<p>I love that story, @mom24boys! I wish it were that easy today!</p>
<p>Congratulations to those of you whose kids are finished. Hooray! We are still plugging (plodding?) along here and will be into the new year. Have a happy and safe night everyone!</p>
<p>Great stories,@mom24boys!</p>
<p>2 submitted today! DS has 1 more due tomorrow. Essays done but being reviewed before they are submitted. Next up is 1 due Monday and scholarship essays due the next week. At least he can relax tonight before starting the next few in the morning. Hopefully.</p>
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<p>Not in my 80s, although I hope to ge there, but I’m old enough to remember the days before internet when you relied on the big thick, telephone sized Barron’s College Reference Book or the similar book from the College Board. They had a profile of virtually every college out there, and I discovered they’re still being published.</p>
<p>I am gearing up for FAFSA tomorrow. So since he applied to 15, I can’t submit them all at one time. I was thinking 8 and then 7. How do I decide which ones to do first? I am going to list them in alphabetical order on each one. Good luck to all those under the deadline stress tonight!</p>
I don’t think there’s more than a day or two lag you have to wait between submissions so I doubt it matters. I’d go alpha all the way - first 8, or 10, A-whatever, then on.
thanks @OHMomof2, I didn’t realize the lag time was so short. I may do three short lists of 5 
- all alphabetical and geographical too just to throw them off! lol happy new year to all!
One needs to know what schools the child has applied to in order to send the FAFSA/CSS to the chosen institutions. If the child chose to share this information with us Homeland/National Security would be jeopardized.
Do you guys plan to file the FAFSA even before you get your W2s? While I do know what our income was based on my dh’s last paycheck stub, I feel like we should wait until the W2s come in.
We already had to do the CSS Profile for one EA school, so I guess I can just add all the other CSS schools to that, correct?
Mary Ann reporting in and coming aboard The Parents of HS Class 2015 USS Indecision (Love Thy Safety Boat) for our Spectacular New Year’s Eve Celebration!
Hopefully this party will be a fun, festive launch into The Big, Eventful (& Not-Too-Angst-Ridden) year ahead. (And check out my special-occasion sequined short-shorts, designed especially for this evening!)
Remember that there’s an All-Night Party on the ship with free-flowing champagne and sparkling cider, an elaborate chicken-wing-and-dessert-buffet in the Main Dining Room starting at 10PM EST, a balloon-drop in the atrium at midnight, a big-screen on the Lido deck for the Times Square countdown broadcast, plus hats, noisemakers, and college-themed party favors.
Special thanks to Your Ship’s Ice Sculpture Artist (The Artist Formerly Known as Your Public Health Officer), @sally305, for the beautiful “Parents of the Class of 2015” ice sculpture gracing the chicken-wing-and-dessert-buffet! I think we will ALL agree that @sally305 captured each of our likenesses perfectly…especially since she doesn’t know what any of us look like in real life!
In addition to our favorite (and only) Lounge Act, @crepes & The Special Talents, our ship’s in-house band will be debuting tonight! Be sure to catch “Uptight and Cranky” at 11PM EST in the Lounge, featuring @Palomina, @twogirls, @VSGPeanut101 on guitar, and @STEMFamily on drums.
As always, we’re currently taking day cruises around the harbor until April 1, 2015, led by our own fearless captain @Wolverine86 and assisted by our First Mate, a.k.a. Gilligan, a.k.a @Threesdad.
All are still welcome to take up a crew assignment if you don’t have one. Feel free to post in the thread & begin your work, but please also PM me so I can keep a running crew list. (Sorry for my delay in posting a recent list. Both @GoAskDad and I were having computer problems…)
Below is our most current crew list. Happy New Year, everyone!
Your Captain: @Wolverine86
Your First Mate (a.k.a. Gilligan): @Threesdad
Your Ship’s Chief Engineer: @bopper
Your Boat Anchor: @numbersfun
Your Ship’s Navigator: @FCCDAD
Your Cruise Co-Directors: @Twogirls and @BunHeadMom
Your (New) Ship’s Public Health Officer: @jennie11
Your Ship’s Physician: @Hooser96 (Also running the nightly Bingo Table for tips…)
Your Ship’s RN: @need2learn
Your Ship’s Acute Psychiatric R.N. @saismom
Your Ship’s Therapist: @ElllieMom
Your Therapist-To-Your-Ship’s-Therapist: @bigbossman1
Your Head Lifeguard: @muf123
Your Dingy Operator: @amandakayak
Your Executive Chef: @Sally22
Your Dessert Chef: @keepmecrusin
Your Chocolatier-in-Chief. @mihcal1 (Also serving as Your Ship’s Taste-Tester.)
Your Seaday Brunch Manager: @Afg2014
Your Ship’s Cultural Attache for Tex Mex: @momtotwotallgirls
Your Ship’s Cabbage: @Cabbage1 (Backup duty: margarita preparation)
Your Ship’s Ice Sculpture Artist (The Artist Formerly Known as Your Public Health Officer): @sally305
Your Bartender(S): @OHMomof2 & @IJustDrive
Your Fancy-Drink Taste-Tester: @MamaBear16
Your Ship’s Sommelier. @planner03
Your Entertainment Director: @SomeOldGuy (Also serving as DJ)
Your MC/Event Planner: @W2BeHome
Your Ship’s Musician: College-age DS of @VT. Your Official Music-Page-Turner: @VT.
Your Lounge Singer (& Lead-Singer in our Featured Lounge Act “@crepes & The Special Talents”): @crepes
Your Coffee Bar Manager: @SlackerMomMD
Your Coffee Bar Dessert Baker: @shoboemom (Also singing backup for “@crepes & The Special Talents” in the lounge.)
