D received a fee waiver from American. They had to cancel a special visit day in January due to weather on very short notice (we were literally driving there when 95 began icing–that was fun).
@CT1417 - We lived in the Chicago area for 18 years. The snow really isn’t all that bad. Plus you have the lake!
@jeepgirl - DS17 got the clemson waiver so did DS13. Based on that I think it’s based on the ACT or SAT score. Too expensive for us though so we aren’t going to bother.
@curiositycat333 – yes, I agree the abbreviations can be confusing. USC is used here and I immediately think Southern California whereas many were discussion S. Carolina. I do not know the Florida schools at all.
@MichiganGeorgia and others. We are on vacay… Does the Clemson fee waiver come via email or snail mail?
@MichiganGeorgia – I found Boston’s winters to be a bit too snowy, so I don’t think I would love Chicago either. Does the presence of the lake not encourage snow? Upstate NY has this ‘lake effect snow’ thing. Fortunately, I am not the one going to college!
I’m also curious about how Boston and Chicago winters compare with each other. Though, I suppose that most campuses in climates like that have a tunnel system of some sort, right? (Infinite or otherwise)
@Ynotgo — tunnel system in Boston? I don’t think so, other than MIT’s monster, lettered building, but I have only lived in Boston—never attended school there.
I think Rochester has tunnels connecting buildings.
Can definitively say that the buildings and quads at Cornell are free-standing. In a concession to our more pampered children, the freshmen are all given a free bus pas to ride from North Campus (dorms) to the academic areas. Both the North Campus dorms and the academic areas are in the same places they were 30 years ago, and we all just walked.
Does Clemson send out the fee waivers randomly, or did you need to apply to get one?
@2muchquan <just sticking="" my="" nose="" in–="" i’m="" a="" 2016="" parent="">-- our experience w/ VTech OOS merit was that there was none for my D16 (4.0/4.6 uw/w; 34 ACT; lots of research experience; average athlete; solid ECs)- surprised as she got generous offers from many others. Oh well- their loss, OU’s gain.
@oneundecided Very helpful, thanks.
@2muchquan Son is interested in VT because it has everything he is looking for…everything except merit-aid, I guess. And as you know we’re chasing the Big MAC (big merit-aid colleges). Oh well, he’ll probably apply and see what happens, but he certainly doesn’t have the stats of oneundecided’s D16.
@STEM2017 – is that a new acronym you coined? I like Big MAC!
Just got another “Now that [son’s name] has been invited to apply to [college name] this fall, I want to make sure you’re aware of…” email. This is how I responded…
**Invited to apply? What does this mean? Who isn’t invited?
Is this meant to be an application fee waiver?
Look forward to your response.
Best,
Dad**
BTW, this college is not on his list, otherwise I probably wouldn’t have been so bold. 
@CT1417 Nothing hits the spot like Big MAC! $-)
@2muchquan - the list:
Denison (walk through only), Kenyon, Wooster (walk through only) Oberlin, Case Western (oops, no, cancelled, they needed to make room for all of the Ohio guardsmen on campus during the RNC), U of Chicago, Wash U, Macalester, and St. Olaf.
Although the chance of admission (slim) and merit money (super slim) at Chicago and Wash U, make them highly unlikely, an uber reach or two never hurt anybody.
Reporting live from Gambier, OH. D17 is having her interview and I am in the admissions office of Kenyon College. We flew into Columbus. The airport is compact and manageable. We had weather-related delays but had enough time to get to Denison (an easy 30 minute drive) and walk around. The campus is lovely, situated on a hill. The style of the campus is mostly early 20th century brick and ivy with some more modern buildings scattered about. The athletic fields looked inviting and well-maintained. The town of Granville is small and charming - like a New England small town. The downtown - which seems to be one main street - has a reasonable array of restaurants, pubs, and basic services. We ate quite good Vietnamese food.
The drive north to Mount Vernon was lovely - rolling hills, picturesque farms, very tranquil. Mt. Vernon is a mix of historic residential neighborhoods, grain elevators, some industry, and a downtown that requires navigating a roundabout. There is a commercial strip to the east that has Walmart, K-Mart, and other big box stores. We stayed at the Mount Vernon Inn, a nice family-owned property with an inner courtyard garden. Tea, coffee, and homemade baked goods are available at all hours and when you check in, a complimentary glass of wine or a beer. Included breakfast includes a hot entree cooked to order. If you end up in Mt Vernon, do check out “The Dairy” - an ice cream stand that serves up huge “single dip” cones.
