<p>Speaking of which, did everyone eat up the gingerbread??</p>
<p>No snowday here - we just got a dusty. My daughter was actually happy to go to school and get 2 mid-terms over with. They still have one more next Tuesday because of an earlier snow day.</p>
<p>My daughter sounds like the anomaly here. She’s actually a neat, organized type who like to get things done. We’re not quite sure where she came from.</p>
<p>Another snow day, ugh. And it was sunny and major roads plowed by 9 am. Oh well, I guess it is hard to predict.
I am procrastinating on the FAFSA. Maybe tomorrow.
My mom passed away last week and I just can’t get it in gear. But, I think it is just an excuse as I haven’t been motivated to do anything for months. Except for cook and eat comfort food. It has been a tough year with losing my job and my mom. The benefit of the job loss was that I could spend a lot more time with my mom and with my S in his last year at home, so I guess its not all bad.
And as I’m sure I’ve posted many times, S has a great school with merit so he is pretty much all set. Thank goodness we are not stressing about that with everything else.</p>
<p>Idinct: I’m so sorry about the loss of your mom. It may take a little longer for you to get “in gear.” Winter is a particulary difficult time to mourn. Hugs to you.</p>
<p>Idinct, I am so sorry to hear of your loss. I think the FAFSA can wait! ((hugs))</p>
<p>ldinct - I am so sorry to hear of your loss. I am glad you have had the time to spend with her. Best wishes - I am sure brighter days are ahead.</p>
<p>Idinct – I am so sorry to hear of your loss. Take time to take care of yourself. Treasure the memories of her and the time that you got to spend together.</p>
<p>Idinct - Sorry to read about your Mother. Take care.</p>
<p>ldinct - sorry to hear about your mother. Great though that you got to spend time with her this past year - treasure that.</p>
<p>Indinct - so sorry to hear about your loss. Hugs being sent your way.</p>
<p>Noimagination - Life changes are difficult for all and as the other moms have said, there are many, many other seniors who share your feelings. I agree with the advice re: applying to UI and asking if you can still apply to the other two schools. </p>
<p>When you visit the various colleges, you might want to get the name and contact info of some current students that you can get more info from once you return home. Try to sit in on one or two classes during your visits and eat lunch in the dining room. That will give you a good feel of the school and the type of students who go there.</p>
<p>You are not alone. There are many people who care about you and support you. Let them help. Reach out to your family, friends, GC, clergy and to CC.</p>
<p>Look at post #3 about “fit” - too funny! <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1074559-those-gung-ho-fit-post-what-right-fit-these-colleges.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1074559-those-gung-ho-fit-post-what-right-fit-these-colleges.html</a></p>
<p>RIDICULOUS
[Here</a> Come $60,000-A-Year Colleges - US News and World Report](<a href=“http://www.usnews.com/education/paying-for-college/articles/2010/10/12/here-come-60000-a-year-colleges]Here”>http://www.usnews.com/education/paying-for-college/articles/2010/10/12/here-come-60000-a-year-colleges)</p>
<p>Noimagination - have a cookie.</p>
<p>U of Minnesota is a very impressive place. The campus is appealing, with a big central quad and well designed buildings. It reminds me a bit of UC Berkeley’s campus, though it’s much more compact and urban - it’s just a feeling. It is very urban, but as you say, that can be interesting.</p>
<p>If you want another western option, you might consider Oregon State. Their deadline is Feb. 1 for scholarship consideration. But I think they don’t give as much aid to OOS students as U of Minnesota.</p>
<p>Oh Idinct, I am so very sorry for the loss of your Mother.</p>
<p>My deepest sympathies.</p>
<p>Idinct, sounds like you’ve had a very tough year w/ the loss of your mom and job. but i can see that you’ve found the best in it already by appreciating the time you had to spend with your mom and family. i lost my dad, w/ whom i was very close, five years ago, and a day doesn’t go by that i don’t think of him. the pain eases in time, and now when he enters my mind during the day or my dreams, it always makes me feel so connected and at peace. i’ve never loved him more.</p>
