<p>It sounds like the pro/con party was a ton of fun -there were about 6 girls there & each presented her schools & what they like / didn’t like about each. Then the other girls got to issue opinions on what they should do. In my D’s case I think she got very solid advice. They liked the Temple deal better, and then advised her to live in the Honors LLC rather than the Music LLC, so that after spending all day with music people, she could hang out with a different group. So that’s what she is doing - smart friends!</p>
<p>Congrats @Dave_N @GertrudeMcFuzz and @TitanAPBioTchr , and hang in there, @4beardolls, @akmom124 and @yellowgranite56 . There is light at the end of the tunnel, and I think it is the spotlight on @TitanAPBioTchr and his stand-up routine.</p>
<p>Life is good. It’s 80 F so I’m offering you all mojitos and, for the temperate among you, a simple lime seltzer.</p>
<p>With S14 off in Germany (yes, high school trip, I forget who asked) we have only S16 to parent over Spring Break and I have to say I like the feeling. I’m reading “Get out of my life but first can you drive me and Cheryl to the mall” the parenting book that S16 and I hope will get us through the next two years. I’ve already gotten a few emails from S14, so that’s a good sign for future communication channels staying open.</p>
<p>@TitanAPBioTeacher - I am going to try my best for that 504. It sounds like the way to go. I suspect the school will resist and say will say there is no point this late in the game in setting up a 504. I think I’m going to have to brush up on the law this week so I have my plan formulated when school resumes after Spring Break. Congrats to you and Gertrude on D’s great decision!!</p>
<p>To all of you who have offered advice, prayers, encouragement, etc., I am so grateful for your support. It has really helped to pull me out of my state of panic and despair! Thank you!!! I really love this forum!</p>
<p>I have been reading the posts, but I’ve been busy with D’s issues and I’m afraid I’ve lost track of everyone’s decisions and indecision. To those whose children have made a decision, I wholeheartedly congratulate you on a job well done! The rest of you sound like the choices are narrowing. I hope you enjoy the many fabulous cocktails on board and the port visits while waiting on your child’s decision! </p>
<p>@crowlady Rub it in! We got 3 inches of snow today, and it certainly isn’t melting as fast as it comes down. </p>
<p>Haven’t posted in a while. Congratulations to those who have decisions and hoping the rest of you haven’t gotten seasick yet! We will be leaving on Wednesday to visit UCF and Vandy hoping to come back with a decision. No changes in the last couple of weeks. Just waiting to see if that “fit” is as strong as we remember it at Vandy before commiting.</p>
<p>Congrats GertrudeMcF! Go Owls!</p>
<p>@momreads - Your son sure sounds speedy! Congratulations to him on his wonderful times.</p>
<p>@GertrudeMcFuzz - Congratulations to your daughter. Sounds like she made a very solid decision.</p>
<p>@ordinarylives - you still have snow? Yikes.</p>
<p>It is supposed to snow tomorrow night here. I’m definitely not looking forward to that. Definitely not. </p>
<p>It was almost 80 today and the house is 77 degrees which is warm for me for sleeping. I’m trying to cool off my room with the window open and ceiling fan going before I go to bed. I can’t bring myself to turn on the A/C, even for a little while, if it is going to snow tomorrow night. </p>
<p>GMcFuzz,</p>
<p>That offer from Temple is truly remarkable. Am glad your D agrees. The City of Brotherly Love it is. Congrats!!</p>
<p>Down from a final 3 to a final 2. Have finished our last visit. Time to make a decision so we can get off the damn boat.</p>
<p>@ Ordinary lives -snow again! Really? …I don’t think I could handle any moe snow! </p>
<p>We are in Vermont 75 and sunny ! Just beautiful - S is sitting in on an honors class at 10:30 today at UVM -trying to get the boy up now! . We decided to forgo the visit to Clarkson this trip and may visit during school vacation if he is still undecided. I really did not realize how hard this was going to be!