Kenyon report coming soon. The interview is with a student but the regional admin rep also chatted with us for a few minutes.
@oneundecided Thanks for the VT info. Yes, I believe that was what I finally determined re: OOS at VT, and why it fell from the list. Seems like some good deals in-state. I agree, their loss! Sounds like a great school, but so is OU. Stick your nose in anytime.
Regarding winters in Chicago. We don’t get big snow (one biggie every decade or so), partially due to being on the Western edge of Lake Michigan. But, we do get bitter cold, and you may not see the sun from January thru March. Just gray for weeks at a time. That’s actually the big thing for me is the sun disappears (not quite to the degree of @dfbdfb’s state). Spring lasts from mid-April to May before the humidity and heat sets in.
The lake is nice to look at. Chicago is pretty awesome. UChicago has a beautiful campus, areas around it can be a shock to those not use to an urban setting, but I would never in a million years hesitate sending my kid there (if I could afford my EFC). NU, in my opinion, has over-built their Evanston campus on the lake. Still kind of pretty, but so much construction has eliminated much of the beautiful green space. Some people find it gourgeous. I guess it just use to be ‘more’ gorgeous. Evanston is a pretty city with easy access to downtown Chicago.
ETA: No tunnel system at NU. Not sure about UChicago, but guess is ‘no’.
Meh, S got his class schedule for the year. It’s not a total disaster, but it needs serious fixing. I am pretty sure it doesn’t even give him a class he needs to graduate. Also pretty sure this is the 2nd year in a row that his gifted teacher told him to sign up for a class he didn’t have the prereq for (she would “take care of it”) and he didn’t get into it (because she isn’t the one that makes the schedule).
@2muchquan my issue with Chicago is that you have to endure and suffer thru so much bitter cold for such a long time and there are no real ski areas in proximity. That’s not going work for me or my kids. I think that’s why mid-west is a deal breaker for level of interest with my kids. Son17 is only interested in New England or maybe Colorado, but I know he would never move to CO. He’d probably like Pacific Northwest and Vancover but I think it’s too far for him to deal with.
@2muchquan – Ithaca winters are very gray also, and I agree that it is the most difficult aspect. As a college student, you don’t need to shovel out a car or worry about buying groceries before the next snow, so we just trudged through it, wearing Bean boots and heavy coats. (Much better fiber technology these days!) Having said that, winter before last was tough in Ithaca but this past winter was a non-event. I think my son wore sneakers to class many days instead of the massive Timberland boots he wore the year before.
Generally, it is sunny much of the winter here in CT so the day after a snowstorm will be blindingly white. We could go a week in Ithaca w/o seeing the sun.
@Ynotgo Except for two winters ago (Jan-March '15) Boston is usually not very snowy. The gulf stream in the Atlantic keeps Boston area have less snow, then in NH or W. Mass an hour away. That winter was really very usual, in that they had one huge storm one after another. And partly why it stopped the city, because they don’t have the infrastructure to handle all that snow. My D12 was in Boston area for school for that winter (she is a S. Cal kid) and it did start to push her desire for novelty not to mention give her many days off school that winter.
Chicago is MUCH colder, much snowier, and the breeze off the lake can be quite brutal. The ocean keeps both coasts more temperate the the center of the country. I do have experience living in the Chicago area (as a kid) and do have friends who’s kids have gone to the Chicago area for school and they mostly laughed at Boston’s pain during that winter.
@mamaedefamilia I read somewhere on these boards that UChicago, if you are lucky enough to be admitted and are a desireable student (this could mean a few things), then they sometimes award ‘merit’ to bring you down to your EFC. So if your kid has something to bring you to the table, and you can afford your EFC, there is a chance it will work. Rock those essays!
Thanks for the report so far. We are going to try to hit Kenyon and Wooster in a couple weeks if my D doesn’t shoot me. Sorry about CWRU…that sucks.