<p>@GertrudeMcFuzz - Congratulations that is wonderful news!!! How nice to have such great options!</p>
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<p>@vandyeyes - let me know how it goes! I remember sending S1 off to it 8 years ago - it’s when he finally decided to commit and register, he loved it. S2 is going in April, on his own. We are all going to be there in May for S1’s law school graduation, and I just paid for our hotel for that weekend, so he’ll go on his own, like his brother did. </p>
<p>And yes, he will be asking his Admissions rep about final FA package vs NPC - he was hoping his latest ACT score would bump him up a bit, but he got the same exact composite score each time, lol. Consistent at least! I think they were impressed by his “I love Tulane so much it’s part of my family tradition” admittance essay, in which he rattled off his favorite restaurants, and told how impressed he was that the school stood by his brother when he went through cancer during Y2 at law school, so maybe they will do right by him. The irony here is that personality wise, I think he would probably do better at Pomona, but if the money is there, it’s his choice.</p>
<p>@moonmaid,will do…I hope it works out for your son & Tulane…but I’ve also heard wonderful things about Pomona.</p>
<p>Do you ever wonder what happened to PaperchaserPop, the OP of this thread?</p>
<p>Peeking in for a quick minute. I’ve been spending every spare minute on homework this week but I got my lab assignment done and submitted. I’ll take the final tomorrow and then I’ll be DONE! Just in time for Barnardgirl to come home for spring break on Friday!</p>
<p>@ovrseasmom - We will be visiting Villanova. It sounds as though we should have checked out Temple as well but it never found its way onto D’s or our radar. It sounds like a great opportunity for GertrudeMcFuzz’s D.</p>
<p>@2016BarnardMom - Hooray!!! So, so happy for you! Talk about perfect timing! Congratulations! </p>
<p>@GertrudeMcF…Wow! That is an amazing opportunity! Congratulations! Just think, four years of Philly cheesesteaks! I would remind her that she can always come back home…but a chance to live in a new, vibrant city, exploring the east coast, meeting new people with diverse backgrounds and ideas…that’s a college experience! And there is something to be said for being one of the “chosen” – you know that Temple is going to revere her and keep a close eye on one of their top scholars. Do you think a larger school like CSLB will give her the same kind of attention? </p>
<p>Moonmaid, I would think Tulane would want another one of your boys at their school. Look at your older son! He did so well at Tulane, fought cancer and is now a law student. They know what they are getting when they get a Moonmaid offspring. Given your family hardships, it would seem to me that they could be open to helping. I would definitely start that heart-to-heart with the admissions folks. I think Tulane is such an amazing school. go2girl has taken it off the list now that she’s got the Ingram Scholarship at Vandy but I’m disappointed we won’t get to visit. </p>
<p>I also think a lot of these great schools will be focusing on yield now that admissions are just about finished up. So, I don’t think there’s anything to lose!</p>
<p>Thanks for the well wishes everyone - & right back at ya. Last night D started what my husband has dubbed the “MOAPCL” - the Mother of All Pro / Con Lists. It’s an interesting exercise. Temple has so many shiny bells & whistles while Long Beach’s attraction are of the more intangible variety, including things like knowing some of the faculty /students, a strong connection with the summer program she goes to every year, grandma & grandpa 20 minutes away, & the opportunity to come home on weekends once in a while. For my D2, I know that Temple would win out in a heartbeat, but for D1 who is actually making this decision, the other qualities are huge. Anyone else dealing with similar issues? I guess we have pre-boarded the SS Indecision!!</p>
<p>@mrspepper (love your profile pic!) It looks like PaperchaserPop hasn’t posted since Oct 2012. He was a frequent poster before then, and if I understand the profile page is still visiting CC. I also wonder what’s up.</p>
<p>@GertrudeMcFuzz
I can somewhat relate to your family’s situation. Two of the 5 schools yet to yield decisions for my son are in Philadelphia…Penn & Haverford, both of which my S1 and family loved. We had an absolute blast in Philly over a weekend last summer…did the whole touristy thing …double Decker bus city tour (amazing colonial street planning), liberty bell, Freedom Hall, fun downtown hotel…the whole shebang! If I recall correctly Philly is second only to Boston in number of colleges/college students nationwide…very cool for your daughter.</p>
