Congrats @eandesmom !!! ^:)^ ^:)^ ^:)^
@eandesmom, congratulations on getting the apps done!
I remember three years ago when D14 scrambled over Thanksgiving break to finish essays for a high reach almost lottery school. Guess where she is a successful junior now.
Two years ago D15 was just getting started at this time. Still she managed to meet all her application deadlines. She’s a happy sophomore.
Both kids belonged in this for UW GPA. W GPAs were around 3.7. This put them around the top 40% in HS.
So why do I lurk here without a 17 kid? I enjoy reading about the successes of other kids like mine.
@eandesmom, congrats with being all done with apps! I hope D will finish soon and feel pretty optimistic she will.
EE is not ABET at WWU. From looking at info from their site, I think it’s because until fairly recently they had an electronics engineering technology department that was accredited, but they switched to being EE which requires a different certification. I’m sure they’ll get it as they have several ABET programs, but for now the certification process is still in progress. (At least that’s my interpretation!)
And yeah, we hate the academic awards section too. And the EC’s.
@rhododendron, welcome, and you don’t have to lurk! I’m pretty sure my D11 hadn’t even started any apps before the end of November (probably because I hadn’t found CC). She applied to eleven schools, so December 2010/January 2011 was not a fun time at our house. She’s now a sixth year senior who is understandably anxious to graduate this spring!
Looks like you were in the same boat a few years ago as I am now – having a hs junior and senior at the same time. Fun!
@snoozn when I spoke with the other colleges in the same boat (not yet ABET) they all basically said the same thing. To get ABET you have to graduate a full class and prove the curriculum met ABET. Students that graduate before that happens can basically be grandfathered in as saying their program was ABET, once it actually happens. But there is no guarantee it will happen that first year. The programs we looked at seemed like they would likely get it as either they already had their main ME ABET (since we were looking at ME versions of the renewables) or they had several other engineering ABET accredited programs. I would think that would increase the likely hood of a speedy approval. But it’s still risky.
When we looked at OSU Engineering it seemed low risk to get into the program. The bigger issue I noticed was how rigid the curriculum was. I had tried to determine how hard it would be for S to switch majors and there wasn’t the flexibility I would have liked if memory serves. With all the EC work he is doing now though, it’s just as well as he is solidly moving into policy land.
@rhododendron I love success stories! Our eldest was also in this range and is a successful college graduate. He is semi employed in his field, but it’s an incredibly difficult field and full time is on the horizon. For his particular path (the music business lol) it is going well. The important thing in his case, is that he is sustaining himself financially and pursuing his dream.
Glad everyone seems to be wrapping up essays and apps because if your hs is like ours it’s about to get crazy. DS has a bunch of due dates in the next 2 weeks and then it’s time to gear up for final exams. Luckily as seniors they only take finals after first semester - they don’t have to take finals second semester so he’s excited! AND right now he’s on course for some of his best grades ever - if only he can make it through the month.
So I’m pissed. UC App isn’t in yet. (It due Nov 30th… so officially he has two more days. But I bent over backwards so he could spend all weekend writing. He spend most of it in his room, he had no homework, and I guess he spun. Or taught himself Python, or played computer games. What I’m most annoyed about is that he won’t ask for any help. Insists he knows what he’s doing, he has it under control, go away. He has this anxiety around writing essay, he has a 504 partly because of his issue with essays. I’m not suggesting anyone write it for him, but talking it over with someone can and has helped in the past. He doesn’t have to ask for help from me, if he’s going to be successful at school he needs to learn to ask for help from other people. It’s frustrating because if I push too hard, I ramp up his anxiety and make it worse not better. It’s also aggravating because once he does write it comes out beautfifully.
He has 3 of the 4 short essays written, finished at well after midnight last night. (Great… start the week already tired.) MIL is here one more day. 3 of the essays are on the dinning room table for her to proof while he’s at school. (She’s worked as a copy editor.) The rest of the app is done. It just needs the essays to be finished & added and to hit done. But I know the application portal gets impossible the last few days. And he will have his normal huge amount of homework starting today again.
And no… I just can’t relax about this whole thing. I just want this app to be IN. He still has two apps after this, he’s similarly stuck on the OSU short answers. (And yes… I know those aren’t a big deal but telling him that won’t help.) And he still has to write the “why me” essay for CU Boulder.
Just posted on the main thread, but D17 just got an acceptance from College of Wooster! The Early Aid was right on the money (as it were) – $27K, which makes it the most affordable of the schools she’s been accepted to. D allowed me to open the envelope (she’s on a school field trip) and actually seemed excited when I told her she was in. I really like this school–I’m hoping it will be in serious contention should her ED choice not work out.
Rooting on all of you with apps to complete and supplements/scholarship essays to write! The end is in sight! I’ll be waiting here with a nice tumbler of pinot noir!
@curiositycat333 I don’t blame you for being frustrated - I won’t tell you to relax about the whole thing! But it WILL get done, I’m sure. Still, you’d prefer it not to be with so much stress. After much nagging from me starting back in the summer, my D got the UCs and Cal Poly done early and turned in by 11/1 and 10/26 respectively, then finished all her others but one over November, finishing before Thanksgiving week. I let her take Thanksgiving week mostly off except nagging her to write an email to one college advisor at the last school she still needs to apply to. She sent the email at 11 pm last night.
