<p>@Quagmiro – yes! The exact one. It was an excellent video, are you the one that posted it a few weeks back? I forwarded it to D14’s BF, and he really connected to what was said, and is apparently a fan of Malcolm Gladwell. </p>
<p>@chrysanthMum – thanks! I’m very excited for her! I was born and raised in the San Jose/ Los Gatos area, and lived in Santa Cruz for a bit, so love that she will be spending her college experience in my hometown area.</p>
<p>We are hoping for an Easter decision for our D. We have final visits…one this week, one next week. Time to move on to the next phase!!!</p>
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Disruptive behavior abord the SS Indecision will not be tolerated. Rule breakers and trouble makers are subject to being put ashore at the next port with no recourse against the ship, crew or Captain. </p>
<p>Wow – shocked that the cost for UCSD came in lower than UCSC, even with a $1500 scholarship at UCSC. Going to need to go over them both with a fine tooth comb and see exactly where the differences are in both COA and the FA package. I know off the top of my head that the dining plan is about $300 more at UCSC, but that’s ok because it’s an unlimited plan. Going to have to see where the rest of the money is supposedly going</p>
<p>@Classof2015 - I’m sorry you’re having to go through all this stress right now. Hoping for you and your S that H is just wanting to feel a part of the process, and is trying to keep abreast of everything, although as you said, it is late in the game to be wanting to get involved, and decisions have already been made.</p>
<p>@Dadfor2014 - Congrats on S’s Florida UM decision. Florida sounds wonderful right now! And full tuition sounds even better! I am so looking forward to moving to the other stuff, like t-shirts, roommate selection, and scheduling flights home.</p>
<p>@pageturner5 - What a wonderful sister you are! Can’t wait to hear which school your sister chooses. Have a great trip to Smith! Best wishes to you too in your job hunt and grad school search!</p>
<p>@Asleep at the wheel - I live in southern Maine - I had to look up Leeds and Greene Maine lol I am originally from Boston and looking to relocate after S is off to school . It is a beautiful state and we may come back some day. Currently, I work in RI and may be heading to CT by end of summer…
On another note- S had narrowed down his choices to - UVM and Mulhenberg but he was just accepted to the honors program at Clarkson. I called the Director of the program yesterday, and it sounds like a wonderful program…so we will visit next Tuesday ! We are going to be doing a lot of driving but I feel S should at least visit Clarkson before making his final decision. </p>
<p>I like the Clarkson program because it is hands on learning. Although Clarkson is primarily engineering - the honors program is only 50% engineering students and they work on projects across diciplines. This year graduates were admitted to MIT, Harvard and UVM Medical school among others. The honors college is a small program - 30 students per year. Additionally, S received additional merit money - 30k in total plus grant $. He has an opportunity to do research this summer on campus special program for entering honors students.- 3k value plus a stipend. The following summer there are research opportunities on and off campus.</p>
<p>Friday we will drive to Muhlenberg from RI and S has asked to sit in on a class Friday afternoon. Saturday is accepted student days. Sunday we will drive to UVM for accepted student day on Monday. Then we will be off to Clarkson on Monday afternoon. Tuesday we will visit Clarkson in the morning and then return to RI. </p>
<p>@Classof2015 , I have had to remind my ex more than once that the college decision is the kid’s decision, not ours. Sadly, he kind of got his way because S14 was wait listed at the school my ex didn’t want him to attend. He was pretty shocked at the wait list because he thought it was a no name school. </p>
<p>thanks 2016BarnardMom – I’ll try to convey that to H. 1dilecon – thanks for the support. Yes this just adds a whole lot of stress when I thought I was done.</p>
<p>Captain – I love the way you lay down the Maritime Law! I can see my soon-to-be-ex bobbing around in the water, helplessly. Love that.</p>
<p>Thankfully, no flak here. I think because so many classmates and friends do apply to the top schools AND our state flagship can be difficult to get into, everyone realizes just how difficult college admissions are these days. Also because many are thinking about grad and medical school, they know that you have to make the dollars stretch so go where the best value is (and I’m talking both in terms of money and educational fit).</p>