<p>For our S, having the good fortune to receive the DHS (full tuition) at Tulane has changed what up to then was a debate between an excellent hometown option of Case Western with good merit and a couple others with essentially equivalent merit, including Tulane. While ultimately it would (and still is) completely my son’s choice where he will attend, I kept telling him that while Case (my alma mater) has unique and amazing number of adjacent cultural venues (art museum, natural history museum, orchestra, and botanical gardens) it would still be his own backyard of northeast Ohio which he already has “in his repertoire”, so to speak. Whereas going to a different and exciting city like New Orleans (or Philly) substantially adds to his life experience in a meaningful way, other than being a good school, etc.</p>
<p>Another entirely different conversation we will engage in if DS1 wavers from the full-tuition offer at Tulane by smelling the perfumery of the Ivies (if he even gets an invite in the next 2 weeks); we’ll have to make clear that (because of the DHS) we will absolutely be able to support him for grad school/med school which otherwise will not be the case. Ultimately it will be his final decision, but it won’t be one made in a vacuum.</p>
<p>Good luck to us all as we head down the final stretch! </p>
<p>@vandyeyes, I can relate to your post since we are having similar discussions in my family. When DS received a full tuition scholarship from Vanderbilt last week, his college list suddenly shifted. I even heard him mumbled something like…It looks like I won’t be attending an ivy now (with a ironic smile). Like you, we will still wait for the ivies announcements for DS to make his final decision.
Also like you, having the ability to apply college savings to help support med school tuition down the road is going to be factored into our decision. </p>
<p>@4bears, congrats to your son…if I didn’t already convey…obviously Vanderbilt holds a special place in my heart (thus the moniker)…I went to med school there “back in the day”. Several of my classmates had done undergrad there as well. If your son ends up attending, he will have a fabulous experience, rest assured it has only gotten better…go Dores!</p>
<p>Thanks for the explanation on your moniker; I was wondering about your connection with Vandy.
Also…I like your profile picture!</p>
<p>@gertrudeMcfuzz, @vandyeyes and @4beardolls: Similar circumstances for my D14 as well, so I am appreciating the thought-processes you are all going through. This week is Finals Week plus Musical Weed (helping out a neighboring HS) plus major concert at her HS, so she has not been able to even think about, let alone discuss, the pros and cons. </p>
<p>Good to hear we’re not alone - I guess that is what the SS Indecision is all about! </p>
<p>Congratulations on those full scholarships and great news! Keep it coming! For those who are boarding the SS Indecision, we will be there soon. </p>
<p>For those parents who have kids likely to attend grad school in the future…have you talked about grade deflation at some of the undergraduate schools they are considering attending? Since grad school is in go2girl’s future, we know that it will be important to keep a strong GPA in college but I do have some concern about grade deflation at some of the universities. I’ve been told that is not a problem at Vanderbilt; which is a relief. If any of you have read Malcolm Gladwell’s newest book, David and Goliath, he talks extensively about how students view success during their undergrad experience. He uses the example of a girl who loved science, went to Brown found she could no longer maintain A’s, dropped science and became a lawyer (no offense to any lawyers…) I have heard it is very difficult at the Ivies to get A’s, just wondered whether other parents have been considering this piece in determining the best place for their kids…</p>
<p>@go2mom, you brought up a good point and it’s something my family would take into consideration as DS is planning on applying to med school upon graduation.
I am intrigued by your statement regarding…Vanderbilt is not a problem with grades… but difficult to get A’s at Ivies. I have heard the opposite. I have heard that Vandy is a grade deflation school which causes me some concerns. I also have heard that some Ivies (such as Harvard and Yale but not Princeton) have grade inflation. This is based on what I have read on cc so not sure if it’s entirely correct.</p>
<p>That’s interesting 4beardolls - I heard the opposite from our college counselor. She felt that she would have an easier time maintaining a higher GPA at Vandy versus the Ivies, Notre Dame or Wash U (as examples…) </p>