<p>Congratulations for acceptances coming in! And lots and lots of good thoughts to those waiting for news in the next few days. I hope the good news flows in and if there is bad news, something better is coming along right behind it. This is when the roller coaster really takes off so buckle in.</p>
<p>With deadlines approaching fast and furiously, D is finally kicking into gear and realizing how much she has to do. I’m glad she is getting more engaged in the process. But 1 a.m. realizations, really? “I have a ton of supplemental essays to do.” Duh. It’s like the weekly conversations never happened. It is going to be a pretty intense winter break here. But at least it will be a break. Staying on top of homework and ECs really doesn’t leave much space in her brain for college. And while she agonizes over her writing, the end product is fine so I can’t worry about it too much. More important to keep those grades up.</p>
<p>Her two EAs should show up in the next couple of weeks. I really don’t know exactly when which makes me sort of obsessive but I don’t think she is stressing about it so that is good.</p>
<p>The great news here is she has picked up a lacrosse stick for the first time in months. She was elated. She acknowledges that it is kind of crazy to be so happy to get back to the sport that injured her, but man, it makes her so happy. No contact, no scrimmages, but she is building up her running and able to work on skills. It is definitely bringing her confidence back. Happy day!</p>
<p>Re misleading communication- My older daughter applied to UMinn, was accepted academically, and auditioned for their BFA program. Phone calls inviting kids to their callback weekend were to be made on a particular date by the directors of the BFA program. When the phone rang and UMinn popped up on the ID there was a momentary thrill. Turned out it was a random UMinn student making bulk calls of the you should really come here type. The callback call didn’t come. That was definitely one of those cruel moments. Of course the admissions dept isn’t in communication with the BFA program but it sure would be nice if someone figured that one out and didn’t make marketing calls on that one day.</p>
<p>I absolutely HATE when you apply or interview somewhere, and they just never call back. Can’t you just send a polite “no”? It’s especially maddening when you don’t know when they might call back, and you are hedging your bets based on them calling within a specific time frame.</p>
<p>In one case, I applied for a job, got an interview, and it went great. I sent my thank you letter, and got no response. Fast forward six months, I had made several decisions that had taken me out of the job market, and I get an offer letter - the salary I asked for, and asking when I could start. I had to turn it down because of my other commitments, but honestly I wanted to call the hiring manager and ask “WHY didn’t you tell me I was still under consideration?” and “WHY didn’t you call to ask if I was still available?” It was worse than just thinking they didn’t want me!</p>
<p>My son has toyed with music as a major, and auditions is one reason he will only pursue music as an EC at most in college. It’s like trying to get recruited for athletics, you know that they’ll take the very best of the best, national level kids, but after that, you are trying to figure out what they want, you are trying to do your best to show them what you can do, but all might be for naught if they have someone else in mind.</p>
<p>@rhandco: I interviewed for my current job eighteen months before they made me an offer. Go figure.</p>
<p>D15 hears from her ED school this afternoon at 5 p.m. Her school is closing early today so she won’t have access to a computer at that hour. Her phone is dying by inches - she refers to it as “the potato.” She may just wind up going to the Apple Store at Grand Central Station to see if she can log in to the portal. </p>
<p>D is also awaiting EA decisions. Though she has so much school work, was sick, and a busy weekend coming up, I don’t think she is thinking much about it. I am more anxious than she is-or she hides it well. She has some friends who will hear from Cornell and others today. That will probably make her more anxious. </p>
<p>Question - if your child is reasonably certain they will not be attending a particular school, do you still go about the process of applying for other scholarships available at the school? Like specific major or honors scholarships that may require additional information or apps?</p>
<p>I’d like to see financial options to some of the schools D is getting accepted to but I know she is probably not going to be attending - do I still have her do the additional paperwork?</p>
<p>In a 2006 interview with Amherst’s adcom director, he said they statistically rank the applications into groups from 1 to 7, with 7 being “inadmissible.” I doubt they read those or spend much time on the other low groups unless they have a major hook. He did say that they will go as low as 1200 SATs for a football or hockey player. </p>