<p>Guess I’m starting to have those post-decision blues. Many of my S’s acquaintances are announcing their decisions to attend the well-regarded state flagship. That was an option for us. It is more prestigious and even cheaper. But didn’t seem right for a variety of reasons. I don’t think we can go wrong – seems more likely he’ll stick with his program, and there’s 95% job placement for graduates within 6 months. Social issues are going to be a factor everywhere, but maybe less so at his chosen school. Maybe it is starting to hit that he really is leaving home :-(</p>
<p>Oh, and we aren’t getting any flak either. On the contrary, people are coming out of the woodwork with positive stories of relatives and friends who went to RIT (in one case, offering an introduction to the the president and his wife, who used to live in our community, didn’t realize). </p>
<p>I am feeling sorry for my S’s friend who wants to turn down Cornell to go to the state flagship, against her parents’ desires. Tough spot.</p>
<p>Sorry for the blues, crowlady. I just think it doesn’t matter how great a school is – if it isn’t right for your kid, it won’t be a great school for him. I’m going back and forth between Hobart and College of Charleston. I’m convinced Hobart is a better ranked school and a better school, but he wants to go to Charleston. I’m coming around to Charleston, but his dad doesn’t want Charleston. To be continued.</p>
<p>Finally received all financial packages and our one unknown did indeed turn out to be too expensive (which of course at some point turned into son’s #1). I cried for two days and ran numbers until I was having nightmares…but it just won’t work. Broke the news to son last night and he said it was fine, but I still feel awful. Our goal is for him to graduate with no debt. He does have a couple of nice options though. </p>
<p>Hi All,</p>
<p>This is a great article by a fellow Pomona Sagehen about the financial aid minefields. <a href=“What You Don’t Know About Financial Aid (but Should) - The New York Times”>What You Don’t Know About Financial Aid (but Should) - The New York Times;
<p>In the meantime, we are off to Cali on Friday for accepted student day at Chapman and then to Trinity University next week. Let’s hope for a decision by Easter!</p>
<p>@onlyonemom… As you know my S is at St Lawrence. He has 2 really good friends that he made this year who attend Clarkson. I guess both schools do a lot of things together, and my S really likes Clarkson’s climbing wall. Both of his friends absolutely love Clarkson. I think his best friend( the one he is climbing with ) , is in the honors program there and is extremely happy. I actually drove to see the campus when I was moving DS in, and it is gorgeous! Clarkson is one of those schools that surprises people I think. Their graduate school acceptance are insane… really good school</p>
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<p>How do you compare between a school with a national ranking and one with a regional ranking? Just curious because it doesn’t seem like apples to apples. It’s a question I’ve had for along time. I tried asking it on the parent’s forum, but as a question it kind of fizzled. </p>
<p>@classof2015 I feel like I’ve researched and heard about many many schools. I have never heard of Hobart. I do know quite a few kids at CofC who love it. We toured it initially, but my d just didn’t want a city campus. To me personally it’s hardly a city on the scope of NYC, Philly, DC, etc. That honors college section is breathtaking. </p>
<p>@spritle - I’m sorry it didn’t work at as you all hoped, he still has good choices and was excited about them before this other option came on the table. </p>
<p>ordinarylives – that’s exactly the question – and my answer is, you can’t. I wish I’d found a Hobart in the South (he applied to Rhodes and Elon; waitlisted. Furman – rejected). </p>
<p>eyemamom – I know Hobart from growing up in Western NY but I’m not surprised it’s not on your radar. The biggest knock against Hobart is: too cold, town sucks (sorry Geneva), he doesn’t want to spend his entire life in New York. Charleston is a beautiful livable city in my mind. I like the fact he can explore without a car.</p>
<p>I can say this having a son who chose a school in upstate NY. It’s miserable up there and I wouldn’t blame anyone who said the weather was a deterrent. lol Charleston is beautiful, so much going on there, a great vibrant area, lots of artsy things going on around there, and apparently every student there is beautiful. I hope your son likes gorgeous blondes - you can’t shake a stick without hitting one. 
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<p>@classof2015 Oh, good, then we found the same answer. D’14 had two schools on her list. One had a very high regional ranking (2 or 3, I think). The other was in the mid-100s nationally. Otherwise, they were identical . . . same size, about the same test scores GPA for admitted students, similar retention and graduation rates. They even had the same religious affiliation! The longer I did this whole college search thing, the more meaningless rank became. </p>