I literally just this morning heard about WVU, from a parent whose son is there, in engineering, because of the merit. He is thriving and they are thrilled with the low cost, so definitely check it out. Sorry that I don’t know much about engineering schools to be able to suggest anything more.
Oh, yeah…I’ve heard that one before, but it was in eighth grade, when the kids were choosing high schools. Funny thing is, most of those kids are now applying to the state unis along with the rest of us in the Great Unwashed.
S was initially reluctant to look at entire categories of schools: LACs, the midwest, religiously affiliated schools…but he really liked Boston College (which is RCC affiliated, and the Jesuit education was what attracted him in the end!), and apparently they liked him back enough to admit him. One of his top choices is in the midwest, too, so go figure. He only is seriously considering one southern school (FSU) though because he wanted to see other parts of the country.
@me29034 D has one acceptance thus far, to a school we ultimately decided was unsuitable. She got waitlisted at another (which accepted her brother and both older half-sibs into the honors college), so we’re waiting to hear on one more. Failing that, she’ll attend the CC, and will just have to content herself with taking the scenic route-- which is sort of her way of doing things anyway.
Boy, you folks have been busy on this thread. Can’t keep up!
S had a few sessions with his counselor over break - finally submitted the last of his applications last Monday. Big sigh of relief. Hats off to his counselor though - she willingly sat down with each of these kids, reading their essays and giving them input all through the holidays.
With D (class of 2011), we did find accepted students’ days to be useful. She had narrowed it down to 3 schools - visited one, took it off the list. We all thought school A was her favorite but after visiting them a second time, she chose school B! And it so turned out to be the right choice for her. One of S’s schools is offering an EA acceptance day in March that coincides with his spring break - thinking about doing that since I think this school is likely to be high on his list. No merit aid there though 
@RyanG1207 I just checked and WVU is rolling admissions with a scholarship application deadline of February 1st. I looked at OOS scholarships, presuming your friend would know about WVU if they were residents. I know people who went to WVU and loved it. Morgantown is not the most exciting place in the world, but D16 liked it enough after our visit to apply and got excellent merit, though she sees it more as a safety school. Think a more rural version of Pitt with a strangely fascinating monorail system moving between the different campuses. Good school if your friend’s S would be interested, with good merit opportunities and plenty of OOS kids who attend there.
I have gotten that too. I had another mom board friend a few years back who was very upset that he DC was going to end up at the state school where he would always be at the top of his class and never challenged. The thing was, the kid could not get into any fancy schools because he had terrible high school grades!!!
When deciding which colleges to visit and apply, both Ds had specific criteria. D13 wanted urban schools (apparently BC wasn’t urban enough - and don’t get her started about the hills there lol). D16 only wanted south as she is perpetually cold. She wouldn’t even look at in-state schools (we are in PA). D13 is at Northeastern and thriving there. Looks like D16 will be about 900 miles away from her sister! So not surprised that kids have some preconceived notions!
We too have run the gamut with “well meaning” conversations regarding how my D must apply to the Ivies (and Ivy like) or she is wasting her time…or to the other “well meaning” contingent that feels that act like “who does she think she is?” “Does she / you think she is better than us or our child/children?” Many of these “well meanings” are close family and close friends…believe it or not. We have decided that no matter what you do or do not do (and for what ever reason you do either) you just cannot win. Someone is going to feel or assume something other than what is really the case in that my D is high achieving and wants to see where the barometer might fall or level out. Like my S14, she has never been truly challenged by our high school’s highest curriculum. Where we live you cannot go to another school district without paying your districts expensive school taxes along with the other districts even more expensive school taxes. I think that these students should explore their likes and dislikes, their personalities and explore different college campuses and atmosphere to find what works best for them regardless of what some may think. The great thing about college is…if you do not find you correct fit initially, you can transfer relatively easily (much easier than we can transfer to another high school). My S14 has been to 3 schools in his first 3 semesters and the third one was the charm. He thought he knew what he wanted but became disillusioned and also grew in maturity and therefore, the first and the second schools did not measure up after all (and we visited many times prior). So in essence, there is no right or wrong way…there are just many different ways as there are many different student personalities. Those “well meanings” should really just be supportive and stop trying to put these students in a certain box. There are many avenues to get to where they want to go and no one path is correct for all…as in the post a while back from the college dean…“it will all be okay”!
Another parent here with a high-achieving S12 who is a senior at a top-tier lottery school, and an equally bright D16 who is on the autism spectrum and has had an IEP since she was 5. Like her brother, DD tests very well and has excellent stats (and is NMSF), but was not interested in applying to many of the schools he did. She wants to stay in California (preferably in SoCal), and is more interested in the UC’s and Cal States than he was. Frankly, I’m glad she wants to stay relatively close by, since she still struggles a lot socially, mostly because her expressive language skills are still not the best. I feel like she still needs some support, although she doesn’t really feel that way. She only has two LACs on her list, one of which is very competitive. The application for that one is due tomorrow, and, being the procrastinator and perfectionist that she is, she’ll probably be working on the essays until the last minute, although I’m encouraging her to finish them today for my own sanity. Fortunately, she doesn’t go back to school until Thursday, so she has time. The last application is due Jan. 15 and I will be celebrating once that one is submitted!
