<p>I would assume that it is a very strong “likely letter.”</p>
<p>BI: I think that an invitation to apply for honors is a pretty good indication that an acceptance is coming. Sorry about the additional paperwork, but it’s probably worth it. </p>
<p>Kathiep: Congratulations on the new acceptances.</p>
<p>LOP: We have used song lyrics in our yearbook dedications. For D1 we used the chorus to “My Wish” by Rascal Flatts. It still makes me think of her whenever I hear the song. Unfortunately, our HS doesn’t publish the yearbook until the fall, so kids don’t get it until Thanksgiving break. </p>
<p>To those mothers of boys looking for prom dates: There are usually many nice, pretty girls who would love an invitation to the prom. If they’re afraid to ask, they might want to discuss the possibility with her friends.</p>
<p>Prom dates??? I’m not ready for this yet…</p>
<p>BI and kathiep - Congrats on your good news. Great way to start the week.</p>
<p>Re: quotes - Try googling yearbook quotes for some good choices</p>
<p>Emmybet - good luck to your D on her upcoming auditions</p>
<p>This whole college process is making me crazy! This past weekend DH and I had a long heart to heart talk with D about her choices. Since there is no clear “front runner” we discussed all the pros and cons of each of her options.</p>
<p>Much to Ds chagrin, DH ruled out one school because it was 3000 miles away - and wouldn’t you know, out of the blue and very unexpected, she received a letter today from that school with a substantial scholarship. This school has a two step process where she has had to apply to the school and then to the program. She got into the school under general studies but hasn’t heard from the program yet. The finanical incentive is significant but I also am having a hard time with the 3000 miles away part…</p>
<p>Any word of wisdom?</p>
<p>Momofboston: I’d have a really hard time with the 3000 mile distance. I know that it works out for some families, but I wanted my daughters to be close enough to come home for an ocasional weekend, and certainly for Thanksgiving. When considering schools far away, you need to consider not just the distance, but the travel time and cost. If the school is close to an airport and has non-stop relatively cheap flights to your home airport, it’s a lot easier than if trips home would require an entire day and many $$$.</p>
<p>momjr - Yes, I guess it could be considered a ‘likely letter’. This school doesn’t send them, but the effect is the same. It’s nice to get positive feedback regardless. I totally agree the paperwork is worth it.</p>
<p>On graduation songs I love the Rascal Flatts, My Wish lyrics. Just makes me cry. Also, Here I Am- Alt version, Bryan Adams; Wherever You Go, The Calling; Soundtrack to Your Life, Ashley Parker Angel (second verse is killer); Defying Gravity, Glee Cast (the MT crowd will know the original is by Idina Menzel, but I like this version better); Best Days, Graham Colton; To Remember, Josh Kelley. I work on a lot of media/DVD and am always listening for music like this. Some speaks more to students then parents, but I like them all.</p>
<p>We all have our favorite graduation quotes…this is one that moves me every time:
…but then I’ve also quoted Yoda so what do I know? ;)</p>
<p>Blue - Never heard of that quote, it is beautiful.<br>
Did anyone listen to Prairie Home Companion last weekend? It’s their joke show, alot of really stupid funny jokes. Just what I need right now.
On the 3000 mile, ehh, I dropped out of college and went to Indonesia and China, ended up teaching english for a year or so…I think my mom would’ve been more open to me being on the west coast!! My ds, I told him look everywhere but he’s sticking close to home more than likely. Guess it depends on how good the offer is, and how independent the kid is. My #3 will be the one, I suspect to venture far. #1, 2 and 4 are very very homebodies. Like velcro.</p>
<p>About being 3000 miles away - my older child is about that far at her college. Also, there is no direct flight and the closest airport near college is about a 45-minue drive (or bus ride). But she loves her school, and we are happy to see her so happy. She doesn’t complain about the long travel time because it’s so worth it to her to go to that college.</p>
<p>She has come home for Thanksgiving each year. We didn’t originally budget for that, but it turns out to be important for all of us. Once my mom and I visited her for a long weekend, and once my H and I went to see her compete in her sport. It’s difficult not to see her much, but we do talk often.</p>
<p>I think the distance does have a lot to do with the child, their goals, and what is available in your state. We have many good schools all within 5-6 hrs drive and consider ourselves very lucky. If we lived in a different area, or bluejr was looking for a program that was really great much further away that was a financial option then we’d have a much different strategy. He is another ‘velcro-kid’ so keeping our fingers crossed that the letter today is a strong indicator of an admit. This would put the school 15hrs away out of the running. I’ll breath a deep sigh of relief if that happens!</p>
<p>Regarding the 3000 miles…once you are into plane flights, the distance doesn’t matter much. The number of connections does, but not the distance. S1 is in his junior year. His itinerary is 100 miles from home to the “local” airport, one or two flights (depending on cost/connections), in his arrival city he uses urban mass transit from his arrival airport to the train station, a 3 hour train ride, and then bumming a ride from the train station to campus.</p>
<p>^ I have agreed with this on other threads discussing long distance college commutes. Not all commutes are equal. Bluejr could get coast to coast quicker then the commute he faces if his other schools don’t work out. Certainly doable, but ironic that he could get to LAX with less hassle! All things have to be taken into context. </p>
<p>Bluejrjr has his eye on a personal aircraft with folding wings that can go in a garage (ICON A5). You only need a sports flying license (whatever that is). He honestly has this as his screen saver. Now that would make a commute much easier by anyone’s standards! 