Most likely it will come down to UVM and Muhlenberg and which school will offer him more research opportunities? UVM touts - we have 100 neuroscientist and there are plenty of opportunities for getting involved in research- Muhlenberg disagrees and say all the research opportunities go to the grad students! Which is it? Where will S be happy and flourish ? …both are good options but which one is the better of the two? I just don’t know…FA package is slightly better at Berg but not to make an impact on final decision…</p>
<p>I am ready to be off the boat ! </p>
<p>Best everyone! </p>
<p>Yes, snow. I had to scrape off an iced-over windshield this morning, and d’14 has a track meet this afternoon. Stupid high school athletic association has ruled that underarmour needs to be the same color as the primary uniform color. We searched high and low for navy blue. Found an off-brand (eastbay), but the pants are too short for 5’ d and the waist is too big. We ordered an extra-small! Kid is going to freeze, running out outside today in the snow with bare ankles. Her pants may just fall down, too. Come on, spring! Momma needs to get the yard raked and the flowers planted before the grad party. </p>
<p>Ordinarylives: Our HS athletic association does the same thing with compression shorts. All the sprinters need to match. Fortunately, my son runs distance and does not use them. But, what a pain!</p>
<p>Cornell is really pretty. That’s a quote from my daughter. She likes the revival Romanesque architecture of most of the buildings. The weather is also perfect , at least for yesterday and today The town of Ithaca is also not that bad. It’s actually bigger than what we were expecting. That’s the good news. </p>
<p>It looks like this week is prelim week at Cornell. Students are stressed and really serious. And they show it. On one hand that shows that Cornell students are really serious and care about their studies. On the other hand my daughter is used to the Stanford/UCLA-like laid back California atmosphere. Bubbly and talkative on the surface but paddling really hard underneath. TBH I’m not sure which one is better. I guess it depends on your personality. </p>
<p>Why does the school schedule Cornell Days during prelim/midterm week?</p>
<p>Well she is going for overnight hosting tonight so she’ll have a sense on how the dorm’s atmosphere is. </p>
<p>Honestly. I’m rooting for Cornell. Yes it is twice more expensive than UCLA for us but I can see that there are more resources and opportunity. I also like my daughter to be exposed to a culture different than California. Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe because I’m blinded by the Ivy League pedigree of the school. But then again I am not the student. Tomorrow, we’ll probably have a decision from her. </p>
<p>Cornell Days are scheduled to coincide with HS spring breaks…or so I have noticed. It seems as though almostv every public school in NY, NJ & CT are on break this week. Unfortunate that pre Liam’s are same week.
Re: the weather. Unseasonable in both extremes this week. Check tomorrow’s forecast.</p>
<p>Did you visit downtown Ithaca or just C-town?</p>
<p>2018dad- many hs spring breaks this week in NY. Lots of kids from upstate NY go to Cornell. Regarding the vibe you saw, that’s sort of how it always looks to us when we visit. Nothing wrong with that; just is not “chill.” Omg, did I just say that? As u r in my part of the country, I am off to yours. </p>
<p>My D said, I almost hope I don’t like it so I can make the financially sound decision. If I cry when I get on campus, then I’ll know it’s worth the $$. Ok, I’m just following the leader here. </p>
<p>@3tallblonds – best of luck on the SoCal visit. Am really curious to hear your and your girls’ impressions. </p>
<p>@1dilecon Just realized you were the one asking about my son’s Europe trip. He’s going to Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It is with the history/languages depts of his high school (though open to just about anybody). They’ll travel through Liechtenstein (I hope they stop – he did a report on it once and has always wanted to visit). Visiting Dachau concentration camp, various castles, the Alps. So much history. Originally the trip was to eastern Europe, including Prague and Budapest. Could not get enough students – too bad. He loves to travel and jumps at every opportunity. When I realized how difficult it would make decision-month (missing two key ASD weekends) I regretted it, but not really. These are First World problems. </p>
<p>@2018dad When I was there, the saying was that Cornell was full of people who got rejected from HYP and wanted to prove they were just as good by really working hard. It is also full many people who never thought they’d make it to an Ivy, and a lot of NY state residents who are grateful they are getting an in-state bargain. Hard-working students! But there is whimsy and parties and hiking, too. Let me know if you need any examples.</p>
<p>@2018dad The vibe was like that at Cornell the first week of November also. It is, ultimately, why my son decided not to apply there. He is social and didn’t like that students in the student center at lunch time were sitting at tables by themselves working away on their laptops and not interacting. Just not the right vibe for him. He loved their program, but decided not to apply. I thought the campus was breathtaking. People at Cornell do work very hard. </p>
<p>@crowlady – Lichtenstein is beautiful, hope he gets to stop too! And Vienna – hope his trip includes a visit there – it is a wonderful city to explore, and very easy to do on foot. He should try Spaetzle if gets a chance (sort of a German pasta), and visit a Konditorei if he likes pastries. And if he is a fan of chocolate, they have an amazing brand called Milka, which is their version of like Hersheys here, but SOOOOOOOO much better. You can find it pretty much everywhere in the countries he’s visiting. An Austrian friend used to ship it to me by the box full, lol. </p>
<p>Dachau is quite an experience. There is a compelling museum there, although many of the original buildings no longer exist, they rebuilt examples of some of them, so that you can get a glimmer of how they were forced to live. My visit there is still one of my clearest experiences in Europe, even after 20 years.</p>