@JenJenJenJen …the handbook was very helpful with lots and lots of good info…all delivered in UChicago “style and verbiage”…also some fun thoughts as to how the scarf might be employed depending on the geographic location of the recipient :-B
Thanks @vandyeyes - I guess it’s the verbiage I was remembering hearing about!
So many great opportunities here! Congrats to all on just keeping it together through the highs and lows!
S accepted to Bowdoin (with Faculty Scholar award) and Middlebury this weekend! Very excited for him. No one has been accepted to Middlebury from his HS in recent history (like most of the Ivies) so we had no expectation. That gives him 5 acceptances (+1 waitlist). I think he’s more relaxed now that he has acceptances from a couple of very selective schools (nice to have that positive feedback on his app!). Still waiting on 6.
D has 1 waitlist (Middlebury) and 1 rejection. Still waiting on 3. SO hoping her top 2 come through for her this week!
…and so we wait…
I finally caved and bought some bama swag 
I found a “bama mama” sticker for the back of my car, which I had to buy because it’s so phonetically jarring, and a tiny little sweatshirt for the dog.
Oh, the human going to UA got a nice henley t shirt, too-she says every time she mentions bama another bama person pops out of the woodwork and starts telling her how awesome it is-she said “imagine all the people who would talk to me if they saw a shirt!”. ;
Mix of good news and ‘eh’ news for D yesterday.
Good news:
Got invitation to WISE (Women in Science & Engineering) honors program at Stony Brook - which means of her state school options, SB is a no brainer as they’ve offered her a little MAC incentive and this cool program with mentoring and group housing opportunities.
Accepted at Fordham w/ 33k/year Dean’s scholarship. That’s enough MAC to make it worth a visit!
Eh news:
Waitlisted at Kenyon & Colby both. She’d honestly only applied to them because they were no fee/no supplement, and hadn’t visited either (both schools are a little outside her distance-comfort radius) so it’s not terribly surprising. My worry is that these results are bellwether for Hamilton and/or Vassar - schools she actually cares a little about. :-S
Oh well, nothing to do but wait for those results! Makes me extra glad for the early write to Smith. Still waiting to hear about FA from there and RPI though…
Yes, Fordham’s room and board is NYC expensive. Near $18K? I’ve read other parents say it is possible to live more frugally as an upperclassman, but we never did pursue those numbers in detail.
The full tuition scholarship, at least last year, is for tuition only, not fees. Our spreadsheet for Fordham - Rose Hill, even with the full tuition scholarship, kicked out a very high number for the estimated four year cost of attendance.
D and I both had a huge crush on the school but in the end, I vetoed a visit and struck it off the list due to projected costs.
Was traveling the last few days, and catching up to all the big news and disappointments took some time.
Congrats to one and all on the good news. Hugs to some others…
@rightcoaster, You had an up and down week. Sounds like you and S have a good perspective on all this…Good luck with decisions.
Vandy is Dandy.
To those going to UCLA, it is a special place. Congrats. If OOS parents are considering it, please know that many kids need an extra semester or more to graduate. Impacted majors and budget cuts, sometimes impaired getting classes. As you budget, there is no guarantee of a four year graduation. Don’t mean to damper any great news, just offered as a perspective. A family member from OOS is dealing with this situation now. Cousin is less than pleased. And was told he has friends in same boat.
@youcee: I read your post #29359, and immediately thought of the Homestar Runner (remember them) bit “A Well Thought Out Englilsh Paper” by Kyle “The Yellow Dart” Smith. It should be easily enough googlable for you.
@youcee I think the “it” has to do with ECs more than anything else. She really and truly spent 4 years trying to make a difference in her HS as corny as that sounds. She started a chapter of She’s the First and raised enough money to send 4 girls to school in a third world country. She was President of her class and started an award show to honor all the students who are so often overlooked. She tutored, mentored and volunteered anywhere she was needed. The 2 professors who wrote her letters spoke of what a difference she made in the school. Honestly she tried to be "significant " and more than just her grades or test scores.
I also think that it helps that she is a Hispanic female as unfair as that may sound it is our reality.
Wishing everyone the best news possible
Congratulations on the good news and hugs on the not so good news!
D has been at Vandy since Wednesday night and she told me she really likes it there. Unlimited AP credits also comes handy. Two admission counselors picked her up from the airport and people and kids are so nice, she said.
