<p>Dignified: Once I finally got my D out of bed, we were able to access her FA award from UCLA. As expected, it was not much, only a small grant and the rest in loans to cover the gapped amount between the Total Cost and our EFC. But, we weren’t expecting much, so we’re not surprised. At this point, D has no acceptances from private colleges, so we have nothing to compare this with. Much as D likes UCLA, if she is fortunate enought to receive an acceptance from a private with a better FA award, it would definitely sway her(us) toward the private!</p>
<p>Glad to see so much good news here! D got her own fat envelope from a school she really likes and that will be a nice option if none of her auditioned options come through. In fact the way she is talking now she likes it better than some of her auditioned options! Nothing like the power of being wanted. Notice of merit/talent/FA $$ doesn’t come until later so everything is still in play since its much more expensive than the other two options she currently has. But its nice to see her so happy.</p>
<p>We are traveling all next week and will be out of cell and internet range for a portion of that. Cut off from civilization! I am looking forward to it but it also means we may have to wait for news of some acceptances. I think the forced decompression will do us all good. By the time I can log back in here there will be tons of announcements and I will never be able to catch up but I know good things are going to happen for all these kids in the next week.</p>
<p>Most of all, I am sorry I am going to miss Pi day. But I will be eating pie and thinking of those kids waiting to hear from MIT. Lots and lots of luck to you all.</p>
<p>Yay, yay, congrats to LoP’s D! There’s something about that school that lets you say, Ahhh, all is well. Hurray!</p>
<p>My D hit the garage today when leaving to go to a friend’s house - her first fender-bender in two years of driving. It’ll be costly to repair, but I’m just glad she’s not hurt and just mad about it (and that it wasn’t the trunk, which had her saxophone in it!). Anyway, it pales compared to some of the other stuff that’s gone on these past few days.</p>
<p>No news yet on how long we’ll have our Japanese visitor. I really feel for her, so worried about home and this trip not what she’d expected at all. But our Japanese D is being so sweet to her, even through her own worries. They are not so much anxious about their families and friends but just feeling terrible about what things are like at home. I encouraged them a little while ago to stop looking at pictures for a while and just watch a movie. You can’t grieve and worry 24 hours a day. Later they’re going to see the HS b-ball playoffs, so that will be a good distraction, too.</p>
<p>And we’ll take tomorrow as it comes. The last thing I’m going to do is put her on an airport shuttle until I know she can get on a plane at the other end. Oh, gee, I just realized we’ll be dealing with a car repair in the next few days, too, now. Gee, what’s next???</p>
<p>Progress today towards the “final” stuff.</p>
<p>My scrapbooking friend made a beautiful poster for our son to display at the ball next Saturday night. We found some math, science and academic-related paper and stickers at Michael’s. She is so precise and has all the cool cutting tools. Made it look so easy.</p>
<p>And I completed eight more pages of the photo book that I am creating for our son on blurb.com. So, 18 of the 36 pages are done. It’s so hard to pick the pictures. I could do an entire album of just him and his brother being silly together! Need to have it done as soon after prom as possible so I can get it sent off and published before graduation.</p>
<p>EmmyBet, hugs to you and your Japanese daughter and visitor. I know they are grateful to have you in their lives right now.</p>
<p>This is, at present, a hypothetical question but is something I am really curious about. A regular decision student gets placed on a wait list. The student has been accepted at other schools, who require the waitlisted student to indicate that s/he is coming by May 1. The waitlisting school also requires all of its admittees to indicate that they are coming by May 1; and all of its admittees may not accept their offers of admissions until May 1. Therefore, there will be waitlisted students who will not hear that they have been accepted until after May 1. It seems that the students who (1) have at least one acceptance; and (2) have the ability to accept an offer from a school by which they were waitlisted; may well be a null set for any given college. </p>
<p>Your collective thoughts will be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>You need to accept a school. If you get into a more preferred school of tneir wait list, you rescind your acceptance from the first school. Then that school has a spot to fill and goes tomtheir wait list. That is how it works. You can get in off the wait list as late as august before school starts. You will lose the deposit with the first school of course.</p>
<p>Waitlisted students are always encouraged to accept an offer of admission somewhere. They can change their minds later if the waitlisting school ends up offering them a spot, but they’ll lose their deposit with the other school.</p>
<p>Oops, didn’t see the answer above before posting.</p>
<p>So much is happening! As bothersome as it is, I’m relieved that the car accidents only resulted in property damage - the drivers are infinitely more precious.</p>
<p>I hope that EmmyBet’s Japanese d and her friend from home come through this tragic time with the strength their country is showing the world.</p>
<p>Congratulations to all those getting good news and heavy sighs for the not-so-good stuff. We’ve kind of had both, too. Scoutson was accepted to Rensselaer tonight, but the financial aid package makes it quite a reach for us. I’m excited for him, but seeing what it would cost has been quite a reality check.</p>
<p>Ok, back to holding my breath for pi day.</p>
<p>We are now 4 for 4 so far as colleges are concerned…one with a Spring Admit. Anybody else got one of those? I’m kind of confused…are they just figuring a bunch of kids won’t come back after Xmas break so they’ll let this other group wait? </p>
<p>Hope everybody’s well…I’ve run into a garage or two in my day…and I hope everyone with Japanese friends, family or colleagues hears good news.</p>
<p>Some colleges have housing open up in spring because that’s when a lot of juniors go abroad. Offering spring admits is a way to use that housing.</p>
<p>wow you guys, the information is coming in quickly. I am so glad to hear of all the acceptances/likelies/awards.
