<p>Big congrats to kttmom and Davidson and ELKyes and C of C (I, too, have always read this ELKeyes)!</p>
<p>Gwen, I’m starting to feel heartbroken like your D! I am crossing my fingers especially hard for her. How many options does she have? How many more are you waiting on?</p>
<p>kttmom - breathe slowly and deeply. Keep yourself especially busy. Get off CC! ;)</p>
<p>The3Bears, welcome to our group! Grab a cup of coffee and pull up your chair…</p>
<p>jerseygirl - so sorry things haven’t pulled through yet for your girl. Love Boston, though!</p>
<p>Tags - My most sensitive is my most gifted.</p>
<p>College of Charleston sounds SO great, ELKyes! (All these months I’ve read your name as “elk eyes” and tried to picture an elk when I thought of you…hmmm.) </p>
<p>Me too on the “ELKeyes”! ELKyes, my SD still has CofC in the running. He would be a definite yes if it weren’t so far away. I visited there in late December - beautiful place!</p>
<p>Dd12 was the wrong side out socks and leggings with dresses no tights toddler girl. Luckily she got over the tights issue, since she dances :). So much with the kids…they were just born that way! So I refuse to take all the blame…mostly nature…some nurture.</p>
<p>Congrats to ELKyes and others who are done! Jersey girl…big hugs for your dd!</p>
<p>Gwen…so sorry. It is one thing to make this list in the fall knowing the chances, so much harder to actually live through it! </p>
<p>Saintfan…your cat is assume. The only thing our cats bring is small animal offerings that we don’t appreciate as we should ;)</p>
<p>D logged in and declined UC Davis last night… tried to do the same w/ UC Santa Cruz, but that is the school that never mailed her log-on information despite her e-mailing for it! Her acceptance letter has an i.d. (but no password), so she tried to do the “I don’t remember my passward” thing, but then it came back w/ something like they don’t have an account w/ that log-on?! I will have her try it again tonight, but then what? E-mail them to say “I am trying to decline your offer, but the computer system won’t let me in.”? I told D it is a good thing she does not <em>want</em> to accept their offer to attend because she wouldn’t be able to do that either - and that would be more stressful than not being able to turn it down.</p>
<p>Love the stories about the tactile sensitive kids. It is funny my kids all went through a very severe phase of socks feeling funny… luckily it didn’t last forever!</p>
<p>That’s great news, congrats on the done, ELKyes! </p>
<p>Jerseygirl – I’m sorry for the disappointments. But your D sounds wonderful and she still has some great choices! Makes me worry where we’ll be when I’m doing this again in 5 years for D17.</p>
<p>Mspearl – your D will do great things wherever she ends up! </p>
<p>GwenF – I’m truly sorry for the Fordham decision. The kids who have chosen to pursue the auditions path in addition to the regular college process amaze me, that has not been an easy road for any of them. She seems very resilient though and has a great mom to help her through this!</p>
<p>As a mother of 2 girls, boys are completely foreign to me. I love the stories though – thanks for sharing! Hmmm and the no-tags. D12 was a challenging child, now I wonder if I had removed the tags and turned clothes inside out when she was younger if that would have helped some of it? </p>
<p>We agree with the skin in the game as well. At this point, unless D chooses the one school with the largest scholarship, we will expect her to take out the student loans. But, if she picks Denison, it just won’t be necessary and at that point we will have considered that as her contribution. I have to admit that I’m a parent who has babied her way too much as far as money goes. She doesn’t ask for a lot anyway and is very responsible, so I generally give her what she needs. I know this isn’t teaching her responsibility so I am committed to changing my habits. DH has wanted her to have a job in the past, but I’ve not been on board since I see how busy she is with volunteering and her theatre work and I figure she will have a job for the rest of her life, I wanted her to enjoy being young. But, part of our college conversation will be the earning her own spending money discussion.</p>
<p>Sorry, Gwen Fairfax, about your daughter’s recent disappointment. I trust talent will out in the long run. But it’s understandably hard for kids, who have limited perspective on what “the long run” is, to take that view.</p>
<p>I have not posted in awhile as D was admitted to her ED school in December. Both of us are constantly counting our blessings as friends’ admissions results arrive. So many great, talented kids that are waitlisted or denied at seemingly perfect match schools. I have been following the thread and am so happy for all of the acceptances and am sending cyberhugs for all with disappointments. </p>
<p>My son, the CS guy was definitely tactile sensitive with socks being the main issue. Meanwhile my daughter, an athlete from day one is aware of every single ache or pain in her body. Very little stops her from playing but I am learning to distinguish the blister limp from the the ankle tweak limp or the IT band strain limp from the hamstring pull limp. It is a happy day when she runs down the field without a hitch in her stride.</p>
