D got some wonderful news today in the form of a likely letter from Columbia University!
Georgetown SFS (where she was accepted EA) is still her top choice, but she agreed to attend the accepted students weekend for Columbia before making a final decision. I also think this news made DH finally realize that our baby is actually going to be leaving soon. We’re so proud of her, but it is hard to think about life without her in the house every day.
@BigPapiofthree it sounds like your son prefers Vandy but would pick UT just for career prospects I say go with Vandy. He was willing to commit to Vandy ED2 then that is where he wanted to go. If his HS career is any indication he will have his choice of opportunities after college. Go for fit!!!
Changed my profile picture to promote peace and relaxation…
@BigPapiofthree …a hello…obviously Vandy :-B
Brown likely letter is amazing , congrats. Was it an email? No mail today?
I agree that the business major won’t be a big deal professionally. But the scholarship could be a big deal to your family. How big is the difference in cost?
I’m in the cc minority of being ok with breaking an ED agreement for financial reasons.
@BigPapiofthree Vanderbilt all the way. His dream school and you can afford it. Kids change majors all the time, and his job prospects will not change dramatically because he was a business major versus business minor.
I appreciate all the feedback. Vandy wins here in a landslide. Tonight I told my S, he should go where he thinks he will be happy, and if he chooses Vandy, he should know he will have to put forth more effort to procure internships and opportunities. With all your feedback, I can get onboard. He still would like to visit Texas, and then make a final call.
Always good to look at all of your options!!
A few weeks ago, there were several posts about receiving the white cardboard box from USC (Troy). S17 got one too, and is headed to Explore USC this week with DW. Anybody else going? Any tips on things to make sure they pack for the trip?
S will have an interview for big MAC, and we’ve heard that guys typically wear suits for those interviews, so I need to make sure he’s set up there.
@BusyNapping and @Dolemite Congrats on the likely letters to Columbia! It’s hit me a couple of times that my girl will be gone in 6 months. I feel like she’s already left in her head!!
@cleoforshort wrote
I think I have some unique perspective on this because I’m currently attending my 9th college/university over the past 30 years, so I get to observe and experience issues of “fit”.
Right now the graduation rate for all college students is hovering right around 50%. That means of all the kids who start, only 50% eventually come out with a degree-that number suggests to me that kids have not been making good choices when picking colleges.
When I went to Carnegie Mellon, the program was a good fit, but the school itself was not a good fit socially for me (I was very lonely and there weren’t a lot of good programs for women on campus), and I found Pittsburgh dreary and miserable. The funny thing was, I visited U Mass Amherst and CMU, and I felt dreary and miserable at both of them, so I thought that’s what college was supposed to be like!
I had NO idea that colleges could be so different! It wasn’t until I was at Florida Atlantic that I really felt “happy” going to my classes and engaging with some really smart, wonderful professors on a campus that was attractive and easy to be on. I also had NO idea that this was important to me until I got there! I was like, wow, this is a TON of fun (and by then I was married and in my mid 20s, so I was by no means a traditional student by then).
The uni I’m at right now I am also enjoying the heck out of, and on paper it would not have seemed to be the case, and I did not pick it for the happiness factor. I picked it because it has my degree and I don’t have to fight traffic to get in. I never stepped foot on campus before I enrolled. It’s been a very happy surprise for me, and it’s reinforced my belief that the girls really need to go to the campuses and walk around them, see the living conditions, and engage with the people on campus to really see if it’s a good fit for them.
My D17 would have bet you a MILLION DOLLARS that UA was not a good fit for her before she visited. I had to drag that kid kicking and screaming over there, enduring jokes about “I hear banjo music” and pointing out some really freaky billboards along the way. And then magic happened and she found people who thought like her, her favorite places to eat, and just a general sense of “I can do a good job here and be happy”.
She also would have bet you that WPI was a great fit for her before she visited, and after visiting, total 180. She just didn’t feel it, didn’t click with the people, didn’t feel at home on the campus. I don’t want her to feel like that for four years just because she got a terrific scholarship there. Life is too short to be more miserable than you have to-the universe will throw a lot of misery your way anyway, so why not actively seek out places and experiences that fill you up inside in terms of satisfaction and engagement?
To be fair, I also think people are wired differently-after having endured several miserable colleges (and I was prepared to endure another to get my degree, because I am super tough and tenacious that way), I am finding that not having to be miserable at the school helps me get through the miserable TIMES at the school (like right now when I really should be reading two hundred pages about sequential illustration and I’m totally procrastinating).
So, yeah, pro-fit parent here 
@BigPapiofthree wrote
That would be my advice, as well.
IMHO, the decisions as regard “fit” should be made BEFORE an ED2 commitment is made; economic constraints and changes in economic status for a family are another thing.
I agree, fit needs to be determined before an ED application is sent. If the school doesn’t have your intended major that would be a big indication of not being a good fit. In this particular case being discussed, I do believe there are ways to make the lack of a business major a non-issue. In fact, I think an economics major with a business minor would be the more desirable combination anyway as it should open many more doors in the future.
I’m curious as to what the high school college or guidance counselor is advising about your situation, @BigPapiofthree.
Is there a concern about what will happen to their relationship with Vandy if you don’t first do a fin aid appeal before backing out of the commitment?
@BusyNapping and @Dolemite Congrats on the likely letters from Columbia!
@robNNN, DD is visiting USC Explore end of the week so we are packing as well. DS14 also attended three years ago and - yes, typically, guys wear a suit to the interview portion or at a minimum shirt and tie. My D will wear suit and skirt.
More on USC Explore - I was wondering for the rest of time outside of interview, i.e., first day, does everyone dress casual? Specifically, are jeans OK? I don’t remember what DS14 did for the casual part.
Congrats @BigPapiofthree on 2 fine choices, tough decision, but I’d stick with Vanderbilt if you are not financially stressed by the acceptance. ED means you fully committed to attending, unless finances are a concern. It’s a slippery slope for sure.
It sounds like your son had a great time at Vandy, so personally I’d just go with it and be done with the whole process. He is a smart kid obviouslly, so he’ll succeed no matter where or what he studies. You should feel confident in that, he has some exceptional talent that will take him far. Let him enjoy his time @ Vandy.
He can always get an MBA after Vandy if he chooses, and I think he might.
Good luck.
Re USC Explore - I found this post:
http://viterbivoices.usc.edu/rhea/my-usc-tips-for-explore/
and this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTnoJHN-w5Y
On the fit issue, I’ll say that I find it all a bit overblown, in the sense that the vast (and I do mean vast!) majority of first-time-in-college students don’t apply widely, and simply go to their local (or at least localish) in-state public because that’s where one goes if one goes to college.
CC is a weird place, and it’s worth remembering that.
@BigPapiofthree Get in touch with the Vandy financial aid office and tell them your kid needs more financial aid and inform them of the UT offer. UT is vastly larger than Vandy, but Nashville and Austin have similar vibes. UT does not have anything like the residential college system for freshman at Vandy. A degree from Vandy is recognized nationally. UT has a great reputation too. Vandy wants to protect its ED2 yield so maybe they can shake loose a few more $$.
@dfbdfb Do people really just go to their local state college? Maybe they do. My local state schools are CSUN, CSULA, and UCLA… either way below my daughter’s stats, or out of reach for almost anyone’s stats. Staying here and going local was never an option.