@petrichor11 I will break hot chocolate. On my way.
On second thought, maybe I can get a big blue box and travel to the future and get a peek. Is that allowed?
Thank you everyone for the suggestions on experiences with merit aid and ways to help our S and D figure out which school might be best for them. I hadnât realized that if we wait until later in the spring, we might have a chance for additional merit aid. And, since both schools my S is interested in have guaranteed on-campus housing for the first 2 years, we can wait and have him attend the admitted student days in early April before he decides which he likes better.
In terms of merit aid potential, S has a pretty good weighted GPA (3.9) but his SAT/ACT scores were much lower than we expected (1090/23), so I donât think heâll qualify for as much aid as he could have. His dual-enrollment college course grades just came in, and both were Aâs, so Iâm thinking we might send those along to help his case? On the other hand, I donât think his 1st semester HS grades will be useful to send since he took a few AP classes that were too difficult for him. Neither school requires mid-year transcripts, so I was going to skip sending them. Do you think sending the dual-enrollment transcript for first semester (which is ready now), but not the first semester HS transcript (which wonât be ready until February) is okay to do, or will it send a red flag that his HS course grades may not be that great?
@LKnomad While we have acceptances in hand, weâre still waiting on Honors notifications and final financial offers which we wonât get until mid to late Feb. Son refuses to cross any schools off the list until he has " all the info in hand". I completely empathize about waiting.
@petrichor11 I want cookies.
Can we have a virtual wait party as a follow up to the BBQ? Iâll bring marshmallows for the hot chocolate.
We were out all day and came home to a letter from Dâs 2nd choice(that admitted her a couple of weeks ago) offering a generous merit award. This is one of the most expensive schools on her list, and the award was for roughly one-third the total cost. We will need to make some calculations like @dyiu13 did earlier today and some additional aid or maybe D getting a TEACH Grant to make it work, though. We have plenty of time to work on the options, as the decision isnât needed until May 1.
Even if it doesnât, though, itâs been quite a ride, and just a few left to be heard from before we can focus on the financial aid packages.
@carolinamom2boys No more talking about cookies! Girl Scout Cookies donât go on sale here until 1/20 this will be her last year selling cookies - itâs bitter sweet 
I like to bake cookies! Iâve just set out virtual ones for everyone.
DS should hear from another school by 1/15. It is way down on his list so I do not think it will be much of an event for either of us. Even with merit, I think it would stay where it is on the list but he might be interested in at least a tour if that happens. It is an easy drive so it would not be a problem.
We are going back to one of his top 2 on MLK weekend. I am just hoping that 2nd visit provides some clarity. If not, he has also been invited to honors weekend in Feb. it is close enough that he could go to that as well. It would be a great opportunity to find a roommate. We might send him to that one alone, if weather holds.
His 3rd choice is on the way so I am encouraging a stop there also if needed, to get to a decision. Having the aid packages would be nice but he has received such a nice scholarship from one of his top 2 that it will be hard to beat. He does already have scholarship offers from both his top 2.
There is an event at another school on his list that is also in Feb. Right now, it does not look like he will attend that one but I need to remind him of it because it would require plane tickets.
Thanks for the reminder of Southwestsâ great cancellation policy. They do fly to that city.
I feel for those that are still far from a decision. I will make virtual cookies as needed and leave out the calories. They will not be nearly as good as the ones @3scoutsmom D can really sell us but they are much easier to deliver!
FYI: Last summer S16 (who was 17 at the time) traveled by air to a summer program across the country and had to go a day early. We found out ahead of time that he could NOT stay in a hotel by himself because he was not 18. I do not know if this is standard across the board, but we found this to be true in two different states (we were told by hotel personnel that it was âstate lawâ).
I know many of the accepted student events include dorm stays with current studentsâŠbut some require a student to have their own accommodations, or a student may have to go a day early or stay a day later due to airline schedules, etc.
