<p>Steve, it showed up rather late on our list. We went for a visit and were really impressed. We shall see what all of our options are but it looks like a big contender!</p>
<p>Walker…yay for full tuition!!! Lots of kids from around here end up there and love it! Too rural and homogeneous for my S…he’s had 18 years of that.</p>
<p>Walker, yay for the scholarship and just WOW for the poem. Things like that make me wish my ex wasn’t such a lost cause for the kids. Extra tears added here for what my kids have missed.
But, joy and hallelujah, applications are DONE! UVA, uNC, JMU, penn State (in), William and Mary and U of Delaware. Love the options she hopefully will have. She has a number one but, should they be completely confused by the wonder that is D 
she has some great schools on her list. Now. We. Wait.
Blech.
Meanwhile she is mystified as to why anyone wouldn’t do early action. As she submits the final two, RD. I said not a word.
Snow came and went already. I’m bummed, would have liked to shovel some. But the winter is young, right? I went to the grocery store last night once there was no food for dinner, so now that painful chore is off my list. Dog baths up next perhaps.</p>
<p>Congratulations Walker - full tuition - nice.</p>
<p>congratulations Walker! This is the DD who you were so worried about last week or so, right?<br>
Snow here, like crazy! Everyone in the house has a sniffle and sore throat. Just lots of tea and honey!!</p>
<p>Thanks everyone! No drmom… That’s my DD13b. That worry will continue for my entire life with her I think ;)</p>
<p>DrMom – is it just a regular alum interview? She doesn’t need to prepare. Those are usually fun, or so my Ds report.</p>
<p>Walker – Congrats on the full scholarship to a wonderful school. Two distant cousins of my Ds went there. One as a first choice, the other as a financial safety because of job loss in the family. They both adored it. Now, about that poem – I think that daughter has a career in Nashville ahead of her. </p>
<p>Carimama – I don’t have the waiver answer for you. Wish I did. There are way too many details to be tripped up by in this process! It is amazing what parenting decisions others manage to question, isn’t it? How could you let your 18 year old go to Europe without you?! =:-0</p>
<p>Ds sent in remaining scholarship app. Now what? I’m booooooored. :D</p>
<p>Walker - congratulations! That is wonderful…</p>
<p>YDS, ha ha!
:D</p>
<p>Anouilh: I sure WISH I could go with her. She’s raised a huge chunk on her own tutoring (a lot) and babysitting the last 2 yrs. Plus bday money & Christmas gift $. My ex doesnt feel like contributing, so i took a second job/my own biz that has paid the rest. Better she goes without me than not at all. :)</p>
<p>Happy side effect: I should be able to leave my day job within the next year!!</p>
<p>Thanks for everyone’s kind thoughts. The good cybervibes worked; I’ve felt much better this week!</p>
<p>Steve: Gasp. I had checked out move-in conflicts, but hadn’t thought ahead for commencement. (If ds and dd target colleges don’t change weeks, looks like we are okay.) Right now I’m thinking we will have to drive two cars to move-in cause those
dates are likely to be only three days apart and too far to drive home between move-ins. I don’t think we can fit four of us plus two kids’ dorm stuff into one small SUV (no trailer hitch).</p>
<p>We’ve been “squirreling away cash” since the 1980’s because I’ve never expected anything returned from the government. We took no vacations the first ten years of our marriage and delayed having the kids. Thank goodness. I am happy that my twins
were happy with only 2-3 ~$15 presents this year, two of which were for dorm rooms. We are teaching them to be frugal too and save for rainy days.</p>
<p>The downside of having saved and sacrificed is that now we feel obligated to be the ones to help our siblings/parents if necessary. I will not have a close relative homeless on the streets. I’m especially worried for a close relative who may lose the family business they built from scratch over 20 years. Their business is operating on a hairline margin even this year - they cannot afford their S’s college plus a tax hike next year. </p>
<p>Our tally is…
ds: 1 rolling/accepted, 1 EA/accepted, 1 RD/in process, 1 scholarship/in process
dd: 1 ED/accepted, 1 RD/withdrawn, 1 scholarship/in process
The early acceptances saved us a ton of application fees and essay writing, for which I am enormously grateful. I’m wishing they had worked on more scholarship apps.</p>
<p>For last minute apps: Make sure you are there with credit card (or other payment means) handy when they are ready to submit the apps. Each college has a specific order of submitting CA/supplement/fee. Many won’t let you submit certain sections
until the fee is paid. Some won’t let you pay until the supplement is submitted, etc. The two day processing delay didn’t prevent from the app sections to be submitted. We just had to submit the payment, and then kids were able to submit the rest of their apps right away for their schools.</p>
<p>Walker: I want a d-i-l just like your dd13a. Made me remember when I could hold the two tiny babies in one armful.</p>
<p>YDS: If you are bored, you could do what I am doing - working on getting my Christmas cards out. :o</p>
<p>Walker–I understand your “eternal” worries for DD"13b…my sisters are twins…one worries my mom even now, and she is married with kids (and she feels fine…but, Mom…never…always worried about her…that sister was baby “b” too).
anouilh-- yes, it is for regular admission…dd was told they only do alumni interviews…but, she is nervous anyway. it is definitely her HMFR—and while she has the grades and the scores…she hasn’t won any special competitions or ‘cured cancer’…so, it is just high anxiety for her—I do hope she finds it fun. Really. We’ll see. Not sure these interviews make or break anything. she was excited to get the email for the interview. she was under the impression that “all interviews” were “done”.</p>
<p>DrMom, when is the interview? She may yet have time to cure cancer… Couple days of break remain, right?
Seriously, hope it goes well. I will admit that D not having to interview was a relief. She has one school where they are optional, and probably should have done it, but too late now.
Told S14 his sister is finally done. His reply? “mom. Do not try to make me start already.”
I hadn’t really considered that, but not a bad idea… Hmm… Just think, if I get him done I get to have years with S17 to get great essays completed!! :)</p>
<p>If only we new the essay prompts that far in advance. :D</p>
<p>Wahoo…feel free to come shovel my driveway.</p>
<p>Son is being bribed by his visiting uncles this week to attend a specific school. So far he has been offered… 3 week camping trip in Alaska, fishing trip up north, an upgrade in the grad gift. I told him to tke the offer if they add in a semester of tuition each.</p>
<p>Three more days, three essays to go.</p>
<p>Congrats Walker1194, that is fabulous news!</p>
<p>Walker - congrats to your dd! As you might guess - I went to Miami of Ohio (from my user name). Can’t get my dd to consider it because she has been swimming in their pool for big meets since she was 7 years old! Great campus!</p>
<p>Ashmuoh: I only wish DD13a was big enough to swim D1! Ay 5 ft, it’s very hard to turn your arms over enough to gain any ground. We visited and all came away feeling that it was a really good academic fit. MU is definitely on the final list. Their marketing to top students is commendable :)</p>