Congrats @Cheeringsection!!!
Congrats to everyoneâs awards, finishing applications and surviving their interviews. @Cheeringsection Many would say the same thing about my son about aiming high enough, but itâs good to have reasonable options that are good fits for him to choose from .
In terms of announcements , we ordered the formal announcements that look like invitations to send to family and friends OOS . DS16 hates having his picture taken and is not fond of his yearbook picture. He has agreed to some casual pics to be taken by a close friend so if they turn out, he said heâd consider sending some photo cards out to his friends.
DS16 has one more set of interviews on the horizon . This one includes 2 days of group and individual interviews , a writing component, sitting in on an Honors class, an overnight visit on campus, with a dinner with the Provost of the college, numerous Deans and the large scholarship contributors . Heâs taking it in stride. Iâm nervous. I know how much he wants this to go well. My hoodie, jeans, t shirt , and VANs wearing son actually asked to go shopping for khakis , deck shoes and an Oxford shirt for the business casual days, tried on houndstooth trousers, picked out a nice tie , and then said " If Iâm selected , Iâll be needing some more of these." Evidentially , they have a pretty strict dress code for âscholarsâ when they attend events and are representing the school. Either way, this trip will either put this school at the top or drop it off the list . I guess thatâs one way to make a decision.
@cheeringsection How exciting to have all those acceptances. Canât wait to hear where your S ends up!
Back to the email discussionâmy son doesnât check his email regularly and it drives me crazy. I am very afraid that he will miss important information once he gets to college. I work at a college and students seem so opposed to reading school emails. Iâm glad I am not the only parent with this issue.
My son is currently working on an Honors Program application and I canât wait until he (we
Iâve tried to edit the above post and keep having problems.
I canât wait until we are done!
Yes. And Iâd like one of those hammocks and my Weary Parents Club badge, please. Friday night was an interview in a nearby city (about an hour in traffic), then we got up at 4 am yesterday for a music competition two and a half hours away (and got home a bit after eleven pm). Today he has another interview and then heâs spending the afternoon playing with a klezmer band.
Oh yeah: somewhere in there I have to remind him he has homework for Comp. Because, yâknowâŠhe needs practice writing essays.
@petrichor11 Iâm sure yâall are exhausted. Good luck on all of his interviews. Iâm sure every child on this website could change their majors to English or Journalism with all of the practice theyâve had over the past several months.
No doubt they could!
@midwestmomto2 we toured ASU Tempe and Barrett in November and it was very nice. Didnât see the Phoenix campus though (I think that is where Cronkite is located)? Sounds like the warmer weather will be a treat for your D!
Congrats @cheeringsection!
Been super busy the last day or two and am trying to catch up on all the postsâŠ
Super Congrats to all receiving good newsâŠvirtual hugs and sweet indulgences to those dealing with less than expected or hoped for news or aggravation.
@readingclaygirl - Kudos - that is a really mature decision to reach out to a tutor when you feel you need one. Being smart is not about knowing the answers to questions but more importantly knowing how to find your way to the answers!
@Ballerina016 The late interviewer situation sounds very nerve wracking and frustrating! I am sorry that your D had to go through thatâŠfor him just not to show? What example is he setting for these young people? I hope he has a good reason for being a no show?
@cakeisgreat Kudos to you! Donât worry too much about what will be when you complete your degreeâŠjust concentrate on doing your best. The confidence and pride you have now and will continue to build as you make your way to that degree will shine forth! I know this from personal experienceâŠback in the dayâŠI was very directionless and had no support or guidance (and needed to pay the rent) and I ended up taking 5 years to attain my associates degree and then another 1 1/2 years to attain my bachelors degree. I never regret going for itâŠmaybe wishing I was not so directionless but that is entirely another storyâŠand have always been proud and better for the fact that I stuck it out and accomplished it! Update after reading a later postâŠdefinitely contact the admissions department or DeanâŠmy motto is if you think their decision is not correctâŠrespectfully push the agendaâŠyou have nothing to lose!
@LKnomad The verification process your S is being subjected to is beyond frustratingâŠI hope it all works out for him. Knowing my D as I do, she would be very salty on a school that put her through anything even remotely similarâŠI would push her to go through the process to protect her reputation (that the verification process will document the the activity was accurately depicted on her application) BUT after thatâŠif she nixed the school from her list, I could not say that I would blame her.
Regarding the FAFSA issueâŠwe too are going through the same issues about only 10 of my Dâs 15 schools applied to can fit. I too called FAFSA and spoke to a very informed woman who said that once you get your SAR you can then make changes (deleting some schools and adding others) and submit again and receive a SAR. I will try that probably while simultaneously on the phone double checking the information I received before I do anything that will be detrimental. UGH so difficult and frustratingâŠwhy canât FAFSA update their system to handle more schools?
@petrichor11 What instruments are in a klezmer band?
Had very interesting literature discussion with DD last night. She is writing an essay on World and Peace by Leo Tolstoy for her AP Literature class. She read only English version, I read the original version. It is amazing how much was lost in translation, including the wrong translations of the title. The second word in the title has two meanings and"peace" is not the meaning that Leo Tolstoy was using. Anyway, I hope her teacher will like her unconventional views.
@Mysonsdad Good luck to your S on Monday!
@DAPIStained Fingers and toes crossed for D on her interviewsâŠ10 minutes? That is crazily short!
