Florence is a very walkable city. Rome’s airport is very nice and Florence’s airport, much smaller, is pretty easy to negotiate.</p>
<p>Fog - Glad he got home! Nice having young legs. I have had to make mad rushes from one terminal to another while on business travel and it is not fun.</p>
<p>Big congratulations to Phbmom and D on the appointment and MOSB and SB on the scholarship and finalist opportunity. Such wonderful news!<br>
FLMathMom - I can SO relate! I was ready to read D the riot act yesterday - but before I could, she opened up about how underwater she was. Too much on her plate and the combination of being overcommitted and wanting to do everything perfectly has gotten to be too much. Some of her current situation is based on bad planning/poor choices on her part, but a lot it is us due to circumstances outside her control and everything coming to a head at once. Our school has finals after break, so this is the last week of class before finals, and her final three apps are due this weekend as well. I won’t bore you with the details of everything she’s had going on, but we agreed to take one college off the list - the only one that was likely not going to give her any money - and that should take some of the pressure off. So I’ve gone from explosion mode to reassurance mode, very quickly. A month from now, even a few weeks from now, we will be in a better place; in the meantime, we are taking things one day at a time.</p>
<p>Thanks to all for the good wishes for sb. She’s excited about the audition. Funny thing is, this isn’t necessarily her “top” school. More and more, the notion of a pure favorite has dissolved into her realization that she has different “favorites” for different reasons. Her spring decision is going to be a difficult one, we both feel sure.</p>
<p>Still, it makes me happy to hear her say (as she did to her g-parents this weekend,) “I can’t tell you at this point where I’ll be going, but I’m very confident that once I have all the final information in front of me…the 2nd visits done, the music dept acceptances (or not), the financial info, etc., I’ll feel ready to make a good decision.” Is THAT music to a mother’s ears, or what??? :)</p>
<p>amandak, hope kayakboy bounces back quickly from the band disappointment. He sounds like a very multi-talented kid, which helps when there are disappointments in a given area. I hope his next at-bat is a home-run.</p>
<p>Welcome, proudmom. My slight inclination is to go into the decision doing everything possible to avoid a transfer later, but I think that’s just my (and my d’s) personal preference. </p>
<p>cooker, what a good mom you are to zig-zag like that from boil-over-mode to “let’s make a plan to make this more doable.” That’s a huge mom-skill in my book!</p>
<p>fogfog - glad to hear your little bird is back in his nest</p>
<p>cooker - you are wiser than me (than I?)</p>
<p>I am surprised to hear how many of your kids have midterms after winter break. What a bear. We start school in Aug. One reason is to be able to have exams pre-break. Makes the time much more restful for all.</p>
<p>I started a separate thread about this, but thought I would also post here in case some of you only follow this thread:</p>
<p>Does anyone have experience they would like to share? How arduous is the application process for this recognition program? It is obviously very competitive since there are only two winners per state, does anyone know features of past winners or weight given to different criteria for this (e.g., ECs, recommendations, essays)? Also since this is a federal government program do they prefer public school kids? Any info appreciated, thanks.</p>
<p>phbmom - congrats! quite an honor. Go Army!<br>
Congrats to everyone else; I, too, am finding it hard to keep up. </p>
<p>Hugs to those hitting some speedbumps. We have had our share and do believe that these bumps serve a positive longer term purpose despite the initial disappointment. </p>
<p>Good luck on finaid forms and scholarship apps. D needs to get the last packet going. </p>
<p>First snow day here in Missouri. Five inches on the ground and it’s still coming down. Supposed to stop tonight with 8 inches total.</p>
<p>After our son cleared the driveway (with the snowblower), I suggested he tackle some scholarship applications with deadlines at the end of this month. He said he would do them “tomorrow.” Guess he’s counting on another snow day because he knows our streets probably won’t be cleared by then.</p>
<p>My husband got stuck at the bottom of the hill, three houses from our house, trying to get home for lunch. It’s one of those days I love working from home.</p>
<p>We went to a reception last night for the local Cotilllion for Achievement. It’s a program that honors 10 boys and 10 girls from a two-county area. Three of each are from our high school. They do community service and other “adventures” together for the next eight weeks and then are celebrated at a ball, complete with dancing. A really nice program and I’m looking forward to the opening waltz with my son in March!</p>
<p>OWM- Looks like we will be getting hit with the storm Tues and Wed. I am looking forward to staying home on Wed. Congrats to your S! Looking forward to reading about that waltz.</p>
<p>Fog–glad to hear your kiddo made all the connections. S1’s flight to Rome was delayed an hour, he missed the flight connection to Florence, but was reticketed to a later flight (or so Alitalia has told me this morning–S1 does not have a working cell phone yet–will buy one there) and should be landing in Florence exactly now. What a lot of time from my last post–and he’s still (I hope) happily in transit.</p>
<p>Thanks for the wonderful stories of kids in Italy. I’d love to hear more details if anyone has the time. :)</p>
<p>OWM, sorry about all that snow! And the cotillion sounds very special. </p>
<p>phbmom–I don’t think I congratulated you and D yet. What a huge honor. It’s terrific that her leadership and strong character are being rewarded. So many excellent schools are out there for so many excellent (and different) kids.</p>
<p>Okay–I’ll admit it. I’m sitting here hoping for an email from S1 saying he’s arrived safely. As a younger guy, he was pretty absent-minded about letting his dear mom know what was up, absorbed in whatever adventures. Hmm. :)</p>
<p>owm - congratulations!! Sounds like fun - although I wouldn’t know how to waltz :)</p>
<p>A tad bit jealous of the snow as well - it seems like the weather gods have forgotten it is supposed to be winter and snowy in New England The kids are disappointed that we can see the grass in our yard!</p>
<p>Not much college-related from our house this past weekend. Spent most of the time with friends watching the wild card weekend nfl games. Was fun, especially since we hadn’t spent time with these friends in a long while. D was very relaxed, enjoyed herself -in fact one of our friends commented that she must be so thrilled to be done with the apps! Did hold off on the nagging about the scholarship stuff - it’s due this Friday and I have to believe she will somehow get it done…</p>
<p>FAFSA - thus far, I haven’t bothered to look at this or the Profile. We won’t qualify for need based aid. One of our friends yesterday though urged me to go ahead and fill it out anyway - he also added that CMU wanted to see the FAFSA before awarding his son merit-aid (yes, merit - not need based!). </p>
<p>There’s also a slight wrinkle - H quit his job at the end of the year and is now looking around for another one (he’s been working in another town for the past year and it was just too much for all of us). I don’t know how long it will take for him to find another job - I suspect though that even with this, we won’t really qualify for any need based aid.</p>
<p>Any thoughts? Should I look at filling these forms out?</p>
but it has felt like he’s been close by so no big problem if he needed to see a doc (he’d go to his local doc) etc. Now–he’s really really far away. H and I were not expecting to feel so far-klempt!! So we hope his 12 hour flight to Rome goes smoothly, and that he doesn’t have much trouble making a very quick connection to a flight to Florence. </p>
The kids are disappointed that we can see the grass in our yard!</p>