Your Athletic Director: @mtrosemom
Your Spa & Fitness Manager: @3girls3cats (Also singing backup for “@crepes & The Special Talents” in the lounge.)
Your Ship’s Running Coach: @vistajay
Your Yoga Instructor: @MuggleMom
Your Daily Motivator: @Wrestlersmom
Your Ship’s Help-Desk Manager (also responsible for hiring Attractive Scandinavian Crew and Wait staff - including Cabana Boys): @celesteroberts
Your Cabana Boy Manager: @suzy100
Your Pool Towel-Folder Extraordinaire: @Felicita
Your Official Lei-Maker: @daisychain
Your Ship’s Balloon Artist: @DEfour
Your Ship’s Arts & Crafts Instructor + Your Shore Excursion Host: @ILMom13579
Your Ship’s Legal Counsel: @BarFly
Your Ship’s Librarian: @hs2015mom
Your Ship’s Photographer: @PetraElise (Also bringing her DH aboard to help sing backup with@shoboemom and @3girls3cats for “@crepes & The Special Talents.”)
Your Roller Coaster Operator: @Disneydad
Your Military Attaché: @shellz
Your Ship’s Naturalist: @PhxRising
Your Ship’s Saboteur: @Mom24boys
Your Ship’s Kennel Operator: @4CookieMonster
Your Mary Ann(s): @GoAskDad and @KSMom1518
Happy New Year’s Eve, everyone! We have “celebrated” here by pushing the button on DC#2’s last three applications. And now we wait.
Meanwhile, I hope everyone enjoys the evening and is prepared for a happy and eventful 2015.
[The Pogues – “Auld Lang Syne”](The Pogues - Auld Lang Syne - YouTube)
Happy New Year all.
@sbjdorlo, not all school accept the CSS, so that won’t substitute for the FAFSA. And some schools require that you submit the FAFSA by a certain date that is before you may get you 2014 tax info. They suggest that you estimate based on last years tax return and then update the FAFSA after you complete this years tax returns. Either way, blech!
Here’s some info on the FAFSA from the NY Times. It makes it seem like it’s best to do it quickly: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/30/your-money/paying-for-college/almost-time-to-fill-out-fafsa-for-2015.html?ref=education
Happy 2015 to all!
@leftofpisa, D and I both seem to be having that last minute “but what if we’re missing that ’ perfect’ school panic”. We keep reviewing ones she looked at and eliminated and they remain off the list. Her list is just so divided; the ones she really wants that are academic or financial reaches, and the ones she doesn’t really want (big state u’s) but are very doable. She just already eliminated most of the middle ground options.
She says if all 3 of her favorites say no, she will cry…a lot. =((
Now I am trying to decide if I need to send her 1st ACT scores to those 3 schools. She sent the 2nd one, which was higher in all sections except the writing. 1st attempt was an 11, 2nd attempt was a 10. On the common app, she reported the 11, and said she’d taken it twice, but only had act send that 2nd attempt. One school only looks at scores from your highest composite sitting, so sending her 1st attempt won’t make a difference, but since it’s common app, I guess they are going to see that she is reporting an 11, but only sending in a 10. Another school says they only look at the highest scores so I guess it makes sense to send it to them (wellesley) but then I wonder if we should send her best SAT also, since she did have one section on the SAT that was higher than her ACTs. The third school, American U, I can’t find a policy for. My hope is that if that some small discrepancy like that won’t kick her out of the running. It just seems like even the minor details can feel like big challenges. 8-}
Happy New Year everyone! Well, this is it…the year our kids graduate from high school, the year many of them turn 18 and the year they head to college! It’s a big one! heres to a happy and healthy 2015!!
shoboemom, I don’t think the difference between a 10 and 11 on the writing portion is material, so if it were me I would not send the first one in, assuming none of the schools require that all scores be sent.
Happy New Year all!
11:52 minutes for the Spawn to complete her apps due 1/1. Somewhere around 11:45 PM when moi is watching the last few minutes of the Alabama v OSU game I may hear a shout for joy from the child as this application process comes to a conclusion (though I do believe she has a 1-15 deadline school which Inurges her to complete and file now since semester exams will take all of her time and energy once school begins again on Monday).
Happy New Year to all!
There are no harbor day cruises scheduled today as Gilligan here is still cleaning up from last nights’s festivities, then off to swab the decks again. Harbor cruises begin again tomorrow; please contact @twogirls or @bunheadmom to schedule your trip and make sure you provide your cabin number so the Bursar’s office can bill the correct party.
@shoboemom - I don’t know if this advice will help at this stage but I feel it’s better not to think that there is a perfect school but rather many great options. We hired a private college counselor to help us reach this mindset (s was a bit hung up on rankings) and he really opened our eyes to the concept of ‘fit’ and all the wonderful and feasible options. As a result, S is happy with all his applications including safeties.
@goaskdad - please add me to the lounge act - although used to singing lead I am willing to work my way up 
@singermom4, we know you are right, and there is no ‘perfect school’. I think we parents are more sure of that than D is, but she does know it. ;-). I do often think that the more perfect she thinks a school is, the more likely she is to be disappointed in the reality of it if she does attend. On some level I do feel confident things will work out and she has safeties in place that can work well. It’s my nature to worry and to want to have every possible angle/ option explored. 8-}
Can someone provide thoughts on the order we list schools for the FAFSA? I know alpha order is always discussed. What are thoughts on reverse alpha order if that puts your two favorites at the top or is that sending the wrong message to other schools? Does the list order help in admission at all since we’ve yet to hear back from some of these schools? If you put in alpha order, does the University of count as part of the name or go straight to the State so university of Alabama would come before Florida State? I know I’m overthinking this but I’ve read so many things.