amanda: definitely try to see what the fares are like to fort Lauderdale. It’s not a bad drive to UM at all.</p>
<p>I agree that it’s hard to see kids who apply indiscriminately just to see if they’d be accepted, but with no intention of attending. I wonder why guidance counselors allow this to happen.</p>
<p>So much going on in here–congrats on good news, seems like everyone has some so yay! about that. We are waiting on finaid pkgs…so frustrated I didn’t get verification and special circumstances out sooner as I think that info will “cross” in the mail with some of the finaid info coming in. Oh well, it will just take little longer to get any further (hopefully)positive adjustments.
Prayer and hopes going to any with Japanese family, friends. Mind boggling what’s happened there.</p>
<p>At the risk of sounding sacrilegious, D2 wrote me a note just before our pastor started speaking tonight that said she’d know about MIT in less than 48 hours. I’m sure from that moment on we were completing tuned in to what he was saying.</p>
<p>This post is so mega long I suggest you get a cup of tea or take your pie out of the oven before you start reading. I just had to respond in detail to all the admissions decisions flying around–both good (yay!!) and not so (boo!!) We are all on this journey together and you have all been terribly kind to me.</p>
<p>FlMathMom–thinking good thoughts re: your S’s top choice news coming next week.</p>
<p>amandak–we were thinking (way back in Dec) that we might also be planning a trip to Coral Gables for April. But S2 got no merit $$ so this is one trip we will not be taking. It’s expensive–but what a nice location to travel to! Instead of Miami, S2 got big merit $$ in Cleveland! (just kidding, Cleveland! No offense!)</p>
<p>50isthenew40–congratulations to your D2 on UCLA. This is a wonderful first acceptance and bodes well for future success.</p>
<p>UT84321 & Aniger–woohoo on Dartmouth big hint. Hope this really is a likely for your S’s. Very patient of you to hold off on pressing that new tab, UT. </p>
<p>dadmm85–welcome to the UCLA celebration here, and double congratulations on the Regents scholarship, and triple contrats on the Columbia likely letter! It’s so true that the order in which the schools relay the news can have a big emotional impact on our students. No wonder so many of the ivies and other top tops are giving hints and sending likelies.</p>
<p>reseraching4emb–it’s so hard on these sensitive kids when one friend is over-the-moon excited about an admission decision at the very same moment that another friend is punched in the gut. My S2’s friends are very careful not to tell each other their news for fear of bringing up touchy subjects. Problem is–he would love to know if one of his close friends was also accepted to UCLA, yet won’t ask. The friend is most likely being equally careful and not contacting S2. I’m sure this will all come out when they get to school on Monday. But anyone else’s kids keeping secrets about good news?</p>
<p>but back to…</p>
<p>researching4emb–congratulations on your D’s acceptance from American!! What happy news. And 4 for 4 is amazing. WooT!</p>
<p>I hear you all regarding kids who say they applied to schools they do not like just to see if they could get in. I kinda doubt that this is totally true, though. I mean–it’s crazy hard to apply and do a great job on the application. Would they go through all that time and expense just for a kick? I suspect these teens are playing a little with the truth, not wanting to admit that a) they need back-ups just like the rest of the world–so they may not love one or two particular schools on their list but it will serve them if they do not get into all those shiny top top ivies they may have their hearts set on, or b) they want to protect themselves in advance from rejections. I’ve noticed a lot of “I didn’t even want to go there…” from kids after rejected. Could be damage control? </p>
<p>rom828–sorry you are experiencing that sinking feeling about Dartmouth. I know it well. It can be lots of fun and nervewracking to get these positive hints and follow CC boards and learn new backways to guess, but when the backways don’t lead to the desired outcome… that’s when I wish I had never heard of CC. 
