DS is done with the application process unless he is invited to apply to more honors programs but those would be at the larger schools on his list. He may have crossed a line between applying and deciding this week. Unless he slipped it in before the deadline, he has foregone the opportunity to apply to honors at one of his top three and came downstairs this morning in the shirt for one of the others in his top three. I would be fine with paying that deposit soon!
@2filles Absolutely give yourself a big promotion! We all deserve one! - if only to account for the emotional roller coaster that this process puts in motion.
DD still has several to complete. This seems endless. She is so tired of asking for recommendation for scholarships and applications not to mention the essays and short answers. On top of that finals are here and she is busy with EC 7 days a week till after Christmas then it is 3-4 days a week.
@Cheeringsection I too had hoped the choice of t-shirt might be an indicator. D16 was always wearing the same particular school. Then recently she put on a shirt from a school that she is 90% unlikely to attend. I straight up asked, she said āGotta keep yaāll guessing!ā
The only school S and D have in common announces results today. Itās Dās reach and S has written an honors college app, so the emotion surrounding the announcements could go any number of ways. If anyone has alcohol and cabana boys handy, I may need them.
S has three (or possibly 5) RD schools yet to apply to depending on results from his EA schools (one today, two next week). D is done with hers, thank God, except for the part where she has to remember to find the log-in informationā¦
DD has 7 more applications to go. If she gets favorable results from her EA schools, 4 of them might be scratched. With less than two weeks left before the end of semester she is focusing on school now to finish strong. All applications are on hold now.
D asked for sweatshirt, with one of her (admitted to) schoolsā names on it - for Christmas. I said, shouldnāt you wait until spring, at least? She said, yeah I guess youāre rightā¦
But yesterday, in the car, she told me if she had to pick by today, sheād choose this same school.
Well, thenā¦
And this is the school sheās nagging me to find time to visit again next semester, and talk with an ad-com, walk around campus some more, etc. Weāll probably swing down there in late January when she has a three-day weekend.
DS has one acceptance - his rolling admisstion to Pitt. The other 8 apps he has in are all RD. I think heāll hear from the other two large state universities in Feb. Otherwise, everything seems to be mid to late March. Since we think he will likely find the best fit at a smaller school than a flagship, the wait will be awhile. DS has two apps left - both for high reaches. All is complete except the essays. That is a big āexceptā and DS seems totally unmotivated. Both are due Jan. 1. He also has one scholarship app that he must do for his other reach that is due Jan. 15th. Getting discouraged here because Iām not feeling like DS is engaged enough right now both with the apps and keeping his grades up for this quarter. I just want him to have some good options come the spring but Iām already dreading March when heāll hear from all but his 3 safeties.
I meant to mention that in the College Admissions forum there is a thread with the RD dates for 2015 and 2014 by college so you can get an idea of when the 2016 dates will be.
Very interesting @BeeDAre. Here the students wear the shirts of their top choices almost as if they are trying to see themselves there. DS has bought very little other clothes this year and two were given to him on visits so this has not been an expensive way to add another dimension to the decision process. No one at school sees wearing the shirts right now as a final decision but I see it as a subtle way for DS to communicate his wishes to me.
D has one college sweatshirt that she purchased on a college tour her sophomore year. She wears it all the time and did not apply there. If she gets into the rival school, she says sheāll have to burn it. I told her just to leave it at home, lol.
Hmm, maybe I will just get her a sweatshirt or tee from each college sheās been admitted to, and she can try them all out.
She actually does have some tees from colleges sheās visited or went to a band camp thereā¦ but she didnāt apply to those! She also has a Harvard tee-shirt that my mother bought for her on a trip to Boston. She wore it a few weeks ago and one of her classmates was all āOmg, did youā¦ā And D cut her off and said No! lol.
Having trouble keeping S motivated to stay on top of the classes he doesnāt like or doesnāt think matter. Iām tired of being such a nag! And I worry about how heāll do once heās away and will be fully responsible.
After all the acceptances (and rejections) were in, S14 went with Mom to a āScholars Weekendā at one of his schools, a weekend for kids whoād been admitted to the school with/above a certain level of merit scholarship. He loved it. Bought the most expensive sweatshirt sold in the bookstore ($75), despite us telling him we thought he might be jumping the gun. Of course he later decided to go elsewhere. We gave the sweatshirt to one of our friends whose son was a junior at that school. Later S14 told us that at his current school itās cool to wear gear from other colleges, and that he couldāve used the sweatshirt.
But stating the obvious, beware of too-early sweatshirt purchases.
D has submitted a total of 7 apps so far to the UCs and Cal States, and has two more to private schools (one a reach, one a safety) due 1/5 and 1/15. Sheās taking a break right now from applications, just trying to finish the semester strong. Finals are next week, so sheās almost there! She doesnāt go back to school till 1/7, so she should have time to get her remaining applications in over the winter break. However, being the procrastinator she is in addtion to all of the issues that come with her Aspergerās, Iām sure itāll be right down to the wire.
Okay, talk me down here gang! Sometimes, out of nowhere, I just get SO DANG EXCITED!! It hits me that our kids are going out there to the big wide world. New people, places, experiences, educational opportunitiesā¦ Itās like those first three years of life, you grow so much - so quickly.
I went to a small state college that most kids on CC wouldnāt dream of attending, but it was a wonderfully transformative time and a huge part of who I am now. D has so much more going for her than I did at 17. Nothing is certain at this point, but I just hope however the stars align, she loves the next four years. :x
@Skates76 Waving hi! I could have written your post. Same approach, same stats, same NMSF status. 8 schools applied to and my D could/should get into all. Research focused on strong schools for her desired area + cost (including merit/need-based aid). Like your child, admission is only the first part of the battle.
She also has a safety (out of state flagship) that she likes and we can afford. (OOS tuition is waived for her.)
Best of luck on the search for $$$.
D is done with apps. She dropped a couple from her list and ended up with 10. Even that is really too many, since we found 2 safeties that are so affordable that even without merit money they are cheaper than our flagships. Merit, which is likely at both, would be a bonus. Sheās already accepted at one. Waiting on her favorite from her list, which should respond in January, and a few others, plus honors programs. One sends out an email blast in February with an honors essay topic to all nominated for the honors program. That will be the latest we hear from any of them. Her mantra has been from the beginning that she will be happy at any of them, though she does have that one favorite.
After days of drenching rain, rising rivers and the darkest day in Seattle in 9 years on Monday, I totally get Dās burning desire to get the heck out of the PNW. Iām sure that at this point even the threat of hurricanes, tornadoes or even an occasional blizzard (depending on where she lands) appeals to her! So Iām excited for her to get to chase that part of her dream even while Iāll be sad to see her go.
The last application went in just as the senior project and mid-year science fair (the entire school participates) started ramping up, so now she has time to focus more on those. Both are coming together as she envisioned them, and her grades are staying up, so weāre good.
@palm715 , my Dās favorite school right now is a state school that many CCāers would not get excited about attendingā¦
I think there are factors at any given college that appeals to a given studentā¦ whether itās price, size, reputation, architecture, location, the town itās in, Greek life, lack of Greek lifeā¦
One thing I realized, int he process of visiting campuses and researching online - when it comes to U.S. colleges, there seems to be something for everyone.
My daughter has a t-shirt or sweatshirt from every school she has been to. She was wearing them to school pretty steady, but lately a little less as she is getting tired of being ask āis this where you are going?ā She said she is tired of responding or trying to explain, lol.