<p>I believe this is my first post to this thread, but I’ve enjoyed reading so many of your stories, I thought I’d “jump on board” just long enough to “disembark.” (Apologies for the length!)</p>
<p>What a roller-coaster ride the last two years have been. My son started out wanting to attend a small, selective LAC; thought about possibly studying engineering; applied early and got accepted to our big (and highly-rated) state flagship as a safety; added the University of Alabama at my request, so he’d have a legitimate alternative; got rejected ED from his top-choice LAC (one of the very few schools whose NPC gave us an affordable number); and then was wait-listed from the LAC with engineering he thought he was actually competitive at for merit money (so much for “demonstrating interest” and having stats above the 75th percentile!). </p>
<p>After some cross-country visits to schools that accepted him and much self-reflection, he realized he didn’t want a LAC at all! He wants to try engineering but have a lot of flexibility if he changes his mind. He also wants to be safely ensconced in a place where he can find a new group of friends if the first ones don’t work out. And he also wants to feel like the school he attends values him. So he chose his “alternative safety” and couldn’t be happier. And we couldn’t be happier with the price-tag, since he was offered the Presidential Scholarship (four years of free tuition) and the engineering stipend to attend Bama. </p>
<p>There’s so much Bama boostering on CC, I didn’t think it was possible the school could live up to our expectations, but it actually surpassed them. It has everything my son wants and will cost us no more than the local state directional school. Does it get any better than that? Not in my world!</p>
<p>Graduation parties are huge around here, but my kid doesn’t want one. Dinner out with the family and a few close family friends is fine with him. He can get his fill of parties by attending his friends,’ whose parents generally have much larger budgets to work with than we do.</p>
<p>Now that the decision has been made, I would be remiss if I did not offer thanks to the following:</p>
<p>*To the super-selective schools that rejected and wait-listed my kid: Thank you from the bottom of my heart, for saving us a BOATLOAD of money and wasted time on re-visits or worse–a bad decision on his part.</p>
<p>*To the hoity-toity schools that offered him a place in their freshman class (especially those who offered generous FA): Thank you!! Even if you weren’t right in the end, you made my kid feel like he was valued and “worthy,” and that meant SO MUCH after some of the rejections and wait-lists.</p>
<p>*To everyone here on CC who offered advice, counsel, unsolicited opinions ;-), etc.: Thank you, thank you, thank you! If we’d left this to my son’s college counseling office, I shudder to think where he would have ended up and which body part I would have had to sell to pay for it. They’re great folks, but their strength is not in helping unhooked, middle-class kids whose parents cannot easily afford $120,000-$240,000 to provide a bachelor’s degree for one kid. </p>
<p>*To the University of Alabama: Thank you for treating my son like you value him and like he has something to offer your school and, most importantly, for putting your money where your mouth is via an amazingly simple and transparent process.</p>
<p>*To the Heavens: Thank you that we will likely never have to beg for money from a college again! I will sleep much better at night knowing that!</p>
<p>Best to all the Parents of the Class of 2014. I look forward to reading about all your kids in the future!</p>