@PAO2008 We are in the same boat. Keeping all options open until May 1. We just scheduled our flight to Boston less than two weeks in advance so did pay extra. Luckily the rest of admission days are within one hour drive. As much as we tried to avoid taking days off our already packed schedule I think it is unavoidable if the school made it to the short list.
Maybe the list will help to narrow the visits down to just top 2?
@PAO2008 I hear you. Feel like ad isnāt excited at all, just stressed. She has also been really successful, but I think wonāt be able to relax until a decision is made. 1 trip this week for sure. If she loves it there, weāll be done. Hereās hoping!
I never anticipated this time to be so stressful. The decision process seems to bring up a lot of emotional āstuffā and I think many of our DC are so afraid of making the wrong choice. The truth is, they will bloom wherever they are planted.
Btw, whoever decided that college acceptances, AP review, admitted student visits, decision day and AP exams should all be crammed into a month and a halfās time should be shot!
^^EXACTLY!!!
Yes, spent a couple of hours talking over pros and cons and things to think about with D16ās three remaining schools, pending at least two more visits and possibly a third just to be sure. In the midst of all that talking about what might distinguish one from another, I kept coming back again and again to how all three schools were fabulous choices, that she had vetted dozens of schools early on, she applied to and was accepted at eight and had done such a great job of weaning that number down to six, then to four and finally to three. By next week we might be at two.
After all of the academic and lifestyle factors we discussed, I told her what she needed to do was what someone very succinctly said last week,
āFind your people.ā
Once she feels she has done that, I think all the rest will just be background to what drives her choice.
Hopefully (-:
@Skates76, we keep telling our S16 the same thingā¦
Problem now is - how does he hope to do that with just the upcoming accepted candidates days? As much as weāve pushed him to explore online and reach out to friends at least one school he hasnāt. For him itās all about the āfeelā of the campus.
Doesnāt help that of the 4 remaining likely landing places heās only see one of them as a prospective candidate (long story short - we added the other three after heās ED choice didnāt turn out).
I am looking for some help from those parents who have knowledge about US (specially CA) based Medical schools.
Does the CA medical schools give more weightage/advantage to those students who complete their under-graduation from the same college ? Like USC/UCLA give more admissions to USC/UCLA undergrads.With the acceptance rate of < 2.5%, CA medical schools are extremely competitive. For under-graduation my son has to decide between USC/UCLA/UCB.
Does UCB has any kind of relationship with UCSF Medical school ? For getting admission in medical schools, under-grad GPA and MCAT score plays a major role. I have heard that maintaining a high under-grad GPA in UCB is very difficult even for bright students. Is that correct ? Is it relatively less challenging to score higher GPA in USC/UCLA ?
Does UC medical schools offer admissions to only CA students or do they take OOS students also ?
@dbjs70 Our D is lucky in that the two schools she is likely to be picking from will be ones she has visited 3-4 times each. She has also found the Facebook pages that the possible incoming classes and incoming honors classes at the schools have formed are pretty informative as well. They are usually closed FB groups that the student can apply to join. Just one more way to try to meet and get a feel for the people there. Good luck with a very tough task.
On the ship setting up smart boards for all that need to analyze data with their DC. I promise lots of fun colors and scents for the markers. You can play video games on the screens when you need to take a break. There will be Just Dance and a League of Legends tournament for the DC and PacMan, Centipede and Tretris for the grown ups. Any other requests? Ping pong tables, the climbing wall and zip line are also ready to go. Maybe tell the DC they can play for 24 hours on the ship after they decide, as a celebration?
Wishing everyone comfort for the disappointments and clarity leading towards a decision!
I agree that the key to college happiness is āfinding your peopleā. I remember my extreme happiness when D15 sent me a screen shot of a group text from her phone with the caption āI have found my peopleā about one month in to college.
Butā¦
I think if you look hard and have an open mind you can find your people at almost any college. I say this because we are in all different kind of situations here
Some of us have kids who have decided and are now anxious about that choice.
Some of us have kids who only have choices they donāt like.
Some of us have choices we like and choices we can afford and no overlap.
Some of us have lots of good choices and are paralyzed by indecision.
For those of you stressed by any or all of the above this season is tough but chances are high that where ever your child goes they will succeed.
I find it interesting how different kids go through this whole process - from getting in, to attending, to graduating and looking back. My oldest was ambivalent about his school because he wanted to go to a larger, more social school, but chose the higher quality program, which was at a smaller, private school. Heās in the work world and now looks back and says he belonged at the school he attended. My second will graduate this summer. Loves the campus, town and surrounding nature-filled area, but never really connected with kids or teachers at the school. (Also has always disliked school, but thatās another story.) There are friends and a significant other, so the experience has been one of growth, but not the type my oldest had. Now my youngest has decided to go to a school with the highest quality program, but a much bigger campus than he really wanted. Having seen two opposite outcomes, Iām nervous to see how this one plays out. I agree that finding his people will be key.
@indsfolax, I donāt know too much about this but I think med school admission is crazy competitive in CA, even for instate students.
I would be worried about GPA at any of the three schools, but especially UCB.
There is a very knowledgeable poster here on CC @mom2collegekids who might have an answer to your med school question, you could PM her
CA medical schools giving weight to their own students - Most medical schools admit a specific percentage from their undergrad each year but these students are not passing through directly. Some of them are counted even after they spent 1-10 years elsewhere doing whatever.
UCB has some relationship but again, it is not hard to find out what number got admitted from UCB at UCSF. One can always ask a current student or raise the question in student doctor network.
http://meded.ucsf.edu/admissions/successful-applicant-profile-class-2019
http://www.career.ucla.edu/Students/Resources-Reports-and-Media/Med-School-Stats
There is a high number of matriculants in state for most of the schools but it may be tied to much lower tuition for in state. UC Davis has almost 100% while UCLA has 85% and UCSF 70%.
@mom23travelers - Excellent summary of scenarios! ^^^^
D was accepted at her final college today and it is the clear winner with the most loans in the financial aid āawardā. And with that, we are officially climbing aboard the USS Indecision. Send the masseuse to my room and pour me a cold one.
Yay @Undercovermom1 ! Best of luck with the decision!
My D16 jumped off the SS Indecision and right intoā¦Iāve had it with HS Bay. I swear if she doesnāt get suspended for talking back to the AP US Gov teacher - who must be addressed as Dr. (he has a law degree), by the end of this last 9 weeks, it will be by the grace of the gods!
Lawyers have never ever ever ever been called Dr unless they are a professor.
We had a registrar who had a law degree in the high school and she was always Ms. registrar.
@texaspg - lol, exactly! - it is just one of the things that D16 has talked back to him about! He has not said that he was a professor and he does not have a Phd that I am aware of, but I will concede that it is possible that he has taught at a professorial level not just in high school.