And tbh honest I do have concerns about what happens if she gets there, realizes the sunshine doesn’t make up for the bad roommate, a lousy TA, or just plain gets homesick, depressed, anxious or otherwise. I know these things happen everywhere and anywhere but when it’s across the country it complicates things exponentially. If she had displayed “big city dreams” at any point or taken on the search process with a mission or had an assertive personality, I would feel completely different and would set aside my apprehensions to let her fly. But up to this point I have not seen any of this.
@Cheeringsection We’re shifting into AP exam prep here too. Just hit a text from GC to let them know if you( the student) are getting any awards from your college or are joining the military for awards day. Asking for opinions , would scholarships and acceptance into Honors programs
be considered an award?
Is the school USC? That’s the only one I can think of in a warm climate with questionable neighborhood and possiblr NMF target.
Doesn’t sound like it’s one of the southern schools that give generous NMF scholarships (UA, UKy, some Florida schools).
We are still in scholarship writing mode and scholarship interviewing mode here. Still waiting on financial aid letters from two of my D’s choices that are being sent by – get this – US mail. Unbelievable.
Yes. @mommdc
@Ballerina016 I wish I could send you D’s purchases for her trip to Boston. We got the same crazy looks for buying winter clothes at the end of the season and in Hawaii!! Per D, more than the jacket, the boots, gloves and hat were the difference between comfortable and miserable.
If you can’t find "winter clothes " at least dress in layers . Have you tried online @Ballerina016 ? When is her trip?
@Ballerina016 we’re heading to Boston towards the end of the week and I’m worried we don’t have the proper clothing. It’s tough to find this time of year, as everything in the stores is spring/summer wear.
@Mrspepper, I can see that she would be flattered by the acceptance, but those are real concerns.
^I do think the neutral approach for the visit is probably best.
Thanks @mommdc , I appreciate your comment. I am sorry for my anxious spill on this thread. I’m just at my wits end.
We are flying to Boston on Wednesday. Unfortunately it is too late to buy it online. I probably will buy it in Boston and try to locate DD on campus to give it to her if needed. She completely does not understand how different the weather will be.
@Mrspepper now that you’ve identified the school, there are several CA parents on this forum who might be able to help you understand what the college is actually like, as well as the surround area. I hope so, anyway.
I seems, as I read your posts, that your chief concern is safety. USC is a great school, from anything I’ve ever heard-it’s certainly not some low-ranked place that only slackers attend. So you really need to find some parents who KNOW USC and talk to them. Maybe there is a USC forum here on CC you can visit. Hopefully they can tell you what actually living in that area is like.
I’m sorry you’re in this position. You’ve let your D apply to a school you don’t want her to attend, and seem angry with your husband for supporting her desire to visit it now that she has. I promise you that taking the nuclear option and forbidding her from going isn’t going to end well.
One last thing-we live in a part of Seattle that is considered “dangerous”. D has had friends not allowed to visit because of that, And yet, the only place we were robbed was in a much nicer part of town, where houses cost double what we paid for ours. The only place our car was stolen was in a “nice” part of town. The only time I’ve seen shoplifters chased down was in that same nice part of town. The only time my older D was harassed on the bus was in the nice part of town…and so on. Surely there are thousands of students at USC who are perfectly safe, while at the other school there is some crime.
@Ballerina016 at least items will be marked down in Boston. For boots, Zappos has free next day shipping. They will likely be sold out in Boston.
@carolinamom2boys I would think both of those count and I would let GC know.
@carolinamom2boys report it all. If the GC wants to limit what gets announced she can make that decision. 
@me29034, late congrats from me for your D making her decision. We’re headed to Pitt later this week for an admitted students day…maybe my S will be headed there too.
@carolinamom2boys, our S was on the fence about prom…would have gone with someone as friends, but really didn’t care all that much. My wife offered him a financial
@cheeringsection, that mandatory co-op program school sounds like one that is on my S’ list…it’s lower on his list because of a couple of factors, but he was impressed enough by our visit this past weekend
@waitingtoexhale, my S was in a group chat for a school and the kids were discussing stats…some were asking him why he was considering the school at all because of his numbers. We reminded him it has a great reputation, is super affordable (for him), and that a few kids on the chat had similar GPAs, but maybe just didn’t test as well. I think our kids need to be comfortable in their own skin, so to speak, and with their choices even if someone nay-says it around them.
We also think there is something to be said for being on the upper end of the typical student profile, rather than in the middle or bottom of the “typical” range.
@palm715, we have friends who’s D is a freshman at Temple (though not for engineering), and is very happy there. Another friends’ S is considering it for engineering. He really liked the campus even if that area of the city has a bad rap for safety.
@readingclaygirl, my S uses Group Me for all sorts of things. Definitely check it out.
@dbjs70 pm me if you have specific questions about that school. We know it fairly well.
@sseamom - yes, great school, bad stuff happens everywhere. Not a place for slackers. You are correct. Amazing for many but probably not all.
I’m not forbidding a visit. If this school trumps her EA school in anything but climate let’s talk about it and have her show me HER research. Given her personality, and her already expressed ‘dislikes’ (cities, big schools, etc) and knowing the other school, I truly believe the odds of her flourishing at EA school are higher. And EA school is excellent (and has many other perks beyond what I’ve mentioned) and she likes it, wears its spiritwear every week to hs i.e. Has taken pride in her acceptance.
My idea is that she spread her wings at EA school, (more undergrad emphasis, drive able in a day school) the challenges of that environment will be huge as it is. If she tackles that and wants to pursue a transfer-go for it!
@Ballerina016 @Mrspepper Off topic but the juxtaposition of your posts made me think that yes, sunshine can compensate for a lot of ills. 
I will say that snow this late is unusual for us!!