<p>Sending good luck wishes to all still waiting for results this week.</p>
<p>ELKyes, I always read it as el keys, as inthe spanish version of a key in my tourist speak. </p>
<p>Gwen, along with 5boys, I think I feel for you the most. I am sure that your D is so talented and smart, but it is that fickle audition process. Two friends that we know went to unified this year. One has been accepted almost everywhere, the other is now considering non-audition schools or a gap year. The unsuccessful one has a much better work ethic, wider range and better ability to pay and has more experience. It breaks my heart. </p>
<p>DS wasn’t really too bad about tags, but socks were a huge issue. Also, everything was “Too loud for me” growing up. I will now take his inordinate amount of naked time to mean that he is gifted-like a kid in Lake Wobegon (or Wackaloon)</p>
<p>GF, I know that your D will find just the right place (and that just the right place will find her!). It’s so hard to see our kids disappointed.</p>
<p>Count DS as another of the sensitive kids (although since companies started printing “labels,” we just go with those whenever possible). Noises are what really sets him off, though. He can’t even empty the trash if there’s styrofoam in the bag - that squeaking noise makes him crazy. And yes, he’s gifted and also “on the spectrum.” So, it can all be part of the lovely puzzle of our offspring!</p>
<p>I think we’re over the worst of the wisdom teeth experience - the biggest issue has been getting enough food into him so that he can take his pain pills and antibiotic without feeling nauseous. Resorted to going out to dinner last night so he could get a milkshake, pancakes, & scrambled eggs.</p>
<p>Gwen - I know your daughter can’t see it right now but the college audition process sucks and has absolutely nothing to do with talent and is not personal at all. She does have one school, she can’t attend more than one. She chose this school as a possibility even if it wasn’t her top choice. In 6 weeks she’ll be very happy with her choice and in mid-September she’ll wonder why she cared about the rejections so much.</p>
<p>In her field rejection is the norm but somehow the college rejections hurt a little bit more than the others. My daughter was a professional actor when she auditioned for colleges and very used to job audition rejections yet those college rejections shook her confidence for a little while. </p>
<p>Too bad she ripped the letter from Fordham, my daughter is much more vindictive. She’s save each one (4 I think) and will post them after receiving her first “award!” Take a deep breath and embrace her acceptance.</p>
<p>kttmom - I get worried when i see words like “devastated” - you should somehow talk up the other schools. There’s going to be few celebrations and much disappointment tonight. It’s just insane the amount of applications during the regular decision round and the spots that are available. I’m sure everyone has seen Harvard’s expected 3% acceptance rate for RD applicants - 3% - just crazy!! The other schools that have ED or SCEA will not be far behind that. Most, if not all, will be under 10% for the RD round.
And although I know it’s so difficult to talk to our kids and explain to them that it’ll be ok, somehow we have to do it. Our kids are great and will thrive in so many places, not just where the ivy grows. I wish everyone waiting for decisions the best!!</p>
<p>^^ It IS crazy, when most applicants are rejected or Waitlisted at these top schools.<br>
That’s a lot of humble pie to eat…but dealing with let downs is part of life and we do learn from the experience. </p>
<p>I second the suggestion of celebrating and focusing on our kids’ acceptances (at schools at every level) and giving them space to mourn briefly about the news carried in thin envelopes. </p>
<p>On the other side: My neice has 8/8 acceptances (to colleges with acceptance rates over 50%)…she now wonders if she didn’t reach high enough! The poor kids and parents are second guessing everything.</p>
<p>I’m sorry to hear about you D’s disappointment, GF.</p>
<p>On Davidson admit - it is so hard to have to temper excitement with waiting for the FA show to drop.</p>
<p>It’s so interesting to hear all the varried combinations of sensitivity. I love the story of the blister walk vs the sprain. D is completely impervious to pain, both sports related and medical, in a tail of the curve way. Never minded shots as a kid etc. I was also thinking about the adaptivity of many sensitivities. D is not light sensitive, but very visually sensitive. She can see the rotation of the seems on a baseball traveling 80 mph, spot a fish in a shaded pool behind a rock under the water and tell me how many points were on the buck that she spotted in a roadside field while flying down the highway. She is sensitive in a good way to discrete noises - animal calls, sings on key and can tune an instrument, likes loud rock music, marching bands, etc. - but can’t stand electronic noise, flourescent lights buzz, chaotic conversation, or the din around central city schools. No USF, Seattle U, Fordham, Columbia, BC for her. DS actually enlists his sister to tune his drums because he is a rhythm savant, but has bad pitch. D has great pitch but can’t dance :-)</p>
