<p>OWM, Amanda and MOSB - Congratulations on all the exciting news!</p>
<p>We have visited only 2 out of the 4 schools she applied to. One of them is in a state we have no reason to visit…though we may swing thru during the spring. The other is one in the state system but our state is very large and it is on the other side from where we live…we will definitely go there when she is home on break. Of course, we’ve done a lot of research and investigation. Thank heaven for the internet!</p>
<p>@keylimepie – PM me, if you want, and I’ll tell you when/where we’re going and which ship, etc. </p>
<p>@flmathmom – thanks for that Stafford Loan link; I’ll do some reading on it.</p>
<p>OWM - Your son’s story really touched my heart. What great validation for hanging in there and being true to himself.
AmandaK - congrats on the $$. Wonderful to be able to expand your options and have your best hopes come true.</p>
<p>On a moderately entertaining note, when I brought in the mail the other day there were a bunch of college envelopes - not from ones D applied to - she has still been getting occasional solicitations. I rolled my eyes and said out loud “come on - she’s done”! I almost pitched them, then looked at the envelopes again. They were addressed to her younger brother (2013). And so it begins again! A totally different journey with him.</p>
<p>owm: that is so great that your son is getting the recognition he deserves from his peers. just fantastic. I love the idea of photos in which he is being smart. too funny.</p>
<p>amanda: congrats on the $$$. love to hear when the cash starts to flow…</p>
<p>cpgm: in a nutshell, Stafford loans are for your child, and PLUS are for the parents. Stafford maxes out at about 5K annually.</p>
<p>mosb: one of these days you have to give us some more info on D. I can’t wait to see her perform and get her autograph. I’ll make sure to tell her I knew her way back when she was just “songbird”…</p>
<p>So much great news. So many heartwarming moments. I have to say it’s helping to get me through the longer stretches of no news on our front. I knew that would happen as there are far fewer schools to hear from (less applications does that)!</p>
<p>OWM, I had a totally laugh out loud moment when I saw the ‘I’m going to try science’ t’shirt shout out! My oldest has that one! My kids have a thing for quirky t’shirts. Bluejr, who is shy (out of the house, NOT in!), has come out of his shell in the last two years. He has one that says " i>u " It cracks me up! He is honestly one of the most down-to-earth kids, so this is totally tongue-in-cheek. His coach saw it one day and smiled and said ‘Oh, you most certainly are not!’. The entire class laughed. My kids are really blessed to be at a school where it is ‘cool to be smart’.</p>
<p>A shout out to my DH who surprised me with a Kindle yesterday! Whoot-whoot!! We don’t exchange gifts normally so I was very taken back. He let it slip ‘maybe you’ll read something other then that college thing’. Blujr shot back ‘oh, don’t count on it!’. Funny! I have the kindle app on my smartphone and it’s killing my eyes so this will be a luxury!! I actually do read a lot so I’m very excited! :)</p>
<p>MM- I wished we had visited the 2 that we haven’t because it really is hard to compare without that real subjective “vibe” of a place. My one friend spent alot of money visiting around 20 schools, flying, driving, everything. That might be an extreme case. But you’re right, how can you invest without test driving?
OWM - Well, that’s an impressive bunch of pics! I have one of ds as a maybe 7 yr old, he’d fallen asleep on the sofa, with his blanket and teddy bear with a victoria’s secret catalogue open on his lap. Really. It is a classic shot.
