@suzy100 ^This is when CC becomes my guilty pleasure because some of these questions boggle my mind. Like the kid deciding between prestigious Duke full-ride (plus) scholarship (only 12 kids get them) and full pay at Stanford. I asked my son last night what he would do in that situation. His answer: That’s a no-brainer. Why would anyone pick Stanford in this situation unless they were a bazillionaire, and even then…? I know the answer may not be black and white to the families experiencing it, but I hope they take a step back and look at it from all angles.
Not a no brainer for me or my D. There are some students/families/people that have no desire to live in North Carolina. And from what I’ve read about life on Duke’s campus, that doesn’t help either.
Yeah but probably in that case you wouldn’t have even applied there let alone for a scholarship there right @sushiritto ? I would guess these kids applied liking at least some aspect of each of these schools and that’s why they have the dilemma now. But yeah, I agree with @1518mom full scholly vs full pay? Not much to decide if you like them both. :-??
I am very envious of your super planning @ShrimpBurrito ! I think I can say with a lot of confidence that my D will be dithering over her decision next year. She won’t have any big name schools on her list, and everything on her list will be somewhere she would plausibly be happy going, and she’s the sort who doesn’t like to make big decisions, so this one will be fraught I am sure. But I’m also sure she’ll get it done well before May 1 if she can because she won’t want the stress of the deadline bearing down on her!
It’s going to be an interesting year!!
Exactly. Why would the kid apply if s/he didn’t want to go there? The kid seems to be leaning toward Stanford, but seems to have an unrealistic view of the opportunities Stanford will provide that Duke won’t. In reality, it’s what the kid does with the opportunities at either school, not what the school will do for the kid. I think the prestigious scholarship will mean more than the name Stanford in the long run.
Meanwhile, I’m hoping my S18 has a number of schools from which to choose next spring, even though he’s not looking at highly selective schools.
Can you believe it? Our kids are next after today!
The person who actually posted the thread is debating full ride/Duke vs. full pay/Stanford. So, might not be a question for some, but not everyone thinks it’s an easy choice. Full ride vs. full pay.
D may or may not send an app to Duke. At this point, who knows. I keep emphasizing keeping as many/all options open, even if the school may not be to her liking in her current view.
As I mentioned, D doesn’t really know where she would like to go in 2018.
I tried again to see test centers for Aug SAT. I put US, PA, and it only let me choose May or June. I wonder why?
@mommdc Where is the SAT usually given in your area? If at a local high school, call them and ask if they’re planning to offer an August administration.
I haven’t checked the sites where we live, but SATs here are given at one high school site in each district. The proctors are usually teachers from that high school. The August date is two days after school starts, so everyone should be back from summer by then.
It might be harder to rustle up enough proctors if school hasn’t started yet.
@ShrimpBurrito could UF knock out UBC or McGill? I was just looking at flights to Canada for next month and trying to work in a trip to Montreal which would include a McGill tour, and a trip to Schwartz Deli which I assume is still there - I enjoyed it 25 years ago!!
Thanks, @DiotimaDM. Our HS only offers two SAT dates a year. But there are other area HS offering other dates and ACT. But it seems they might not have signed up yet.
I think I am just going to sign him up for June. I just know that the last few weeks of school will be busy. But maybe on Memorial weekend he can do some prep.
@my2caligirls Nope, D has her sights squarely set on UBC. If admission were guaranteed, she probably wouldn’t even apply elsewhere, but she’ll apply to at least four safety/match schools just to make sure she has a spot somewhere.
But, UF could be the perfect fit for S20, given what he says he wants at this point. He’s been on some college tours with big sis so he’s not a total noob. There’s a lot of water to go under that bridge first, but I’ll be following the Benacquisto saga closely.
Montreal will show well in May/June! So beautiful, so fun. Schwartz’s is still there, but expect long lines if you go during peak hours. There is good food everywhere. Have a fantastic time!
@mommdc, when I checked for my location about a week ago nothing was there for the August test either, and I called CB and they said it should be available in May or June. Then when homerdog said they were posted, I checked again and indeed there was one location in my area. (Usually there are 5 or so in a reasonable driving distance.) I’d keep checking back, as they may add one in the next month or so.
Can we, now, officially say that the countdown begins? HS Class of 2018 get your engines ready!
^
At our high school a local place prints up “Senior” t shirts at the end of the year and the outgoing juniors wear them on the last day of school. I just sent in that form!
:((
Got busy yesterday and DD’18 registered for some summer college visits. On the schedule - Auburn, U of Georgia, Clemson, High Point, University of South Carolina and College of Charleston. Some may come off depending on June test results but at least there is a plan started. Think we might sneek a quick look in at Texas State this month while husband it picking up DD’16 from her freshman year at Marquette. 2 APs done…2 more APs and the SAT on Saturday to go and she is in the clear for the the rest of the school year. Wow it all goes so fast!
It’ll be really interesting to see where we are this time next year. I know one thing: if D18 doesn’t get into the school she loves then she’ll probably die of dehydration from all the tears. We try to keep her mind open to other possibilities but are having little success. Teenagers!
@droppedit, I hear you. I know my D has a favorite, but I’m trying very hard to get her interested in other schools. I can’t believe we are well and truly at bat, as someone said earlier, or revving our engines (@cardinal2020mom). I started making the Word document (I can’t do spreadsheets. I just can’t!) similar to what I helped older D prepare: potential schools with # of undergrads, COA, potential scholarship amounts, deadlines for apps/scholarships/honors college, etc. Here we go!
I’m pretty confident that S will get accepted to some state schools, hopefully also to music education, which requires an audition, but I am worried about affordability. We will have two in college his first year, but then D will be considered to be in grad school.
Sorry for the late reply. I’ve been off the grid with work. I suggest emailing concrete statement about why you will be applying to the school. “On the tour, I was impressed with the experiments going on in ___ in the science labs. I could see myself working in the labs. etc.” Or specific questions on ongoing research in different departments and would it be possible for the adcom to connect you with a professor who is studying ___." Since the Common App is allowing schools to be flooded with applications and there is no real way to know who is “for real,” developing a relationship with the adcom who essentially will “fight for you” is really important. And that all starts with developing a relationship. Down the road, the student can send information about something he or she has done that stands out in school, his community, etc. Regional adcoms hold the power to advocate for students in their area. The majority of kids will never reach out and it’s a shame. It can make all the difference.
@mommdc I hear you. My husband is losing his job toward the end of June. We’ve got D15’s junior year saved up already, but we’ll have to see what happens when S18 and she overlap the one year. D15’s college costs are about 1/2 the cost of attendance because of merit aid and a talent scholarship. We’re assuming that DH will be employed again this year, so we probably won’t have to worry about S18’s costs since we have a lot saved up and are targeting schools with similar merit aid as D15’s.
OOps. My comment is directed @lauriejgs !