<p>Wishing everyone a very Merry holiday! For those that celebrate, I hope that your holiday is joyous. For those whose holidays have passed or those who do not celebrate at this time of year, I wish you a healthy, happy, and calm new year.</p>
<p>Christmas Eve day in our house is college app essay writing. Of course someone facebooked someone who facedbooked someone else that Ginormous state u sent out their honors invites and none of my kids friends (including my kid) got one. Bummer. Trying to establish if all the invites went out because the website said February, but who knows. Nothing we can do about it. S15 would have liked one.Wouild have made Ginormous State U a better fit because he felt that would have made the environment a lot smaller. Onward and upward.</p>
<p>My daughter got wait-listed at College of Wooster. The letter asked her to send back the reply card to accept a place on the wait-list, except they didn’t include a reply card! She emailed the admissions department. She is still scheduling an audition because that might make a difference and we’ll be in the area anyway for other auditions. </p>
<p>Is anyone’s senior applying to Lehigh? D loved school, but we have since heard that it is a real party school. I know that they all are, but I am just wondering if anyone has any recent experience. Thank you.</p>
<p>Speaking of party schools…(Sorry, I don’t know any details on Lehigh)^…but the party atmosphere at college was the topic of discussion here today.
I just posted on the USF (Florida) forum, but am curious about any input you all have. D has applied and been accepted at a couple state schools…the talk today was about USF and UCF, and comparing their party scene to other, more selective schools,…like American and Emory. D recently visited a friend attending USF and was alarmed by the number of students in the dorm her friend pointed out as drug dealers, and similar issues she mentioned. D feels like maybe at a more selective school, the issue won’t be as great since there may be more students who are more focused on their academics.<br>
Obviously, every school is going to have some of these issues, and as long as it’s mostly 'you do your thing, i’ll do my thing…she can probably be fine with it, but when it is in your face and all around …that would be tougher. She does not ‘suffer fools’ well.<br>
I think part of this is worry that she isn’t applying to enough schools…hasn’t found that ‘just right’ one where she will be happy, that will accept her, and will be affordable.</p>
<p>LOL Sorry, I just jumped right back into worrying about college!..I do hope everyone had a wonderful day yesterday!<br>
did get D one of those Echo Smart pens, and she’s had a great time figuring it out. She’s not sure if her teachers will let her use it though…I was thinking she’d have the rest of this year to get used to it before using it in college…so we’ll see. It is very cool though!</p>
<p>@shoboemom D will be revisiting USF again it’s at the top of her list. She loved the classes she sat in on…death and dying and a cognitive class.</p>
<p>We live in a state that has a HUGE party scene at the flag ship but with that being said great students graduate from there every year.</p>
<p>I really think it depends on the student’s outlook on the culture…you can join in or not. Just because its more selective does not mean it won’t draw it’s own group of students from the partying culture.</p>
<p>I hope your daughter enjoys her smart pen like I said before mine couldn’t live without it.</p>
<p>Shoboemom we are very familiar with Cornell and it has a big party scene despite being a very selective school. My kids are always showing me pictures of kids they know with those " red cups" in their hand partying up a storm. One of my daughters friends who does not drink had a very difficult time finding friends like her to hang with- she almost transferred. Thankfully she settled in, found friends, and is doing ok. I am starting to wonder if going to school in or near a city makes this culture easier to avoid? Anyway - I think you will find kids who party everywhere. </p>
<p>Happy Holidays to all! @OHMomof2 thank you for the FAFSA info!!! I have to have it done by 1/7 for the ED school for my son… feeling clueless!</p>
<p>@shoboemom and @mamabear16 I found XL Twin Mattress toppers at 70% off from Macys in the pre-holiday season. I imagine they might repeat around Presidents day. The XL were only available on line.</p>
<p>I was just jumping on to remind everyone to register for a Federal Student Aid PIN (along w/your DC doing the same) but it looks like @OHMomof2 has taken care of this for us. Thank you @OHMomof2 and thanks for @shoboemom for linking the thread here.</p>
<p>@garden3 - my S also applying to Lehigh. Any school with a lot of Greek affiliations gets the party school label. Check out the Lehigh forum for some views from current students . This school was recommended by our private college counselor and knowing my S he wouldn’t have made the recommendation if it was a big issue. </p>
<p>For those concerned about party schools, let’s not forget UPenn was deemed by Playboy the #1 Party School in 2014! Students are either stratching their heads or wondering what they are missing. (More than one alum was just happy Penn was #1 on some list.) This goes to show that 1) what you hear may or may not be true; and, 2) kids have opportunities to party (or not) at even very good schools</p>
<p>FCCDAD - congrats on the WPI acceptance and merit aid - my son got deferred from WPI, our thought is that it was his first quarter grades. RPI did not seem to care / weighted his test scores more. </p>
<p>As for partying - happens at all schools, even those that are religiously affiliated. Warn your kids about alcohol and drugs. Alcohol in particular has a delayed effect, and those with kids who are on the lighter side, less than 150 lbs. let alone whippersnappers like I was freshman year near 100 lbs., need to be warned very strongly that it can kill, and the effects make you suggestible to keep having another.</p>
<p>Like I have said “I don’t care if you drink, but try to eat while you are drinking AND don’t just drink without thinking about how much you are drinking.” I’m going to remind my son that I suggest no frat parties / bottle draining parties first semester, it is just not worth it before you see the lay of the land. Let alone I don’t think they let fraternity houses on campus, so figuring out safety issues and maneuvering on campus and in the environs is an important first semester task.</p>
<p>Some schools ban freshman from any Greek parties and don’t allow freshmen to rush, which is good.</p>
<p>@giterdone, I don’t have any prior experience re: FAFSA PINs, so you may be correct. However, we’ve gotten emails from a couple of DS’s prospective colleges reminding us to sign up for a PIN for him and for us. So I did that, just in case. Not sure how DS would be involved in that whole side of things, as DH will file the FAFSA in case it is needed for anything at DS’s schools. I seriously doubt he will qualify for any type of need-based aid.</p>