I just wanted to mention this if any of your kiddos go on a solo trip to visit schools this spring and will need a hotel room. If they are not 18 yet, make sure you check regarding hotel policies/state lawsâŠ
Congrats to your daughter @sseamom . We are in a very similar situation with merit offers. While we greatly appreciate all of the generous offers, they fall just short of making it easily doable , but just high enough to make us hesitant to take the school off of the table. Either way, these offers have served to boost DS16âs confidence , and have helped show him that many of these schools do apprecIate all of his hard work.
Looks like lots of travel in your familyâs future @Cheeringsection . Hopefully clarity will come from it and narrow choices.
@3scoutsmom I truly empathize with the end of the scouting era, although I do have one more son involved in scouting. It is very time consuming , and once heâs done, I wonât know how to spend my time.
@4kids2graduate Thanks for sharing about the hotel.
Hereâs a piece to potentially for some to add to the decision-making mix.
One of S14âs biggest issues at Emory is getting into all the courses he wants to take. Many of them are space limited (one goes there for small classes) and popular/desirable. Online sign ups are done inversely according to seniority. Freshman last.
The honors colleges to which heâd been admitted gave their kids the perk of early/priority course registration. I wanted to make the point that even at schools where one is paying $60K ( and youâd expect to get the courses you want), this is a big deal.
And to @carolinamom2boys â I love you too!!
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Congrats @sseamom D! I hope by the end of this process there are affordable options your daughter loves.
@carolinamom2boys I love your paragraph about merit aid. That is EXACTLY how it feels around here â lots of warm fuzzies but is it enough to make ends meet? Hereâs hoping others experience of getting more aid as we get closer to May 1st happens for us all.
Also, you all have me thinking we need to figure out a way to get to the mainland over spring break both for her decision making and maybe help encourage the best possible aid packages. I donât know how to say this without sounding boastful, but D comes off very well in-person. For instance, I met a lady at a NYE party who took a chocolate making class from D, she said, âYour daughter reminds me of Grace Kelly.â Now I ask ya, who wouldnât want Grace Kelly getting an engineering degree from their school?? My D is as elegant as I am goofy, so that would be VERY.
Oh, and @lifegarding IMO you have the perfect reason to send the dual credit grades alone, since thatâs all that is ready. The fact it happens to be As? Bonus!
@petrichor11, can I sit on that bench too? We have one in Feb (pretty sure it is the same school as @LKnomad, and the results actually come out later this month). Then we wait until late March.
@sseamom, one thing your D may want to check to see if programs still exist, where, if she is willing to teach in low income areas the government will pay off a portion of her student loans. I had $15,000 of mine paid off. In California it was called the APLE program, but I have seen it in other states under different names.
Cookies for everybody!
Thanks, @palm715. I decided to go ahead and send the dual enrollment transcripts this morning, in the hopes that maybe it will boost his standing on the one application that was deferred from EA to RD, and maybe the other 2 that he was accepted to will offer more $$ than they did based on his not so stellar ACT/SAT scores. He likes the idea of waiting until heâs attended both of the admitted student events, since it will give him a better sense of the kinds of kids who might be attending with him. He really wants to see what the gym facilities and cafeteria are like (yes, his priorities seem to be working out and eating :)) but I guess if youâre going to live on campus for at least 2 years that should be part of the decision. Not so sure if I can stand waiting to hear his decision until after mid-April, though!
@lifegarding One of the schools on your sonâs list is my alma mater.
My son applied to three colleges and was admitted to all three. He received a significant scholarship from one of the colleges. Other colleges will notify him of any scholarships around March. I donât anticipate that we will qualify for any financial aid and our goal is to get him through college with no loans. He has visited all three colleges. One he stayed at for Boys State and for three summers, he participated in a summer camp there. He seems to be very comfortable with that campus. We did one day visits to the other two colleges. We have scheduled another one day visit to one campus and an overnight visit for accepted students at the other campus (the one where he received a significant scholarship). I think after those visits, he should be able to make an informed decision. We are doing our best to let this be his decision, but with guidance where we see it necessary. By the way, all of the colleges are within 3.5 hours from our home.
@Justathought1 It does make it easier when all of your choices are fairly close. We have used proximity to our benefit by visiting our schools on official tours as well as unofficial ones. Good luck to your son.