Thank you so much! @sseamom @bookmom7 @RyanG1207
There are lots of OOS kids at U Alabama, many from NJ.
D16 refused to consider schools in Alabama, Texas, South Carolina and other states she felt were too conservative for her tastes. Originally she ruled out the entire south, but two of her last four schools are in Florida and Louisiana, while Georgia Tech was high on the list for a while, so she has shown some flexibility over time. A very good thing I think.
@Sophmore1 - a while back you asked about how to search the thread. I was also curious. Poked around a bit- tried the ctrlF - nope. Then I saw at the top & bottom of the thread- next to the page numbers- there is a magnifying glass to the right. Ta-da! :-bd
@bookmom7 you are a genius. THANK YOU!
Itâs like a new little toy 
haha
Oh! and once you do a search- at the top next to the search box there is a down arrow that lets you do an advanced search with limiters. (the retired librarian in me is loving it!)
Happy birthday @readingclaygirl !
Happy birthday, @readingclaygirl !
As far as choosing locationsâŠitâs one consideration out of many. D knew she wanted to be close to home, which limited her list quite a lot; S knew he wanted to get the heck out of dodge. So heâs applied to schools in Boston, Chicago, DCâŠanyplace that could reasonably be considered not hereâŠthough he did draw the line at the Rockies, and then when Colorado College fell off, at the Mississippi. OTOH, he wants to spend some time studying in Europe in grad school. Somehow, to him, that feels more accessible than LA or Honolulu.
Itâs interesting talking about locations. I would say way before our college process began, my DD always wanted to go to a college in California (which is OOS for us). This has been her proclaim since Freshman year of HS. But I made her apply to other colleges that fits her career path that are not in CA. We visited some of those colleges. Some she didnât care for and some were eye-opening to her that she could see herself going. As everyone has said it before,
it just depends on the fit for the student.
@mrsquietstorm9 @petrichor11 Thanks! Distance wise, I started thinking I would go to a state school 2-3 hours away because thatâs ânormalâ. Well one visit later and I knew that wouldnât work. My mom had suspected that all along. I have no idea what I thinking since I am such a homebody. My GC used to work in admissions for Russell Sage, told me about it and I fell in love. But at some parent night in the fall of Junior year there was a college fair and my mom picked up a brochure for me. I rejected it so hard just because it didnât fit my mold. 6 months later I was set on attending. So minds can surely change. Also sometimes you want to hear it from someone other than Mom
Just use a thin piece of duct tape (since duct tape is the solution to everything) to close up the 5 in 15. Itâll look like a 16. Voila! Instant Class of '16 tassel.
Thatâs what I did on my Jay Cutler jersey. He wears number 6 on the Bears. He got benched and replaced by Jimmy Clausen who wears number 8. I just used duct tape to close up the 6 and it looked like an 8. I had myself an instant Jimmy Clausen football jersey!
@readingclaygirl-- happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday to you!
Edit
As I said in my earlier post, my statement was not directed at anyone personally, so if anyone felt like it was directed at them , I apologize . I also believe fit for each student is the utmost importance and school choice is a very personal one. That being said , I do believe ( not necessarily on this thread but on CC in general ) there is a bias against Southern schools. My issue is when assumptions are made based purely on location, especially when someone has never visited a place. Again, school choice is a very personal choice. I canât really speak about Midwest , West Coast or Northeast schools because I have no knowledge to base opinions on. If my son was interested in schools outside of our geographic area, we would visit to assess that fit for him .
Happy Birthday @readingclaygirl
Thank you @Themommymommy @carolinamom2boys
The Dave Ramsey school of thought is to send your kids to in state to what they can afford so nobody goes into debt. Something strong to consider and take hold of.
With that being said there may be a specific school that you and your kid see the great potential given their academic and vocational goals that is worth the extra hassle and risk. Also the potential for spiritual, intellectual and social development has to be measured. Everybody has to be on board with that choice though.
@Baylorpoly , the great thing about merit aid is that it can knock down the cost of OOS schools to the same or lower than an in-state public, which is what happened in our case. Going in-state was Dâs absolute last option, and in the end, would not have been any cheaper. In fact, at one of her choices, full-pay OOS tuition, room and board is only $2000 more than JUST tuition at UW.
Iâve told this story before-the second D heard that HBCUâs existed, it was like a literal lightbulb went on over her head, and that was her intended kind of school from that moment on. While she changed up WHICH ones to apply to, she never wavered from wanting an HBCU as her final choice. She had seen many of the WA State colleges, both public and private as a result of ECâs and summer programs, and she toured 15 or 16 HBCUâs. In addition to the type of school, she also wanted to go someplace where her religion is strong, where she can find hair care easily, where her favorite soul foods are available, and so on. She knew exactly what she was getting into. She is off to Nashville in the fall. Who knows if sheâll stay in TN, but she is hoping to stay in the south. I hope to visit often in the winters when I get tired of the rain.
Great story thanks for sharing. It seems that with more aid that private schools are not that much more expensive if you can get out in 4 years. If you are making $50-60 K in fifth year post high school it is better that still trying to get out. Average stay in public universities often 5-6 years because of how competitive it is to get classes.
@Baylorpoly for some families meets 100% need private schools are cheaper than our instate publics.
My oldest is at a private school and my DSâ16âs application list was made up of mostly privates that promise to meet need. He only applied to one instate public.