Our rules for a Plan B or “safety” is that D has to be CERTAIN to get in and that we can afford, even without merit mone,y and that she would be happy to attend. She has those-2 in-state publics with good programs in her major and other interests. But like your D, would do so only as a last resort. However, all other colleges she is applying to do not have “auto-admit” or "automatic full rides, so that makes them “maybe schools”. You never know.
So if you can get your D on board, I’d have her choose an auto admit school that you can afford and where she’d actually be willing to attend if the worst happens. If not, she might be one of those posters next spring asking how to spend an unexpected gap year.
@mysondad We got it too. Along with USC. We will only do USC since it is high on her list and she attends UCLA every month for AP readiness program anyway.
DD also got it email to her. This one had time. Here is the additional information: Saturday, September 26th 9:00 AM - 2:30 PM
Check-in and light continental breakfast begins at 8:30 AM
Participants may park in Parking Structure 4, Parking Structure 7 or Parking Structure 8. Parking costs $12 per day and is CASH ONLY. If arriving after 10:30 AM, you may purchase short-term parking in Parking Structure 4 or 8 for up to two hours at a self-service pay station (follow signs marked with Green P).
Typically, an open house will involve tents, booths, and tables; along with roping in administrators with fancy titles to say a few words. Maybe even the Cheerleaders to teach the 8-clap.
I don’t know if the UCLA one will have all that, but it will be much more than a UCLA Campus Tour.
My DD did not get the invite. Then again, she is in Boarding School. I can just imagine a 55-gallon drum full of correspondence awaiting her when she returns to her school. We have received maybe 3 pieces of college mail- total. I don’t actually know what her email in-box looks like.
Getting a preview of life as a family of 3 as DS is away at a school event for a few days. It is a little less busy schedule wise and dinner is less of a production. Maybe I just found the bright side, :-?
@Themommymommy I always thought I would apply to 3 or 4 colleges because it seemed to be the norm. But towards the end of junior year I discovered an amazing college I really want to attend. I’m applying EA and it’s a match. A CC is my backup plan. As long as your D has a backup plan in place, I see no problem with focusing on 1 college
Most of you are very fast. DD said she decided the essay subject from CA but did not start yet. She finished her NSLI-Y essay today and need to finish her Telluride House application essay due on Sep. 15th. The essays are consisted of 4 essays and one of them are supposed to write around 3000 words. It will be nice if she is admitted into the house before she applies to Cornell. She also plans to submit some of her works to YoungArts and Scholastic later this year.
Her schools starts on Sep. 10th but her off-campus course starts on next Monday at nearby college. She’s going to take 300 course which is designed for junior and seniors at college. I don’t know how she can handle it even though she got special permission from instructor and department chair after she sent her essay which is related to the class.
Well at my school the GC reads it from an admissions standpoint and an English teacher reads it for grammar. They all know reading these essays is part of their job. Maybe you should ask your D’s GC to connect her with an English teacher(maybe 1 she hasn’t had) or the Librarian. I’m sure they have a list of proofreaders. She can’t be the only one who needs one. Did she actually ask her teachers or just assume? @Sophmore1
@3scoutsmom thanks for that great tip about getting AP score reports for free in May! We just paid to send them to one school last night – her first application, yeah! I realize now we could have waited. First timer here…
@sophomore1 - I would be surprised if any English teacher at my school would have time to review kids’ college essays. That’s generally accepted to be something you’d have to hire a tutor to do. The teachers have a full load of teaching, writing college recs, preparation, grading… How could every kid show drafts to teachers in a school; they wouldn’t have time to do their normal jobs, if the amount of edits/help that kids I know, is at all typical.
@fretfulmother I thought the same thing. My DS16 goes to a public HS with over 450 seniors . There’s no way that an English teacher or GC could review even half that many and still complete the other aspects of their job. I’ll be happy if the GC makes all of the deadlines for
Secondary school reports, LORs, transcripts , etc. There’s no way I could do their job and maintain my sanity.
It is common practice around here that the first assignment given by teachers for senior class is to do college essay for state or common app. I normally wouldn’t want the teacher’s corrected essay to be submitted to competitive schools.
I vaugely recall that someone on the forum was considering whitman college in walla walla at one point. In case it is still in the running for someone and visiting is on the horizon I thought I would let you all know we just received an email from the Marcus Whitman hotel which is a really nice hotel in walla walla within walking distance of the college. They are having a special pre labor day weekend sale for ninety-nine dollar rooms. The code they gave to use was SEPT15
Wish it was good for graduation time rates (which are sky high).
Oh my school is smaller than yours there are about 300 seniors with a good 180 or so applying to colleges that require essays. There are a lot of people that go to community colleges. @fretfulmother
DD’s public school has 180-200 seniors. There are 4 GCs and each GC takes care of 45-50 students from each 9-12th grade. Each counsellor needs to focus relatively small number of senior students and it works pretty well.
I think I’m just ready to resign to the fact my D16’s essays are going to end up “serviceable” but not “special.” Oh well. It is what it is. Her target colleges will likely admit her based on stats, anyway. It’ll be the financial aid award that determines her options, anyhow. She’s got one admissions offer under her belt already.
Carolinamom, I just have to ask, no offense intended, but you keep saying “WE’RE stressing” and “OUR resumes,” etc. Are you just using a figure of speech or are you helping fill these things out?
Wow! Just previewed the senior pictures on line. We are going to have a hard time choosing. I highly recommend viewing those alone the first time. A tissue was needed! DS is uninterested. Typical boy.