On the other end of the spectrum, my D had an interview (for one of her lottery schools) Friday night at 7:30 (in the city which necessitated taking the train into the city and then the subway to the area of the interview) and we had plenty of time until we got off accidentally one stop short of the our destination and had to walk quite a bit of the way to the destination. Made it with seconds to spareâŠbut the location was not what the interviewer had originally anticipated. The interviewer thought that a nearby location might be better so she and my D walked and I smartly walked a few paces behind. Interviewer was extremely nice and polite and did include me in much of the walking conversation. Once we got to the new location they went off to a table and I got a latte and went to a different table to occupy myself (which is a pleasure for me to have 40 minutes or so to read or play Sudoku). What was strange was that I realized after quite a while and many puzzles later that this interview was still going strong at 9:00 pm, 9:15 pm, and even 9:30 pm! Two hours and counting I was screaming inside my head but kept a calm composure on the outside. Finally at about 9:35 pm they began to stand and put on their coats and move their way over to me! Thank god I did not let my D go on her own (like she initially wanted to) as I would have been freaking out thinking that something bad had happened to her after all this time. Then we were starved and the interviewer offered to walk with us towards a nearby restaurant so we could finally eat at 10:00 pm! During that walk we all talked again until we reached the restaurant and then we all hugged and said goodbye. My D thought it was a great interview and as a result that school definitely held its ground in the top tier of her schools if not nudged a school or two out of its place. We were both exhausted getting home almost 1:00 am and having to both be up for work on Saturday at 7:00 am! Even in the good instancesâŠthis process is beyond exhausting! And we have another interview in the city this coming Saturday. D is still waiting on alumni interviews for three other schools.
Hi all just wondering if the stress of this process is continuing to get to your kids? I realized on Thursday night in my capacity of Dâs administrative assistant that one of her lottery schoolâs deadline for mid year report was January 5th! Our second quarter doesnât end until January 22nd and grades wonât be available for a week after that and so mid year reports wonât go out until the end of January at the earliest! Imagine my shock and terror discovering this at 11:30 pm! Quickly and in an immense panic I email Dâs guidance counselor askingâŠactually more like pleading for guidance and assistance. I couldnât tell my D at that point because I did not want to upset her the night or morning before her interview. Thankfully, guidance counselor emailed and called the school and received a response saying âWe understand that different schools release their mid year report at different times. Please send it to us as soon as possible.â So Saturday evening I fessed up and told D the situationâŠand as I had suspected (even though tragedy was averted) she freaked out realizing how close she came to possible disaster with a deadline (which in reality is barely doable for southern high schools never mind impossible for Northeastern high school). D had a total meltdown from all the bottled up stress from: finishing college applications, scholarship applications, ECâs, interviews, work, school work, midterms, etc, etc. It was quite a night of dread and self doubt wondering if she was really a candidate for any college. I remember a post a while back about imposter syndrome and immediately thought that is what D is going through. Hopefully, time and support will help D realize that it is ok to feel scared and unsure but that she is applying to a perfect mix of schools and that any one of them that she attends will be able to fill her quotient of fun, challenge and fit. It was heartbreaking to watch her doubt herself so terribly but I am confident that she will push through her fears and uncertainty just like every student who is embarking on the next phase of their life. It is new and scary and there are no guarantees for the future. I assured her that she will be ok and that she has a big support system behind her to assure that.
@lvmjac1, regarding FAFSA, I went back on their site and looked at the correction history and it shows all the schools that it was sent to. So I am going to assume we are safe.
@Undercovermom1 thanks! yes, the cronkite schools is downtown phoenix. weâve purposely had her fly out in the afternoon the second day and hope she has time to make it to the Tempe campus.
because that campus and the airport are all connected by light rail to downtown, i think it will be do-able. although they definitely have some special Barrett floors in the dorms downtown, i donât think itâs quite the showplace that it is on the Tempe campus. is ASU still in the running for your D?
@lvmjac1 We are in meltdown mode here. S reactivate his app to our flagship and is thinking of studying journalism instead of business. Heâs very much opened up about anxiety about making the right choice. I feel for him and we are trying to help him see that he still has quite a bit of time to actually decide and that thereâs not really a bad choice. Itâs very hard to see him so stressed out though. Hope your D is feeling better soon!
@CAMidwestMom @lvmjac1 I have had multiple meltdowns throughout this process- one was the night before I received my acceptance in the mail because I was so stressed about the portal saying decision made and not knowing the decision. The rest were mostly about growing up too fast and senior year and college getting closer and closer. This is a very stressful process, even my most level headed friends have reached the breaking point.
Thank you for sharing @readingclaygirl I know itâs hard and itâs hard sometimes for parents to know how best to help. There are so many great things ahead for you guys, but itâs understandable that you are sad about the changes too!
Yes, the stress level is very high & it must be âmelt-down January.â
DS has long-term plans of getting a doctorate & has been working on the plan that he is okay with getting his undergrad degree at the flagship university before pursuing grad school at some of the elite/âlotteryâ schools. Both of his intended fields of study at the flagship are in the top 15 nationally so, he felt good about this path.
Since last summer he has also worked with a professor at the local university. This past week during a meeting with the professor and several other working professionals they began to berate his choice, telling him âthat schoolâs department doesnât care about their undergrads, he needs to go to âxyzâ university to be a success, etcâŠâ He came home almost in tears. He was feeling he was making a huge mistake.
Needless to say I was not too happy with these adult men! [-X
We talked through the pros & cons and he was actually able to text one of his good friend who has a brother at the flagship. He loves it. This eased some of his concerns & I think we are back on the original path.
Unfortunately Iâm afraid this rollercoaster has just begun.