Cell number: DS gives his cell number, but I think he supposes that they would text him. I need to get him to empty out his voicemail, which I’m not even sure he uses. So far, we have no phone calls except one on the landline message machine from Liberty University. (Weird, we are totally not their target audience, but maybe something to do with having my dad’s stuff forwarded to us after he passed away. He did fit their target donor audience, along with Hillsdale College, which he did donate to regularly.)
Interviews: DS has an alumni interview this afternoon. The interviewer is a PhD candidate in the Math Dept at our UC. His research looks very theoretical. DS is very nervous, but I think he will do well. He practiced some last night with DH and me. He has interviewed successfully for a several programs before this. He also learned how to iron a linen shirt last night.
I’m a long time stalker and have read most of this thread. It’s seems like such a great group of people working to help each other out (and keep each other calm).
S17 is muddling his way through the process reasonably well so far. At the moment, we are struggling to get teacher LORs submitted. He asked two teachers for recs last May and has been following up regularly since, but we still haven’t seen ANY movement on this front. We have Michigan EA coming up 11/1 and I am worried that we aren’t going to make it. I even emailed the GC for advice, but haven’t heard back.
Regarding interviews, fwiw, the AO at the information session to S17’s ED school emphasized that to not accept the “optional” interview (if it is offered) would be a really bad idea, essentially redflagging for lack of interest. Now, I suppose that this may not be the case if it’s an ED app, since obviously the student is committed to the institution. S17 has done 3 interviews (including yesterday at UChicago) which he seems to have felt all went okay, as well as met “for talks” with several coaches. He has 2 more interviews to do in the next few weeks.
Telephone Number: putting his cell phone; just reminding him he has a responsibility to monitor the voicemails, etc so as not to miss a reach out. He has had conversations with one of the interviewers (to consolidate time/date, etc) as well as a coach or 2 to have substantive conversations about his “recruitability/unrecruitabiliy” for given school.
Regarding Emails…so grateful that Case Western’s app will go in this evening…hopefully putting “to death” all the maddening emails from said institution…it’s almost a turnoff
Has anyone successfully been able to override the on-campus housing requirements? I have two schools near me - UW College A is 32 miles away and UW College B is 29 miles away. Both easy drives on country roads. College A (32 miles away) bases their exemptions on your zip code. My zip code is excluded. However, if you look at where I live in my zip code, i’m closer than some of the ones they allow. College B (29 miles away) uses your actual location. The guideline is 35 miles. Both are in the UW system - doesn’t make any sense to me that they are different in how they determine your exemption eligibility. The one that’s 29 miles away charges by credit, too, with no cap so 15 credits there costs quite a bit more than 15 at the other school. UGG.
I just filled out the FAFSA and our EFC is $26750. I about fell off my chair. I am paying $485/month as it is to my own student loans (late start in life) and we can’t afford to pay the $10k/year difference my D will need for the local public university. We could, however, figure it out if she commutes to College A. She has an aunt that lives 5 blocks from campus who is more than willing to let her stay there during the week, too. I emailed their housing department and they flat out said no.
I feel like the only choice we have is to have her attend the community college and live at home.
@wvuhopeful Welcome! If I were me, I wouldn’t take my suggestion. BUT, if you want an LOR for an EA date (and UMich requires the entire app, including LORs to make it by the EA date), then I would have your son ask the teacher for a firm date (“when do you think you’ll be done?”), face-to-face, mano-a-mano/womano. I would, as a parent, contact the GC and express your concerns…again, face-to-face at the school would work best.
@HiToWaMom We still have a real landline. No cell coverage in our house. Should change over to VOIP, that’s our next step, but it’s so low on the priority list. I know I’d take advantage of the new features, though.
We also have landline (digital line through cable company which is our internet provider) even though we hardly use. DW insists that we maintain it since she may need it when she is on call and cell phone runs out of battery. When she doesn’t pick up her cell, operators forward the call to home phone. Another use is to open the gates.
I like the idea of landline. It makes sense to me. But nobody around me has one anymore!! It’s a great feature that the call is forwarded to the landline when your cell phone is dead!
QOTD: My DS has given out his cell number. I want him to take a call if one comes in. He better be paying attend to area codes that call and not ignore the call! I don’t expect he’ll receive calls, but just in case. However, thank you for the reminder. He hasn’t set up his voicemail. That would be bad since, if he does get a call, it will likely be while he’s in school since several of his schools are 3 hours earlier than we are.
We DO have a landline, but the phone isn’t even plugged in. I didn’t want to give it up and when I called to have it disconnected, the company said they have an “emergency” service that allows emergency calls and up to 15 mins (or something like that) of outgoing call / month. So, I kept it. But got rid of VM, CID, etc. Saving me almost $50 / month! No issues with cell service at our house.