<p>Amen, Kleibo, particularly in that Davidson is a wonderful little school! If kttmom’s son has to ‘settle’ for that, I’d say he’s doing rather well! Still, I get the disappointment thing, rational or not.</p>
<p>D is waiting for Stanford, and despite the fact that she’s got amazing choices already, I know she’ll be pretty bummed if she doesn’t get in (as hard as I’ve tried to keep expectations firmly set at ‘it would take a near-miracle’). I do feel confident she’ll bounce back in the highly probable event that she gets a no, however. I like to think ‘devastation’ is not in her future, no matter what happens from here. I’ll guess I’ll know for sure in a day or two.</p>
<p>And Gwen, big hug for your D. I’ve got a MT daughter (who decided not to pursue it seriously in college), and I know how painful even garden-variety audition disappointments can be. I can only imagine how amplified things are when you’re talking about college. Hang in there, and I’ll be rooting for her.</p>
<p>gwen- been there- done that but so far we’re without the one. hoping for NYU. I’ve written here and the MT forum about how unhappy and devastated she’s been with this process- to me…she’ll leave me and go off with her friends and be just fine. the best was when she told me about her conversation with a friend who is an amazing dancer, not great grades and parents who can’t afford to send her off. She told her “you’ll do great where ever you go. You have talent and drive and you’ll make it where you want because of that”- as she’s repeating that she looks at me and says, yeah, I know, I should be telling myself the same thing…So I know it’s gotten through but to see your kid have heartbreak is difficult. Although I’ve been thinking, if this field is full of rejection, maybe it’s good to get your heartbroken and decide how much you really want to feel like this!</p>
<p>Okay, I have an idea while we wait, decide, etc. It came to me in the middle of the night as I thought about traveling to see schools that we should write a book. I’m tentatively calling it “Experiencing America, One College at a Time.” It is NOT a college guide book. It is a travel guide for families that are seeing colleges to help them plan fun family vacations while they do college tours. I figure we can all contribute from our areas or from trips we’ve taken. I’ll start.</p>
<p>Southern California is home to some of the worlds pre-eminent universities. To the east of the famed city is the jewel known as the California Institute of Technology. Not far from Cal Tech are the beautiful Huntington Gardens, home to some lovely artwork as well as stunning gardens. You can enjoy an English tea there while you debrief on whether or not Cal Tech is the right fit for your child. Younger children might enjoy nearby Descanso Gardens with its fun train ride around the gardens. </p>
<p>The University of Southern California is right next to The California Science Center and the Museum of Natural History. Mom or Dad can take the young ones to see the dinosaurs while the other parent tours USC with the prospective college student. Then everyone can hop over to downtown Los Angeles and do a walking tour seeing the Disney Concert Hall and more while enjoying one many dining options available for your pleasure. True college gem-seekers won’t want to miss nearby Occidental College where our current President once attended school.</p>
<p>For those who wish to throw their application into a massive pool of applicants, there is UCLA, a trip in itself, although avid college seekers might want to try to see Loyola Marymount University on the same day. UCLA is a hop, skip and a jump away from The Getty Center, home to some wonderful art, beautiful gardens and stunning views that extend from downtown to the Pacific Ocean. Nestled between Bel Air, Brentwood and Beverly Hills, the starstruck can take a tour of movie star homes, walk the streets of Beverly Hills where Julia Roberts walked in Pretty Woman or stop in the famed Beverly Hills Hotel. Of course, kids will enjoy the nearby beaches including the Santa Monica pier. For those who are trying to see the best of America’s theme parks while seeing the best of America’s higher education, you won’t want to miss the original Disneyland. That is a day unto itself.</p>
<p>Same here, rayrick! My D also decided Stanford is her “dream school.” In a way I’m happy she granted herself permission to dream (since D is mostly a very practical and earthbound person) but as H says, what a choice of “dream school.” Lowest acceptance rate on the continent! So we too are pretty firm in saying kindly, when the subject comes up, that although she’s a great student, the overwhelming likelihood is that it’s not going to happen.</p>
<p>Really looking forward to having all this over with as soon as possible.</p>