<p>My son received a “likely email” from UPenn last night. It had a link to a video message from the dean of admissions (filmed during a snowstorm) with a student video about Penn. Much excitement and joy here! Thanks for giving me a place to share and virtually shout - YEHAH!</p>
<p>Congratulations Scoutsmom! My older daughter is having a great experience at Penn. Let me know if you or your son have any questions.</p>
<p>Saturday’s countdown is:</p>
<p>MIT (March 14th) - 9 days to go. Single digits!</p>
<p>**March 31st schools - 26 days to go. Less than 4 weeks! **</p>
<p>scoutsmom, Excellent!! This is just the place for sharing news. It must be a very happy weekend in your home. :)</p>
<p>I have decided not to mention a word this weekend to my son about college-so he just calls to me from the other room “Still 25 more days until my Harvard decision”. :(</p>
<p>He says it is March 30th.</p>
<p>Until he gets the word on that I don’t think he will make any serious attempts to figure this out so I really am going to behave and try and leave him be-it’s kind of funny he mentioned it.</p>
<p>He has six acceptances in hand-all schools that either are fine for him standalone or have Honors Colleges-and four of them have significant merit aid awards. He is waiting on three Ivies and two other schools that I know one will offer full tuition and who knows about the other one.</p>
<p>The thing is the acceptance he got last week to URochester was followed this week by a very nice merit award but that school-his favorite by far non-Ivy-will still even with that aid be over twice as much as the school he will probably end up at-we like others have to factor cost into this equation.</p>
<p>So that’s where we stand-and I understand the disappointment felt by amanda and others here when they get acceptances to the schools they really want to be at but financially it’s probably not realistic. That’s how Rochester is probably going to turn out for him.</p>
<p>Congrats scoutsmom on the likely letter!</p>
<p>Puma that is so awful to be sick anyway, but at this time it’s really a tough break.</p>
<p>So anyway, that’s the status here-so if Harvard admissions is reading and you could just accept my son life will be so sweet here! :)</p>
<p>If he doesn’t get in which is far more likely I think it will come down to Rochester and the yet to be accepted to school that will give full tuition-so that’s what he needs to be thinking about the next 25 days-which he probably won’t. :(</p>
<p>I am just beyond even wanting to think about this anymore-too many variables right now to make any kind of decision and thinking about it anymore is just making us all crazy.</p>
<p>Congratulations scoutsmom…and scout. Penn is my dad’s alma mater. And the sorority that I belong to and work for just started a wonderful chapter there. Lots of brilliant, beauty women for him to meet!</p>
<p>delurking again… we have a shutterfly group for the '14s, Lafalum84 runs it if anyone wants to get tips from her on the process. She is going on vaca right now so you might not get a quick response.</p>
<p>scoutsmom -yehah! back at you. Nice way to start March. </p>
<p>pepper - we are in same boat money wise. He has some very nice scholarships at schools he likes but aren’t his number one choice. His number one and two both deferred him so I think it is unlikely they will offer him money if he gets in which means they will both cost about 28K more per year than the two who have offered him the most money. S recently got an email from one of the schools who has offered him the most merit money so far that they are looking for even more money to offer him. If that happens it is a no brainer for me. Not sure S is thinking along those lines though. ;-(</p>
<p>Yes is does make for dizzying thoughts huh mamom?</p>
<p>That’s pretty cool they are looking for more $ for him!</p>
<p>Congrats scouts mom. And pepper, my son very anxious about the big H as well. Results will be send march 30 by email after 5 pm. Good luck to them both! Still waiting for well over a dozen school responses here.</p>
<p>I wish everyone the best - I think it will be a big relief to get on with life and get out of this “dream state.” After going through all of this waiting, I’d say even a disappointment is better than not knowing.</p>
<p>EmmyBet - you are so right! Part of my master’s thesis (MANY years ago!) was about the stress related to various kinds of positive and negative information about change. One clear finding was that even the negative information reduced stress more than continuing uncertainty. I just didn’t realize that decades later I would be experiencing it in this particular way. Then again, if a lot of the 15 decisions we’re waiting on (especially the really desired ones!) come in negative at the end of this month, I might need to go back and add a footnote!</p>
<p>Hoping not to sound too much like a pollyanna, I’ll say these kids are going to be more resilient than we fear. They are not the first, and they are not alone. In the long run, moving into that dorm, meeting the other kids, experiencing all that college offers, will blot out the memory of these few weeks.</p>
<p>For now, it’s very difficult - it is for my D and me, too. I’m enjoying imagining our next set of discussions, about graduation, and summer, and planning the big fall exodus!</p>
<p>“One clear finding was that even the negative information reduced stress more than continuing uncertainty.”</p>
<p>OneGirlsMom – Wow, that ^^ is SO true!! The not knowing, one way or the other, is what makes the stress ratchet up. Even if it’s bad news – you didn’t get admitted, you didn’t get the $10K scholarship, you didn’t make the team – allows you to move on (eventually). Perhaps you need to “publish” your thesis again here on CC for the rest of us! :)</p>
<p>We’re in the same boat: DS admitted to his two favorites; they both have his sport; one coach really wants him a lot, but we don’t have the financial aid award from them yet. Other school, we have the fin. aid award, but no definitive word from the coach. And this is the school that’s really DS’ first choice. But either school will be wonderful. The fin. aid letter from the first school is supposed to be here any day; my thought is if they’ve offered more money than the other, then that’s where he’s going! I’m just ready to not be part of OneGirlsMom’s thesis anymore!! hee hee</p>
<p>Congrats scoutsmom! I did my grad there and loved it and Philly. Boy, did Penn open a lot of career options for me! Hooray for scout!