I used the preview version of taxact online and it gave me the AGI for FAFSA. It also gave me income from work (I used box 1 of W2, gross federal wages), taxes paid, education credit. We have to add to our FAFSA income untaxed income from 401k deductions as well.
If we could use net income (as what you actually receive in your paycheck after 401k, medical, federal, state, local and FICA taxes) we would have ALOT less to report.
@lonetreegrad, that “net” you talked about is in effect the taxable Federal gross wages, box 1 of W2.
But FAFSA will also ask for untaxed income, that is where you put your 2015 401k contributions. (question 94 a FAFSA).
@lvmjac1 My husband’s motto has always been " No matter what you do, you’re gonna be wrong, so you might as well do what you want." It seems to apply in your daughter’s case, don’t you think?
@carolinamom2boys I absolutely do think it applies to my D! Sage advise!
That is true! Public or private or homeschool? Out of state? Ivy? In-state? I guess it’s just people’s insecurities that changes the reaction from ‘isn’t it great there are so many good choices’ to ‘who do you think you are’ or worse - imho - ‘wow, I don’t think my kid can associate with yours now.’
@sseamom I can totally relate to your D’s experience with math and a teacher who should not be in the profession. My D experienced a similar situation and has suffered with lack of confidence in math ever since and her high math comprehension and yearly quarter grades do not align with her lesser standardized testing scores in math. It is truly her Achilles heel. Thankfully during this college application and testing journey she has decided to own it as just a part of who she is and move forward. She has come to embrace that this is just issue that surrounds her regarding her math standardized testing is just one aspect of her whole person…which is good because in truth the alternative (letting it get the best of her) is definitely not a good one! I wish all the best for your D going forward!
@LKnomad I perked up as soon as I read FM system since I have hearing loss and have used an FM system since kindergarten and will continue to do so in college. I feel I can totally contribute to the high achieving kid with IEP/504. I was born 3 months premature and had speech, fine motor, and gross motor delays as a result. I had speech therapy from the time I was 19 months old through halfway through 4th grade, PT from age 2 until the end of 4th grade and OT from age 3 until the end of 1st grade. I still get extra time and separate location for tests and sit in the front row of class. But on the pyscho-educational tests they do, I’ve always scored very high in the verbal part(something crazy like 99%) but really low on the part that has to do with memory and timing(I forget what it’s called). When I was tested last year, the psychologist told me that the gap in scores appears in only 1% of people. And the ACT people wouldn’t give me accommodations partially because of that. So I didn’t take it
Thank you, @skates76 and @CAMidwestMom ! I will pass along the info.
@readingclaygirl I wish I had more answers about my son. He is 13 now, almost 14 and the FM system was added last year at school after yet another auditory evaluation. Each time we test hearing/processing we get a different answer. His actual hearing is fine but this time they ran a test that looked at hearing and attention and found a deficit in situations where there are distractions. I can see this happening all the time. At a skating show recently, where there was a ton of noise and distractions during rehearsal, he seemed to be completely unable to hear any instructions at all, and he just stood there while all his fellow skaters did their thing. It is really hard to watch. He started using the FM system on the ice all the time, now. He is a figure skater and several coaches say they can see significant differences.
I have known something was wrong from the very beginning because he had severe problems with speech early on and was unintelligible for years as a young child. I always assumed that the sounds was going in, getting mixed around, and coming back out wrong. It is hard to explain but you might understand with your experience. We did tubes in ears, hours of speech, and all kinds of SpEd. Homeschooling seems to do the trick, for now. There is a new very small high school that I might consider down the road. I just don’t know…
I would be interested to hear how things go with the FM system in college. I would hope that all the profs would be supportive when asked to wear the microphone. It is so tiny and easy. We have had no trouble with anyone at school or on the ice, or even at our homeschool coop. I hope this is true at college. I will keep in touch to hear how it goes.
Oh and the problems you describe with memory and timing, disastrous for my son. He has horrible executive function as well, so everything is always a mess.
Welcome @bookmom7 and @me29034 and to a anyone else who is out there lurking. We are a friendly, supportive bunch, so please do jump in.
Congrats to those finished with applications! D is plugging away at her last few applications. She decided to add one more school just this morning. It’s close to home, which is suddenly more appealing to her. Go figure!
@LKnomad I’d be happy to PM you if you’d like
@undercovermom1 I wish my D would realize that a school close to home might become “suddenly more appealing” between now and May 1 and that she should apply to at least one that is, if not in state, at least only one or two states away. We are in the Washington DC suburbs and her applications so far are to schools in California, Minnesota, Colorado, Indiana and Florida, with Michigan and Oregon schools still to be done!
@txstella My S16 has a physical disability that does effect learning but he has a drive to succeed like no other. My D17 has everything come easy but she doesn’t stand out in terms of things like recs because it’s all so effortless. They are actually in an AP elective class this year and it is going really well. They go back and forth on who has the most points which is a good thing 
They will have some overlap in schools they apply to but the college my son is 95% sure he is attending is not likely for my daughter because they don’t have her preferred major. I think he’d be happy for her if she got into the school he has been deferred from but that might hurt too.