<p>noimagination: I totally get your dilemma. my own son has days when he’s so excited by his EA school which is a 2 hr plane ride from here and days when he wishes his ED school accepted him, in small part b/c it’s a 2 hr car ride from here. as someone who spent time abroad both during college and grad school, for whatever it’s worth, I can tell you in retrospect how much I changed in valuable ways b/c i broaden my horizons by stepping out of my comfort zone. college in part is about that maturing process. your writing reflects a lot of maturity. i’m sensing you can handle anything that comes your way. yes, try to figure out in the next few months what you will need to thrive but don’t be afraid to bust out of your physical/mental boundaries. The West will be there for the rest of your life. on the other hand, if you think you’ll succeed better academically by keeping the rest of your life status quo, that’s legitimate too. only you can answer this question, and it’s the glorious part of this process if done right: you open up windows into self-awareness. good luck w/ this and let us know how it goes. just based on your reflections here, i’m confident you’ll have a soft-landing wherever you end up.</p>
<p>We are on page 2??? Unacceptable :)</p>
<p>Not much going on out here with respect to college stuff. D finished an essay for a scholarship - although according to me, it does need another rewrite 
She won’t be happy. She was happy it was a snow day again today - caught up on some sleep. This kid who’s incredibly organized (she’s a list maniac!) - somehow messed up on dates for a quiz this week. She was up until 2AM studying for a quiz on Thursday - got to school and found out the quiz was Friday! She was exhausted last night from the lack of sleep and so today’s snow day was most welcome! Of course, now the quiz is also moved out to next week, along with finals!</p>
<p>H got an application for a local bank scholarship for D - the essay needed is a 300 word essay describing why she should get the scholarship! She’s stumped with this topic - “because I could use it” was her first thought :)</p>
<p>Regarding going to school close to home or far away…</p>
<p>I can’t even wrap my mind around having as many choices among schools as people in the NE enjoy. None of the schools that S2 is applying to are even in this time zone. The nearest one is 546 miles away, and the furthest one is 2600 (when you call up a mapquest route to it, the map shows both Greenland and South America.)</p>
<p>Amandak: Thanks for pointing out the “right fit” post. The lightbulb jokes are hilarious. Anyone who needs a good laugh should read it.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for your kind thoughts. </p>
<p>Yes the NE has many great colleges however that doesn’t mean any of them are a great fit, particularly financially. S for the most part applied out of the NE. </p>
<p>S tells me he had another great semester. So that is very good news as he added an AP class really late and did badly on the first exam. Perhaps I can stop worrying how he is going to make it in college - ha ha (probably not). Hopefully he will not get any senioritis, particularly with APs to take. He had a take home test today as they are missing so many days with all the snow we are getting.</p>
<p>@amandakayak: I don’t believe in the idea of one dream school. I do believe that some environments will, in general, be better for some people than others.</p>
<p>I think I’m talking about a mix of geographical and cultural factors. Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, for example, would be an example of a more eastern location with at least some similarities in both areas.</p>
<p>Academically, I don’t see any of my options closing doors.</p>
<p>@ldinct: I’m sorry for your loss. Good luck with trying to move on.</p>
<p>@FlMathMom: Thanks for the tip.</p>
<p>@Calreader: Yes, I’m looking forward to visiting Minneapolis in March. Oregon State is a good school, but I don’t see the cost premium as justifiable. It rains a lot in Corvallis anyway :)</p>
<p>@RenaissanceMom: Thanks. In terms of travel time from my current address, Minneapolis is probably actually closer than Moscow because there are direct flights to MSP instead of having to change planes at SeaTac. Either way, driving would take way over a week and probably cost about as much as a plane ticket ;)</p>
<p>@UT84321: If I applied to UI, it would be the closest school to my house at a mere 1600 air or 2500 car miles. My current farthest is about twice that distance.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the good wishes and cookies. I’ll think things over this weekend.</p>