I am on the same wavelength as you @fretfulmother. Things at home that will work will be used to lower shopping needs and costs.
@4kids2graduate, @fretfulmother, since DS13 was flying rather than driving to college, it was (and still is) easier and cheaper to ship via Amazon Prime or buy from Target or BB&B than to bring from home. Otherwise, he might own a lot more used stuffāand I think heād be fine with that. One of the best tips I received from Parents 2013 list was not to forget hangers. I ordered those from Amazon Prime to be picked up on moving day and not one of his other 3 roommates remembered. Fortunately, I ordered enough for everyoneāan amount that DS said might have been embarrassing if his other roommates had brought any.
Anyone else think that weāre focusing on what to bring & where to get it to fill up the very loooong 35 days remaining before early decisions come out?
@4kids2graduate @EastGrad - thank you! These are all good points!! (Yes re filling up the waiting days ha ha ha.)
I definitely see the appeal of far-away ordering; I love Amazon Prime in general. Actually, I also am tempted to get some new stuff because it is fun to outfit a new place. But I also feel guilty because honestly, we do have a lot of sheets and towels (DS20 has an XL twin bed lofted over DS16ās double-bed) and I remember vividly the pile of ācamp and school towelsā that my parents made us take wherever. And my guess is that college laundry isnāt going to be the kindest to whatever we send!
Iām think weāll ship things from home because it makes a new place more homey. 
Also, we have a set amount we are willing to spend per year, and that includes indirect costs such as dorm supplies. Depending on the aid package of her final choice, making do with home stuff may be her only option.
My husband casually mentioned one of his students, who is a track star, just chose Harvard. He picked it over Stanford because Stanford seemed snooty. Ugh, excuse me while I turn as green as Kermit the Frog.
D had a lovely alumni interview with her Ivy ādream schoolā this weekend. He was a retired gentleman who shared how difficult his undergraduate years were due to the fact it was during the Vietnam War, and he had to take a break from his education to serve in the military. That certainly put things in perspective!
It also sounds like he was very eloquent in complementing my D on all her strengths while gently reminding her it is those strengths that will make her successful, not the privilege of attending one specific college. I feel he was the right person at the right time to remind her of this, and I am very grateful.
@drmom123 ā This is a very long article and itās old (2001), but I think that itās a very interesting read regarding the basis and history of ED
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2001/09/the-early-decision-racket/302280/
The series of articles posting by @4kids2graduate are great. The third article in the series has some fantastic stats in it regarding the ED vs RD acceptance rates for a lot of schools.
I think that the main point is that a large number of acceptances in the ED pool are kids who are āhookedā. Letās say that the orchestra needs an oboist. If the school waits until the RD round, they might admit three oboists with the hope of getting one of them. But in fact they might end up with three oboists or they might end up with no oboists. So the only way to get one and only one oboist is to admit one ED. Furthermore, if thereās a really fantastic oboist who will have all sorts of college options, they can snare him/her by offering him/her guaranteed admission to a highly selective school if he/she applies ED.
You can substitute any number of categories of kids for āoboistā above. My son is a recruited athlete who applied ED to a school with an overall acceptance rate in the low teens. His academics put him in the top 25% of kids who matriculate, but nonetheless most kids with those stats will still get rejected. He has been told that a significant majority of kids who get admitted ED at his school will be athletes, legacy, oboists, i.e., kids who are āhookedā. Notably, URMās donāt need to use the ED route, as they do so well getting in at multiple schools in the RD round.
Needless to say there are lots on unhooked kids who get in ED. But the key point is that the admission boost going ED is not remotely close to whatās suggested by the relative admission rates. Finally, as has been pointed out, all this is very school-specific. Most true of the Ivyās and the most selective small LACās.
Phew, we have an acceptance! DD went IDP EA at Bard over the weekend & was accepted. The weight of the world lifted off her shoulders & she said"Iām going to college".
Congrats @Kat2013
Congratulations, @kat2013!
Thanks to everyone posting about dorm accessories - it will be handy when the time comes. We have been prime members for awhile and couldnāt do without it.
Fretful-weāll be doing pretty much the same thing. We have so many random towels. D already has 1 set of XL sheets from a summer program. Iāll be making her a āstrip quiltā that apparently needs no talent to make-we shall see. She might need a real winter coat, but otherwise, sheās goo with outwear. She has a whole office full of desk supplies from a summer project. Thereās a really good chance weāll be flying out to wherever, so weāll need to plan how to get everything where it needs to be in the cheapest way possible. It may make sense to buy there for the larger items.But D isnāt going to have one of those Pinterest level decorated rooms, no matter what. She WANTS to take things that are going to remind her of home!
Congrats @kat2013 - awesome news!
Just got Dās Oct ACT scores - she did great!