<p>I couldn’t find the link to an article re similar practices at Williams. Ironically, Amherst’s 15 year director interviewed in the article was a William’s alum. </p>
<p>Well, my son applied to BU though he has an ED app out. He had to apply to BU before he gets his ED decision.</p>
<p>BU would be his top choice of the two EA schools he applied to and all the RD schools he would apply to.</p>
<p>What would be the point of having her apply to schools she would never go to - or is it more like “she’d go there if there was a full ride and she didn’t get into schools A, B, and C”?</p>
<p>Or is it that she has acceptances in hand, and they want more to put in consideration for more aid?</p>
<p>If there is a non-zero chance, even if it is 5%, of her going to one of the schools, have her do the paperwork or essays if she has time. If for example she has three acceptances, and would only go to one if those were her only acceptances, why do anything else for the other two schools?</p>
<p>Unless there is a FA issue she is not aware of, that will affect where she does end up going.</p>
<p>I guess it was kind of a dumb question now that I think it through. She has a hands down, I want to absolutely go there, school that has accepted her. She qualified for a merit scholarship but it’s a small public so it wasn’t huge. She does qualify and has applied for other scholarships at this school.</p>
<p>I guess I’m just maybe thinking I’d like to see where the 2 other strong contenders on her list when we began this process come in when all is said and done. While I don’t think I want this to go until April, I am very curious to see what is eventually brought to the table. I will broach the subject with her and see where she stands.</p>
<p>I have great interest in this as well, especially considering the major reason he could turn down an ED admit is because of FA. Would $10,000 per year be enough to turn down an ED offer?</p>
<p>So that’s why we did send in the BU app. But…we wonder if the ED school, if they admit him, will send all FA info too. (now I"m going to have to ask on that board!).</p>
<p>I’ll assume she has visited all three schools so she can do a comparison of the campuses.</p>
<p>I guess I would ask - has she already been accepted to a school she likes that is financially attractive? If so, then stop with this school. If not, I’d have her proceed with the scholarship applications. Things can change over the next six months.</p>
<p>FWIW, D has been accepted to a college that she likes and whose COA is well within our range. We waffle on whether or not to make her apply to her in-state school choice. We know, if D is accepted, the in-state option will be more affordable, but I don’t want her to choose solely on COA.</p>
<p>Re ED and affordability, the CSS Profile asks how much you can afford out of pocket. If the finaid award is out of whack with that, wouldn’t that be a reasonable basis to turn down the ED offer?</p>
<p>(And I did it again. My previous post was meant for another thread about whether adcoms read all the apps. Must be the ED waiting getting on my nerves. My son says his main unhappiness if it’s a reject or deferral would be the pain of having to do multiple other applications. Ice flows through his veins, or at least he appears that way. But I think he’s a bit on edge too.)</p>
<p>@ILmom13579, my older D was one whose idea of where she wanted to go changed drastically between November of Senior year and April of Senior year. So, if you think you could face a situation where one of the other schools moves up the list, it may be worth doing the extra work to keep it in the running. Of course, it will be up to your D to actually do the work and she may feel it is not worth it. It also may be worth it if you think your family could face a significant economic change in the next 6 months that could alter the landscape. How critical will it be for your family to have the least expensive option possible available as a choice?</p>
<p>IOW, I think it’s an individual risk assessment. We may be in the same situation in a few weeks (knock wood) and I really don’t know what we will do.</p>
<p>@rhandco, I agree that there are a lot of similarities with the athletic recruiting process and the theater/music/dance audition process. These kids have to be mentally, emotionally, and physically tough.</p>
<p>Good luck to your son with his interview @Mugglemom, my introvert kid also feels like she interviews well. Go figure! I am just glad she is working that muscle and it gets easier each time. Just the emailing and scheduling the interviews is good practice for life.</p>
<p>@latichever: Outwardly, DC#2 is exhibiting few signs of stress. Inwardly, he’s about a nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. I’ve been working pretty hard and making sure he’s holding up okay through the waiting. </p>
<p>@ILMom13579 Is your child planning on going to Accepted Student Days? I have heard stories of kids changing their minds…so if you want to keep all options open…on the other hand if yoru child is stressed from all the essay writing then skip it</p>