<p>Pour me a glass, no salt please. My D is still wandering in the land of the indecisive. What makes me nervous is I don’t think she’s really done any work on these colleges… what makes one bio program different than another, major differences between colleges etc. She’s going on feel I thnk almost exclusively. But they are so diffferent and offer such different opportunities its not like she’s chosing from a homogeneous group. Sigh. It will all work out, right?</p>
<p>I have been catching up with all the news… SOO excitedf for everyone’s decisions…either already made or in the process. Enjoy the process and time witth your kids, because before long they will be long gone, and you will have to be happy with a few texts once and awhile( well those of you with boys anyway). </p>
<p>It seems like so long since my S got his ED acceptance… and YES, senioritis has grabbed a hold tight in our house. I asked him how his grades were ( still waiting on 3Q grades), and he said, " good enough"… LOL! I think the rumor is alive and well that you can relax a bit last Q of senior year. He is also has a GF that is hot and heavy, so we don’t see much of him, and truthfully after 5 boys…all with homework issues… I am DONE worrying about whether they have turned in their hw!!! I’m sure my S won’t fall to far down, the whole “doesn’t want to disappoint his teachers” thing. </p>
<p>S got his gap year approved by Kenyon. They wrote him a wonderfully positive and supportive letter regarding his plans. He is very excited about it. So he will be in the Kenyon class of 2019…seems so weird to say that. So no planning move-ins or dorm room supplies just yet. </p>
<p>@classof2015… My DS12 is at St Lawrence. He was also accepted at Hobart, and we all loved that school too. One of those hidden gems of a school. My DS14 was also accepted at CofC EA. .we never visited but I could only imagine how amazing that campus is. What a fun place to visit!! </p>
<p>@eyemamom… my kids have worn uniforms since K. It will be, is, fantastic for them to be done with it. My kids have also commuted to school since K, at least an hour each way. I remember my S texted me the first week of college that he can’t believe how much time he has now… just roll out of bed and walk to class… pure luxury for my kids.</p>
<p>Here is to fun and clarity over the next few weeks!!!</p>
<p>@Maryjay60 , I think we’ve had that conversation at our house! and @eyemamom , d had been doing ok because she had a large local scholarship hanging over her (awarded by class rank to students attending a particular set of schools). She got the scholarship. Graduation honors have been assigned already. She found out she made the cheer squad at her college, so . . . </p>
<p>Good grief has that kid got senioritis all of a sudden. 6 more weeks. Hang on for 6 more weeks.</p>
<p>S is tired of schoolwork as well. He has 3 AP Classes and Varsity Golf (block schedule- 90minute classes) He has a senior “stretch” project- he chose learning to oilpaint and is kept busy (by me) applying to scholarships and participating in a community leadership activity where he gives up most Sunday afternoons. He currently has a high C+ in AP econ and went in early today to do test corrections. His goal is to earn at least B- in his 3 AP classes for final term. I know he will pull it out and probably get B+/A in everything. It is just his nature, but knowing that we are fine with B- makes him feel like pressure is off. He will graduate 5th in his class and final quarter grades are not considered, so I think he will enjoy the end of year festivities. </p>
<p>I read our posts and imagine that many parents out there would think we are “over the top.” But I can’t imagine not setting high expectations and supporting our kids through this journey. Its all about having choices and opportunities in life. Why wouldn’t a parent try to provide resources to the best of their ability? And even with all that is going on, S plays plenty of League of Legends, hangs with friends, and contributes to family life. With time management, we can find a balance in life. </p>
<p>Hmmm… I kind of went off there in my reflection, but as many of us have stated… we share much in common on this thread and it feels good to commiserate with you all.</p>
<p>I thought to post here to get a better perspective of Parents. I am sure we all going through this stress of which School is better and where it cost less $$.</p>
<p>DS has ACT 34, GPA 4.0/4.9, APs 14 with a pre-med track.</p>
<p>Accepted:
UAlabama : Honors, Full tuition + 3.5k
Loyola : Honors, $21k Merit
UIchicago : Honors, $0 Merit have to pay Full COA.
