@shoboemom I hear you about the ‘divided’ list; we’ve got something of the same thing going on here. I know I’m a little nutso about keeping all options open, but might your D want to reinstate one (or two?) of her discarded middle-ground options, just to have more choices come May 1? My D was very definite about her requirements, but after the Dec 15 results indicated just how all-or-nothing this process might turn out, was newly willing to consider other possibilities to create ‘middle-ground’ options.
@shoeboemom: I’m with hs2015mom on this. If all the ones she loves don’t pan out she’ll be awfully disappointed come April. Can you put a few middle range ones back in?
DS has now decided that Colo College is his backup since he’s in and in a fantasy world the finances are doable. Ginormous State would cost about $15k less, maybe even less, so DH and I don’t see CC as a backup, but rather as an expensive choice, but we don’t need to have that conversation until all the cards are on the table. We visited SS-LAC when visiting relatives in Philly and DS said he now wishes he’d applied there ED I as was his original plan til he met up with the dean of the honors college at Ginormous State who talked him out of it. I foolishly mentioned ED II and then had to talk him out of it. So RD it is! 5 apps in and 2 more due 1/15. I hope he doesn’t decide not to apply to those since they are in/around Minneapolis and he thinks it’s too cold there. I keep stressing that a student living in the dorms doesn’t have to shovel snow, latch coated toddlers into car seats, collect supplies for a blizzard, but just has to appreciate the beauty of the campus and the chance to buy some winter clothes. Hopefully, he’ll get those apps in. He says he will.
@shoboemom - completely understand where u are coming from which is why i needed the hand holding from the private counselor just as much as S. DH refuses to get involved in the process (possibly because I do tend to over-research everything) so a third party helped to clear a path in the overwhelming forest. Also peers have a big influence - seems most kids staying mum for that reason. I think just keep their confidence up so they know they can succeed anywhere they land.
I was double checking CSS dates this morning and discovered that one school wants you to register with College Board by today (Jan. 1) even though the CSS is not due until Feb. 1. I guess it was a good thing I couldn’t sleep.
Yes, she…and we…would like her to have a couple more middle ground schools that she would actually consider, and she found a couple to read more about ( with easy applications) that have 1/15 deadlines, and I’ve read that one that we thought had a deadline for merit, may not be firm on that deadline…so maybe. She doesn’t love her safeties, but can imagine being happy there…and I think she is just deciding that she’d rather do that than spend a lot more unless a school really offers something special.
Chin up. Good stuff will start happening – even in the last six miles of the marathon. Around here, the kid swung big with his early app and missed, and he was down for a week or so. But fortunately an early action school came through before the holidays, and they have now offered to fly him in for a recruitment weekend so it is moving up from “safe” to “potentially exciting.” That also was a nice confidence boost before completing the last few apps.
He is only likely to hear from two more schools before the end of March, so we will focus on enjoying the last semester of HS (well, once January exams end) and maybe on finding new things to love about each of the acceptances as they trickle in.
Just curious, when does the first semester end for your students? Even though classes start in August, mid-terms are not until the end of January and report cards are issued Feb. 3. Seniors will be done with school by mid May.
We are on the same schedule here. As a practical matter, school ends for seniors after the AP exams, although I think DC#2 may have some small “senior final” in his post-AP level math class.
First semester ended here before winter break. Sounds like your second semester is much shorter than the first.
Not really. School ends in mid-June for underclassmen. But it is pointless to have the seniors in school past AP season, and commencement here is right after Memorial Day.
@jennie11 - with regards to the FAFSA order, there are numerous schools of thought on the issue. I think all the University of schools would be toward the bottom, in their A-Z order. If your child is applying to any IS schools, I’ve heard they should be listed first since some of them give state aid more readily if they know you are instate, even though it might not be their first choice. And then list remaining out of state schools in alpha order.
Regarding FAFSA - is anyone having difficulty getting past the housing page? I answer the question but it keeps giving me an error message saying I haven’t selected housing. Called FAFSA and they said it might be because the site is overloaded (ya think?). Anyways, giving it a rest for now and will try again tonight.
Happy New Year to everyone!
OK, I guess FAFSA doesn’t like Firefox - switched to Explorer and BAM! All done! What a pain - don’t remember having the browser issue last year, but my mind is swirling right now and I’m lucky if I can remember my own name these days!
Not much happens here for AP classes after the exams, but sometimes they do special projects or the like. My senior is taking non-AP classes so there will be work and exams there.
Working of three FAFSAs and thinking it would be nice if you could transfer one kid’s common info to the others, but that would be a privacy violation. They have to maintain the fiction that the student is actually the one filling out the fafsa.
I googled but could not find survey-type information about whether parents or students are the ones filling in the information for the FAFSA and other finaid docs. But I’d bet it would be close to 90 percent parents.
Have not had a problem getting past the housing page. When I run into this type of thing I try multiple browsers before I conclude it’s my problem rather than theirs.
@latichever- love that “maintain the fiction”. I don’t know any students that have actually filled it out- it’s usually parents that are talking about getting it done.
ILMom I was going to suggest trying a different browser. Your a very smart lady. We just pressed send using Safari and had no problem. My son has had a lot of issues in Safari using college portals to check on his applications.
I filled out the FAFSA when I was a student. I’m quite sure I filled it out wrong back then. I was a first generation college student.
I will fill out the FA forms for my DD. there is no way that I would leave the FA in her hands. It’s too important!
@ILMom13579 Had posted re the different browser before I saw you had already tried that. I was using chrome. (Great minds think alike.)
I recall running into a FAFSA customer service rep who was a by the book type who didn’t want to help with my support questions. I had to phrase the questions in a generic rather than specific to my child manner. All the colleges I’ve dealt with allow the student to designate an “authorized payer” so as to allow the bursar/finaid people to talk with me. I think fafsa and CSS Profile should have such a provision.
Do you have two pups, @4CookieMonster? They’re both cute. 
My D had exams before winter break, and thus no excuse for her failure (still) to submit the last 2 apps. But I am glad she’s had a lot of down time. This last semester is going to fly!
I had no issues with the FAFSA in Firefox.
My issue is not knowing the login for my D’s bank info
So my D is applying to all state schools except 2, none in-state. There will be lots of Univ of … Her top choice school will end up being listed last when in alpha order. Does this signify anything negative?