My DS got wise to the fact that I had all access to everything my DD15 did when she was at school. I would just open her computer and she was logged in to all of the portals, etc. DS knows I did this… So, as a result, I don’t even have access to his computer and he’ll NEVER give me his password. However, unlike my DD, he has read me all of his essays. He’s pretty proud of them. I have not edited them at all. His GC is well qualified and has made 3 passes on each one already. I helped with focusing on topics at the outset. DS was very overwhelmed by the seemingly well (or over) qualified students who he’d be competing against. He didn’t think he’d have anything “good” to write about. He felt he hadn’t “gone through” any tragedy or heartbreak or trouble, so what could he possibly write about. With a little focus and encouragement, however, his essays are so authentic and HIM. He did great!
Hoping to have 3 EAs submitted on Friday or Saturday. FAFSA, CSS and ACTs are all sent already. I’m looking forward to getting a “portal” and watching each item get checked off. School should be sending their “package” soon with transcript, LORs, school profile, etc.
I don’t know whether DS used cell phone or home phone number. We’ve gotten several calls at home from Tippin University, but I don’t think he filled out anything for them. Bad cell phone coverage in home and I much prefer talking on a landline so we still have one.
As for knowing career plans, for a concerning amount of time my DS wanted to be a bus driver. Then, he upgraded to a pilot. He still has a big interest in transportation, but is likely going to major in poly sci, public policy or international relations depending on the school. Not really sure what he wants to do as far as career, but I think he would love to manage one of Disney’s theme parks or, even better, their resort transportation system if he doesn’t do something with political science.
QUESTION: Don’t mean to brag, but DS just received a letter that from the College Board that he was one of 25 students to receive a perfect score on the AP Gov exam. I assume that he should add that to his applications, but how? Should he just ask his GC to include that in her letter (or his AP teacher because she’s one of his LOR writers) or should he include it under honors? It’s not really an honor per se, . . . any ideas???
We have a landline for two reasons: (1) Continuing shellshock from living through better than a week without power (and thus cell phones) one summer in Florida, but where the landline kept going through it all; and (2) it’s a most excellent number to give out for letting phone solicitations roll over to voicemail, and in this market for cheaper than a cell phone+basic contract.
Congrats @pittsburghscribe on the AP feat. We are lacking in the awards/honors area. When I see posts about you guys struggling to fit all your kid’s Activities and Honors on the CA, I’m like…really? We had to dig deep just to fill all the slots. And, the last Honor was the time she won a stuffed animal at the state fair playing skeet ball.
Oh good lord no I’m not giving out my cell #! The D’s are masters of placing unwanted calls in permanent purgatory, so D17 has her cell # on the apps.
Landline-we have one (H works from home sometimes and the cell coverage is iffy). Temple called a few weeks ago asking for D and H answered it. I said “tell them no because they overpromised merit aid by $22 million and got their provost fired for it.” He did and said the guy on the other end just cricketed. It was kinda funny.
Interviews-I’ve pretty much made the girls get good at it over the years. A lot of theater stuff, a lot of talking to adults, a lot of setting up opportunities to talk to adults in a situation where they’d like something to happen. I think D17 might come across as a bit of a lovely tyrant at times in interviews because she’s so intense, but she’s not afraid of it. It’s a skill I’ve seen a lot of uber bright people struggle with, so I’ve insisted on it. You have to be able to talk to people.
It’s almost like My Fair Lady in this house, though-normally we’re like, 'ello, guvnah! and then when it’s time to go do interviews it’s like “how kind of you” lol. Although I did find out that when she was hunting down and talking to people at UMD and U Richmond she had on that damn snap back hat that I loathe so much. Oh well, she’s Eliza Doolittle with a snap back hat.
@hadmeathello, haha. No, my DS did not fill all the honors slots at all. He didn’t really have much of anything besides the standard honor roll type stuff. His school doesn’t seem to participate in any/many of these academic type competitions and they don’t give out their awards to students until senior year. He could fit the AP thing just fine in the honors section, I’m just not sure it really belongs there which is why I was asking.
And my kids used to routinely get a huge kick out of winning prizes at the guess your weight booth at the local amusement park. My DD was tiny, but a gymnast, so she has muscles and they always guessed her weight too low. My DS, on the other hand, has always been super thin, and they would always guess his weight too high (especially because he would always go on the scale after her). I doubt they would find this so entertaining now that they are in high school, but in elementary and middle school they just wanted to win the prizes!