@Cubanmom3 , the Fry scholarship D got, is that the same scholarship where you read the riot act to the guy in charge? Congrats on all the great news!!
Quick question… What does NU stand for? It seems some here took it to mean Northeastern, and others Northwestern
@Cubanmom3 – I love the program she started at her school. That’s the kind of kid I feel deserves the big scholarships. Proud of her!!
@thermom Waiting on Hamilton here too. Vassar “too close to home”…both like it, but neither applied!
@SincererLove Yes that was the one ! I called asking if they would change their process for next year in hopes that other students would have a better experience. Literally had written it off. So crazy!
@Cubanmom3 Your daughter sounds like a real difference maker. No wonder she is viewed so consistently all over the country. Congratulations to both of you!
D '17 accepted to BU with the presidential scholarship this morning. D’17 was hoping for a trustee scholarship, so probably remains a NFW school. Her OT career goal would require another 2-3 years at BU at full price since there isn’t an accelerated program. Wasn’t accepted to Kilachand honors college, her first honors rejection. Funny, I thought her trustee and honors essays were her 2nd and 3rd best. I guess this shows you should not allow an engineer to evaluate writing!
Congrats to all of the presidential and trustee winners! @RightCoaster, when D’17 declines her acceptance, I will have her designate her spot for your son. I am sure they will be able to find him by RightCoaster’s son. That’s how it works, right?
Onward and upward.
Congrats to ALL everyone has such good news it is great to see- I just can’t keep up, but l love to see these great kids getting such fabulous opportunities.
I have two questions that maybe you seasoned veterans can help with.
- We are trying to calculate a “cost of living at home” comparison for one of DS options we can easily calculate the commuting cost (parking, train, insurance), but wondered if anyone had a ballpark number for the cost of “room and board at home” so to speak.
- We also home school and at least one of the schools has asked for "certified diploma" of school completion- I know there are at least a few home school families on this thread. Maybe one of you has experience with this, can say if just our home generated transcript/report card and the Community College transcript will do the job.
@Mom2aphysicsgeek What does IR/IS and IB stand for? Oh - international relations/international studies and international business, perhaps?
@HSCounselor2 D tried to log on to her UW-Madison portal to see her decision several times last night but couldn’t get on. This morning she found an EM in her spam. I think they sent out so many decisions at once that their system couldn’t handle the load, which might explain your 11:30 p.m. acceptance. It’s not true that UW doesn’t give any aid to OOS. They give BANNER aid to low-income OOS. You can Google BANNER aid on their website and learn more. And you should be able to get standard federal financial aid if you qualify. My guess is they were overwhelmed just getting the admissions decisions out (this is the first year they’ve released decisions all at once instead of on a rolling basis) and haven’t gotten to the financial aid decisions yet.
@RightCoaster We’re feeling like that about 50/50 schools, too. We’re especially shocked that D got wait-listed at UW-Madison, though it was her last choice. We made her apply as a financial safety, and she applied on the last day. Perhaps her lack of enthusiasm came through? This has certainly been a learning experience for us. I’m rooting for your S and glad to hear he is keeping a positive attitude. Enjoy the skiing!
@WhataProcess That’s got to be hard on your D not to have an acceptance yet, I hope she gets one soon! I’m cheering for her, too!
@ everyone I’ve missed - congratulations on the good news, and hugs and supportive thoughts to those who received less desirable news.
We’ve made a decision in our house! Willamette University. It’s DH and my #1. It was D’s #2. She had Lewis and Clark as her #1 and while she got admitted yesterday, they didn’t give her as much merit. She said she only had a slight preference for L&C, so she’s happy. It’s funny - the 3 West Coast schools to which she applied all accepted her and gave her merit, and none of the upper Midwest schools did (1 rejection, 2 wait-lists). I think geographic diversity played a role. I also think despite hearing how competitive college admissions has become, we underestimated the competitiveness. I asked her this a.m. if there’s anything she would advise her younger brother to do differently. She said “re-take the ACT”. But all’s well that ends well. She’s off to a school where we feel confident that she will be challenged, engaged, and happy. And she gets to escape the severe upper Midwest winters and hot, humid summers. I know what you’re thinking - but the PNW is so rainy - I’ve got her covered - I ordered a Willamette University umbrella today!
@NolaCAR – Huge congrats on making a decision!!
@NolaCAR Oh, what I’d give to be where you guys are - with an actual decision!
Congrats @NolaCAR --Woo Hoo to being finished!