My Son really, really loves Physics and Engineering (especially design). In the end (5 yrs later), he has achieved both degrees and high paying job. In fact, he told me after 2 or 3 years working for Northrop Grumman (NG), he would like to take MBA from Top Schools too (Stanford, MIT, USC, Berkeley, UCLA, etc) . And the beauty of it, NG has a program to pay for it. Life is good aint it?
@Tulanefan101 Congratulations to your son. A similar outcome is what all us 2017 parents are really hoping for our kids, and there are many ways to achieve it. I’m sure most of these kids will surpass our wildest dreams.
My hope, also, is that when my kid has some success is that I have the self-restraint not to gloat about it and goad other people into some pissing war.
My son is filling out his national merit paperwork and is listing his first place college as a school that doesn’t participate in national merit since that is his early decision school and where he is picking. Can he change it later if he doesn’t get in and decides to go to one that does accept it.
He is really late filling out his stuff and a procrastinator all the way and invited friends over instead of working on applications or if he does he won’t be great at multitasking
@fun1234 I only know of National Merit stuff through a family member but from what I recall that is a HORRIBLE idea and he could lose a LOT of $$. Do not let him hit submit.
if he is applying ED it sounds like you have run the NPCs for that school and you have the EFC?
Thank you Headmeathello. I apologize if it sounds like I am showboating or gloating in this forum. I just want to answer post #post #17729 by quoting my son experiences. Anyhow, I am sure you all can be successful too with your kids. I know some kids in my neighborhood who do not have money and build their college careers from Community College then to 4 years college, eventually end it up with high paying jobs. Regarding pissing war? it is a matter of interpretation. BUT, I am sorry if I hurt your feeling too. It is not my intention whatsoever to do so. Life is good.
UA question. Just being nosey, but does anyone who has a student there now know what the scholarship is for an OOS engineering student for this year 2016-2017, with a 30 ACT. I know about the $2,500 for engineering, but wondering if the person has 2/3 or full tuition. Thanks!
Should my son put undecided just in case my son does decide to go to one of the colleges that accept national merit
@prospect_15 …I clicked on that link.
That is the most ridiculous question I have seen on CC. Is that weighted or unweighted?
Why does it matter where everyone else went? Are you trying to be with all the other kids who had a 4.3-4.6? Are you doing research or something? Enlighten us and maybe we can figure out what you are trying to ask!
I know three 4.0+ kids who are a regional/small school. They are there because it is the most affordable option for them it has nothing to do with their GPA or the GPA of the other kids in the school.
@fun1234 —if my kid had that much riding on the line I would be all over the National Merit thread and asking the pros there. There is too much on the line.
@fun1234 My son finished the NMSF essay and activities this weekend. He left his college as undecided, and his home page now has a link to “Change College Choice.” I know I’ve read on previous year’s threads that you can change the college choice until April or so, and that that is when the colleges that give NMF scholarships require that they be listed as first choice.
DS doesn’t want to put any college until he has an acceptance, anyway. (He thinks it’s bad luck.)
@carachel2 and @paveyourpath – Thank you for the welcome and info.
@fun1234 – We are having DC put Undecided. I believe you have until April/May to specify your first-choice college. Here is a thread that you may find useful: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/1103731-how-to-choose-your-first-choice-college-for-national-merit-purposes.html
Good luck!
@fun1234 Regarding National Merit…Unless something has changed in the last couple of years when my son went through the process, you can change the first choice college on the National Merit application. My son changed his school in April and had no problems. That being said, I would call the folks at NM to make sure nothing has changed in the last two years. Good luck!
Welcome @Fishnlines29 @DMV301 and others!
My D17 is so close to submitting her ED app and EA app! Now she just has to do the scholarship apps for those schools too. They aren’t due until December so I’m not sure how much nagging I should do to get her to finish those.
@fun1234 my D16 is an NMF and she switched her college choice right up until the deadline.
@jeepgirl The engineering supplemental 1/3 tuition scholarship for a 30 or higher ACT is gone. They did away with it this year.