Hope your S gets a lot of other, better news very soon.</p>
<p>LeftofPisa–congratulations to your D on getting a nice fat envelope! Best of luck on $$ to come.</p>
<p>EmmyBet, yikes on the accident. So glad D is okay!</p>
<p>Scoutsmom–yay on the Rensselaer acceptance!! And yet, those reality checks re: affordability are so on my mind. Hope all works out.</p>
<p>I scroll through these screens and am amazed at all the news coming along - congrats to all getting fat envelopes (or the cyber equivalent) and hugs to those with less-than-good news. And my thoughts are with those who have had recent car accidents (I, too, have had several garage accidents - and one more serious one, as well).</p>
<p>Unfortunately, we are still in the “heard nothing except state flagship last fall” category. Of all those RD schools, she applied to, why couldn’t one or two of them have earlier announce dates? And we leave town this morning for spring break, so no mail until next weekend. </p>
<p>When we return, H and I are on strict “don’t go near the mailbox” rules. Even if she has rehearsal until 8:00. Even if she has a competition and doesn’t get home till midnight. Though it will be tough, I’ve got to respect the request. This is about her, and she wants to be the first to know. I tried the “well, I need to get the mail for other reasons” argument, but her response of “come on, Mom, its not like you write checks for the bills the minute they hit the mailbox” was certainly well-founded. </p>
<p>So unless something comes through electronically for her (I have no access to her e-mail or portals, so at least there’s no temptation to resist!) we’ll remain in limbo for at least another ten days or so - but it’s great to hear from others who are seeing points of light at the end of the tunnel!</p>
<p>Miss a few days of keeping up with CC and boy, it can get overwhelming! Guess I need to “lurk” on a daily basis!</p>
<p>Congrats to everyone on the acceptances and my heart breaks for the disappointments…</p>
<p>D is 5 for 5 so far - still waiting for a rejection or waitlist to see how she handles that…just being realistic. The end of the month should be really interesting, that is when she should hear back from the remainding 4 schools.</p>
<p>She/we are very fortunate that she is receiving very good money but still when I see the bottom line - I just sit and laugh, and laugh and laugh…</p>
<p>Sending good thoughts and prayers to you all, and hoping everyone stays safe!</p>
<p>Sunday’s countdown is:</p>
<p>**MIT (March 14th) - 1 day to go. Only 1 more day! </p>
<p>UC (March 19th) - 6 days to go. Less than one week. </p>
<p>The big “H” and other ivys - 17 days to go based on the March 30th at 5 PM announcement date and time.</p>
<p>March 31st schools - 18 days to go.**</p>
<p>March madness should help pass the time!</p>
<p>Daylight savings should be abolished. I can’t believe it is already 10 am?? Spent yesterday doing the first changes at my dad’s house - taking down the 50 or so Dicken’s Village houses from yes, Christmas. Was the last thing we did together, well - I did, she directed how I was “doing it wrong” - somehow putting the boarding house next to the bar was wrong, I didn’t get it. (I did sneak the bar next to the bank.) </p>
<p>Spring is in the air, crocuses seem to be pushing up.</p>
<p>Glad for all the triumphs here, sorry for the annoyances/disappointments. Onward and upward. I think Pitt is in the lead here, gave ds guarantee on grad school, merit and a fine looking marching band. Dh and ds going out there in a few wks to visit - we’ll see how that goes.</p>
<p>I, too, am amazed at the amount of news being posted here in the last few days so I’ll take the easy way out and say “ditto” to Madbean’s post. Thanks for doing such a great job of capturing the high points!</p>
<p>For those of you with teen accidents to deal with - I feel your pain. We’ve had a couple of accidents here, both involving quite a bit of damage to the car but thankfully no physical damage to either child. I echo the poster who said that allowing her teen to drive was one of the hardest things she’s done.</p>
<p>The unfolding story in Japan has really put things in perspective for me. Thousands dead and millions suffering at this very moment - it’s overwhelming to really contemplate the enormity of what happened and how quickly so many lives were changed forever. Please continue praying for those affected and, if possible, consider donating to the Red Cross or other aid organizations. If you’re lucky enough to work for a company that matches donations (as I do), please take advantage of that also.</p>
<p>D got up this am and started checking the news immdediately about the reactors in Japan. College is so far from her mind right now. A friend (of mine) was over yesterday afternoon and was laughingly pressuring her to check on her acceptance status as soon as it was available Sat. night. D handled it well and just kept on saying, No, she would wait for snail mail. I am okay with that. At this point she thinks she would not be able to afford the reachy reach, so it would only be for “bragging rights” which she would restrict to in family members anyway- no need to make others feel bad.<br>
My thoughts and prayers are with those in Japan, as well as those with loved ones there.</p>