QOTD: At this time most of the questions on my list are primarily related to residential life. So far, these are the topics on the list:
priority registration
Access to gym included in tuition or membership required (annual cost)/ tour of gym to assess size and equipment availability
Laundry Service available / Laundry Room locations around campus
Airport shuttle availability for breaks
Health Insurance Plan waiver
QOTD
We’re less concerned about academics-her top 3 schools are all strong in her major.
Thanks for bringing up some questions to think about/ask in order to confirm a final choice. D has been accepted to 6 schools with a pretty clear top choice (UVA - my alma mater and my top choice for her for many reasons). Went to one accepted students day already. I really liked it, but her response after that visit, “not feeling it.” Next week we go for Days on the Lawn at UVA and I am hoping she just gets “that feeing” and then we’ll be done.
QOTD: Many of those listed already, plus:
– What does it take to keep any scholarship(s) offered?
– Is there extra tuition/fees charged for her major? If so, how much?
– Are there other majors offered that are in line with her interests, in case she has a change of heart?
– What are the commitments for Honors College? What are the benefits?
– What are off-campus housing options? Is there a large cost difference?
– (Probably specific to her.) Is public transportation adequate for access to medical appointments off-campus?
I’m sure there are more; I can’t think of them now.
@firstwavemom — will you take a photo with Dean J’s dog while at Days on the Lawn? I love following her posts, even though neither of my boys applied to Virginia.
D got in at Mac(alester) … with MAC!
@mamaedefamilia – Congrats to D on Macalester & the MAC!!! <:-P
@CT1417 The blog is great and I love that dog too. I’ll do my best to snap a photo!
@firstwavemom – was sad when first Cav dog passed but glad she replaced him.
I’ve said it before, but I wish all admission departments were as transparent as UVa.
My favorite is the box of stuff we won’t look at.
D’17 didn’t apply, though.
Congratulations @mamaedefamilia <:-P <:-P
My D17 was accepted to Macalester tonight with a merit scholarship higher than any they have listed on their website! That’s exciting. Still waiting on 7 more, though …
Just popping in to say that D17 did not get in to GT for CS. Her stats were: In state, female, 1490 SAT, 33 ACT, 12 ap/ib classes, leadership in student technology association, medaling in in-state programming and animatronics competitions every year.
but…she did not want to go to GT, her mom made her apply (mea culpa), and she spent no time at all on the application, so I think GT, being no dummy, saw clearly that it wasn’t where her heart was, so it was a mutual no thank you club.
Her good friend got in to GT for architecture (first choice), so she’s psyched for her!
Congrats to everyone with all the admits! I’m trying to keep up but this thread is getting so fast and furious, I apologize for any missed hugs or cheers…
@smcirish I also was happy that they had increased the maximum merit aid from what was awarded last year. Congrats to your daughter!
@MotherOfDragons, I think you are right on in your assessment of GT’s admission practices, and am glad it does not break your daughter’s heart. 
I got to speak a bit with the gentleman who heads up the Stamps program there, and some of the other admissions folks last year. It was clear to me that yield is definitely an interest of the admissions committee. The Stamps guy talked to me about their timing various aspects of their process to maximize yield.
I believe essays are probably closely scrutinized for demonstration of interest, especially in very high stats candidates who may have multiple options.
Congrats @mamaedefamilia and @smcirish on (Big) MACalester!
I have both a nephew and the son of a friend that go there and are quite happy.
And, sorry about CS at GT, @MotherOfDragons…I guess they need to read between the lines to figure out whose hearts are in it and whose aren’t.
I, too, have been a fan of DeanJ’s UVA blogs (would’ve been an ever bigger fan of a Jefferson Scholarship for my D, but, c’est la vie)
@mamaedefamilia Congrats to your daughter on her Mac acceptance!
@mamaedefamilia , Congrats on your Big MACalester news…
Congrats to @mamaedefamilia and @smcirish on BIG MACalester!
So add my D17 to the list of students accepted at Macalester with high-end merit aid—but still, not enough to make them competitive with other schools on her list, and she’d kind of soured on the school anyway, so almost certainly going to turn them down.
To remind those who were part of the discussion at the time, Macalester is the school with, in her opinion, the worst essay prompt among the places she applied to—she saw it as basically saying “We’re a pretty white school, but like to think of ourselves as progressive, so make us feel less guilty about admitting white people by telling us how you’ll make us seem more diverse.” She wrote an essay that was essentially a middle finger to the prompt, so she figured she’d sunk her odds with that, so getting in was a nice surprise, but she’s already moved on.