Cooker - I had that same mailbox moment, and lo and behold, it was all those early “take our test online - here’s your special code” mailings from…guess who! UChicago! RPI! Don’t they learn?</p>
<p>Blueiguana - You’re going to love the Kindle! I never thought I wanted one (always a staunch defender of books) but I’ve found I really love mine. It goes everywhere with me with lots of books and magazines on it. It’s especially nice for travel! Thoughtful h you have there!</p>
<p>BI- congrats on the Kindle. S and I both have one. I have never read so much in my life. </p>
<p>Cooker - no rest for the weary, but your a pro now so #2 should fly right through this process. </p>
<p>S has already visited most of his schools at least once. We encouraged him to attend an EA admitted students day with me at JMU this month, but he balked saying he has already seen the school. I haven’t seen it, but I guess that will have to wait. Unless he has a hard time deciding between two, he won’t do any revisits. He is so different than I would be. I would have joined all the facebook groups at all the schools I was admitted to, I would be scouring the web looking for info, etc. AFAICT, he does none of this and I am really not sure how he ranks the schools he has been admitted to. ;-)</p>
<p>It’s so good to check in and find good news!</p>
<p>OWM: Loved that your son is being recognized by his peers. It’s one thing to be noticed by teachers and administrators and an entirely different thing to be acknowledged by his peers. Love it!!</p>
<p>AmandaK: Cha-ching! Show me the money! So cool that your son will have choices – and maybe even affordable ones!</p>
<p>Not much happening on the college front here, but S2 did receive a hand-written note from the admissions counselor at one of his schools. Talked about how glad they were that he had applied and how he had thoroughly enjoyed reading his application. This school is not a reach school for S2, but the fact that someone noticed his application and took the time to write to him about it brought smiles to both his face and mine. I guess it’s the little things that get you through this long stretch of waiting.</p>
<p>Blueiguana - I received a Kindle for my Bday last fall and I have to say it is the best present that I have received in years! I love it. I keep in my pocketbook so when I am waiting for kids at activities, I just just pull out my Kindle and read a chapter here and a chapter there. I also like it in the evening because I can increase the font size and read without my glasses - the things that can thrill me these days!</p>
<p>I downloaded quite a few classics for free and I am reading them all over again. I also purchased several contemporary (think trashy) novels that I am reading in between the classics. Love it!</p>
<p>college4three – So, Stafford loans are the same thing as “Direct loans”, and they may either be subsidized or nonsubsidized, I guess ??? I haven’t had time yet this morning to read flmathmom’s link she gave me.</p>
<p>Can you voluntarily apply for PLUS loans? The school’s financial aid package did not specify any PLUS loans, so I guess those are available if you WANT to apply for them, if you don’t have any other resources to pay for the remainder of your bill.</p>
<p>Just found out a little bit ago that School #2, which are have been waiting on financial aid info from, has been delayed sending out their award letters until March 1. So, while I really wish we could be DONE so we could buy T-shirts and bumper stickers, I guess we have to wait just a little bit longer . . . ugh.</p>
<p>OWM, pictures of your son looking smart is making me LOL. </p>
<p>AmandaK, hurrah for merit money!</p>
<p>Amanda - I have that picture now in my head and love it! Totally priceless! 
I love studio photography and believe it has a place in every families history, but the images I have framed around my home are the ones with crooked smiles, where my kids are poking each other in the ribs, kids covered in cake icing courtesy of their brothers with smiles as wide as the sky, this is a family. I can swap out a head in photoshop with the best of them, so that each family member in a portrait looks like they were perfect in that one single image… It’s beautiful, it’s not real life. It’s nice to look at, but it doesn’t warm my heart and take me back to the day it was taken. Perhaps I’ve just gotten used to the imperfect nature of pictures with a family of boys… :)</p>
<p>Congrats to everyone on their good news, and thanks for posting. It make waiting through this “dark side of the moon” phase less tortuous. It reminds me that we will be getting our own good news–whatever form it takes–in due time.</p>
<p>OK, another scholarship opportunity - no essay and just quick lists of activities - why even a mom can do it! <a href=“https://bestbuy.scholarshipamerica.org/information.php[/url]”>https://bestbuy.scholarshipamerica.org/information.php</a> Deadline is tommorow 9 am so get moving! (really, it is an easy app to do, and possible $1000)</p>
<p>Don’t want to make it difficult to find this thread MOSB, Amanda - congratulations on the good news. Echoing the others - hearing this good news makes me feel a bit better - but I am anxious at the same time - feels like we should be doing something right now and we are not :(</p>
<p>[Negative</a> Population Growth](<a href=“http://www.npg.org/2011scholarship.html]Negative”>http://www.npg.org/2011scholarship.html)</p>
<p>Students are requested to provide NPG with a three- to five-point plan to educate these freshmen legislators about what can be done to slow, halt and reverse todays out-of-control population growth. Submissions must be between 500 and 750 words. </p>
<p>6 prizes up to $2000
Due 4/22/2011</p>
<p>[Celebrity</a> Scholarships for Real People - Fastweb](<a href=“http://www.fastweb.com/college-scholarships/articles/3001-celebrity-scholarships-for-real-people?page=1&utm_content=fw_c1_20110215_&utm_source=nlet]Celebrity”>http://www.fastweb.com/college-scholarships/articles/3001-celebrity-scholarships-for-real-people?page=1&utm_content=fw_c1_20110215_&utm_source=nlet)</p>
<p>Ten different scholarships from celebrities like Oprah and Michael Jordan. Most are for specific schools, sports, majors or ethnic backgrounds.</p>
<p>new to this thread. i find it hilarious how many usernames have “mom” in it somewhere. on page 648 there are 10 out of 15 lol.</p>