Thank you @Ballerina2016
@carolinamom2boys I am so sorry!
@dyiu13 thanks for your support. Iām sure we will get through this. Itās just frustrating. DS16 has lost the opportunity to compete for 2 major scholarships in the past 3 months because adults that he trusted and relied on to do their part dropped the ball. Hard life lesson for a 17 year old.
@carolinamom2boys that sucks. So very sorry.
Wow, carolinamom, you and your son have had a rough few months! Hereās hoping you can resolve the SAT score situation-honestly, I thought they were all automated? Could it possibly be that since they were sent LAST year, the colleges donāt save them for the new crop of applications coming in? In any case, may that be the end of the mix-ups!
We went to the black college fair today where D found 3 new colleges to add to her list. Two had very easy, no essay apps, and one was free, so sheās now got two more sent apps on her list. One was never once on her radar, but her stats put her in the pool of automatic acceptance with an invitation to apply to the honors program top level scholarship. That would cover absolutely everything, even books up to a certain amount. An email blast goes out to all accepted qualifiers in Feb. and they have a deadline to submit an essay. The majority are chosen for some level of scholarship, but obviously free is best. One of her best friends is a freshman there and gushed all about it when D told her she had applied. I wish we didnāt have to wait till Feb. to know if D would be one of the lucky ones, but writing is her strength, so weāll see. The other 2 new schools would give very generous merit aid, but not likely a complete full ride.
Thanks @sseamom . I know waiting until
Feb is hard. Thatās when we find about about 2 of DS16s choices as well. It will be here before we know it.
@carolinamom2boys: Any way the scoutmaster could schedule a special Board of Review for your son? Especially since it was his mistake? There are almost two more weeks in October. (Forgive me if this is a crazy question; I know nothing about scouting.)
@EastGrad Thanks for your suggestion. If it was something that only members of our troop had to participate in, he probably could. But it is a community panel with scout leaders from other troops having to make the decision, and he has a hard time admitting his mistakes especially in front of other leaders. To answer your question, could he? Probably. Will he? Probably not. Iām in an awkward position, I have another son who is right behind D16 , so Iām trying not to make waves.
So many updates! Congrats to everyone whose children are celebrating acceptances, or even finished applications.
Weāve been out of the loop on a six-day, multistate college tour. Itās has been eye-opening and helpful. Schools have absolutely stood out (and fallen off the list completely) based on what my D16 has seen/felt/learned. Whatās more clear than ever is that sheās looking for specific programmatic/social/financial fit rather than a prestigious name or applying ājust to seeā if she gets in. (She is teaching me here ā¦ because I have suggested some schools for those reasons!)
Sheās now looking at schools with some type of photo/digital media/photojournalism programs (with a LAC base). Schools that have risen in her estimation: Fordham-Lincoln Center, Drexel, BU. Those that have fallen: Barnard (I loved it, she didnāt), Wellesey (she liked it a lot, but not for her).
This process has been eye-opening for me, too, to watch her figure things out. In many cases and at her request, sheās asked to do program-specific tours on her own, while we do the general tour together.
Our big win today is that she made it to the Wellesley commuter train station and into Boston on her own after spending the night there. We still have one BU tour to go, then on to Northeastern tomorrow.
If anyone wants to PM, Iād be happy to share more about impressions / visits of specific schools we looked at.
@carolinamom2boys I too have little experience with scouting, but isnāt part of what the boys are learning is to be prepared and do what needs to be done to handle/avoid a crisis? I think it would be completely appropriate for your DS TO approach the scout leader share in some of the responsibility for this āscheduling problemā and ask if he can try to trade with another scout or be notified when someone cancels. If he takes responsibility for the fix while pointing out the honor and glory the scholarship brings to the group can the scout leader save face and your son still move forward? Surely there is s scout that is a junior that can trade?!?
I wish you a speedy resolution.
@Cheeringsection He approached the leader with adequate time to be scheduled , and the leader advised him to wait and did not put him on the schedule. The BOR involves scout masters from throughout the council, not just our troop. They only meet once a month and have already met.
@sseamom Thatās great your D found more schools to apply to that have good merit aid. Is your D going to visit those schools at some point?
So sorry to hear this. I wish you better outcomes with the rest of this process.
Thanks@Cheeringsection. DS16 is handling it much better than me. Weāre chalking it up to another learning experience.
On a positive note, DS16 followed up on an Honors application he had completed . Everything is in and ready for review . I take this as a positive sign because itās our understanding that the Honors application is not forwarded until he has met criteria for admission to the college.
I think weāll only visit any of these new 3 if D gets in AND gets one of the scholarships. Iād have no problem sending D down there to the one where her friend is if she wants to go and can take the time off from school. Itās oddly and surprisingly cheap to get there from Seattle. She should have heard from her top choice well before the final list of scholarship recipients comes out for that school though, so it may not come to that.
@carolinamom2boys, also sorry to hear about the difficulties. As a Scout mom myself, I can attest that this process is not for the faint of heart! Wasnāt there any urgency on the SMās part to have your son complete process in October, if for no other reason than to be able to officially put āEagleā on his applications? Anyway, sorry to hear about the glitch.
My point exactly@GoldenWest. I tried to explain to him that it would look better to have Eagle Scout rather than Eagle Scout candidate on his applications. He just dismissed me, but thatās another story.
Wow, that is too badā¦hate to have these things happen to sour what was hopefully overall a good experience!
@carolinamom2boys Your Troop only does boards once a month? Ours does them as needed. They should be able to get a board together to get his Eagle awarded this month.