@carolinamom2boys Yes, I am aware of the need to apply early for merit considerations. I’m just dealing with an indecisive procrastinator, a new GC who seems kind of clueless, etc. If my D kicks things into gear in the next week or two, I think she can meet a couple of November 1 deadlines at least. (She’s only eligible for merit at a couple of schools, most likely).
My prediction is that she’ll end up at Minnesota if she gets in there because they have the easiest application out of the schools with the program she wants and their total COA is affordable for us. I don’t think there is a coat big enough to keep this child warm in Minneapolis.
@kandcsmom I guess that makes things a bit easier - I wish our school year started earlier!
@eh1234 i feel your pain about the deep freeze of minnesota. still, it’s a great place to live. we joke that it keeps the riffraff out… and the other three seasons can be amazing here. she just needs to pick up a winter activity to make it more bearable. broomball, anyone?
@eh1234 I understand working with a new counselor. We missed an important scholarship deadline last year because our GC missed a deadline. This year we have a GC that is used to working with seniors and she has been in top of things and very responsive to my son’s request for info. Good luck with Apps.
I can only wish for an “on the ball” counselor. I just finished sending an email reminding her to send the items needed on my daughters list. She has had this since early summer. Again, I was told I am sending it today…
Congratulations @dadoftwingirls @Kandcsmom That is amazing. Not a single application is completed in our household.
Have a question for those whose kids are working on or done with NMSF application. Do they want to see only academic honors and awards for NMSF application? For academic awards, do you still have to list NMSF or it is obvious? Also is there a way to track a progress on NMSF application for the school part: transcript, forms, etc?
Welcome new posters and congrats to those of you with good news!
My own “woohoo” is that I just got a copy of the finals grades fro D’s 2 summer online classes and she got a 4.3-the highest possible grade, in both of them. She worked all through Labor Day weekend to finish them before regular school got too busy and now with the transcripts in hand, she can start applying to colleges, since she needed those two to graduate in her district. There are 3 colleges with non-binding EA deadlines of 11/1 for scholarships, but the actual application deadline is rolling for all of them. All but a handful are rolling, so we have more time than many of you. She’ll do those 3 with the Nov. deadline first, though, and soon. If she gets the merit from one of them, her top three, she may just stop there.
D feels she did well on the ACT, but her practice tests were rough, so we’ll see. Then her school gives the SAT in mid-October, so she can decide which to send out to everyone. She’s not one of those merit scholar types, so she’s really shooting for scores that work for the schools she’s applying to for merit scholarships.
@eh1234, your D’s stats are very similar to my D’s. I’m certain your D will be accepted at Iowa State, as I already worked the admittance formula for my own D, earlier this summer. She was more interested, then, in Uni of Northern Iowa, but I worked out the formula for all three schools. D would be in - yours would be, too!
Also, my stepdaughter went to U of Iowa a decade ago, with much lower test scores and grades.
Idk what your budget is, but she would also be accepted to Indiana University, if she wants a Big Ten school. OOS tuition is a bit pricey, though, and merit aid is only for tippy-top grades.
Also, University of Kansas… They have auto admissions.
I’ve encouraged my D to apply to U of MN-TC but she says it’s way too big (she has no qualms with cold weather, though!)
@Ballerina2016, as far as I can see there’s not a way to track what the school’s doing. In fact, from my understanding, the student has to push the “Finalize” button on the application and then the school submits their part, including the recommendation and information from the student’s transcript. They told the NMSF’s at D’s school to complete the student section of the application by Oct. 4, so they (the school) can submit everyone’s information together to the NMSC by Mon., Oct. 7.
And, as far as awards, I don’t think you need to list NMSF, since they already know that. My D only has one other academic award so that’s all she’s listing in that section.
@BeeDAre Actually, Indiana is on the list. There are quite a few Big Ten schools on the list (Minnesota, Michigan State, Rutgers, maybe Illinois as a reach), although it occurs to me that maybe we need to actually visit one! (She has visited UofOregon, Oregon State, UofColorado, Colorado State, UBC and Temple and has never been to the Midwest.)
I wouldn’t say she “wants” a Big Ten school - she likely “wants” to be in Colorado or West Coast - but she wants to study animal science with a concentration on companion or exotic animals and recently figured out that these Big Ten schools all have that (and yes, hefty price tags, too). She will probably talk herself into Colo State anyway if she gets in there, but I’m hoping there will be some other options.
The GC will probably be perplexed by a list that includes zero VA (in-state) schools, but VA Tech would never take her.
A neighbor girl just went off to University of Findlay, in Findlay OH, to study Animal Science. Her dad says they apparently have a strong program - don’t know about exotic animals… I’d never heard of the school before she enrolled, but thought I’d mention it.
IU is my alma mater, and I loved my time there, but - H and I couldn’t wrap our heads around the OOS tuition of 34k. Thankfully, the thought of super-huge schools make my D anxious, so that knocks out a lot of OOS flagships. And I’m not convinced she’d be accepted to UIUC, our flagship … doesn’t matter, anyway, she refuses to apply.
Another application done! S’s two top choices, his primary safety, and three others are in. Now he gets a break until October, when he has two more to do, and then we wait and see how the E schools shake out before sending the last three. With any luck, they won’t get sent.
Now to get D moving on hers. Imagine Sisyphus and his stone…
Okay so I have come here for comfort as I am being told here that I “stress way too much about these things”. DS has an interview tomorrow with a school where merit is a good possibility and I reminded him at dinner that this is his chance to enhance his overall application. No, I have not planned out his wardrobe, written him a script, made him practice answering questions or any other number of things I have heard people do. Geez! This kid needs to understand that there are so many tiger mom gears left here that I don’t think I even qualify for that title. Someday he will appreciate how relaxed I have been about this process–at least with him. I save all my angst for all of you here on CC.
@AsleepAtTheWheel : “Once S14 got to college he said that he could’ve used the sweatshirt there, as a lot of kids at his school wear stuff from other colleges.”
@Cheeringsection I thought Bravado only lived at my house. He must be like Santa and make his way around the world at lightning speed. No matter how he does on his interview , I’m sure “you got this”
