I am sorry to see the school in LA is still causing major heartburn. I was quite unhappy back in 2012 on CC about their process and my advice is be careful about venting on any school related thread - the supporters will show you the darkside of CC.
@texaspg Your message is making me want to go back to the LA school 2012 thread to see what went onā¦
Intriguing.
I think we have pretty civilized crowd here for our 16ās group.
Hugs and ice cream to all those waiting for boxes. May the postal gods smile on you.
Re: Accutaneā¦D16 did not have terrible, cystic acne, but she did have stubborn acne. We did a round of Accutane when she was a sophomore (after working through the antibiotics, which are required steps before starting). The blood and pregnancy tests are onerous, but her skin is so much betterāthough not perfect and weāre talking about a second round. No long-term effects but severe dryness during the course.
Two Accutane hints: first, be careful of the timing. The dosage and saturation increase near the end. D16 started in January, and was finishing her course at the end of the semester just in time for finals and 4 AP exams. 
I think the drug did affect her mood and her concentration. In retrospect, I would start in late March and finish in August. Second: I have considered it for S19, since he has similarly stubborn acne, though it is not terrible. Our (wonderful) dermatologist has told us that the drug ālays down boneā and can close growth plates (no real studies since no one is willing to test this with a control group and an experiment group on a bunch of teens). We have opted not to give Accutane yet to S19, though I think we will in a few years. He is tallish (5ā10 or 11), but we want him to get every inch of height he can get.
@Mysonsdad I agree, itās too much for the kidsā (and the parents!)
@momofsmartdancer D doesnāt have an option closer to home yet. Iām sure she will get one, but not sure how she will decide! Hard to think of her 3000 miles away!
@dcplanner Thank you. The whole process, from acceptances to merit aid, does seem random and unexpected. I wish it could be more predictable. That is strange about the safety not offering merit, maybe an offer will come later?
@lknomad - it happens every year 
There is always a few unhappy parents who complain and find supporters essentially making it sound like your kids didnāt belong there and it is sourgrapes. The convoluted process is that people are sitting around waiting and then a week later many people get a letter saying sorry. Why not send everything at once - yes, no and whateverā¦
@texaspg, my only vent is with the process, not with parents or students who got in. as you know, Stanford at least gave an announcement date, then sent an email. They did very few deferrals so a student pretty much knows where they stand. USC wants kids to apply online and then snail mails acceptances back, and then basically deferrals. Like you said, why not send everything at once?
@LKnomad Reedās acceptance is interesting . I wonder what my son would think. Heās read it twice already and has a whole bookshelf of classics. Definitively not a typical 18 year old boy. I can picture him curled up asleep clutching the book like @Ballerina016 s daughter hugging her USC red folder.
Acceptance processes are so weird. Most of you probably remember how my portal said ādecision madeā but I didnāt find out the decision for a week. That was nerve wracking and I was pretty confident I would get it. I canāt imagine how stressful it is with reach schools- my only slight glimpse into that was my best friend who was accepted EA in Georgetown and Chicago.
@sseamom So sorry for the loss of your friend. Hopefully your daughter will hear back soon from her last school. Waiting is hard for everyone no matter what the school is.
Well, we donāt live in the wealthiest zip code. Iāve always felt that our services are not the best. Today Iām convinced.
As you know, no USC infamous box yet for DS. However, he checked his USC portal this morning and guess what he found HIS DECISION LETTER with the greeting of CONGRATULATIONS!
He got in and we still have no box!
Some kids who already got boxes donāt have updates in their portals, so donāt lose hope
P.S. S applied for Mechanical Engineering
Congrats @kittymom1102
My S14 tried prescription acne treatments (not Accutane) but it didnāt make a huge difference on his face (left bleach stains on his pillowcases, though!). His acne totally cleared up when he went to college. He still has some scars but no redness and most people probably donāt notice. He never really cared too much about it, anyway.
Congrats on the USC acceptances! Thatās funny that Reed sends the Iliad. Iām sure thereās a poignant metaphor there, but Iām afraid to spend too much time thinking about it.
Glad you and your H are on the same page about finances, @sseamom. We arenāt 100% together in my household, hoping we get it together by April.
@carolinamom2boys Thank you. At least the letter in the portal doesnāt mention anything about scholarships and interviews. Weāll see what the āboxā brings. I think we can at least hope for 1/2 since he will very likely be NMF.
I donāt think that 1/2 will cut it for us. Way too much money. Northeasternās offer remains very attractive, as it is Boston
Weāre from FL. S feels that CA will feel a lot like FL compared to MA.
@kittymom1102 D13 is 3rd year at Northeastern currently on 2nd co-op in Boston. She is CS/Cognitive Psychology major. Let me know if you have any questions. She loves Northeastern and loves Boston!
congrats @kittymom1102, @frenchtoastlover and others who got good news. Fingers crossed for good news in the mail today for those still waiting.
how is this for a weird acceptance ritual? My son received a box of walla walla onions in the mail when he accepted whitman. The ritual his year was to to post a video of yourself trying to eat one of the onions raw.
@kittymom1102
Congrats on Northeastern and USC! Seems like not getting the package yet might be a good sign that he will be offered a scholarshipā¦ hoping you get additional good news!
It might be a tough choice to make if your son ends up with full tuition at both.
I admire all of the parents and students who are willing to travel so far for college. I encouraged my d to stay closer to home so I can get there quickly in case something happens. Going further away like that will really make your child a very capable, self-sufficient adult.
@2files Thank you! S is going to Northeastern for the Scholars Weekend. Heās making a whole list of questions.
We are very interested in the school and in the programs. I will surely take you up on your offer and ask you questions.
Thanks everyone
P.S.: For those still waiting, we remain box-less as well.
Congratulations @kittymom1102, and even bigger congratulations on NEU.
I am pages and pages behind. Congrats to everyone on the USC boxes and keeping my fingers crossed for those still waiting. Also congrats to all Presidential scholars. I had never heard of this before. I looked and we had one from our high school.
Here is my latest vent. D is taking AP Environmental Science which here on CC has a reputation as being easy. Not at Dās school. They had the midterm yesterday and it was graded immediately through a scanning thing. Class average was a 65. Highest grade was an 84. D got a 71 which is a C-. These are all seniors and over half the class now has an F on their transcript for a midterm exam. When the whole class of high achievers does this badly on an exam you know there is something wrong. I hope it doesnāt hurt anyoneās college acceptances. I think D is OK because she was sitting on an A- before this test but this could really hurt some of the kids.