@frenchtoastlover S received personal hand-written notes/comments from his AO at H (in a beautiful card of the main gate at H) and a letter with handwritten comments from his AO at S – the depth of his comments were very touching. I have to admit that those personal, handwritten comments/notes/cards REALLY warm one’s heart 
We will frame them for sure 
I think the handwritten note from the Dean of the Honors College and Dean of CS helped seal the deal for DS16, although he did receive a nice handwritten note from 2 other colleges as well.
@kittymom1102 I completely agree, especially since many other schools of similar caliber did not do something similar, although such personal attention shouldn’t be expected.
“Is there enough focus on social justice at MIT”
@ItsJustSchool “I can’t imagine more social justice involvement than Victor Weisskopf (founder of the Union of Concerned Scientists and ex-President of MIT) opposing atomic weapons, Jerry Lettvin brokering anti-war protests or debating Timothy Leary, or Noam Chomsky’s current ongoing and very public stances on social issues. Where else is there deeper and more meaningful social justice involvement (maybe Berkeley)?”
@texaspg “I doubt it. They are all trying to invent stuff and not into handwringing.”
@sbjdorlo “It’s there at MIT, for sure, but not to the extent of a Yale or Princeton. MIT is #1 on Niche for being open minded.”
Ah, clear as mud. 
I think we need a poll ala @crowlady
I looked for student groups and as @Waiting2exhale said, it’s hard to figure out exactly what’s what for MIT’s social action stuff. But I looked at some of the humanities classes and they seem deep and thoughtful and to be asking important questions. (No way to tell online if kids actually engage about it in those classes, though.)
However, though yesterday was an MIT day in my head, today feels like a Princeton day. Yesterday DS wore his MIT shirt (at home) and I was reminded that he randomly noticed that they had printed a message on it “secretly” in Morse code in the pattern. (Who even notices that kind of thing? I never would have!) Today I’ve been feeling like our family is too bound up in MIT and it’s time for some fresh air intellectually. Gave Prince the Tiger an extra hug while getting the youngest up for school. Younger brothers have made their positions known (one for each school). DH likes the financial and geographic pros of MIT but is trying not to be too much of an influence because he thinks those two issues should not dominate.
@kittymom1102 - what Boston school is on the list aside from MIT, for you guys?
@GoodGrief16 - will you be at Princeton Preview with us next week then?
@frenchtoastlover - don’t take this too seriously, but from your posts and “knowing” you in this forum, I’d match you to Yale.
I know how influential the hand-written notes etc. are, as DS got them from a couple of schools and people do say, “love the school that loves you” - but also sometimes the school that is recruiting you a lot - even if it’s Harvard! Wow! - might be wooing you because they aren’t quite the best choice and they know it. Hey, or maybe I just belong to the Groucho Marx school of college selection (“wouldn’t join any that would take me”)
@HappyDad2112, but the SAT changed a bit from last year.
@GoodGrief16, what is the GPA requirement for the Stamps at GA tech? I think for engineering that can be an important consideration. I have heard of instste students losing their Hope scholarship because of that.
@GoodGrief16 – Congrats on the Stamps Scholarship at GT! My DD had GT as one of her final choices. She visited twice and liked it more each time. What great choices to have!
Our grad party is the first week of June, 2 weeks after graduation. We have booked the caterer (for part of the food) and ordered the tables and chairs. Announcements are here and will hopefully be mailed this weekend. I have bought a dress for graduation. D16 plans a trip to the Lilly store to look for one, but she has one if she doesn’t find anything
Allowance will be as it was at home $50 a week but she will buy her own toiletries and such (I always bought shampoo and tampons but not makeup). I will pay for books. She has applied for a job at a nursing home that, if she gets it, she can keep in college. You have to had graduated from HS to start. She is committed to saving 1/2 her paychecks for a spring break trip.
" might be wooing you because they aren’t quite the best choice and they know it."
Hey,@fretfulmother, why do you feel this way?
My daughter is down to three schools, with one of them hanging in there I don’t know how, but their financial package is by far the best. Yet she is loved the most, if the non-stop hand written notes and phone calls are any indication, by her Ivy. She was shown big love by the school she has yet to visit, and the degree to which her regional reader was familiar with her application. It was a heartwarming delight to have someone’s eyes light up and have them reference the journey dear child has taken.
But talk to me about the handwritten note thing if you can.
I have seen every school write handwritten notes. It is all about yield at this point.
Typically, it is the responsibility of the regional counselor who is responsible for ensuring they convert the admit into matriculant and so they write the handwritten notes. However, I have seen christmas cards signed by the entire admissions office when someone is an admit in December or earlier.
And DD is off to a five days admitted days marathon. Both schools are less than an hour away from home. DH is asking if we are ready to make a decision if she doesn’t get scholarship after this weekend. We try not to think about it, but if scholarship doesn’t work, she probably be attending @fretfulmother alma mater 3,000 miles away. It is difficult for him to comprehend how she can give up the most economically and geographically convenient option- UCLA especially since she just got their alumni scholarship. I feel guilty that our donut family financial situation handicaps her choices.
On a personal notes from AO, we really liked handwritten letter from Columbia AO.
I don’t remember my son, '14, ever receiving handwritten notes. But I’m far too stoked up on caffeine these days to be sure.
@Ballerina016 We also got handwritten letter from Columbia AO and DD kept it for a record. Columbia seems to send many letters compared to other school.
@mommdc DD checked new SAT and said she can handle CR and Writing section, so I hope it works for her.
"… it is the responsibility of the regional counselor who is responsible for ensuring they convert the admit into matriculant… "
Did not know this.
@HappyDad2112, oh I’m sure she can handle it!
@lifegarding, I linked FAFSA to my taxes. We did not qualify for federal aid or took loans, the first year, but got some state aid. And you never know. Even if you decline loans you can still request them up to the end of academic year I believe if you needed them.
Once your taxes process it is not much work to link them with the IRS data retrieval tool.
@frenchtoastlover That’s neat that Sarah Lawrence sent you those admissions comments. As we were sitting at an admitted student visit at another school listening to the dean of admissions discuss the process, I was thinking I would’ve loved to be a fly on the wall during those discussions.
My D received handwritten notes from various schools. One OOS flagship even had alumni in our area send a postcard. I thought that was a nice touch. (Now, it didn’t sway her to attend there, but it’s a school S19 will be considering. We’ll see if/how the courting process changes over the next few years.)
@Waiting2exhale - let me say first that I love hand-written notes much of the time! When a student writes one to me, I keep it forever. My own children know that a hand-written apology note can get them out of a lot of hot water.
I tend to think that hand-written notes from colleges fall into three categories:
Also, I think there are different kinds of hand-written notes. Some are general but flattering, and others clearly indicate some special love or attention… Right?
@fretfulmother that is a pretty good summary, but could we not add one more category:
@inn0v8r - sure! Happy to add many more categories.