:((
when figuring out financal aid what do you put in the line that says other adjustments to income
One chime in here regarding Tulane, as well as 3-2 plans in general. My S14 is @ Tulane doing BME, with intent afterward probably for med school. As a point of clarification, as an engineering student at Tulane he has no foreign language requirements (the case at many schools of engineering).
Also, when he was going through this admissions process he considered 3-2 programs in addition to straight engineering programs since he also liked humanities/liberal arts. One particularly attractive school for him was Haverford with its 3-2 options with UPenn Engineering, as well as CalTech. I think that for the right student they can be fabulous opportunities!
Lastly, S17 completely surprised when he got an email from MIT directing him to schedule his alumni interview, this PRIOR to even pushing the send button on his application! :-t
The challenge with the 3-2 is that most students who start out intending to complete, when the time comes, do not wish to transfer schools this the poor graduation/success rate. It can be done, I know an exceedingly successful individual who did so but they are in the minority.
@fun1234 Wait, did you mean to say he is selecting as his 1st choice a school that does not participate in NM? Why would he list that school on a NM app then? Wouldn’t it be better to just stay with undecided? S17 only has one school on his list that participates in NM so I was conflicted between whether he should select undecided or list the school College counselor said to select the school because unless his list changed, the only school to list as first choice would be the school that participates in NM.
Catching up…
Hope everyone on the Southeast coast weathered the storm OK. Sounds like a lot of flooding and power outages in some places.
Welcome back to those who haven’t posted in awhile! Hoping your D’s recovery is speedy @picklesarenice. Could this be the last surgery? I have friends whose kids have multiple jaw surgeries lined up for various growth stages. Hugs.
Welcome to our newest delurkers – @Fishnlines29 @DMV301 and others!
Congrats on various admissions, applications submitted, and trips taken!
Bama news: I’m happy to hear about Bama or whatever schools your kids are being accepted to, even though DS isn’t applying there. Acceptances are great news for everyone! DS is looking forward to having even one acceptance, but that won’t be until December or March. So, in the meantime, it’s great to hear about other kids getting good news! Alabama is pretty far from us, and there are only a few East Coast schools he’s planning to apply to compared to lots in California.
Medical power of attorney. DS turns 18 this December. He’s fine with the general idea, but he’s a read-the-fine-print guy when it comes to legal documents. DH says it’s intrusive and we are next of kin anyway, so it doesn’t matter. I guess I’ll have to read up on it to see whether it is worth it to convince DH.
FB: I hope that the traffic here will stay high if we add a FB group. I like the group of folks here. The kids of 2017 thread has really dwindled since they started a GroupMe, and new kids who stop by probably have no idea why the thread is so dead. I’m fine with participating on FB. I don’t use FB much, myself, but I also don’t really have privacy/anonymity concerns.
Cats: DS is allergic enough to cats that he’d be in the health center with serious breathing problems after a couple hours in a room with a cat. I’m glad @MotherOfDragons’ classmate got things worked out. MIT and Caltech have some dorms that allow cats, so if he ends up at either of those, we’ll need to be very clear about allergies on his housing forms.
Sports: Team sports are good for kids, so long as the parents don’t have unrealistic expectations. We have some friends who thought their kid was going to have a volleyball scholarship. Didn’t want to point out that one parent was 5’2" and the other 5’6". They spent lots of time and $$$ on travel club teams. Didn’t work out at all for him. Our DS played volleyball freshman year, but didn’t make the team in 10th. (DH and I are also not so tall.) His ECs would have crowded out serious athletics anyway by 11th grade, and I expect that was part of the decision in selecting the team.
DS also did fencing for a few years, but his birthday is late December and the age cutoff is Jan. 1. So, he was often fencing against kids almost 2 years older.
CMU: @CA1543 Looking forward to your CMU review. DS visited there in April 2015.
Thank yous for LoRs: I’m thinking a handwritten note plus a gift certificate to our local UC’s Arts & Lectures program. There are a variety of events. We did that for his 8th grade science teacher, who was amazing.