MU Ohio : Honors, Full Tuition
UM Florida : $38k Merit + $3k WStudy
UPitt : Honors, $13k Merit + $3k WStudy</p>
<p>Waitlisted: WUSTL NorthWestern DUKE UPenn</p>
<p>Rejected: Rice UChicago HYP Stanford</p>
<p>DS is more interested in UM florida and UPitt. Upitt we have to pay ~6K extra as compare to UMF.
Now we still love UA and MU ohio but we may have to drop them from the race and short list to 2 only.
Finance is a big thing for us and going to UPitt will be a stretch for us. We want less Debt not more.</p>
<p>So as of today UMF is looking first choice and second is UPitt then UA then MU Ohio.</p>
<p>thanks overtheedge for the congrats! Feels real good to get a “yes” from the one you love.
5 boys – thanks for the info on those schools – CofC comes first on my list for “at least I’ll have a good time when I visit him.” Basically, the college experience is all about me.</p>
<p>Whoops – went through that first pitcher of margaritas pretty fast. Is it like camp – you killed it, you fill it? Be right back.</p>
<p>I hear you @dadfor2014 </p>
<p>My D was accepted EA to Tulane and received a scholarship back in November.
She was deferred everywhere else until 5 days ago when she was accepted to her first choice, NYU, no $$.
She was also admitted to Emory and UofWisconsin, no $$.</p>
<p>Now, technically, NYU, Emory and UW are “better” than Tulane as they are ranked higher.<br>
But are they $80k-over-4-years better? We told her New York’s not going anywhere. There’s always grad school.</p>
<p>As @89wahoo said, she may have to embrace redirection. And I think she will. We just came back from New Orleans and Tulane is a fantastic community. Plus, we already bought the sweatshirt. </p>
<p>Sorry to read about all the senioritis issues. I had been worried about that but apparently S decided he is close enough to overtake his competitor for valedictorian if he puts in a stellar performance this semester and he isn’t slacking off (they determine final ranking at the end of the 5th six weeks which will be in mid-April). I am proud of him for trying so hard but deep down I hope he comes up short because the school his competitor will be going to, Texas A&M, gives free tuition for freshman students who were valedictorians of their Texas high schools and the school he will be going to, Rice, gives nada for that. So if he beat her she would lose much more than he would gain, and I think in the future he might have regrets about trying so hard to take that away from her. Though maybe I should add that her family is well off and can easiy afford A&M, so it would not be any great tragedy.</p>
<p>I hope that everyone waiting on a decision is enjoying the cruise so far. </p>
<p>Hi All, I just was reading some eye opeing numbers on this thread…yikes…NYU up at 70K!! @ MAC8993 Tulane is sounding fabulous! <a href=“Sticker shock! Cost of attendance from financial award letters. - Musical Theater Major - College Confidential Forums”>Sticker shock! Cost of attendance from financial award letters. - Musical Theater Major - College Confidential Forums;
<p>@austinardad - very impressive of your S! I wish him luck, but can understand the dilemma. </p>
<p>@dadfor2014 - Tough choices! It would be so nice if money weren’t a factor in our decisions!</p>
<p>@Mac8993 - We are asking ourselves the same question. </p>
<p>@ tpcrd66 & @ MAC8983…DS last night put official deposit to attend Tulane and mailed/faxed signed letters of regret to other admissions…mixed feelings about the closing of this chapter, but mostly big sigh of relief.</p>
<p>@MAC8993 My son is a similar situation – he’s leaning towards the fourth ranked (overall) school on his list, partly because of the finances (in our case, $48K over four years doesn’t seem worth it). Also because for his major it is really good and also because he thinks the vibe is a better fit. We’ll see when we visit. I personally don’t want to encourage him to go to grad school (been there, done that, suspect it won’t suit him or be necessary). I just want him to be happy and productive and get a job. Whatever works! 