She still needs to remind two of her three teachers who are writing rec. letters to do them - the deadlines for those schools aren’t til Jan 1 or Jan 15 so they probably are putting it off but since all those apps are in, we’d like to get the apps complete. I asked her to email those teachers over the weekend but she said no I’ll just talk to them at school today. Texted her at 8:10 a.m. as school was starting reminding her - she had the first teacher’s class second period and it was over at 10. Of course she forgot. ARGH. Now she claims she’ll email them after school today. (She could have done that over the weekend if she was going to just email - ARGH again!) So still having some frustrations here and can relate!
@klinska Great news!!!
@klinska that is awesome! No letter for us today, sadly. 
But will hope to hear soon–I thought 12/15 was the official date and she only applied 2 weeks ago so wasn’t expecting anything this early. Did your D apply at deadline or earlier? Congrats to her, that merit $$ is fab and the school really does seem great. If my D gets in I want her to go visit for sure. Just wondering if the portal updated for her?
@kt1969, my D applied about a month ago (all applications that have been sent in so far were submitted on 10/31 or 11/1). I wasn’t expecting to see anything for another couple of weeks, so this was a nice surprise. I didn’t even think to check the portal until I saw your post–her admit is showing up there (complete with confetti!).
This would probably be the cheapest school (apart from UMass)–the generous aid plus the Midwest sticker price equals under $30K – while certainly not the only (or even the main) factor, it does make the school that much more attractive.
@smakl70 we are a long ways away from finals here, we start about a month later than some of you! Our finals are not until the very end of January. That’s pretty cool, no finals 2nd semester.
@curiositycat333 ugh. I am sorry. I don’t blame you for being frustrated and feel your pain.
@klinska wow, it seems like all of your NPC’s have been spot on. Congrats on Wooster, that is a wonderful wonderful offer! And a lovely school. I dream of under 30k…
@klinska Great news!!
It’s just been a really shitty day all around. And it’s cold… (for S. Cal) As I told my daughter it’s very stressful not to have more control over the college app situation.
@curiositycat333, hugs! He’ll get it done.
UC Apps are done!!! Finally… a weight off my shoulder. I let MIL copy-edit the essays, she said they are good. (4 short 300 word essays) and really speak to who he is.
After we submitted it he checked UofO, portal again to see if there was any admission info. Guess what… Although I though he said the SAT was listed on the portal, it wasn’t. So we went hunting on the SAT site. And looked through HIS emails, seems back in mid-October he sent AP scores by mistake to all his schools instead of SAT’s. I guess that’s why I didn’t get an email, but did have a credit card bill.
So now that is fixed but I have no idea if he will still hear EA from UofO or not. Oh well… it’s in and isn’t late for regular admission. SAT’s are sent to all the schools. Not a lot to do about it now. And now he understands why I insist on standing over his shoulder.
@smak170 No finals till late January here either. We didn’t start school till late August. And yes they have to take finals second-semester senior year. Although since 2 of his classes are AP’s, often those teachers don’t give finals at all. My son really doesn’t have a problem taking finals, usually barely studies. So it’s the projects and essays due at the last few weeks that’s usually the issue.
@curiositycat333 at least the apps are done! Those 300 word essays were killer for us. Too short to be detailed but too long to be a simple answer. My son really struggled with writing something that showed his personality too - he’s great with facts but that’s not what they want. SO glad those are done.
@curiositycat333 YAY for the UC Apps being in! That has to be a huge relief. Sorry to hear about the SAT scores. I would have your S call and tell the school, since he applied EA I don’t know if the school auto moves them to RD if an item is missing or what. I’d just call and make sure.
I plan to call a few of S’s schools today. I just realized one doesn’t show the LOR’s as being in, they are optional at that one so not missing and since it’s optional it may just not list it on their portal but I’d like to know. The CA shows them downloaded but I want to make sure. Another one shows the transcript and LOR’s as missing, although similarly the CA shows the LOR’s downloaded. On the last one there is still no portal info, hopefully today or I’ll be calling tomorrow.
All of S’s recent essays were a challenge with length, between 100-250 words each. Very hard to get right in the space allotted. Although I still think he struggled most with the 10 word or less answers.
Our AP classes don’t generally have 2nd semester finals either which may well mean that S doesn’t have a single final either since the rest of his classes are music, PE and theater tech for 2nd semester. Kind of annoying though, with the late June dismissal and graduation, those kids are wasting hours for up to 6 weeks in the AP classes.
@smakl70 Yes, I’m so glad these are done. It’s a big relief. My son as two more apps to get in. OSU also has short essays (only 100 words) and all he needs to do is finish two of those to get that app in. Think we talked him through those yesterday. And CU Boulder, which is his most complicated application. He needs to meet with his counselor to get a counselor letter & write a “why us” essay. He’s already done most of that app as well, and wrote the general common app essay.