The kid cracks me up!!</p>
<p>[ICON</a> Aircraft | Wingfold](<a href=“http://www.iconaircraft.com/wingfold.html]ICON”>http://www.iconaircraft.com/wingfold.html)</p>
<p>btw - at $135k I think he’s going to be ‘eyeing’ this for a good long time!</p>
<p>momofboston - My husband has three adult daughters and five grandchildren living in Israel. They have a very close relationship espec given the fact that he has lived halfway around the world from them for 23 years. </p>
<p>All the schools our son applied to, except our in-state flagship, are 2-5 plus hours away by plane, mostly nonstop. If you live in South Florida, your choices of top privates schools are limited. Two of his choices are in Southern California. </p>
<p>My preference is for him to be in our time zone or one over, but that criteria is low on our/his decision-making list. My husband will be retired starting in May and I don’t/can’t work so we are free to travel to hour son when we need a ‘fix’. I expect that other than Winter & Spring Break, we will be visiting him.</p>
<p>These decisions are very personal. What works for one family, may not work for another. What works at one point in your life, may not work in another. I’m sure you, your husband and daughter will come to a great decision once all the cards are on the table. Right now you are still missing some facts.</p>
<p>BI - Does that aircraft meet ADA specs?</p>
<p>^ I couldn’t find anything that addressed that… sorry. Maybe I should email them? :)</p>
<p>FlMath I am sorry to hear the interview was tough. I hope like others here have expressed it went better than he thought-it must be so hard for these kids to have to handle these types of things-I give them so much credit for everything they do. </p>
<p>S was wistfully looking at the thread on CC of all places for his dream school. We talked about the long odds-I thought he had accepted he has really a slim chance of going so I was surprised how much he thinks about going there. It was a nice chat.</p>
<p>Mid-terms start tomorrow. He came with me to see his little sis play her last home game as an 8th grader-she was so pleased although she would never admit it.</p>
<p>I am starting to grasp how different next year will be without him here. I wish they didn’t have to grow up-is anyone else experiencing these pangs? He won’t be going too far away as he didn’t want to look more than an 8 hour car ride-only one school is much farther than that but I don’t know if he would go there.</p>
<p>Kinda blah tonight-it’s been a long winter and it’s only January 24! He sure can’t complain about lack of snow-that’s for sure.</p>
<p>My oldest is one of those who has gone across the country. While it would be nice to have him home for short breaks, I’m glad he went. He is getting a taste of an entirely different culture. In his case, he has a whole new appreciation for home. His school keeps housing open except for Christmas break. Many schools do close for shorter breaks, so that is something to consider. I had to go to college in my hometown, so I want my kids to have the opportunity to spread their wings and try something totally new.</p>
<p>amandakayak, I was laughing along with the PHC joke show too.</p>
<p>Is 3,000 miles coast to coast? I’m not good with geography and miles. I like that my older kids got to experience a different part of the country. It made them appreciate home and also realize the similarities between places. The travel stuff was only an issue a couple of times of year. My daughter figured out how to get to the airport (45 min from her college) if she was flying home and then back to college but sometimes she drove one way or the other home, with a friend. She went to college 17 hours away. It did make it a lot easier when Southwest Airlines arrived at her airport. My son just drove to his college 7 hours away. My son is looking at colleges from Vermont to Florida, and a few states in between. Geography is not a real big deal for us for #3, at least not yet. Maybe in April we’ll re-think this!</p>
<p>BlueIguana, The invite sounds great, but I know my son would not be keen on doing any more college paperwork. He also just wants to program his robot! Mid-terms are getting in the way of that too. Just re-read that quote. I LOVE that! I’m going to send it to my son in Europe, busy casting off his bowlines!</p>
<p>My older son goes to college on the other side of the country (approx 3000 miles away). True, he can’t come home for long weekends very easily, but I’m glad he got the opportunity go try something new. I’d be surprised if he doesn’t move back to the left coast after he graduates, though.</p>
<p>D wants to go to college <em>away</em> from home, too, to experience something new. She’s applied everywhere from southern California to northern Maine. It’ll be interesting to see where she ends up.</p>
<p>Maybe next year we will be adopted moms or crazy aunts for each others kids. I’ll swap one South Florida boy for a Boston, Houston, Atlanta or Los Angeles teen. Boy or girl. I only have experience will a boy, but my hubby has three girls.</p>
<p>FlMMom- I actually had a conversation with bluejr that chances were some of the kids would end up at the same schools, cross paths while on a road trip to see friend, or interning in the summer…Boston, NYC, DC, Atlanta are big east coast hot spots for summer jobs. I teased him that he’d be at a party talking to a cute girl in a few years and mention something silly he’d done only to have the cute girl yell “OMG, you’re bluejr aren’t you?!? I’m songbird!!!”. Just an example, but degrees of separation would give a high probability that some will cross paths. Perhaps we should get them all t’shirts with “Class of 2011/2015” with our usernames so they can easily identify eachother! bahaha!! Sorry, I get an odd kick out of messing with my kids…biological as well as ones I ‘collect’ along the way. It’s self preservation as the only girl in the house. They indulge me to a large degree. </p>
<p>I’ll be glad to sign the on-location mum registry. :)</p>