</p>
<p>This is coming from someone who has her moments of elitism. Me, I’d probably go for the brand name. But that’s not right for everyone.</p>
<p>@lab317 Bio programs can be very different from each other! I’ve tried to get my S to research the bio options at his schools because at one point he was looking at a double major or a minor. He seems to have lost interest though (sob) and is more interested in League of Legends (shout out to @minnymom). </p>
<p>As for senioritis, I will say he’s still working hard, but like @GertrudeMcFuzz said, certainly the enthusiasm hasn’t been there. He was never an A student; this year he’s been a C student. He’s putting in the effort, though, and starting to get some joy back in the learning now that his decision is all but made.</p>
<p>@austinaredad Wow, tough one. Is that situation something you would ever discuss with your S? I honestly don’t know what I’d do. By next year, shoot, by September, being val or sal is meaningless for most, but to someone who would get free tuition for the title . . . </p>
<p>Somehow my post was placed out of order. Deleting and retrying later.</p>
<p>@vandyeyes - Congratulations!</p>
<p>When my D realized she WAS choosing Tulane she commented that she thought she would be more excited when she chose a college. Part of it may be that she never really thought she would go to school in the South–or that she was just really set on NYU. My husband made a good point: this process is so long and, at times, draining, that once they make a decision it’s bound to be somewhat anti-climatic. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>That was my D last year. She did all the homework, but almost always past due date. I got a big laugh out reading it…</p>
<p>Crowlady, so happy to hear that your S has good options. Thank you for your kind words during this process. </p>
<p>I can’t help but notice the similarities between college scholarships and car buying. ? I hate that… I wish colleges cut the crap and tell exactly how much it costs instead of “everyone gets 10,000-25,000 scholarship”. The $15K difference is not trivial when we are talking about 35K vs 50K. </p>
<p>@ordinarylives: I did recently ask somewhat innocently something like “She would get free tuition her freshman year at A&M so she probably really wants it,” and he just shrugged. My S has always been the big cheese among the nerds but not among the general student population, while she is a pretty girl who is well off and a very good student and is widely seen as the alpha girl in the school. Though she is respectful towards him, he was never really invited to be part of the “in crowd” that she leads, and there is a little bit of “Revenge of the Nerds” dynamic.</p>
<p>On board and ready to sail. S deferred and then rejected at his top choice, but he is starting to come around after realizing that the choices he does have are just fine. Down to three schools, all of which he plans to visit. We will be on the cruise for a long time, as two schools are within a few hours of home but the last one is on the other coast. It has been a long road.</p>
<p>Glad to see you back, fogfog! I’ve been quiet since the changeover, too.</p>
<p>@austinaredad
I would say, your son should go for it! Being Val (or Sal for that matter) is a big honor. True, maybe after 2 or three years, no one will remember who graduated Val or Sal but your son will always tell to his kids that he graduated Valedictorian. My daughter surprised us when she was in 8th grade that her goal is to graduate HS as Valedictorian. She fulfilled that dream (barely) and it’s one of the reasons that she was not able to apply early to some of her reach colleges because she was busy protecting her ranking. She was struggling with 3 classes in November/December and was in danger of losing her #1 ranking and didn’t have time to concentrate on her apps… I asked her if she would have done differently and she said no.</p>
<p>@2018dad Well, it appears he is going for it. He doesn’t appear to share the mixed feelings I have about it. As I mentioned on this thread a while back, he had been in first for freshman and sophomore year and then during his junior year the schedulers gave him two unweighted classes while she had none so she passed him up. This year each one has one unweighted class, but she apparently has a mild case of senioritis so he has gained ground. It is entirely possible she will notice that and will buckle down to make sure he doesn’t pass her. </p>