We are in the March 30 crowd, with a couple of stragglers April 1 (snail mail, really?) and April 5. We are either going to have a fantastic spring break or (here’s hoping) a blah start followed by acceptance and enthusiasm for whatever school she does choose. Happy weekend my CC friends. I am in for closed shutterfly group. Great idea. I LOVE how the 2014 parents are still buddies and know each others’ vacation schedules ;)</p>
<p>Great news scoutsmom. So who wants to set up the Shutterfly account and get the process going? It will keep us distracted for the rest of the month.</p>
<p>Hi everybody,
Congrats to Scout wonderful early news :)</p>
<p>OK I have set up a shutterfly group for the '11 since I am already a member of the '10 and some others.
Just PM me your e-mail address and I will add you to the group if you want to participate…Here we go it is called cc class of 2011 pictures.</p>
<p>Last year we started with the prom pictures…then added some dorms pictures…and regional meets pictures…moved on to holiday decorations pictures…You get it we are having fun 
</p>
<p>Cheers :D</p>
<p>Congrats to scoutsmom - Penn is a great school with a lot of opportunities. They had a great combined science/business program for our S but he just didn’t get the feel of the campus - most likely as it was our first campus visit. His cousin is at Penn in grad school and we couldn’t coax S to go back for a second look, even with a weekend with his older cousin.</p>
<p>Some good news and some interesting news.</p>
<p>Interesting news - We received an email from one of his March 31st schools providing registration and login access directions to their financial aid website. We followed directions and the site indicated all items for aid review had been received and that award program details would be posted by month end. Not sure if this is a pre-cursor to an acceptance or just their style of handing FA. This site had nothing about acceptance or application materials. The only negative is that this school is down at #7 out of the 8 he is waiting to hear from. However, if the FA is really good, that number 7 ranking might change very quickly! :)</p>
<p>Good news - We received a call from the HS Guidance office that S has been selected as his school’s senior to represent the HS in the regional senior awards program that the local major daily newspaper puts on every year. He is one of 140 seniors who will participate. The only problem is they waited to the last minute and all of his info is due Monday. He has to rework 2 essays and his resume to meet their requirements but he does have a chance for some scholarship awards for his efforts. When quesitoned, the guidance office indicated with the recent snow days and other deadlines, they “got behind”. Very aggravating as this is not the first time they announced something at the last minute. :(</p>
<p>Pepper03 - I guess we will have to check the email inbox after 5 on March 30th. Thanks for the info on the email release time for H. Gee, one less day to wait.</p>
<p>EmmyBet – Congrats to you and D! As most others I an in awe how grueling the admission process is for the auditioning kids. And the outcome is dependent on someone’s subjective judgment, so I understand it’s very hard to predict and makes waiting for the results so much more nerve-wrecking. </p>
<p>Scoutsmom – Congratulations to your S. Great news!</p>
<p>I think I will go and lurk on the class of 2011 thread, scheduling revisits stresses me out right now.</p>
<p>2education - thanks for setting the shutterfly account up. </p>
<p>avonhsdad- hope all that last minute work for your S pays off in scholarship money. Not sure what to think about the FA thing. We have received FA info from one of S’s schools, but he was already accepted there.</p>