Dorm supply shopping will have to wait until we know what part of the country D will ultimately land in. Sheās casting a wide net. It will depend on if we can pack the car up or if we have to fly somewhere. We wonāt know about in state schools until March.
Congrads to all on acceptances, test scores and all other college progress! We all have to pace ourselves as this waiting is the hardest part of the race. If it helps to let your mind wander to dorm decor or logistics, go ahead! It means you are staying positive and trusting your DC will be going to college. It may also allow you to support your DC if not all the news is good.
S just received an acceptance in the mail yesterday to his biggest safety - and the only college within driving distance. He just sent app 10 days ago, so they were quick in mailing decision. Funny, he was actually impressed with the folder embossed with college seal, and the nifty official looking ācertificateā of acceptance inside. In all this craziness, it is nice to see them occasionally get a kick out of the simple things!
We will visit tomorrow since S does not classes due to Veteranās Day (but the college is in session). High is supposed to be 40 degrees, rainy and chance of snow in the early morning! Yikes, I need to pull out my heavy gloves and down winter coat since we will be outside first thing in the morning for 2 hours with general tour plus additional housing tour! There better be access to hot coffee so I will survive!
A little trivia - visited Whitman College 4 years ago on Veteranās Day with D13, D14, and S16 ā¦and still clearly remember standing on the steps of the campus library in the middle of a tour at 11:11 a.m. on 11/11/11.
Not sure who on this thread are veteransā¦please know our household thanks you every day of the year, but will have special thoughts of appreciation tomorrow in your honor!
I agree the waiting will be difficult. At least we have the holidays to look forward to to pass the time.
Question about what to wear for alum interview. Iāve always read to dress business casual as these are often at coffee shops, but should my son wear a suit if the interview is taking place in a large high rise office building in a major city? It seems he may feel under-dressed in this environment if he didnāt. Additional info if itās relevant, the school is not an ivy but just as selective.
Super Congrats to all acceptances received and great test scores received! For usā¦in waiting modeā¦it is helping to hear others great news and keeping mind occupied with dorm accessories. Itās a little more fun with Ds than with Ss I believe but I did enjoy with S too (just not to same degree). I hope weather holds out for all using tomorrows day off from school to tour a school. I also want to let all those Veterans out there how much we appreciate their service - not just tomorrow but everyday!
D will sleep in a little tomorrow and then spend the majority of the day getting a jump on her remaining few RD application supplemental questions/essays (and if it is a particular productive day possibly even start working on the 2 scholarship questions/essays). Hopefully, there will be a submission soon from the days efforts. She has plenty of time but weād rather get them over and done with and just be able to concentrate on schoolwork, ECās and getting ready for and enjoying the holidays fast approaching.
@collegemom2boys I would have him dress in the suitā¦in these situations, I always prefer to err on the side of caution. The interviewer will never think itās not good to be over dressed but can surely think the opposite. It shows a great amount of respect for the interview and the interviewer. Unless they specifically say to dress casual, go for the suit and knock their socks off! Best of luck to your S.
Tomorrow is not only Veteranās Day, but DS16ās 18th birthday. A fitting day as his father, both grandfathers and one of his grandmothers have all served proudly . He also has numerous uncles and cousins who have proudly served and an uncle who was killed in action. It has been an emotional day for me today, Iām sure tomorrow will be worse. Heās eagerly awaiting several more acceptances( one in particular ). That would be an awesome birthday present. Congrats on all the acceptances and scores. Good luck for all of the interviews. DS will be in the same boat in a little over a week.
I can hardly keep up with all reading alll the posts! Congrats to all on acceptances and scores. I hope the good news keeps coming for everyone. Happy birthday to your son @carolinamom2boys I hope he gets good news for his birthday. Good luck on upcoming interviews to all who have them. And can I just say on behalf of my daughter āessaysā¦ughā¦so tired of talking about myself.ā She still has a few left and she is losing steamā¦
@4kids2graduate, Congratulation on your Sās acceptance!!
Thanks @HiToWaMomā¦are you new to this thread? If so, then welcomeā¦great group of parents here and much information and support!
S16 has some other acceptances under his belt that were additional safeties (gotta love EA and rolling admissions to have some acceptances early on!)ā¦the difference is that yesterdayās acceptance is the ONLY one close to home, as the others are 2000+ miles away! I like the idea of not having to factor in airfare when computing total cost of attendance! D14 is currently a sophomore attending college 2500 miles away in New York, so very expensive for the whole roundtrip travel 2 times per year (small regional airport, tickets are never cheap, usually 700-900 round trip -ugh!).
I wish there was an EA that S chose to apply tooā¦or rollingā¦whatever it is calledā¦I would love to have āsomethingā to hang a hat on ā¦