@bookmom7 I agree with @DAPIStained – it isn’t necessary to go to an elite private to go to grad school. May I ask what field? Some of the schools I’m steering S16 towards are ones that produced some of the impressive people I’ve worked with in grad school and beyond. A physicist friend who teaches at a state flagship just shared with me her experience that undergrad classes were much better taught at state flagships than at the top tier private we went to. The fact that he has worked with professors already is a sign that your S will do fine.
@cakeisgreat I am sorry about the business school major. Though I wouldn’t recommend this to a high schooler, I do think you should make further inquiries. How hard would it be to switch or add the major after you begin?
@lvmjac1 and @CAMidwestMom and any others feeling the stress, I am so sorry to hear about your DC doubting their choices to this point. Hang in there!! I know that these next few months may be the worst of it for some but think about how far we have all come. I am a big believer in there being a plan for each of us and that we do not control it all. Try to sit back and trust that it will all work out as it is meant to be. Enjoy what is left of senior year. It will go too slowly in some ways but way too quickly in others.
@crowlady - he is a physics major with a strong interest in computer science.
Our family, son included, believe that he will have an opportunity to get a great education at the flagship. He understands the importance of research & already has a good start. I think he will do fine.
There was just that momentary lapse when we all second guessed the decision based on these other professional’s opinions.
@carlson2 spouse and I remain agog at FAFSA. Thankfully D16 has a lot of good merit options.
I’m scared about what S18 will want though. We are going out west and wanted to visit Reed with him (seems perfect for him from what I’ve read), but with no merit there, we won’t even show him that option. Frustrates me as a parent not to be able to give him that choice, but oh well. Could be worse–at least we have options.
@Cheeringsection I agree about trusting and realizing we don’t have control. It’s hard to transmit that to S right now, but hopefully as time goes on he will realize it too. Also agree it truly does go too slowly and too quickly!
It is going to be -8 with wind chill at one of DS’s top 2 tonight and a balmy 37 at the other. Strangely enough, it is not enough of a difference to sway him.
The weather here is 57 at the moment. At his schools: mostly around freezing (between 27 and 33), with the to lowest at 3 and -7. The state flagship is a relatively mild 45 degrees. I think we probably will have to break down and buy him a winter coat heavier than his current selection of hoodies.
Top 4 school’s weather now: -5, 1, 17 and 47.
-9 here, so it’s all good. D seems to have eliminated Florida schools–thought it was “too hot” when we were there over December break.
D’s schools are all instates that are experiencing a colder than normal snap, but a week ago temps were near 70 during the days. She was surprised to learn that it can get that cold south of the Mason-Dixon line. In Seattle, we haven’t seen the sun in three days.
I remember those negative temps growing up in NH. I don’t miss them. Several years ago I visited back home and the high was 4 one day. I thought my hands were going to freeze to the steering wheel of the rental car.
When my wife was a grad student at Dartmouth, I used to visit Hanover, NH. It was very cold in the winter but I loved Hanover. I and my wife will visit Hanover tomorrow in years and I am very excited.
Bring warm clothes, @DAPIStained. The high tomorrow is supposed to be 21, with a low of 6. It IS a very pretty campus, though. I had a friend who used to say that if he won the lottery he would move to Hanover and audit classes during the week and go out on the lake nearby in his boat on weekends then ski in the winters. Beautiful country up there.
So inspired by all of you I just checked temperatures in all the cities where D has schools she is considering. They range from 9 (Pittsburgh) to 43 (New Orleans). It’s only 30 in Tuscaloosa - I guess she will need her winter coat if she goes to Alabama after all.
It’s 14 degrees here this morning with a windchill of zero. Minus 10, with a windchill of minus 25 where we used to live in Minnesota. D16 is hoping to go to a school in California, where they’re probably freezing with 50 degree temps. I’m planning to move to Hawaii with S23 this summer. My old bones can’t take the cold any more.
D16 just texted me from her College of Wooster visit, where it is a toasty 3 degrees. She said they gave her a t-shirt and hand warmers. “They Win”, lol.
We toured Beloit last January, during a windy snow storm and it was a toasty 7 degrees… They also gave us hand warmers, and hot coffee and warm cookies.
I was amazed at the people - parents and kids alike - who showed up with no hat, gloves or scarf even - turned out these people were all from places like Kentucky and California, lol. I felt so bad for them!
The wind and snow was so bad, D had me take her back over the summer because she said she had no clue what the campus actually looked like outside, because she had to look down the whole time… I wasn’t real sure, myself. (We went back, and she confirmed it was too small, and too close to home…)
I always wondered if the kids from southern states and CA decided to apply there, or not, based on that visit!
Btw it’s -4 just northwest of Chicago… Supposed to get up to 7 later today.
My mom, in southern Indiana (practically in Kentucky) called me yesterday and said it was “really cold” there - 20 degrees. Sure, Mom. I’ll take sunny and 20 right now!
I’ll take sunny and 20 right now!